Timeline for What's the difference between 'can't say' and 'can't tell'?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
7 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2017 at 14:44 | vote | accept | Peter | ||
| Apr 23, 2017 at 23:05 | answer | added | aaa90210 | timeline score: 2 | |
| Apr 16, 2017 at 23:55 | comment | added | rhetorician | Let's not forget the variable of physical location, which is implied in the comment left by @Jim. "I can't tell if she's got her book" could mean that I'm too far away to see is she has her book, or that she just slipped around the corner and out of my line of vision. Eyesight also factors into not being able to tell, as in "I can't tell if the word in that sign a couple hundred feet away is 'but' or 'nut'." | |
| Apr 16, 2017 at 15:54 | comment | added | Jim | @KateBunting - Right, while I could say, “I can’t tell from from here if she’s got her book,” “can’t say from here” doen’t quite work. | |
| Apr 16, 2017 at 13:52 | history | tweeted | twitter.com/StackEnglish/status/853607010281115648 | ||
| Apr 16, 2017 at 7:50 | comment | added | Kate Bunting | I would say that both expressions can have either sense. However, in the first sense "Can't say" is more of a dismissive, shrug-of-the-shoulders "Don't know" while "I can't tell" implies that I have tried to find out but was unable to form an opinion. | |
| Apr 16, 2017 at 5:32 | history | asked | Peter | CC BY-SA 3.0 |