• Exciting news! With our new Ad-Free Premium Subscription you can enjoy a distraction-free browsing experience while supporting our site's growth. Without ads, you have less distractions and enjoy faster page load times. Upgrade is optional. Find out more here, and enjoy ad-free learning with us!

[Grammar] Come up with vs Think of

Status
Not open for further replies.

shimacatu_sa

VIP Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2017
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Japanese
Home Country
Japan
Current Location
Japan
Hi,
Are there any differences in nuance between the two sentences below?
If so, could you give me any guidance on how to choose the right one?

The situation, which I made up, is someone asks me if I have any ideas for a party.

A. I cannot come up with any good ideas.
B. I cannot think of any good ideas.

Thank you.
 

bhaisahab

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 12, 2008
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
Ireland
They mean the same.
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Note that if you say "I can't come up with any good ideas", the other person might (sarcastically) ask you if you've come up with some bad ideas. Generally, when someone says "Have you got any ideas for ...?", they're implicitly asking you for good ideas.
A perfectly good response would be "I can't come up with/think of any/anything".
 

Raymott

VIP Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
English
Home Country
Australia
Current Location
Australia
The only difference I can see is that "to come up with an idea" implies that you share it with others. To think of an idea doesn't require this. But that's splitting a fine hair.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top