Can the phrases given a choice and if I had to choose be used interchangeably?
I made a statement like "Given a choice, I would do this," my original intention being to select that over the other option. But it was misinterpreted as "I did not want to do the other option," and I was told that I should have used "If I had to choose between the two."
Some inputs would be highly appreciated
Best Answer
"Given a choice" considers the situation where you have the freedom of choosing as a hypothetical. It therefore suggests that you would very strongly favour the option you then describe.
Consider what it implies in the negative; that the only reason you would ever go for the other possibility is that you had no choice (you either had to do both, or had the decision made for you by factors outside your control).
"If I had to choose" considers an almost opposite hypothetical situation; you are forced to choose between the two, and the option of doing both or doing neither is not allowed. It therefore suggests you would very much prefer to do both or very much prefer to do neither (just which may or may not be clear from context).