Are they different or the same?

Native Korean   Thu Jun 12, 2008 8:46 am GMT
#1. Let's say I bumped into a guy with a strong gay vibe on the street and I would like to say:
(a) He looks gay.
(b) He looks like gay.
(c) He seems gay.
(d) He seems to be gay.

Do the four sentences above all make sense? Are they noticeably different in meaning and nuiance? If they are, what's the difference?
Also, which sentence is the most common expression in verbal English?

#2. Let's say I am seeing a picture of my friend's younger brother who looks very similar to my friend, and I would like to say:
(a) You guys look alike.
(b) You guys look very similar.
(c) <Please suggest a better sentence if you can!>
Guest   Thu Jun 12, 2008 8:59 am GMT
#1.
(a) implies that his physical appearance tells you he's gay.
(b) doesn't make sense.
(c) implies that his behavior and possibly appearance tell you he's gay.
(d) sounds like you something you might say if you heard he's gay but aren't 100% sure if he really is.

#2.
I would "You guys really look alike." or something like that, personally. Simply saying "You guys look alike." sounds stupid to me because it's kind of obvious that brothers look alike.
Guest   Thu Jun 12, 2008 9:00 am GMT
#1 C would be the "safest" answer here.

A and B are bad, because saying that a person "looks" gay doesn't make much sense and opens you up to being asked just how a gay person is "supposed" to look....

D might ok, but only in very limited context, such as if you and your conversation partner were trying to figure out if the person is indeed gay.



#2 You look similar to my friend.

(Avoid using the word "guy" unless you are a native speaker and really understand what you are saying)
Guest   Thu Jun 12, 2008 9:06 am GMT
I meant to say "I would say", not just "I would". Anyway, there's nothing wrong with a non-native speaker saying "guy", especially in the case of the phrase "you guys".
Native Korean   Fri Jun 13, 2008 8:38 am GMT
Then how do I say if my friend look similar to a celebrity, say Scarlett Johansson, and what should I say to her in proper English?

a) "You look similar to Scarlett Johansson."
b) "You look like Scarlett Johansson."
c) "You remind me Scarlett Johansson."
d) <Please suggest a better sentence if you can.>
Guest   Fri Jun 13, 2008 8:52 am GMT
"You look like Scarlett Johansson." means that your physically look like her. (ie, in a photogenic way)
"You remind me Scarlett Johansson." means that the way you act or carry yourself personalitywise initiates thoughts of Scarlett Johansson.
K. T.   Sun Jun 15, 2008 3:22 am GMT
"You remind me OF Scarlett..." would be better.
"You remind me Scartett..." sounds like you are asking Ms. J. to help you to remember something.

"Barack" to "Michelle": "You Remind me of Scarlett."
Michelle: Which one?
Barack..."Uh, that one in the book, not the starlet, Scarlett."
Michelle: Good answer, I was worried when I read in the paper that she was engaged to you.
Barack: She needs to come to Antimoon and learn more English.
K. T.   Sun Jun 15, 2008 3:23 am GMT
I think Scarlett is quite beautiful, so try not to get up in arms if you didn't find that funny.
Super Korean   Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:07 pm GMT
Let's say, you are moving to another country and you want to say good-bye to your friends.

You would say:
a) I am going to miss you. (I'm gonna miss you!)
b) I will miss you. (I'll miss you.)
c) You are going to be missed.
d) You'll be missed.

Of the four sentences above, which one would be most commonly used among native speakers?
Guest   Wed Jul 16, 2008 4:18 am GMT
I would probably say a), but I might say b). I wouldn't say c) or d) because they sound impersonal.
Jinx   Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:07 am GMT
For the "Let's say, you are moving to another country and you want to say good-bye to your friends."

I would say
A) it's very casual and with the added exclimation point it has lots of energy and emotion backing up the message that you will indeed miss your friends

Maybe
B) This works too, but with the period it's more solemn and with not as much emotion. This option would be perfectly fine in my opinion but A) would still be the best answer in my opinion

No
C) It's very impersonal and more formal. Not really the right thing to say to a close friend you're going to miss.

Not really
D) Not a very common wording (I'm a native English speaker) and it's not as personal and fimiliar, and you should be both those things with a friend.

((As to the whole "non-native" using the word "guys" they can go for it! People are pretty forgiving if you missuse it or say it in a wrong situation. But be warned! Making a mistake around friends and making a mistake around an authority figure or strangers are two diffrent things. And remeber using "guys" to describe a group of friends is casual, so don't use it around people you would not want to be casual with!))
Dear Native Speakers:   Fri Jul 18, 2008 4:29 pm GMT
Can I ask you a simple question?

Which one is correct?

a) The theatre is far north (from) here.
b) The theatre is far north (of) here.
c) The theatre is far north (to) here.

Please help me because positions are always tricky :(
guest   Fri Jul 18, 2008 7:19 pm GMT
'the theatre is north of here, and pretty far'

"far north" is not generally used unless you're talking about a very great distnace, like: "Yukon Alaska is far north of the equator"
guest   Fri Jul 18, 2008 7:30 pm GMT
for distance,

"of"/"from" are associated with "far" (eg. far from here; north of here)

"to" is associated with "close"/"near" (eg. close to you, near to this place)

hope this helps you
Dear Native Speakers:   Wed Jul 30, 2008 3:19 am GMT
How are they different and which one is more commonly used in verbal English?

#1. (a) Have you seen the movie "Titanic"?
(b) Did you see the movie "Titanic"?

#2. (a) I haven't watched the movie.
(b) I didn't watch the movie.