Yes, of course. ‘Of course’ means ‘please do – you’re very welcome. OK, here’s another way to use ‘of course’ politely.
matter of course. noun phrase. : something that is to be expected as a natural or logical consequence.
Sometimes ‘of course’ is polite and sometimes it’s not. Well, to understand this, you need to know what ‘of course’ really means. Double word score. Ha ha.
‘Of course’ is a dangerous phrase because it can be polite or it can be rude. Let’s start by looking at some polite ways to use it. Are you coming to my party on Saturday?
A1 informal. used to say yes or to give someone permission to do something: "Can you help me?" "Of course."
We use of course to refer to things that are obvious or already known to the speaker and listener, or to everybody:A tropical climate is, of course, very humid, so we sweated all the time. ... Our car broke down on the way to the station so, of course, we missed the train and had to buy new tickets.More items...•
Adverbial phrase of course "by consequence, in regular or natural order" is attested from 1540s, literally "of the ordinary course;" earlier in the same sense was bi cours (c. 1300). Matter of course "something to be expected" is by 1739. course (v.)
Definition of of course not —used informally to say no in a way that shows one is very definite "Are you angry with me for being late?" "Of course not!""Did you take the money?" "Of course not!"
'Of course' by itself means obvious, expected. So when someone says 'of course' instead of 'you're welcome', the feeling is “it's obvious that I would do that because I want to do that'. It's friendly. It's a friendly way to say it.
You are being extremely gracious and kind. Of course! When you respond with “of course,” you are saying that the help that you gave was to be expected. My pleasure / the pleasure is mine. People say “my pleasure” when they want you to know that it made them feel good to help you…
'Of course' is a dangerous phrase because it can be polite or it can be rude. Let's start by looking at some polite ways to use it. Are you coming to my party on Saturday? Yes, of course!
You say of course to suggest that something is normal, obvious, or well-known, and should therefore not surprise the person you are talking to. [spoken]
"Of course" means that the statement should be obvious, or can go without saying. Someone hearing "Yes, of course." could reasonably assume that there was no question that the answer might have been no.
If you've done something for someone and you say 'you're welcome' after they thank you, the implication is kind of, 'Yeah, I really did you a favor and you should be grateful,” she said. “So 'certainly' or 'of course' means you're kind of belittling what you just did, which is more courteous.”
' c) (also course informal) spoken used to emphasize that what you are saying is true or correct Of course he'll come! well/but of course Well of course I love you.
We use of course to refer to things that are obvious or already known to the speaker and listener, or to everybody: 'A tropical climate is, of course, very humid, so we sweated all the time. '
Here is an example from 1739: He thought it a Matter of Course. The use of "of course" as a standalone phrase appears not to have emerged until the 1800s when the definition "customary; natural" was modified slightly to become "naturally; obviously.".
As my own matter of course, I turn to the Oxford English Dictionary for my answer. According to that tome, the phrase "of course" first appeared in the mid-1500s and was used as an adjectival ...
of course. 1. In the customary or expected order, naturally, as in The new minister did not, of course, fire the church secretary. This usage, first recorded in 1548, employs course in the sense of "ordinary procedure.". 2.
of a/an/the (something) persuasion. of a/the... persuasion. of age. of all people. of all people/places/things. of all places. of all the. of all the cheek, nerve, stupid things to do, etc.! of all the nerve.