Francesco Poli <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Is "I am afraid it cannot" a definite answer? > It does not even seem to express certainty...
(I am not a professor of English) The usage of "I am afraid that <assertion>" in English has changed. At one point it expressed both uncertainty and anxiety about the assertion; "I fear that this assertion might be true". Then it was used euphemistically to be polite about an assertion one *was* certain about, but felt was bad for the other party so wanted to soften the statement. Eventually this euphemistic usage became the main understanding. Most native English speakers, I think, would read the above as "Though I regret the fact, I am certain that <assertion>". To express uncertainty, it might be clearer to say "I fear that <assertion>" or "I think that <assertion>". -- \ "About four years ago, I was -- no, it was yesterday." -- | `\ Steven Wright | _o__) | Ben Finney -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
