without eating/having anything

Status
Not open for further replies.

tzfujimino

Key Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2007
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Japanese
Home Country
Japan
Current Location
Japan
Hello, everyone.:-D

Please allow me to ask a silly question.

1. Kazuki got up late and hurried to the bus stop without eating anything.
2. Kazuki got up late and hurried to the bus stop without having anything.

Is it not possible to change 'eating' to 'having' and convey the same meaning?

I'm looking forward to your reply.
 
Hello, everyone.:-D

Please allow me to ask a silly question.

1. Kazuki got up late and hurried to the bus stop without eating anything.
2. Kazuki got up late and hurried to the bus stop without having anything.

Is it not possible to change 'eating' to 'having' and convey the same meaning?

I'm looking forward to your reply.


It's possible, but not easy. It would require a good deal of background context. Specifically stating the person got up/dressed/grabbed his bag/brief case then left.

Otherwise, the reader will think he left home with nothing in his hands, rather than his stomach.

In my opinion, the two words are not interchangeable.
 
It's possible, but not easy. It would require a good deal of background context. Specifically stating the person got up/dressed/grabbed his bag/brief case then left.

Otherwise, the reader will think he left home with nothing in his hands, rather than his stomach.

In my opinion, the two words are not interchangeable.


Thank you very much for your kind reply, HanibalⅡ.:-D
That (Your explanation) was my first guess.
Yes, the meaning of 'having' in the second sentence is ambiguous.

Thank you again.:-D
 
You could use Kazuki got up late and hurried to the bus stop without having anything to eat.

 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ask a Teacher

If you have a question about the English language and would like to ask one of our many English teachers and language experts, please click the button below to let us know:

(Requires Registration)
Back
Top