INDEX:
1. when you do something yourself
2. when you meet or talk to someone directly
3. something that you do or experience yourself
4. experienced or done through someone else, not personally
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ ALONE
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1. when you do something yourself
▷ yourself/myself etc /jɔːʳˈself, maɪˈself/ [pronoun]
if you do something yourself, no-one else does it for you :
▪ I made these curtains myself.
▪ Why can’t your boyfriend cook lunch himself?
▪ ‘Could you pass me that book?’ ‘Get it yourself!’
▷ personally /ˈpɜːʳs ə n ə li/ [adverb]
if an important person does something personally, they do it, although you would normally expect someone else to do it for them :
▪ The President wrote to us personally to thank us for our hard work.
▪ The Commander in Chief visited the island personally, and took steps toward strengthening the defense facilities and fortification.
▷ in person /ɪn ˈpɜːʳs ə n/ [adverb]
if you do something in person, you do it by going somewhere yourself, rather than by asking someone else to do it :
▪ My letters were all returned to me, so I decided to go around to her house in person.
▪ The prince was renowned for his bravery, and chose to lead his troops in person.
▷ by hand /baɪ ˈhænd/ [adverb]
if you deliver a letter, parcel etc by hand, you deliver it yourself instead of posting it :
▪ The letter had been delivered by hand, and was addressed to Mrs Zippie Isaacs.
2. when you meet or talk to someone directly
▷ personally/in person /ˈpɜːʳs ə n ə li, ɪn ˈpɜːʳs ə n/ [adverb]
if you meet or talk to someone personally or in person, you do it by going somewhere yourself, instead of writing, telephoning, or asking someone else to do it :
▪ We thought we’d pay you a visit, as we would like to thank you personally for all your help.
▪ If this is your first passport, you must apply in person, bringing with you proof of U.S. citizenship.
▪ The author of the book had not personally met with the publishers before its publication.
▷ face to face /ˌfeɪs tə ˈfeɪs/ [adverb]
if you meet or talk to someone face to face, you are in the same place as them and looking directly at them :
▪ The senator cannot meet every voter face to face, but he is certainly doing his best.
come face to face with
meet someone personally, especially when you do not want to
▪ Victims who go to court dread coming face to face with their attacker again.
▪ I stuck my head out of my tent, and came face to face with a cow.
face-to-face [adjective only before noun]
▪ In a face-to-face confrontation angry demonstrators threw bricks and bottles at the police.
▷ to somebody’s face /tə somebodyˈs feɪs/ [adverb]
if you say something to somebody’s face, especially something unkind or critical, you say it directly to them, instead of to other people :
say something to somebody’s face
▪ If she doesn’t like my work, I wish she’d say so to my face.
tell somebody (something) to their face
▪ I didn’t love him anymore, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him to his face.
▷ in the flesh /ɪn ðə ˈfleʃ/ [adverb] informal
if you meet or see someone in the flesh, you are in the same place as them, rather than seeing them on television or in a film - use this especially about well-known people :
▪ I saw her outside the TV studios - she looks much older in the flesh.
▪ Michael Jordan was my hero, and meeting him in the flesh was a real thrill.
3. something that you do or experience yourself
▷ personal /ˈpɜːʳs ə nəl/ [adjective only before noun]
use this when describing something that you do, learn, or experience yourself :
▪ The President made a personal appeal to the terrorists.
▪ I intend to take personal responsibility for seeing that the documents reach you in time.
personal experience
▪ The novel is based on the author’s own personal experience.
personal contact
when you meet and deal with people yourself directly
▪ I liked talking to people and solving problems, but as you get promoted within a firm you lose that personal contact.
▷ direct /dɪˈrekt, dəˈrekt, daɪ-/ [adjective only before noun]
done or learned yourself, without help from anyone else, or information from anywhere else :
▪ From 1914 to 1918 the British people had their first direct experience of war from the air.
direct contact
▪ We have had no direct contact with any government officials.
directly [adverb]
▪ She’s not directly involved in the selling side of the business.
direct [adverb]
▪ I had to contact the suppliers direct directly .
▷ first-hand /ˌfɜːʳst ˈhænd◂/ [adjective only before noun]
first-hand information/experience/account etc
information etc that is the result of actually seeing something or experiencing something, rather than the result of reading about it or hearing about it :
▪ Our new chef worked in Paris for many years, so he has first- hand knowledge of French cooking.
▪ Clara knew from first-hand experience that living in a foreign country would be difficult.
▪ This letter remains the only first-hand account of life on the island in the 17th century.
at first hand [adverb]
▪ Work placements are an opportunity for students to learn at first hand about the world of business.
4. experienced or done through someone else, not personally
▷ second-hand /ˌsekənd ˈhænd◂/ [adverb]
if you hear about something second-hand, you hear about it from another person or by reading about it, for example in a newspaper :
▪ I was abroad at the time, so I got the news second-hand.
▪ We only learnt about their divorce second-hand from some mutual friends.
▷ indirect /ˌɪndɪˈrekt◂, ˌɪndəˈrekt◂/ [adjective]
use this when describing something that you do not do, learn, or experience yourself, but through someone else :
▪ Since he left his wife Rick has only had indirect contact with his children.
indirectly [adverb]
▪ He saw his art as a way to communicate, indirectly, how it felt to be black in America at that time.
▷ vicarious /vɪˈke ə riəsǁvaɪ-/ [adjective only before noun]
vicarious pleasure/satisfaction/excitement etc
pleasure etc experienced by watching or reading about someone else doing something, rather than by doing it yourself :
▪ Mothers often get some vicarious pleasure from their children’s success.
▪ Many people enjoyed the vicarious thrill of military victory.