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What does make the difference?

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 10:33 am
by thejazzgirl
Over the past couple of years folks have been saying... as a reply to a question.
"It doesn't make a difference".
I think the statement should be...
"It doesn't make any difference". Please tell me what you think.

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 5:07 pm
by Perry
Or... It makes no difference.

My thinking is that it is all a question of nuance and emphasis. I do not believe that one way is more correct than the other.

Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 6:09 pm
by Slava
I was thinking along the same lines:

Is there any difference?
Is there a difference?

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 8:23 pm
by saparris
If you follow the form of the idiomatic expression, "to make a difference," then "it doesn't make a difference" uses the same form. However, both seem meaningful and acceptable as standard English.

So it doesn't make a difference, or any difference.

Eether/eyether, tomato/tomahto.

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 9:06 pm
by Slava
Please, though, let's not call the whole thing off.