Post AZH3Ge9FrssMDDhe8O by PeteZ@mastodonbooks.net
 (DIR) More posts by PeteZ@mastodonbooks.net
 (DIR) Post #AZGMi71ALNgTXUlmBE by grammargirl@zirk.us
       2023-08-30T17:16:01Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       "Anxious" and "eager" have different meanings but are often confused. Plus, attitudes about these two words are changing, so it's important to be careful. https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/articles/anxious-or-eager/
       
 (DIR) Post #AZGNAoRaToryKboUqm by luckie_reubs@mastodon.social
       2023-08-30T17:21:15Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @grammargirl my 7th grade English teacher drilled the difference into our brains, and still I want to correct everyone who uses them interchangeably.
       
 (DIR) Post #AZGNgWtDHZ899brJrM by billjurgensen@universeodon.com
       2023-08-30T17:25:54Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @grammargirl Thanks, we're eagerly awaiting your fax.
       
 (DIR) Post #AZGNh1k4ZbEqqEoxPs by SergKoren@writing.exchange
       2023-08-30T17:27:05Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @grammargirl people also confuse hot and spicy.
       
 (DIR) Post #AZGOMr9ELv4s99XA80 by jimfl@hachyderm.io
       2023-08-30T17:34:38Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @grammargirl I use “keen” a lot in the stead of anxious/eager. I was very excited to learn about the etymology of vinegar. “How’s the wine? Oh, it’s quite eager don’t you think?”
       
 (DIR) Post #AZGPC2BP5H9n8jxCXQ by mkb@mastodon.social
       2023-08-30T17:43:50Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @grammargirl Interesting! When anticipation is the context, I (perhaps incorrectly) take the anxious/eager distinction as a matter of degreee. That is “I am eager for X to happen” means the speaker is excited about and looking forward to X while “I am anxious for X to happen” means the speaker is very eager to the point of being fretful about it. It hadn’t actually occurred to me that people might be using anxious incorrectly. I am now eager to observe people’s uses of “anxious.” :)
       
 (DIR) Post #AZGQdFiGzGsAsMs3AO by grammargirl@zirk.us
       2023-08-30T17:59:58Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @jimfl I was super excited about the "vinegar" etymology too!
       
 (DIR) Post #AZGUvzo6kU88ranEJM by jasonpettus@mastodon.cloud
       2023-08-30T18:48:08Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @grammargirl During my first visit to Germany in the early '00s, I noticed that people there didn't have even the slightest idea that "anxious" could be a positive statement. I would say something like, "I'm anxious to get to the party?" and they would respond, "Why? The party's going to be fun; no need to be anxious about it."
       
 (DIR) Post #AZGVJ7hzXPIO1sxaro by jasonpettus@mastodon.cloud
       2023-08-30T18:52:19Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @grammargirl During my first visit to Germany in the early '00s, I noticed that people there didn't have even the slightest idea that "anxious" could be a positive statement. I would say something like, "I'm anxious to get to the party!" and they would respond, "Why? The party's going to be fun; no need to be anxious about it."
       
 (DIR) Post #AZH3Ge9FrssMDDhe8O by PeteZ@mastodonbooks.net
       2023-08-31T01:12:56Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @grammargirlOne of the cool things about the English language is how many words we have available for use. But if we allow conflating of words like eager/anxious or literally/figuratively then we are losing part of the richness of the language.