Fine Tune your English language for Success

byJamesMichel

2.4K followers

9 years ago

You greeted me with, "I am nice to meet you " ?

• Note the differences 1. Using passive adverb forms with a gerund creates tricky subtle meaning shifts.

- I am nice to meet. Means: everyone who meets me finds me nice. = I am likable. The first person singular form is considered bragging about yourself, self-centered praise, arrogant and rude (in a cocky way). There is no place for a subject in the first person because of the reflexive nature of the verb "to be". So tacking on an intended subject pronoun or noun is a glaring grammatical error.

- We are nice to meet. The first person plural is grammatically identical to the singular form, however there is a subtle shift in meaning. The reflexive nature of "to be" shifts the subject to the self included group, to which "we" refers, so the meaning shifts to group praise often a morale booster (useful for a manager) or as group promotion (such as in advertising) socially acceptable not rude.

- You are nice to meet. Here in the second person singular and plural forms, all the g incomplete without it.

At times I can be:

Note the differences 1. Using passive adverb forms with a gerund creates tricky subtle meaning shifts.

- I am nice to meet. Means: everyone who meets me finds me nice. = I am likable. The first person singular form is considered bragging about yourself, self-centered praise, arrogant and rude (in a cocky way). There is no place for a subject in the first person because of the reflexive nature of the verb "to be". So tacking on an intended subject pronoun or noun is a glaring grammatical error.

- We are nice to meet. The first person plural is grammatically identical to the singular form, however there is a subtle shift in meaning. The reflexive nature of "to be" shifts the subject to the self included group, to which "we" refers, so the meaning shifts to group praise often a morale booster (useful for a manager) or as group promotion (such as in advertising) socially acceptable not rude.

- You are nice to meet. Here in the second person singular and plural forms, all the grammar is the same creating a delightfully attractive message that means exactly the same thing, with its implied subject "you", as the more passive first person form.

- It is nice to meet you. This form requires the subject pronoun or noun and is grammatically incomplete without it.