Why English Often Describes Your Position Instead of an Action: The Hidden Meaning of “I’m Afraid”, “I’m Sure” and “I’m Glad”

Many learners expect sentences to describe events. But English often does something different. It describes the speaker’s position. Consider the following sentences: These sentences look like simple descriptions of emotional states. But in real communication they function very differently. They are speech acts. Not Feelings, but Communication Tools When someone says: I’m afraid you’re wrong […]