With on the brink/verge/edge of, is there a distinct difference between these, or do they have more or less the same meaning? Which one is the most informal? Is it all about context?
Learn English – On the brink/verge/edge of
idiomsphrases
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I see a small difference between I am fine with it and it is fine for me, which is the same difference between I am unclear (used to express doubt or confusion) and it is unclear to me: in one phrase the grammar subject is I, in the other is it. For example, the focus could be placed on I to mean it is unclear to me, but it can be clear to others, or it is fine with me, and it will be fine with the others too; vice versa, the focus could be put on it to mean it is fine with me, but I don't know what others would think.
Most probably, both the sentences (the one starting with I, and the one starting with it) are understood to mean the same thing from most the people.
Looking for the frequency those, and similar phrases, are used, I get the following data (first chart; second chart):
Both of them can be used perfectly in cases when you want to present a choice or if you actually want to ask someone's opinion on something.
For example, both versions
- How about the red one?/What do you think about the red one?
can be understood (from context) as
- what is your opinion on the "red one", or
- let's choose the red one
Differences:
- "How about" is a phrase and is more informal. It is also more suggestive (but that still depends on emphasis and context).
- "What do you think" can be taken literally e.g. What do you think about the game last night? as inquiry about opinion, maybe as start to a longer conversation; in the same example the other phrase works very well, too: How about that game last night(!). However, notice the change of punctuation - typically you would use "how about" if the game was exceptional in some way.
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Best Answer
No, there’s no distinct difference between those. All can be used metaphorically or literally. On the edge of may be the most common for a literal meaning, and on the verge of for the metaphoric one, but one can find examples of all.
Less-common variants like threshold and cusp are also sometimes seen. There are also physical variants that don’t always work as well when used as metaphors, like margin, limit, or frontier, because these may carry other connotations, like being at the margins of society or the limit of one’s patience.