How I hate him!

[optimistic pessimist]

Dear all,
In a Charlie Brown cartoon, I remember seeing the line "How I hate him!", which means, "I really hate him".

Do you think it's okay for ESL students to use this "how I + verb + something"? If it's fine, maybe I could make a variety of expressions such as "How I love sushi!" "How I hate Latin!" etc.

Thank you!I

[Michael84]

not a teacher

It's okay to use such utterances in informal verbal conversations to express your likes and dislikes. I wouldn't use them in more-or-less formal texts.

[optimistic pessimist]

Dear all,

Michael84, thanks for your reply. I really appreciate it.

Just one more thing. Is this just informal? No implication of being old-fashioned or childish? Since I saw it in a cartoon from 1950's as a child's remark, I'd like to make sure about it.

Thank yoi!


OP

[emsr2d2]

Dear all,

Michael84, thanks for your reply. I really appreciate it.

Just one more thing. Is this just informal? No implication of being old-fashioned or childish? Since I saw it in a cartoon from 1950's as a child's remark, I'd like to make sure about it.

Thank yoi!


OP

It's not necessarily informal but I would say it's quite old-fashioned. It sounds like something from Jane Austen.

"Ohhh, that Mr Darcy. How I love him!"

[TheParser]

Dear all,
In a Charlie Brown cartoon, I remember seeing the line "How I hate him!", which means, "I really hate him".

Do you think it's okay for ESL students to use this "how I + verb + something"? If it's fine, maybe I could make a variety of expressions such as "How I love sushi!" "How I hate Latin!" etc.

Thank you!I

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


(1) I most respectfully offer this advice to ESL students:

(a) "How I hate broccoli!" is OK. People will laugh with you.

(b) In the United States, however, the word "hate" is still very powerful.

(i) If you say "How I hate you!" to someone, that will definitely hurt

his/her feelings for a long time -- or forever.

(ii) And never, ever say "How I hate ____" ( a certain race, religion, sexual

orientation, etc.) If you do, you will have big problems with the police.

(iii) In my city, there is now a new law: If you are driving an automobile and say to

a person on a bicycle near you the words "How I hate you bicycle riders," that may

now be a crime! A driver is not allowed to hurt a bicyclist's feelings.

(2) As the saying goes, everyone in the United States is walking on eggshells
(= being super, super careful about what we say -- and do), for the country is changing very fast. (I cannot go into detail, for this is strictly a language website.)

[SoothingDave]

Your city must have lots of taxpayer money to use on First Amendment lawsuits.

[optimistic pessimist]

Dear all,

Thanks for replies to my question about "How I hate him".

Just a little thing...

I'm not 100 percent sure , but I remember hearing someone say "How much I hate him!" With "much".

Is this different in meaning, or simply wrong? As you say "How nice!", "How rediculous!", "How stupid!" , "how + adjective/adverb" sounds familiar to me.

Thank you!

OP

[emsr2d2]

Dear all,

Thanks for replies to my question about "How I hate him".

Just a little thing...

I'm not 100 percent sure , but I remember hearing someone say "How much I hate him!" With "much".

Is this different in meaning, or simply wrong? As you say "How nice!", "How rediculous!", "How stupid!" , "how + adjective/adverb" sounds familiar to me.

Thank you!

OP

"How much I hate him" is incorrect, as a straight statement. However, you would be able to say "You won't believe how much I hate him", or "It's amazing how much I hate him". It's also fine as a question "How much do you hate him?" but it simply doesn't work as an exclamation.

For info, it's "ridiculous" (not "rediculous").