Actual

[BRENOIRONMAIDEN]

Steve Harris starts talking first about the inspiration behind calling the band 'Iron Maiden'.

"Did you ever see the film 'The Man In The Iron Mask'?" He asks. "Well I saw it on television and that's when the name first occurred to me. Although strictly speaking I believe an ACTUAL 'Iron Maiden' is an altogether more vicious torture device ... you know, it's a metal case with these nails set inside of it and if you fasten it over someone's head they get kind of spiked. Very unpleasant."


In this text, the word "ACTUAL" means:

A) Real, Genuine
B) Current, existing at the present time

 

[emsr2d2]

Steve Harris starts talking first about the inspiration behind calling the band 'Iron Maiden'.

"Did you ever see the film 'The Man In The Iron Mask'?" He asks. "Well I saw it on television and that's when the name first occurred to me. Although strictly speaking I believe an ACTUAL 'Iron Maiden' is an altogether more vicious torture device ... you know, it's a metal case with these nails set inside of it and if you fasten it over someone's head they get kind of spiked. Very unpleasant."


In this text, the word "ACTUAL" means:

A) Real, Genuine
B) Current, existing at the present time

Which answer do you think is correct?

 

[BRENOIRONMAIDEN]

I don't know, I am beginner in English language. I saw the word "actual" has these two meanings, in this site:

actual - definition of actual by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

So what the right choice?

 

[emsr2d2]

I don't know, I am beginner in English language. I saw the word "actual" has these two meanings, in this site:

actual - definition of actual by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

So what the right choice?

Even though you are a beginner, it is important to try and work out the answer to a question yourself first. The two definitions that you have are correct. Which one of them do you think makes more sense? Please try to answer first. After you have done that, we will comment and give our opinion and explanation. :-D

 

[konungursvia]

Steve Harris starts talking first about the inspiration behind calling the band 'Iron Maiden'.

"Did you ever see the film 'The Man In The Iron Mask'?" He asks. "Well I saw it on television and that's when the name first occurred to me. Although strictly speaking I believe an ACTUAL 'Iron Maiden' is an altogether more vicious torture device ... you know, it's a metal case with these nails set inside of it and if you fasten it over someone's head they get kind of spiked. Very unpleasant."


In this text, the word "ACTUAL" means:

A) Real, Genuine
B) Current, existing at the present time

It's A. Actually does not, in English have the French/Portuguese meaning of "currently" or right now. Or rather, it is rarely used in that way.

 

[BRENOIRONMAIDEN]

Well, konungurvia answered "a". Ithink "a" makes more sense, but I'm not sure.

 

[BRENOIRONMAIDEN]

emsr2d2, I think "a" makes more sense. Can you explain? thanks

 

[bhaisahab]

emsr2d2, I think "a" makes more sense. Can you explain? thanks

Konungursvia has already explained.

 

[BRENOIRONMAIDEN]

but I did not understand his explanation. Can someone explain to me in a better way? thanks

 

[Michael84]

but I did not understand his explanation. Can someone explain to me in a better way? thanks

not a teacher

He said that the word "actual" is often confused with "current" by speakers of your native language. This is not the meaning it has in English.
This is why A is the correct answer.

P.S.: Many Germans also confuse "actual" with "current"/"existing at the present time", because it sounds similar to the German word "aktuell".

 

[BRENOIRONMAIDEN]

ok, but in many dictionaries, we can see that "actual" also means "current" or "existing at the present time". In the case of quoted text (about the name "iron maiden"), the most appropriate meaning for the word "actual" is "real" and "genuine"?

 

[konungursvia]

Really, the dictionary is not a good guide to frequency. No one uses "actual" in English except when they mean "factual" or "in fact"; the idea of current is only occasionally used, I'd say rarely, and it is imported from French. We very often say "current" and "currently" but when we say actual or actually, it means something factually true despite a lack of certainty, and relates to perceptions of probability, not time.