0

Suppose that someone (let's call him David) was really angry because he was fired from his job for no good reason. David's wife called his friend hoping he could calm David down. When the friend arrived, David took all his anger out on him. The friend, however, did not take anything David said personally and did not react because he was aware that David was not in full control of his emotions.

What can we say to describe what the friend did here?

My first thought was that "considerate" could fit.

The friend was considerate for David.

Then I thought "take into account" might be the verb that I am looking for.

He took David's state of mind into account and did not escalate the situation.

However, I could not find any similar sentences used in the same context online and I am not really sure whether they actually sound natural.

Could you please confirm whether "considerate" or "take into account" can be used in this context? If not, is there a verb or an adjective that captures the intended meaning?

Improve this question
2
  • 1
    Take a look at console.
    – user3169
    Sep 10, 2021 at 21:57
  • 1
    The friend tolerated, or was tolerant of, David's unjustified anger at him. Or, he made allowances, understanding David's state. Or took it into account.
    – Jack O'Flaherty
    Sep 10, 2021 at 22:50

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

"considerate for David" is unnatural.

"He took David's state of mind into account and did not escalate the situation." is grammatical.

Some suggested possibilities:

  • The friend was understanding towards him. The friend was understanding of his behaviour. (here, understanding is an adjective, not the gerund of the verb)
  • The friend was sympathetic/empathetic towards his behaviour.
  • The friend was compassionate (/showed compassion) towards him (/to him).
Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .