---- Boris Liberman <bori...@gmail.com> wrote: > Having returned from the trip to USA, my boss pointed out that I spoke > rather harsh language. Here is an example. > > I would say something like "I suggest that we do so and so" and > according to my boss "I suggest" was interpreted specifically as an > order, not as a suggestion or as an indication of one option among > several possible courses of action. My boss indicated that wording it > something like "Perhaps we could proceed like so or so" would have > been interpreted properly. > > Few questions: > > 1. Is indeed this is the case? To the point, my trip was to Maryland > not far from Washington, DC, if that matters. > 2. Is there any place where I could read about common phrases so that > I would at least word things in exact way in which I want myself to be > understood. As you realize, it is rather frustrating to say something > and be understood very differently than originally intended... > > Thanks in advance. > > P.S. Replies off-list will be appreciated as well.
I second Bob. Your "suggestion" is stronger than an exposure of possibilities but only technically or in the specific case that you were completely in charge and were proposing what you wanted to be the solution, in a polite manner. This is compounded by English (and probably moreso American) being in a constant state of flux and what means one thing today may mean something slightly (or radically) different in a decade's time. Whatever [8-)] this is a trivial matter in most instances. In those where it may have some consequence, I believe your grasp of English is more than adequate to understand and deal with that. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
