Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: or *else*

Ogni tanto mi viene da dire "or else", nel senso tipo in
 
"do this or else...etc."
 
Poi ci ragiono e mi dico "forse avrei dovuto dire otherwise".
 
 
Però ultimamente ho trovato nel testo di Hellfire (canzone del Gobbo di 
Notre Dame):
 
"Destroy Esmeralda
And let her taste the fires of hell
Or else let her be mine and mine alone"
 
 
Ma allora si può dire. O forse è un linguaggio "antico", "forbito" o 
cose simili?
 
 
Ciao
 
 
 
-- 
 >Giovanni

 Ciao
 
 
When you end a sentence with "or else." it's usually interpreted as a threat. 
It doesn't have the same implication elsewhere [sic] in a phrase.
 
 
 
-- 
Joey from New York
Among those whom I like or admire, I can findï¿œno common denominator,
but among thoseï¿œwhom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.
ï¿œ ï¿œ-- WH Auden
 

 It doesn't have the same implication elsewhere [sic] in a phrase.
 
oh I see.
 
anyway I wouldn't *end* the sentence with it. I'd use it like:
 
(rarely) Do you want this or else do you want that?
or
(in general) does this or else does that?
 
 
I now notice that I might be using it in questions.
 
 
I've alway thought I might have gone influenced by the if-then-else 
construct and _I've tried stopping it but it's no use....I need another 
way other that imposing that on me without understanding it fully :-)))
 
 
-- 
 >Giovanni

 (in general) does this or else does that?
 
Does this or does that?
Does this work or does that (work better)?
Does this (one) appeal to you or does that one?
 
Just some suggestions.
-- 
Joey from New York
Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator,
but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.
   -- WH Auden
 

 Just some suggestions.
 
So your suggestion is to let go of "else" and just stop using it, in 
everyday language? :)
(it might be a good advice, after all!)
 
-- 
 >Giovanni

):

I would just stay away from using "or else" at the end of a construct. In the 
first example, above, it would be fine, acceptable, normal and unthreatening 
to ask
"Do you want this or (do you want) something else?"
 
That's very different than
"Do your homework, or else (no TV; you're grounded; I'll kill you, etc.)"
A bit extreme, that last one, but whenever I hear "or else" I duck, run and 
take cover.
 
I can't think of anything else to use as an example right now.
If there's something else you need to ask, go ahead.
Let's see, what else can I say?
My dictionary is old: it has a few examples, but little else.
Whatever else you decide, don't give up on 'else' altogether.
I told them they could sleep on my sofa, else they would need to go to a 
hotel. (In this case, "or" is omitted. It's a colloquial but acceptable 
construction.)
and lastly
 
Elsie the cow advertises milk and cheese.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsie_the_Cow
 
(sorry. couldn't resist)


 (sorry. couldn't resist)
 
:-))
 
Thank you, my problem was evidently that I couldn't "fare mente locale". 
How would you say that in English btw?
 
thank you, ciao
 
-- 
 >Giovanni

 Poi ci ragiono e mi dico "forse avrei dovuto dire otherwise".
...
 
Perché mai?
 
Comunque, quando ho di questi dubbi, provo a dare un'occhiata in
http://corpus.byu.edu/coca/
 

 
http://corpus.byu.edu/coca/
 
 
bello!
 
grazie per il riferimento :)
 
-- 
 >Giovanni


You are welcome! :)