Tìm Giáo viên Tiếng Anh
Mak
Does "make a call" mean "make a decision"?
I have heard Indians use the phrase "to make a call" to mean "to make a decision". But I have never heard American or British speakers use it that way. I know that "call" can mean "decision" in sentences such as "It's your call", " That was a good/bad/tough call" etc. But I have never heard the specific expression "make a call". Is it an Indian English thing or is it an American / British collocation too?
6 Thg 03 2014 18:22
Câu trả lời · 6
3
As an American I would use "make a call". I might say something like, "Will Mak ever make a call on coming to the US or not?" I would more likely use "make the call". "Yes, I wish Mak would make the call too, I really want to go to the US."
6 tháng 3 năm 2014
2
Yes, "to make a call" does also mean "to make a decision." The reason that you may have heard it less often stems primarily from the fact that "to make a call" has a different nuance than "to make a decision."
"To make a decision" usually requires some deliberation, weighing benefits against harm. On the other hand, "to make a call" has the additional nuance that you are faced between two almost equally attractive (or unattractive) choices, and you *must* choose one over the other. In other words, "to make a call" gives the hearer the impression that the decision was, well, "a close call."
That is why you usually hear "to make a call" in sports, when an umpire has to decide whether there was a foul when perhaps the line between "foul" and "no foul" is actually quite blurry...
Hope this helps.
6 tháng 3 năm 2014
"Make a call" could also be used when referring to a telephone call.
I hope this clears up your dilemma :-)
6 tháng 3 năm 2014
Bạn vẫn không tìm thấy được các câu trả lời cho mình?
Hãy viết xuống các câu hỏi của bạn và để cho người bản xứ giúp bạn!
Mak
Kỹ năng ngôn ngữ
Tiếng Assam, Tiếng Bengal, Tiếng Anh, Tiếng Đức, Tiếng Hindi
Ngôn ngữ đang học
Tiếng Assam, Tiếng Anh, Tiếng Đức
Bài viết Bạn Có lẽ Cũng Thích

Speak More Fluently with This Simple Technique
11 lượt thích · 2 Bình luận

How to Read and Understand a Business Contract in English
16 lượt thích · 3 Bình luận

6 Ways italki Can Help You Succeed in Your School Language Classes
12 lượt thích · 7 Bình luận
Thêm bài viết