Posted by rfvv on Thursday, November 25, 2010 at 3:23am.
1. You can't go there alone.
2. You are not able to go there alone.
3. You are not allowed to go there alone.
(What does #1 mean? Does #1 mean #2 or #3?)
English - Writeacher, Thursday, November 25, 2010 at 7:04am
1 and 2 mean the same thing. The words "can" and "able to" mean that one is physically capable of performing the action, in this case going (walking? riding? climbing? or ?) somewhere.
In 3, "allowed" means you have permission to go somewhere.
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(Thank you for your help.
Does #1 mean #3 sometimes according to the context?)
1. You can't go there alone.
2. You are not able to go there alone.
3. You are not allowed to go there alone.
Sometimes #1 could mean the same as #3 -- but only if it's already understood by a previous sentence that someone has banned the "you" from doing something or going somewhere.
In some contexts, the meaning of sentence #1 can overlap with sentence #3, but they are not exactly the same.
Sentence #1, "You can't go there alone," implies that there is some kind of restriction or limitation preventing you from going alone. It doesn't necessarily imply that you don't have permission, but rather that there may be external factors preventing it, such as safety concerns or rules.
On the other hand, sentence #3, "You are not allowed to go there alone," specifically states that you don't have permission to go alone. It implies that there are explicit rules or restrictions in place that prevent you from doing so.
So while there is some similarity in meaning between #1 and #3, it is important to consider the context and the specific words used to understand the exact meaning intended.