it suits/fits/matches/goes with

[angliholic]

Susan dyed her brown, but I don't think it suits her.



Could I replace suits with fits/matches/goes with without changing its meaning? Thanks.

[Anglika]

I take it you mean she has dyed her hair?

Not in this context, where you are talking about a person and her appearance.

I can see possible usages:

Susan dyed her hair brown, but I don't think it fits her image
Susan dyed her hair brown, but I don't think it matches her eyes.
Susan dyed her hair brown, but I don't think it goes with her colouring

[angliholic]

Originally Posted by Anglika

I take it you mean she has dyed her hair?

Not in this context, where you are talking about a person and her appearance.

I can see possible usages:

Susan dyed her hair brown, but I don't think it fits her image
Susan dyed her hair brown, but I don't think it matches her eyes.
Susan dyed her hair brown, but I don't think it goes with her colouring

Thanks, Anglika, for your explanation.
But I'm more confused than before.

Do you mean suits doesn't or does work in the base sentence?

Moreover, are fits/matches/goes with synonymous and interchangeable in your samples. Namely, are the following all right?

Susan dyed her hari brown, but I don't think it fits/matches/goes with her images/eyes/colouring.


By the way, what do you mean by it doesn't go with her coloring?

[Anglika]

Sorry - the base sentence is fine.

"To fit someone's image" is a collocation: "I don't like the jacket that the Prime Minister wore yesterday. It doesn't fit his image as a senior government minister." Susan's brown hair does not fit her image as a glamorous blonde babe. (My Susan is blonde, grey-eyed, and with a fair skin)


Susan's brown hair does not match her grey eyes.

Susan is a blonde with a fair skin. This is termed her colouring. European skin colouring varies a great deal. It is difficult to explain in simple terms, but hair colour and skin tone have a relationship, and a person with the wrong hair colour for their skin colouring looks wrong.

[angliholic]

Originally Posted by Anglika

Sorry - the base sentence is fine.

"To fit someone's image" is a collocation: "I don't like the jacket that the Prime Minister wore yesterday. It doesn't fit his image as a senior government minister." Susan's brown hair does not fit her image as a glamorous blonde babe. (My Susan is blonde, grey-eyed, and with a fair skin)


Susan's brown hair does not match her grey eyes.

Susan is a blonde with a fair skin. This is termed her colouring. European skin colouring varies a great deal. It is difficult to explain in simple terms, but hair colour and skin tone have a relationship, and a person with the wrong hair colour for their skin colouring looks wrong.

Thanks, Anglika, for the bountiful info.
For the sake of clarification, what does the line I bolded in your post mean?
In addition, do the following sound as good?

Susan dyed her hair brown, but I don't think it goes with/fits her eyes.
Susan dyed her hair brown, but I don't think it matches/fits her colouring

[Anglika]

To term something = to refer to something by a specific term [a word or phrase used to describe a thing].

A person's complexion [skin tone], eye colour and hair colour are together called "colouring"

As to your suggestions, in #1 you can use "goes with" but not "fits".
In #2, I would not use "match" though I can see an argument for "fits", but neither is really good English.

[angliholic]

Thanks, Anglika, for your further reply.
But I'm still a bit confused. Why did you use the passive voice? Doesn't the active voice sound right?

Susan is a blonde with a fair skin. This terms her colouring.

[Anglika]

It/This is termed = passive voice.

We term this = active voice.

[angliholic]

Thanks, Anglika.
I get it now.

Susan is a blonde with a fair skin; we term this the colouring.
Susan is a blonde with a fair skin, which is termed the colouring.