also, too
June 28, 2015 3:50 AM Subscribe
Explain the nuanced difference in meaning between "also" or "too" in this sentence: "We repair your motorcycle too." vs "We repair your motorcycle also."
Native speakers would find these equivalent:
"We repair your motorcycle, too" - as in "We fix cars, and we can fix bikes as well"
"We also repair your motorcycle"
but this would have a different meaning:
"We too repair your motorcycle" - as in "Clyde's repair shop can fix bikes, and we can as well"
posted by yclipse at 3:59 AM on June 28, 2015 [8 favorites]
"We repair your motorcycle, too" - as in "We fix cars, and we can fix bikes as well"
"We also repair your motorcycle"
but this would have a different meaning:
"We too repair your motorcycle" - as in "Clyde's repair shop can fix bikes, and we can as well"
posted by yclipse at 3:59 AM on June 28, 2015 [8 favorites]
Best answer: Honestly, both of the sentences sound weird. I think they need an auxiliary verb:
eg. "We will repair your motorcycle, too." and "We will also repair your motorcycle."*
Bonus sentence: "We will repair your motorcycle as well."
In terms of meaning, I'd say they're pretty much equivalent.
*You could probably get away with using "also" at the end of a sentence in spoken language, but not in writing.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 4:35 AM on June 28, 2015 [7 favorites]
eg. "We will repair your motorcycle, too." and "We will also repair your motorcycle."*
Bonus sentence: "We will repair your motorcycle as well."
In terms of meaning, I'd say they're pretty much equivalent.
*You could probably get away with using "also" at the end of a sentence in spoken language, but not in writing.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 4:35 AM on June 28, 2015 [7 favorites]
The film Local Hero has a Scottish character parody an American who arrives and says "...we've been on the road all night; we have an injured rabbit, also". The character was from Dallas. Could it be a regional thing? In the UK it would be considered a pretty unusual way of putting things.
posted by rongorongo at 5:06 AM on June 28, 2015
posted by rongorongo at 5:06 AM on June 28, 2015
Yeah, the difference is that "also" sounds weird there. It almost seems too proper for such a sentence, missing an auxiliary verb and all.
American here.
posted by chainsofreedom at 5:39 AM on June 28, 2015
American here.
posted by chainsofreedom at 5:39 AM on June 28, 2015
That's funny, chainsofreedom - to me as a British English speaker, the 'also' sounds very American. The 'too' sounds totally natural (apart from that, the meaning is the same).
Given rongorongo's comment, maybe the 'also' version is how Brits (perhaps incorrectly) think Americans speak?
posted by penguin pie at 5:54 AM on June 28, 2015
Given rongorongo's comment, maybe the 'also' version is how Brits (perhaps incorrectly) think Americans speak?
posted by penguin pie at 5:54 AM on June 28, 2015
I think you'd get more nuance when you phrase it this way (grammatically correct), then move around the 'too/also'
1) we repair motorcycles too
OR
we also repair motorcycles (OR Also, we repair motorcycles).
-> the 'too/also' is in reference to motorcycles (thus, motorcycles as well as jeeps, as well as cars etc)
2) we, too, repair motorcycles
OR
we repair motorcycles, also
--> the 'too/also' is in reference to 'we' (thus, 'we' as well as 'Bob's Autobody' or 'Jane's Autobody'
*note: the 'also' here is flexible and can be in reference to 'we' as well as 'motorcycles'
posted by kinoeye at 6:14 AM on June 28, 2015
1) we repair motorcycles too
OR
we also repair motorcycles (OR Also, we repair motorcycles).
-> the 'too/also' is in reference to motorcycles (thus, motorcycles as well as jeeps, as well as cars etc)
2) we, too, repair motorcycles
OR
we repair motorcycles, also
--> the 'too/also' is in reference to 'we' (thus, 'we' as well as 'Bob's Autobody' or 'Jane's Autobody'
*note: the 'also' here is flexible and can be in reference to 'we' as well as 'motorcycles'
posted by kinoeye at 6:14 AM on June 28, 2015
Best answer: To this American, "also" modifies the verb and "too" modifies the object of the verb. I would not put "also" at the end except for comedic effect. (On that point, not to get too far into the weeds, part of the brilliance of LOCAL HERO is just how far off his game the American is.) The usage of "too" usually comes when the speaker is extending a list. "Also" can be used to extend a list, but it sometimes implies or acknowledges that the thing being added to the list is less similar than the other objects in that list.
I also agree with kinddieserzeit above that the lack of an auxiliary verb sounds weird. The only usage I can think of that involves both present tense conjugation and a lack of auxiliary verb is in advertising or marketing: "We fix all cars, foreign and domestic. We repair motorcycles too." This is a direct list extension. "Fix" and "repair" are equivalent, and "motorcycles" extends the list that already includes "foreign cars" and "domestic cars." In that usage you can also see that the "your" would likely be dropped. With that claim the shop doesn't just offer to repair your cars and motorcycles, they offer to repair any and all cars and motorcycles.
If you are speaking directly to a potential client, you'd sound more natural saying "we can fix" (if you would like us to) or "we will fix" (we're not giving you a choice). Perhaps we are your insurance company and you have had a tree fall on your garage: "Your policy covers damage to your house and your possessions. We'll repair the damage to your roof, and we will also fix your motorcycle."
posted by fedward at 6:25 AM on June 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
I also agree with kinddieserzeit above that the lack of an auxiliary verb sounds weird. The only usage I can think of that involves both present tense conjugation and a lack of auxiliary verb is in advertising or marketing: "We fix all cars, foreign and domestic. We repair motorcycles too." This is a direct list extension. "Fix" and "repair" are equivalent, and "motorcycles" extends the list that already includes "foreign cars" and "domestic cars." In that usage you can also see that the "your" would likely be dropped. With that claim the shop doesn't just offer to repair your cars and motorcycles, they offer to repair any and all cars and motorcycles.
If you are speaking directly to a potential client, you'd sound more natural saying "we can fix" (if you would like us to) or "we will fix" (we're not giving you a choice). Perhaps we are your insurance company and you have had a tree fall on your garage: "Your policy covers damage to your house and your possessions. We'll repair the damage to your roof, and we will also fix your motorcycle."
posted by fedward at 6:25 AM on June 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Explain the nuanced difference in meaning between "also" or "too" in this sentence: "We repair your motorcycle too." vs "We repair your motorcycle also."
To me it all depends on the context. Did someone say this or it an actual written sentence? What's the origins of the person who said it? What was said before this sentence that prompted it being uttered?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:03 AM on June 28, 2015
To me it all depends on the context. Did someone say this or it an actual written sentence? What's the origins of the person who said it? What was said before this sentence that prompted it being uttered?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:03 AM on June 28, 2015
Best answer: This is not directly an answer to the question you posed, but I wanted to expand on what kinderzeit wrote:
Honestly, both of the sentences sound weird. I think they need an auxiliary verb....
In standard American English, the unmodified present tense of a verb like "repair" expresses a general or usual situation. Examples:
"We repair cars" (i.e., We perform the task of diagnosing and fixing problems with cars). "We repair cars in the morning" (i.e., We do something else in the afternoon). "We repair German cars" (i.e., we have the skills, tools, and parts suppliers to repair cars manufactured in Germany).
What is odd about *"We repair your motorcycle too" is that it combines the general use of the simple present tense with the specificity of a particular motorcycle. Depending on context, I would write one of the following:
"We can repair your motorcycle, too." (We are capable of doing it, if necessary.)
"We will repair your motorcycle, too." (We intend to do this, in addition to whatever else we are doing.)
"We are repairing your motorcycle, too." (We are engaged in the task of repairing your motorcycle, as well as whatever else we are doing.)
The last example is the present progressive tense, sometimes called the present continuous. Non-native speakers of English whose native language uses the simple present indicative for that purpose often have trouble mastering the present progressive. For example, if you asked a French speaker, "Qu'est-ce que vous faites en ce moment?" (What are you doing right now?), he or she might respond, "On regarde la télé." In English, that response should be, "We are watching TV," not "We watch TV." The latter would be a proper response to a different question, such as "What do you normally do after dinner?"
posted by brianogilvie at 8:11 AM on June 28, 2015 [6 favorites]
Honestly, both of the sentences sound weird. I think they need an auxiliary verb....
In standard American English, the unmodified present tense of a verb like "repair" expresses a general or usual situation. Examples:
"We repair cars" (i.e., We perform the task of diagnosing and fixing problems with cars). "We repair cars in the morning" (i.e., We do something else in the afternoon). "We repair German cars" (i.e., we have the skills, tools, and parts suppliers to repair cars manufactured in Germany).
What is odd about *"We repair your motorcycle too" is that it combines the general use of the simple present tense with the specificity of a particular motorcycle. Depending on context, I would write one of the following:
"We can repair your motorcycle, too." (We are capable of doing it, if necessary.)
"We will repair your motorcycle, too." (We intend to do this, in addition to whatever else we are doing.)
"We are repairing your motorcycle, too." (We are engaged in the task of repairing your motorcycle, as well as whatever else we are doing.)
The last example is the present progressive tense, sometimes called the present continuous. Non-native speakers of English whose native language uses the simple present indicative for that purpose often have trouble mastering the present progressive. For example, if you asked a French speaker, "Qu'est-ce que vous faites en ce moment?" (What are you doing right now?), he or she might respond, "On regarde la télé." In English, that response should be, "We are watching TV," not "We watch TV." The latter would be a proper response to a different question, such as "What do you normally do after dinner?"
posted by brianogilvie at 8:11 AM on June 28, 2015 [6 favorites]
I can't tell whether the sentence is meant to say "hey everybody, this looks like a car shop but we also repair motorcycles!" or "hey Mr Smith, you think £500 is too expensive for those tyres? How about we fix your motorcycle too for the same price?"
Answering your question, I think "also" sounds a more formal and like written advertising material, and "too" sounds like something the mechanic might say to you verbally.
Putting "also" on the end like "fix your motorcycle also" just sounds wrong. It should be "also fix your motorcycle".
posted by emilyw at 9:37 AM on June 28, 2015
Answering your question, I think "also" sounds a more formal and like written advertising material, and "too" sounds like something the mechanic might say to you verbally.
Putting "also" on the end like "fix your motorcycle also" just sounds wrong. It should be "also fix your motorcycle".
posted by emilyw at 9:37 AM on June 28, 2015
Best answer: This website gives some rules about the usage.
I wold summarize it as use 'also' in most places and use 'too' at the end of a clause or immediately after the subject and always set 'too' within commas.
Rules are always open to interpretation.
posted by SLC Mom at 10:30 AM on June 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
I wold summarize it as use 'also' in most places and use 'too' at the end of a clause or immediately after the subject and always set 'too' within commas.
Rules are always open to interpretation.
posted by SLC Mom at 10:30 AM on June 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
To my American ear, the "too" version sounds like the repair is in addition to some other action with the motor cycle. "We paint it and repair it too.'
The "also" version sounds like the motorcycle repair is in addition to the repair of some other vehicle. "We repair the car and also the motorcycle."
I'm not at all sure anyone else would hear the same distinction. It's not a general rule so far as I know.
posted by SemiSalt at 1:02 PM on June 28, 2015
The "also" version sounds like the motorcycle repair is in addition to the repair of some other vehicle. "We repair the car and also the motorcycle."
I'm not at all sure anyone else would hear the same distinction. It's not a general rule so far as I know.
posted by SemiSalt at 1:02 PM on June 28, 2015
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posted by lifethatihavenotlivedyet at 3:53 AM on June 28, 2015 [4 favorites]