Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Vocabulary Tips On the One Hand, On the Other Hand
Vocabulary Tips On the One Hand, On the Other Hand Vocabulary Tips: On the One Hand, On the Other Hand The phrase ââ¬Å"on the one handâ⬠¦ on the other handâ⬠is common in English. But what exactly does it mean? And whose hands are we talking about? Well, if you take our (metaphorical) hand, weââ¬â¢ll be happy to walk you through how to use this phrase correctly in your writing. What Does ââ¬Å"On the One Hand, On the Other Handâ⬠Mean? We use ââ¬Å"on the one handâ⬠and ââ¬Å"on the other handâ⬠to present opposed ideas or points of view: On the one hand, I would like to go to the party. On the other hand, I should get an early night. Here, for example, we can see how ââ¬Å"on the one handâ⬠introduces one possibility (i.e., going to a party), while ââ¬Å"on the other handâ⬠introduces a contrasting possibility (i.e., an early night). The phrase therefore works as a conjunctive adverb, which is an adverb that connects two ideas. And as for whose hands weââ¬â¢re talking about here, the phrase draws on the simple idea of offering someone one choice in your left hand and a different choice in your right hand. Can You Use ââ¬Å"On the Other Handâ⬠by Itself? One point of controversy is whether we should always use ââ¬Å"on the one handâ⬠and ââ¬Å"on the other handâ⬠as a pair. In practice, many people use ââ¬Å"on the other handâ⬠by itself to introduce a contrasting idea. For example, we could rephrase the example above as follows: I would like to go to the party. On the other hand, I should get an early night. ââ¬Å"On the other handâ⬠here has exactly the same meaning as it does above. The only difference is that the first ââ¬Å"handâ⬠is implicit rather than explicit. And most English speakers will understand this without any problems. As such, it is fine to use ââ¬Å"on the other handâ⬠by itself in many contexts. However, some consider using ââ¬Å"on the other handâ⬠by itself informal. As such, you may want to avoid this in formal writing, such as academic papers or business documents. In addition, if you do use ââ¬Å"on the one handâ⬠and ââ¬Å"on the other handâ⬠as a pair, try to keep them close together. This is so the reader can see the connection between the two. It could be within a single sentence, or it could be in successive paragraphs. But if there are several paragraphs or pages between the ââ¬Å"one handâ⬠and the ââ¬Å"other hand,â⬠the connection may be hard to spot.
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