I saw “Carry on” vs. “go ahead”
A friend of mine said this to me, and it sounded kind weird for me…
If you know a better way "go on"
I would say
If you know a better way "go for it"
Are they synonymous? and Carry on and Go ahead could also be used on this kind of phrase?
"Carry on" if you know a better way for it
If you know a better way "Go ahead"
Best Answer
No, they are not synonymous. From an American standpoint, they all have subtle differences in meaning.
"go on" would generally be used to prompt someone to continue talking. If they said something about a great idea they had but gave you no details, you could tell them to "go on". This isn't used very often in actual speech, though.
"go for it" is more used when someone is contemplating whether to do something, and you think that they should.
"carry on" means to continue doing something that you were already doing, or that you had stopped doing. As an American, this phrase feels very British. I don't know how they view it, though.
"go ahead" is the most neutral of the phrases, and has more utility and is also used the most often. It's more of an apathetic response, but not entirely so. It could be used in the same contexts as "go for it" but would not be as emphatic. It generally means that you don't oppose some action. You can also use it if two people are waiting to pass through the same space, to indicate to the other person that you would like him to go first.
In your specific example, "If you know a better way, __", I would use "go for it" or "go ahead" over the other choices, depending on how enthusiastic I am about the alternative.