Wednesday, April 23, 2014

difference between not to + verb VS to not + verb

difference between not to + verb VS to not + verb
(any difference, in term of both meaning and usage, between the following 2 sentences?

I decide to not visit Japan.
I decide not to visit Japan.)


  •  I like the second one best. It is by far the most ordinary way to express the idea. The first one is not incorrect, however.


  • The natural version is "... not to visit Japan."

    The "... to not visit Japan" version is also used, thought likely to be considered casual and not recommended for formal writing or examinations unless you are very sure it would be accepted.




(What's the correct form of this?

I've decided not to take more medicine 
or
I've decided to not take more medicine.)

Thursday, April 10, 2014

difference between whole and entire

whole - (whole implies an undivided thing, not a sum of parts)You would say a whole loaf of bread or a whole person, since these are single objects not usually considered a collection of parts. 
entire - ("Entire" comes from "complete", and means no part has been left out.)when you are talking about collections of objects; the entire lot of cars, or the entire staff, since these are collections of distinct objects.



What is the difference between whole and entire

  • "Whole" comes from "unhurt", and means a single object that has not been subdivided. 

    "Entire" comes from "complete", and means no part has been left out. 

    They are different when you are talking about collections of objects; the entire lot of cars, or the entire staff, since these are collections of distinct objects. You would say a whole loaf of bread or a whole person, since these are single objects not usually considered a collection of parts. 

    The expression "whole life" considers one's life to be a single unit that has not been subdivided. An "entire life" means all the parts (years? experiences?) of a life. In this case either could be used.