They are fighting each other.

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tufguy

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1) John fought Kim.

2) Tim fought with John.

3) They are fighting each other.

4) They are fighting with each other.

5) He fought his neighbor.

6) He fought with his neighbor.

7) These two countries are fighting each other.

8)These two countries are fighting with each other.

Please check my sentences. Do these sentences have the same meaning?
 

emsr2d2

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Your question suggests that you think all 8 sentences mean the same thing. If that's the question then no, they don't. On closer examination, it appears that you have put sentences in pairs. So ...

1 and 2 don't mean the same thing. Can you see why?
3 and 4 could mean the same thing. It would depend on context.
5 and 6 could mean the same thing. It would depend on context.
7 and 8 would generally be taken to mean the same.
 

tufguy

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Your question suggests that you think all 8 sentences mean the same thing. If that's the question then no, they don't. On closer examination, it appears that you have put sentences in pairs. So ...

1 and 2 don't mean the same thing. Can you see why?
3 and 4 could mean the same thing. It would depend on context.
5 and 6 could mean the same thing. It would depend on context.
7 and 8 would generally be taken to mean the same.


First and second sentences don't mean the same thing because there are different names in both the sentences.

So we can say "fight me" or "fight with me" both are correct. I thought "fight with" was wrong.
 

tufguy

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The British fought with the French against the Germans.

So, "he fought with him" means they fought someone else together. "He fought him" means they fought each other. Am I correct?
 

Rover_KE

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So, "He fought with him" means they fought someone else together. Only in the context illustrated by Piscean - which has a named opponent.

"He fought him" means they fought each other. :tick:
`
 

emsr2d2

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"To fight with" can also mean "to argue".

Bobby, stop fighting with your brother. (Stop arguing.)
Bobby, stop fighting your brother. (Stop having a physical fight.)

Confusingly, though, saying something like "I wish you would stop fighting me on this" can mean "I wish you would stop disagreeing with me" or "I wish you would stop trying to obtain a different outcome from the one I want".

And don't forget that context and foreknowledge can make a difference. If I said to my friend "I had a huge fight with my boyfriend last night", they would know I was referring to a huge argument/row. That's because my friends know that I do not indulge in violence and I would not have a boyfriend who indulged in violence. If I said the same sentence to a stranger, they would not know if I was referring to an argument or a physical fight.
 
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