What is the basic difference between these two expressions:
1. Thank you very much
2. Thank you very much indeed
Why use "indeed" in this case?
********** NOT A TEACHER **********
Flex,
(1) It might be helpful if you remember that the word comes from
two words:
in + deed (something that has been done)
In English, some single words were once two words. Of course,
people speak fast, so they became one word.
(2) As the other posters have already told you,
indeed just
emphasizes your statement.
(a) If you say "Thank you," that is fine.
(b) If you want the other person to know the depth (deepness)
of your gratitude, you might say:
[I want to] thank you, indeed [ = I am taking this opportunity to
really, truly, actually convey my gratitude to you].
*****
I found out some helpful information in Professor Quirk's
authoritative
A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language
(London and New York: Longman, 1985):
The play [drama on a theater stage] was excellent.
If you wish to strengthen the adjective "excellent," you can
say:
The play was indeed excellent./ The play was excellent indeed.
As Professor Quirk pointed out, sometimes "indeed" refers to the
whole sentence:
Indeed, the play was excellent.
In that sentence, "indeed" does not refer only to "excellent." It is
a comment on the whole sentence "The play was excellent."
Tom: How was the play? Some newspapers said that the play
was excellent.
Martha: Oh, yes. Indeed (= the fact is), the play was excellent.
Thank you & Happy New Year
P.S. The dialogue between Tom and Martha are only my words.
It was
not in Professor Quirk's book.
