In a conversation like:
Person 1: You can read a map, can’t you?
Person 2: Yes, I can. But I left my glasses in England.
Does the verb "leave" mean that Person 2 forgot to bring his glasses, or that he left them intentionally because he thought he wouldn't be in need for them?
Thank you.
Best Answer
The word left can mean leaving something behind deliberately or unintentionally (i.e., through forgetfulness).
So, for a sentence like:
there is no way to tell if that was intentional or not. However, sometimes context will make it obvious which is case:
Clearly that is an unintentional act, whereas:
implies a deliberate decision as opposed to an act of forgetfulness.
M-W has two definitions which seem to account for both of these cases: