Learn English – ‘ hated’ and ‘ didn’t like’

meaningmeaning-in-contextword-meaning

Differences between' hated' and ' didn't like'?

For example,

I used to work in an office.
I hated that.

Which one is better to say and what are the grammatical and lexical differences between using each of them?

Best Answer

Generally speaking, hated and didn't like are grammatically equivalent; where you can use one, you can use the other. Your example illustrates this:

I used to work in an office. I hated that.
I used to work in an office. I didn't like that.

Both of these statements are grammatically valid.

The difference between hated and didn't like is one of meaning, not grammar. Hate is a much stronger feeling than mere dislike. For example, if I say "I hate my job!", you might infer that I will soon quit. Contrast that with "I don't like my job." In this case, I might quit, or maybe not. Both statements express dissatisfaction, but hate is emphatic, while don't like is marginal.

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