Quote:
Jourdelune said:
I don't know the difference between meant and mean... :S I should look into it.
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Oh, sorry. English is not your first language. I tend to forget that with people, probably because it's my second language as well, but I'm as fluent in it as my native language. More so where vocabulary is concerned.
I'll explain:
- The word 'mean' as a verb is the same as 'intend' in some respects, to give meaning in others. E.g. "I mean that you should do <x>" or similar. The word 'meant' is the past tense, i.e. things that have already happened.
- As an adjective, 'mean' is the same as nasty, unpleasant, malicious. E.g. "Cheating on her was a mean thing to do" or similar.
That's actually why I asked about it, because depending on which usage of the word you read into those sentences of yours, the outcome is very, very different. Either "Meant to deter piracy" or "being mean to pirates", and the latter interpretation (which, looking at it now, would obviously be incorrect) would make your words come across as sympathetic toward pirates. This is about as good an example of the pitfalls possible with language barriers.