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Jul 28, 2021Liked by Peter Conrad

I think that there is another meaning for “Joanna is supposed to be at the market” than that someone is supposing she is there. The someone has just received a report that Joanna, who is expected to be at the market for an important reason, is nowhere to be found! There is a factor of Joanna’s failure to fulfill expectations, not just a supposition. What do you think?

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That's what the idiom means. She's supposed to be there. She's expected to be there. Although "expect" means "look out for," it can also have the sense of demand or require. I'm not sure "suppose" is different, except that would be weird to say "*I suppose you to be in the office by 9 am." I expect Joanna to be at the market. She's supposed to be there, so I suppose that's where she is. I expect that she's there, because that's where she's supposed to be.

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I think that there is another meaning for “Joanna is supposed to be at the market” than that someone is supposing she is there. The someone has just received a report that Joanna, who is expected to be at the market for an important reason, is nowhere to be found! There is a factor of Joanna’s failure to fulfill expectations, not just a supposition. What do you think?

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See previous comment.

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