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Tue 20 May, 2003 12:52 am
Literally means actually or truly. Virtually means nearly or almost.
Dinner was more expensive than I had expected. It took virtually all my cash. I had only enough left for carfare home. (OK)
Dinner was more expensive than I had expected. I took literally all my cash. I had only enough left for carefare home. (Wrong. If it took literally all your money, you had nothing left for carfare or anything else.)
Do people make this mistake often? I don't think I've ever used this interchangably, but I have <hanging head in shame> used "literally" just for fun or to add emphasis or (OK, you got me), to exaggerate a story. I will surely refrain from this in the future.
I've never used "virtually".
I'm virtually certain that I never thought about the possibilty to mix these words up. :wink:
Maybe I've hallucinated all those people I've heard saying literally when they mean virtually. The mistake rarely happens the other way around. I recall someone saying, "I literally hit the ceiling when I got the bill." I envisioned one of those adjustable chairs zipping high above our heads.
Piffka, If you want to make a point, please don't let me stand in your way.
Fine-Tuning 7, Literally/Virtually
Hey Piffka don't feel bad. Don't you remeber your mother saying I've told you a million times not to exaggerate.
No, no, I'm going to hold myself back!
Y'know, if someone had asked me prior to reading this fine-tuning point, Roberta, I'd have said that 'literally' meant that which was real and 'virtually' was that which seemed real and was not. Virtual reality... for example.
Re: Fine-Tuning 7, Literally/Virtually
bobsmyth wrote:Hey Piffka don't feel bad. Don't you remeber your mother saying I've told you a million times not to exaggerate.
LOL
.... and I may have been that mother!
Hi Piffka, You made my day. You learned something from me.
I think that "virtual reality" has obscured the original meaning of the word
virtual.
C'mon, no more
red faces.
@InfraBlue,
See how these old canards hang on, Infra. 2013
Roberta is wrong. 2003
I suspect that she has been passing on this error
for some time.
@JTT,
http://i.word.com/idictionary/literally
And the really crazy thing is, all one has to do is check a dictionary
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If that's wrong, you can assume other stuff is wrong too. -- Roberta
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