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#2 (permalink) Fri Apr 27, 2007 10:22 am It is part of British 'understatement', that aside though |
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Here is my suggestion:
It is an example of the British way of making things seem less important than they really are. Apart from that, however, 'quite well' can also mean...
Is it a bit clearer now? |
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Conchita Language Coach

Joined: 26 Dec 2005 Posts: 2826 Location: Madrid, Spain
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#3 (permalink) Fri Apr 27, 2007 10:27 am It is part of British 'understatement', that aside though |
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| Conchita wrote: |
Here is my suggestion:
It is an example of the British way of making things seem less important than they really are. Apart from that, however, 'quite well' can also mean...
Is it a bit clearer now? |
Yes, Thank you very much.
I have got everything except (not to know the person as well as one could)
Could you explain this? _________________ Please let me know if I have made any mistakes in any of my sentences. |
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Learning_English I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 27 Jan 2007 Posts: 169
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#4 (permalink) Fri Apr 27, 2007 10:57 am It is part of British 'understatement', that aside though |
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| learning_english wrote: |
I have got everything except (not to know the person as well as one could)
Could you explain this? |
Sorry, that part seems so clear, it's difficult to put it into even plainer English. I'll try, anyway:
to know the person 'less well' than is possible.
or, put even more simply: not to know the person very well. |
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Conchita Language Coach

Joined: 26 Dec 2005 Posts: 2826 Location: Madrid, Spain
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#5 (permalink) Fri Apr 27, 2007 16:07 pm It is part of British 'understatement', that aside though |
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| May be the writer was thinking of " I don't know him quite that well" ? Maybe it's a British thing, to me, "quite well" means "very well", there's no other meaning that I can think of. |
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Diverhank I'm here quite often ;-)

Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 364 Location: California, USA
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#6 (permalink) Sat Apr 28, 2007 8:16 am It is part of British 'understatement', that aside though |
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. I cannot really follow this thread, but I'll chime in with the information that 'quite well' in BrE can mean either (1) 'perfectly' or (2) 'reasonably well'.
From the online Oxford:
adverb 1 to the utmost or most absolute extent or degree; completely. 2 to a certain extent; moderately. 3 US very; really.
(Notice the more limited definition in AmE.) . _________________ Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's |
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Mister Micawber Language Coach
Joined: 17 Jul 2005 Posts: 13015
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| Grammar: Put the bracketed verbs in the right tense | Sentence: she wore her evening dress, all her dresses, like sports clothes |