True to form

Dear Teachers,

Is "true to form" always used in the negative sense? Could you say,
for example, "True to form, he did a perfect job"?

Originally Posted by YY

Dear Teachers,

Is "true to form" always used in the negative sense? Could you say,
for example, "True to form, he did a perfect job"?

I believe it has a negative connotation.

True to form, he did a sloppy job.

:wink:

[Tdol]

In British English it can be used in a positive context:

Arsenal, true to form, won the match.

However, it has a slightly negative idea, suggesting that they are winning too easily, as if it's becoming a bit boring.

[Yuri Yoshikuni]

[quote="Susie Smith"]

Originally Posted by YY

Dear Teachers,

Is "true to form" always used in the negative sense? Could you say,
for example, "True to form, he did a perfect job"?

I believe it has a negative connotation.

True to form, he did a sloppy job.

Dear Susie,

Thank you so much for your kind reply. It was very helpful. I discovered this website recently and I am delighted. What a wonderful idea! I work as a simultaneous interpreter for Japanese and English so I am sure I shall be asking many more questions in the future and would be grateful if you could help me in the future as well. Thank you again.

With kind regards

Yuri Yoshikuni

[Yuri Yoshikuni]

Originally Posted by tdol

In British English it can be used in a positive context:

Arsenal, true to form, won the match.

However, it has a slightly negative idea, suggesting that they are winning too easily, as if it's becoming a bit boring.

Dear tdol,

Thank you for your reply. It was very interesting to know the difference between American and British English in the usage of the phrase.

With kind regards,

YY

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by Yuri Yoshikuni

Dear tdol,

Thank you for your reply. It was very interesting to know the difference between American and British English in the usage of the phrase.

With kind regards,

YY

Hold on. You've made an erroneous assumption. :( With regards to the phrase 'true to form', it can have either a positive connotation or a negative connotation. Both are used in North American as well as in British English.

All the best,

Yoroshiku onegai shimasu :D

[Yuri Yoshikuni]

Originally Posted by Casiopea

Hold on. You've made an erroneous assumption. :( With regards to the phrase 'true to form', it can have either a positive connotation or a negative connotation. Both are used in North American as well as in British English.

All the best,

Yoroshiku onegai shimasu :D

Thank you to you too, Casiopea-san.

YY

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by Casiopea

Hold on. You've made an erroneous assumption. :( With regards to the phrase 'true to form', it can have either a positive connotation or a negative connotation. Both are used in North American as well as in British English.

All the best,

Yoroshiku onegai shimasu :D

Itsu demo ii, wa. :D

[Tdol]

I only said British English because I wasn't sure about AE usage. I do that because sooften I found there to be a difference.

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by tdol

I only said British English because I wasn't sure about AE usage. I do that because so often I found there to be a difference.

Well, from the audience's point of view, this comparision thing is, in my opinion, turning fairly odious.