joeja26
Member
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2014
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- American English
- Home Country
- United States
- Current Location
- Canada
I am confused about the definition of the word "generally". It is often defined to mean "in most cases" or "usually; as a rule", but these don't seem like interchangeable definitions. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that "usually" or "as a rule" means "in a way that is ordinary or habitual"; "usually" and "as a rule" don't imply an objective minimum percentage of the time but it is reasonable to say that if something happens at least 75% - 90% of time, it can be said that "it usually happens" or "as a rule it happens". "In most cases", however, implies a finite objective minimum percentage of above 50% and is interchangeable with "in the majority of instances". What I am confused about is which one of these words or phrases is interchangeable with the word "generally" in different contexts:
Example 1: X generally does well on his/her math tests.
Does this merely mean that:
A: X does well on the majority of his/her math tests. (E.g. X does well on 55% of his/her math tests)
OR
B: X usually does well on his/her math tests./As a rule, X does well on his/her math tests. (E.g. X does well on 90% of his/her math tests) ?
(I think it's B but correct me if I'm wrong)
Example 2: Blorgons are generally nice creatures.
Does this merely mean that:
A: The majority of Blorgons are nice creatures. (E.g. 55% of Blorgons are nice creatures)
OR
B: Blorgons are typically nice creatures./As a rule, Blorgons are nice creatures. (E.g. 90% of Blorgons are nice creatures) ?
(Not sure about this one)
Thank you!
Example 1: X generally does well on his/her math tests.
Does this merely mean that:
A: X does well on the majority of his/her math tests. (E.g. X does well on 55% of his/her math tests)
OR
B: X usually does well on his/her math tests./As a rule, X does well on his/her math tests. (E.g. X does well on 90% of his/her math tests) ?
(I think it's B but correct me if I'm wrong)
Example 2: Blorgons are generally nice creatures.
Does this merely mean that:
A: The majority of Blorgons are nice creatures. (E.g. 55% of Blorgons are nice creatures)
OR
B: Blorgons are typically nice creatures./As a rule, Blorgons are nice creatures. (E.g. 90% of Blorgons are nice creatures) ?
(Not sure about this one)
Thank you!