Question
Updated on
28 Jan 2015
- Japanese
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English (US)
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Korean
Question about English (US)
What is the difference between You had better go. and You are better off going. ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between You had better go. and You are better off going. ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
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- English (US)
- German
First off, it's better to write "You'd better go" simply because that's the general way people write it. I think the reason is that "had better go" sounds like an incorrect use of past perfect.
Anyway, "be better off" communicates that the person will benefit from the action positively.
You are better off going to an elite university ( than attend a regular one ).
> you will do better in life if you do this
She is better off without that nasty boyfriend.
> she'll be a lot happier
"You'd better go" sounds more direct. It can be used to harshly tell a person their time has come to go.
Imagine that you're at a party but don't feel really well. You don't know the people, the music is bad and loud. The only friend you know comes to you and says:
"I think we are better off going. This party is really bad."
Now imagine you're hosting a party and a friend gets really drunk. He is in the middle of taking down his pants when you approach him:
"Mike, you'd better go home now"
Although both versions convey an advice, "be better off" always sounds positive while "had better" can sound commanding in the right situation. For example, a mother might say:
"You'd better do your homework after lunch"
> the mother implies she'll scold her child if they don't do their homework after lunch
"You're better off doing your homework after lunch"
> could imply, that the mother thinks it's better to start studying after the child had eaten for lunch
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- English (US)
"You had better go" can be a veiled threat, if spoken harshly and demanding. It can sound similar to "get out of my sight". "You are better off going" can sound more informative and less hostile. "You are better off going" sounds less demanding. That is because the first one is declarative.
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- English (US)
「You had better ____ 」は命令です。
「You are better off ____ 」は忠告です。
他の変異は「You ought to」です。これは両方ちょっとみたいです。
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- Japanese
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