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29-Dec-2003, 23:20
| | |  everybody
Which of these sentences is correct:
1-What he does for a living isn't difficult. Everybody can do that.
2-Everybody could have commited the murder. |
30-Dec-2003, 00:16
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2's fine. I'd say 'anybody'in the first.  |
30-Dec-2003, 00:20
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I thought it was the other way around!
Anybody could have committed the murder. We don't know who did.
Everybody could have committed the murder. We don't know who did.
Anybody can do that. (Come to think of it. This one is definitely correct.)
Everybody can do that. (Is this one wrong?) |
30-Dec-2003, 00:32
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| | Re: everybody
Quote: |
Originally Posted by navi Which of these sentences is correct:
1-What he does for a living isn't difficult. Everybody can do that.
2-Everybody could have commited the murder. | Both are correct. Context is missing. If you mean to say that only one person can do it or could have done it, then use 'anybody'.
'everybody' means, all bodies, every person in the group.
'anybody' means, one body, one person in the group.
:D |
30-Dec-2003, 00:36
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| | Re: everybody
By 2 I mean to say everybody is a suspect.
By 1 I mean to say that any single person, no matter who they are, can do that. |
30-Dec-2003, 04:02
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| | Re: everybody
Quote: |
Originally Posted by navi tasan By 2 I mean to say everybody is a suspect.
2-Everybody could have commited the murder.
By 1 I mean to say that any single person, no matter who they are, can do that.
1-What he does for a living isn't difficult. Everybody can do that. | Let's look at sentence 2:
2a- Everyone (in this room) could have committed the murder. ( All of you could have poisoned the victim.)
2b. Anyone (in this room) could have committed the murder. ( One of you could have poisoned the victim.
Let's look a sentence 1:
1a- What he does for a living isn't difficult. Everybody(i.e. all of us) can do that.
1b- What he does for a living isn't difficult. Anybody (i.e. any one of us) can do that.
:D |
30-Dec-2003, 08:17
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Cas, that was such a good explanation, it was worth reading twice. ;) |
30-Dec-2003, 10:15
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Quote: |
Originally Posted by shane Cas, that was such a good explanation, it was worth reading twice. ;) | :D |
30-Dec-2003, 10:55
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| | Re: everybody
Quote: |
Originally Posted by Casiopea Quote: |
Originally Posted by navi Which of these sentences is correct:
1-What he does for a living isn't difficult. Everybody can do that.
2-Everybody could have commited the murder. | Both are correct. Context is missing. If you mean to say that only one person can do it or could have done it, then use 'anybody'.
'everybody' means, all bodies, every person in the group.
'anybody' means, one body, one person in the group.
:D | That's why I suggested 'anybody'- a crime, like the one on the Orient Express, could have many perpetrators, but I assumed that his job would be carried out by a single person rather than a group.  |
30-Dec-2003, 12:37
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| | Re: everybody
Quote: |
Originally Posted by tdol Quote: |
Originally Posted by Casiopea Quote: |
Originally Posted by navi Which of these sentences is correct:
1-What he does for a living isn't difficult. Everybody can do that.
2-Everybody could have commited the murder. | Both are correct. Context is missing. If you mean to say that only one person can do it or could have done it, then use 'anybody'.
'everybody' means, all bodies, every person in the group.
'anybody' means, one body, one person in the group.
:D | That's why I suggested 'anybody'- a crime, like the one on the Orient Express, could have [one of] many perpetrators, but I assumed that his job would be carried out by a single person rather than a group. | You gave me the idea. :D | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode | 
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