ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: under"She's famous in the office for her caustic wit."

Philip — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:56:15 GMT

Caustic comes from a root meaning 'burning; I think it must be taken to be negative in intent.

Re: under"She's famous in the office for her caustic wit."

nona the brit — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:19:29 GMT

Or 'is that good or bad?'

Generally I think caustic would be a bit negative as it means that it hurts people. On the other hand, some people might admire this as 'wit' is generally a good thing, and some people enjoy slightly cruel wittiness.

Re: under"She's famous in the office for her caustic wit."

Grammar Geek — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:34:28 GMT

A native might say "Do you think he meant that as a compliment or as a slam?"

Re: under"She's famous in the office for her caustic wit."

Marius Hancu — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:04:52 GMT

Neutral, a bit positive in terms of "wit," a bit negative in terms of "caustic"

under"She's famous in the office for her caustic wit."

Peaceblinkfriend — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:40:51 GMT

She's famous in the office for her caustic wit.

Would you say whether there is a pejorative or praising overtone in the use of the word 'caustic'?

Thank you

PBF

PS Would you use the words 'pejorative' and 'praising' to form the question? And what do you think about the way I asked this question? Would a native speaker ask a question this way? Thank you again.