Why can't I say "staying alone" in this sentence:
I like playing with my friends but I also like being alone
Why not like staying alone?
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You can say that, it just sounds awkward.– p.s.w.gCommented Aug 7, 2013 at 13:17
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3You stay with friends (but in a place, for example a restaurant). You can stay at a friend's (house). You can stay indoors and outdoors. When on holiday you stay at a hotel. When we talk about who we are, and what we are like, then we use the auxiliary, be, with adjectives and adverbs. I am quite slow at speaking. I am very tall, a deep thinker and perhaps, a little anti-social. Thus, I am alone most of the time. But I don't mind, I like being alone.– Mari-Lou ACommented Aug 7, 2013 at 13:27
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@Mari-Lou A: Please forgive my nitpicking, but I suggest using a semi-colon after the word "mind." Without it, one could read the words as an incomplete series of three clauses: "But I don't mind, I like being alone, [and I actually prefer it]." An alternative to the latter: "I don't mind, however, because I like being alone." Or simply "I don't mind; I like being alone." Or, "I don't mind. I like being alone." Or, "But I don't mind, because I like being alone" (coordinating conjunction "because"). There are lots of possibilities; no need for a comma fault (or comma splice).– rhetoricianCommented Aug 7, 2013 at 16:32
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@Mari-Lou A: Do what I do when I want to "edit" a comment of mine. Copy it; delete it; re-enter (paste) the comment as a "new" comment, and simply edit it as you wish. Works like a charm!– rhetoricianCommented Aug 7, 2013 at 16:44
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But I'd lose the two up-votes. :) It's not that important. Had it been an answer, I would have.– Mari-Lou ACommented Aug 7, 2013 at 16:52
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1 Answer
I think the two phrases "I like being alone" and "I like staying alone" have different connotations and subtly different meanings. "I like being alone" is a general statement which suggests that the state of being solitary is a pleasant one for you. On the other hand, the phrase "I like staying alone" has a very slightly different shade of meaning, and is more likely to mean that after being alone for a specific reason, staying alone is preferable for you in that situation.
Examples:
"When I'm feeling sad I like being alone."
vs.
"If I've been crying for a while, I like staying alone."
If what you intend to say is that you enjoy the state of being solitary (and this is presumably most likely to be the case) then the first one is the one you want, namely that you like being alone, because this indicates that you like the state of having no-one else around.
Hope that helps.
Out of interest, are you a native English speaker or have you learnt it as a second language?
