"hands" and "arms"
I never thought before, what is the difference between "hands" and "arms". And I was really surprised, when I read that the "hand" - is a part from the wrist to the fingertips, and that the "arm" - is a part from the shoulder to the wrist. In Russian we say just "рука" in both cases :).
So, if I understand it correctly, I can't say: "He hugged me with his big strong hands". I should say: "He hugged me with his big strong arms"?
Please, check my little exercise with "hands" and "arms":
1. This doll has too long ARMS.
2. He broke his ARM.
3. Are your HANDS clean?
4. She pulled her ARM in training.
5. Give me your HAND.
6. I hold the bags in my HANDS.
.
Search from various English teachers...
Corrections · 4
2
Ahhh, isn't the English Language quirky! I think you have a good handle on this, but let me make some comments below to make this sound even better to the English-speaker's ear.
"hands" and "arms"
I never thought before, what is about the difference between "hands" and "arms" before. And I was really surprised, when I to read that the "hand" is a part from the wrist to the fingertips, and that the "arm" is a part from the shoulder to the wrist. In Russian, we say just "рука" in both cases :).So, if I understand it correctly, I can't say: "He hugged me with his big strong hands". I should say: "He hugged me with his big strong arms"? Yes, that is more proper. Though, you could say "He squeezed me with his big, strong hands."
Please, check my little exercise with "hands" and "arms":
1. This doll has too long ARMS. This doll's arms are too long. Correct
2. He broke his ARM. Correct
3. Are your HANDS clean? Correct
4. She pulled her ARM in training. This is tricky. You don't really pull an "arm". In English, we say pull a "muscle" and sometimes specify which muscle - "I pulled my forearm muscle." "I pulled my bicep." "I pulled my tricep."
5. Give me your HAND. Correct, though you can also take someones arm - you'd go "arm in arm" (Think of two people linking arms at the elbow)
6. I hold the bags in my HANDS. Correct.
.
1
As John said, you have a good handle on it. (I don't know if he intended it as a pun (handle), but it's a pretty good one). The distinction between "foot" and "leg" is also important in English, but not in a lot of other languages
"hands" and "arms"
I never thought before, what is about the difference between "hands" and "arms". And I was really surprised when I read that the "hand" is a part from the wrist to the fingertips, and that the "arm" - is a part from the shoulder to the wrist. In Russian we say just "рука" in both cases :).So, if I understand it correctly, I can't say: "He hugged me with his big strong hands". I should say: "He hugged me with his big strong arms"?
Please, check my little exercise with "hands" and "arms":
1. This doll has too long ARMS. (Like John said, "The doll's arms are too long" is more natural)
2. He broke his ARM. (Good. But it's possible to break a hand or a finger also)
3. Are your HANDS clean?
4. She pulled her ARM in training. (Good, but like John said, it's better to name the specific joint: you can pull/strain/sprain a wrist, elbow, or shoulder)
5. Give me your HAND.
6. I hold the bags in my HANDS. (If I'm carrying two big bags, I might be holding them in my arms, unless I'm carrying them by handles).
Two other good expressions:
1. Keep your hands to yourself! (You say this is someone is touching your things or your body and you don't like it)
2. I kept him at arm's length. (This means that I didn't allow the person to come too close to me)
Want to progress faster?
Join this learning community and try out free exercises!
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!
Start Learning Today
