looking for a saying/idiom

[dean1]

I don't know. I don't know if what you want to say has a positive ring to it or not. Perhaps B has an inquisitive mind by nature and will always analyze things time and again. He will then think of all the pros and cons of A's ideas before giving his own opinion.[/quote]

Thanks anyway for ur help. Here I'd have another question. Can u pls tell me the subtle differences between ' complicated ' and ' sophisticated ' ? When we say someone is complicated / sophisticated, what does it imply? I assume they arent the same though.

thanks

[Marylin]

Thanks anyway for ur help. Here I'd have another question. Can u pls tell me the subtle differences between ' complicated ' and ' sophisticated ' ? When we say someone is complicated / sophisticated, what does it imply? I assume they arent the same though.

thanks[/quote]

A complicated person is a person that's difficult to "read" and very difficult to analyze.
A sophisticated person is a person that's well spoken, well read, well travelled and therefore intellectually appealing.

A complicated person does not have to be a sophisticated person.
Jeffrey Dahmer (the notorious serial killer) was a complicated person but he certainly was not a sophisticated person.

[dean1]

[/quote]
A complicated person is a person that's difficult to "read" and very difficult to analyze.
A sophisticated person is a person that's well spoken, well read, well travelled and therefore intellectually appealing.

A complicated person does not have to be a sophisticated person.
Jeffrey Dahmer (the notorious serial killer) was a complicated person but he certainly was not a sophisticated person.[/quote]

thanks. So if someone says u r sophisticated, should you take it as a compliment? What about ' complex ' then?

[Tdol]

'Complex' as an adjective would generally be better received than 'simple'.

[Marylin]

thanks. So if someone says u r sophisticated, should you take it as a compliment?:-

Oh, yes!

[dean1]

Originally Posted by tdol

'Complex' as an adjective would generally be better received than 'simple'.

Erm.... Tdol, can pls be more specific? For example,

He is a complex person.

What can we infer from this statement?

thanks

[Marylin]

Originally Posted by dean1

Erm.... Tdol, can pls be more specific? For example,

He is a complex person.

What can we infer from this statement?

thanks

I am a bit puzzled myself by the differences in meaning between complicated and complex. The meanings are different but the differences seem fairly subtle. At least to me.
Let's say we have a toaster manual in front of us and we have never used a toaster before.
If the manual is complicated it means it's difficult/hard to understand.
If we say the manual instructions are very complex, it means they consists of many interrelated elements that have to be taken into account in order to understand how the toaster works.
Well, I did poke around a little to find out how it applies to characters and seems like it's the same idea pretty much. A complicated person is someone difficult to figure out. A complex person is someone with multiple interrelated "elements" so to speak, someone who deals with internal conflicts without a clear idea of their alignement. And when you are reading a book that's what draws the reader in and makes for a good read.

I hope it helps somewhat, Dean .

[Marylin]

I just thought I will add one more thing:
As I said before, a complex character will make for an interesting read because we have things to think about when trying to understand the character. We go deep into the character's mind and for most part we will probably enjoy it. With a complicated character, I think, things will most likely get very confusing.

[dean1]

Originally Posted by Marylin

I just thought I will add one more thing:
As I said before, a complex character will make for an interesting read because we have things to think about when trying to understand the character. We go deep into the character's mind and for most part we will probably enjoy it. With a complicated character, I think, things will most likely get very confusing.

thanks for ur reply. So are u implying that when someone says u have a complex character, u should be happy about it?

[Marylin]

Originally Posted by dean1

thanks for ur reply. So are u implying that when someone says u have a complex character, u should be happy about it?

It's just a statement, not exactly a reason to be either happy or sad.