woniee
What do you mean by that? What is meant by that? Do these expressions have the same nuance? "What do you mean by that?" "What is meant by that?" Do these two expressions above have the same nuance?
2014년 10월 7일 오전 7:42
답변 · 2
1
"What do you mean by that?" = "What do YOU mean by that?" "What is meant by that?" = "What DO PEOPLE IN GENERAL mean by that?" I hope I cleared it up for you :)
2014년 10월 7일
1
The tone is what changes the meaning. However, on paper, the meanings are slightly different: 1. What do you mean by that? This is a specific question, to a specific person, about something specific they said. Specific. It can be asking about the tone someone used or their underlying meaning behind saying something. This can be a harmless question asking for more information, or a very aggressive question, challenging someone to stop hiding their real thoughts behind clever words. 2. What is meant by that? This is a more indirect question and asks what the 'general' idea is about a situation. This is a harmless question that would be useful for an English learner when asking what an expression means in a language. For example, "What is meant by the question, 'What do you mean by that?'" For the first question, just be careful about the tone you use when asking it.
2014년 10월 7일
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