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Xiaowei
Does the sentence "A is closer to B than C" different meanings?
Does the sentence "A is closer to B than C" different meanings?
Can this sentence be understood as either "A is close to C, but A is closer to B" or "C is close to B, but A is closer to B"?
I especially want to listen to native speakers' opinion. Thank you everyone!Does the sentence "A is closer to B than C" have different meanings?
Sorry for my mistake.
Thank you Denis.
Do you mean if the second case, people usually use "A is closer to B than C is" ?
Any opinion from other guys?
15 juil. 2009 07:40
Réponses · 3
2
Hello Xiaowei
A is closer to B than C
This is the kind of problem that I used to see in my Geometry class.
For me it means "A is close to C, but A is closer to B"
A....................C
A.....B
If it were written differently: "A is closer to B than C is" then it would mean
"C is close to B, but A is closer to B"
A..........B.....................C
That is how I understand it.
Денис :)
In response to your question:
"A is closer to B than C" is a short way of saying
"A is closer to B than A is to C"
"A is closer to B than C is" is a short way of saying
"A is closer to B than C is to B"
Of course that is not the only possible way to state these ideas. In Geometry often an attempt is made to use the least possible number of words.
Денис
I remember these kinds of problems from many years ago....I won't say how many! :)
15 juillet 2009
1
It means only that the distance from A to B is less than the distance from A to C.
It says nothing about the relative distance:
Both A to B and A to C could be very large distances.
Both A to B and A to C could be very small distances.
A to B could be a very small distance and A to C could be huge.
But whichever is the case, A to B is less than A to C.
However! In normal use, it only makes sense to say this if the distances are similar.
(of course, in the alphabet A is closer to B than C..........)
15 juillet 2009
You are Chinese from China. Native Spearker! Are you referring to Chinese. I am not sure whether I meet the requirement to answer the question
15 juillet 2009
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Xiaowei
Compétences linguistiques
Chinois (mandarin), Anglais, Allemand
Langue étudiée
Allemand
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