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Columbine (Offline)
Busier Than Shinjuku Station
 
Posts: 1,466
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: United Kingdom
10-20-2011, 03:07 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxful View Post
Hi, I would like to know if there are differences between "Anyone" and "Anybody" and "Someone" and "Somebody"?

Also, how do "Chuckling" and "Sneering" look like?
There are some tiny difference but most native speakers use them interchangeably. For example, Someone/Anyone refers to a specific but unknown individual. "Someone has left the door open. The emphasis is on who did the action. "Does anyone know?" implies the speaker believes that at least one person is likely to know who left the door open.

Somebody/anybody refers to a kind of unspecified group. "Somebody left the door open." Emphasis is on the door being open, not who did it. "Does anybody know?" Appealing to the group and implies the speaker believes it's possible that nobody knows who left the door open.

"I don't like" and "I dislike" carry the same meaning, although 'dislike' is slightly more formal. There are some situations though, where you can only use 'dislike' such as the collocation 'likes and dislikes' and adjectively such as 'he's very dislikable.' Or in this kind of sentence: 'The thing I most dislike is cabbage'.

A chuckle is audible; it's a kind of closed mouth, nasal laugh, or restrained usually accompanied by a smile. A sneer can be completely silent- usually the head is arched back a little, the eyes look down and the upper lip might be curled up to show teeth. A sneer can sometimes involve a laugh but it is always at someone else's expense.
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