What is the difference in meaning between the language in each of the sentence pairs below?must, ing
1. I really must clean the house,
it’s in a terrible state!

2. You really must go whale
watching, it’s amazing!

3. I’m visiting my mother this weekend, I haven’t seen her for ages.

4. I’m enjoying this pre-interview task, I love a challenge.

Thanks in advance.

Question

What is the difference in meaning between the language in each of the sentence pairs below?must, ing
1. I really must clean the house,
it’s in a terrible state!

2. You really must go whale
watching, it’s amazing!

3.  I’m visiting my mother this weekend, I haven’t seen her for ages.

4. I’m enjoying this pre-interview task, I love a challenge.

Thanks in advance.

Answer

The only difference I can see in the first pair is that "I must clean the house" refers to performing a duty that's not super fun, while "you must go whale watching" is a way of recommending something that is fun (it's not really a duty the person will be forced to perform). The difference would be clearer if the first sentence was "You must clean the house," where it is clear that it's a command. But how many times do we say to ourselves "I must clean the house" and then go watch tv?

In the second pair the first "I'm visiting" is used to express the future, while the second "I'm enjoying" is present tense.

Answers · 2

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