Question
Updated on
31 Jan 2023
- German
-
English (US)
-
Italian
Question about English (US)
What is the difference between For X sake and In interest of X and On X side ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between For X sake and In interest of X and On X side ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
Answers
31 Jan 2023
Featured answer
- English (US)
Wow yes, I see how this is tricky.
The thing is, āfor Xās sakeā didnāt used to have the negative connotation it does now. You can still use it in a positive way, and interchangeably with āin Xās interest,ā but it just seems a bit outdated.
So in medieval times, saying āFor Godās sakeā would sound positive and like a rallying cry (which it was), whereas today if someone heard you say that, they would assume youāre upset.
When you use āfor Xās sakeā at the end of a sentence as an explanation, it has more of a neutral connotation. So it makes perfect sense to say āIām leaving the lights on for my neighborsā sake.ā
Itās just that when you use it at the beginning of a sentence, itās much more dramatic (and indicative of frustration) like dachshund82 pointed out.
Now that you mention it, this can be rather confusing!
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- English (US)
āFor someoneās sakeā is a dramatic way of speaking.
āIn the interest ofā is more neutral.
I donāt know what you mean by āon x side.ā
For the sake of the children, donāt smoke.
In the interest of time, letās hurry up.
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- English (US)
āFor X sakeā is usually used to express frustration, like in āfor heavenās sake, quit that!ā
Or, āFor your own sake, youād better stop.ā
āIn the interest ofā is similar but more common, and more neutral in connotation.
āIn the interest of preserving peace, why donāt you try saying that differently?ā
āOn X sideā is used to show loyalty or where someone stands, for instance in a debate.
āI think Henry has betrayed us, he seems to be on Lauraās side now.ā
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- German
Ahh, thanks guys !
In relation to german this stuff becomes a semantic carousel.
Imagine a medieval army ready to attack and the leader chants : for gods sake !
Refering that situation you can translate it literally into german : fĆ¼r Gottes Sache !
The problem starts when you describe smt like:
I hate leaving the lights on outside, but I do it for my neighbours sake.
( Ich tue es im Interesse meiner Nachbarn)
Wouldn't it then be better to say: I do it in my neighbours interest ?
"In god's interest !?!
Germans would rather interpret "on god's side" then...
I guess I get something terribly wrong here..
Thanks so far !
In relation to german this stuff becomes a semantic carousel.
Imagine a medieval army ready to attack and the leader chants : for gods sake !
Refering that situation you can translate it literally into german : fĆ¼r Gottes Sache !
The problem starts when you describe smt like:
I hate leaving the lights on outside, but I do it for my neighbours sake.
( Ich tue es im Interesse meiner Nachbarn)
Wouldn't it then be better to say: I do it in my neighbours interest ?
"In god's interest !?!
Germans would rather interpret "on god's side" then...
I guess I get something terribly wrong here..
Thanks so far !
- English (US)
Wow yes, I see how this is tricky.
The thing is, āfor Xās sakeā didnāt used to have the negative connotation it does now. You can still use it in a positive way, and interchangeably with āin Xās interest,ā but it just seems a bit outdated.
So in medieval times, saying āFor Godās sakeā would sound positive and like a rallying cry (which it was), whereas today if someone heard you say that, they would assume youāre upset.
When you use āfor Xās sakeā at the end of a sentence as an explanation, it has more of a neutral connotation. So it makes perfect sense to say āIām leaving the lights on for my neighborsā sake.ā
Itās just that when you use it at the beginning of a sentence, itās much more dramatic (and indicative of frustration) like dachshund82 pointed out.
Now that you mention it, this can be rather confusing!
Was this answer helpful?
- German
Thanks a million, I feel like this sits right with me now )
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