ESL Vocabulary and Idioms

Re: "Nothing could be further from the truth"

Grammar Geek — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:17:34 GMT

Any moderator can do that for you.

Re: "Nothing could be further from the truth"

Armsys — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:48:04 GMT

Contacting the webmaster directly could be intellectually challenging here. Could the webmaster(s) be kind enough to correct the misspelled heading to "Nothing could be further from the truth"? Thanks.

Armstrong

Re: "Northing could be further from the truth"

Grammar Geek — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:22:24 GMT

That's not at all equivalent. Many things are true.

The thing being described is not true. It it completely untrue.

Sorry it wasn't helpful.

Re: "Northing could be further from the truth"

Armsys — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:19:56 GMT

Hi Clive & Grammar Geek,

Thanks for catching my typo error.

Thanks for your responding my post in seconds.

Thanks for your illuminating explanation.

However, Grammar Geek's "nothing could be less true" is more complicated than the original expression "nothing is further from the truth." Why couldn't it be plainly expressed as "nothing is true," I wonder.

Armstrong

Re: "Northing could be further from the truth"

Grammar Geek — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:04:55 GMT

It means it is so far from being the truth that nothing could be less true. It's not mostly true, or partly true, but not at all true.

It's as far from the truth as possible.

Re: "Northing could be further from the truth"

Clive — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:02:10 GMT

Hi,

Nothing could be further from the truth" becomesa popular expression. It's been a standard expression for a long time.

What exactly does it mean It means that the thing you are talking about is as far away from the truth as it is possible to be. ie it's completely untrue.

and why is written in such a complicated manner (double negative)? It's not really very complicated. It's just a hyperbolic, emphatic way of speaking.

Best wishes, Clive

"Nothing could be further from the truth"

Armsys — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:52:48 GMT

"Northing could be further from the truth" becomesa popular expression. What exactly does it mean and why is written in such a complicated manner (double negative)?

Thanks.

Armstrong