Question
Updated on
4 December
- Simplified Chinese (China)
-
English (US)
Question about English (US)
How do you say this in English (US)? what's the difference between the two sentences?would you please help me?
"they never took the time to get to know her".
"they never spent the time to get to know her".
How do you say this in English (US)? what's the difference between the two sentences?would you please help me?
"they never took the time to get to know her".
"they never spent the time to get to know her".
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4 December
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- English (US)
@daliu_771 The two sentences are very similar, but there's a subtle difference:
1. "They never took the time to get to know her."
- "Took" implies that time was available, but they chose not to use it.
- Slightly more formal tone.
2. "They never spent the time to get to know her."
- "Spent" implies that time was invested or used, but in this case, it wasn't.
- Slightly more conversational tone.
Both sentences convey the same message, but the first one is a bit more formal, while the second one is more casual.
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- English (US)
@daliu_771 The two sentences are very similar, but there's a subtle difference:
1. "They never took the time to get to know her."
- "Took" implies that time was available, but they chose not to use it.
- Slightly more formal tone.
2. "They never spent the time to get to know her."
- "Spent" implies that time was invested or used, but in this case, it wasn't.
- Slightly more conversational tone.
Both sentences convey the same message, but the first one is a bit more formal, while the second one is more casual.
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- Simplified Chinese (China)
@Cynthia_2000 thank you, one more question, "I took three hours on my homework." "I spent three hours on my homework". which is correct?
- English (US)
@daliu_771 The correct sentence is:
"I spent three hours on my homework."
"Spent" is the correct verb to use here, as it implies using or passing time doing something.
"Took" is more commonly used to mean "to seize or capture something" or "to require a certain amount of time to complete something", like "The trip took three hours."
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- Simplified Chinese (China)
@Cynthia_2000 the longman dictionary tells me that in everyday English, people usually say "spend time doing something rather than pass time", e.g. I spent the whole day watching TV". I doubt if this is real, would you please help me?
- English (US)
@daliu_771 The Longman Dictionary is correct. In everyday English, people usually use "spend time" instead of "pass time" when talking about how they occupy themselves.
Here's why:
"Spend time" implies that you're using your time for a particular activity, like watching TV, reading, or exercising.
"Pass time", on the other hand, often implies that you're just filling time, usually because you're waiting for something or someone.
So, your example sentence, "I spent the whole day watching TV," is a common way to express how you occupied your time.
In contrast, "I passed the time watching TV" might imply that you were waiting for something or someone and just happened to watch TV while you waited.
So, to summarize: "spend time" is more commonly used in everyday English to talk about how you occupy your time, while "pass time" often implies filling time while waiting.
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