1. The man left a strong impression on me.
2. The man made a strong impression on me.
3. The man had a strong impression on me.
4. The man gave a strong impression to me.
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Q1: Are they all grammatical and do they have the same meaning? Which one is commonly used?
Q2: In Sentence 4, do we have to use 'to'?
All are grammatically correct, but we don't use "gave" or "to" in this context.
Of the others, #2 is best.
A1: All of the sentences you provided are grammatically correct and have similar meanings. They all convey the idea that the man left a lasting impact or had a significant influence on the speaker. However, there are slight differences in nuance:
- Sentence 1: "The man left a strong impression on me." Here, the verb "left" indicates that the man's presence or actions caused the impression.
- Sentence 2: "The man made a strong impression on me." In this sentence, the verb "made" emphasizes that the man deliberately or intentionally created the impression.
- Sentence 3: "The man had a strong impression on me." This sentence suggests that the impression existed on its own, possibly without any active effort from the man.
- Sentence 4: "The man gave a strong impression to me." This sentence places more focus on the act of giving, implying that the man purposefully conveyed the impression to the speaker.
The most commonly used sentence among these options would be Sentence 1, "The man left a strong impression on me." It is the simplest and most straightforward way to convey the idea.
A2: Sentence 4, "The man gave a strong impression to me," includes the preposition "to" after the verb "gave." While it is grammatically correct, it introduces a slight change in meaning compared to the other sentences. Without the preposition "to," the sentence would be more commonly used in natural conversation: "The man gave a strong impression."