How Do You Interpret This Description Of A Person?

[lolitasteward]

I came across this paragraph and would like to know your opinion on it:

"He has a special kind of silence. When you look at his dark eyes, a sense of death overwhelms you. But you enjoy being drowned in this sense of death. Pure masochism."

It's a very unique description. What kind of a person do you think the writer is talking about?

[JimF]

Very unique, eh? That's pretty unique!

[lolitasteward]

JimF/ Maybe very unique for me and pretty unique for you. Experiences are different.

[wolf63]

It may be unique but it isn't a very clear description. It isn't very well written.

[Atheist]

jim; It's a bit unique. What do you think, lolita...?

[Atheist]

lolita; your English isn't very good. Unique means one of a kind. You can't be a bit unique. You are either unique or you are not unique.

[Buenchico]

I think Jim's point is that 'very unique' is meaningless English. You can't have a comparative of superlative form of 'unique'!

The writer appears (very badly, in my opinion) to be describing the type of person who naturally dominates those who are happy to be dominated.

[Atheist]

I think lolita's sentence is fine, but her use of 'very unique' is incorrect.

[lolitasteward]

Atheist/ You're a native English speaker. It'll be very kind of you to ask your peers not to use terms like "pretty unique" so that they won't mislead uneducated non-natives like me.
And you're wrong this time. I didn't write this description.

[jourdain2]

Like everyone else, I dispute a use of a qualifier with 'unique'. Looking past that, could the description be of a vampire? Just a thought.

[lolitasteward]

And oh, I should've said:
It will be very kind of you if you ask...

:)))))

[Atheist]

lolita, the sentence was fine, but your use of 'very unique' was not good English. I'm not trying to put you down, I'm trying to help you.

[lolitasteward]

Atheist/ Thank you

[Atheist]

lolita... : Instead of "It'll be very kind of you to ask your peers not to use terms like "pretty unique"",
it would be better to say
"It would be very kind....."
Your English is quite good, but could be better. Best wishes.

[THECORBYLOON]

"Like everyone else, I dispute a use of a qualifier with 'unique'."

By, "Everyone else", do you mean those who have contributed to this thread or do you mean the entire population of the world?

If there are only two examples of something, is each one not almost unique?

[Atheist]

Corby; neither is unique. "If you were the only girl in the world..." She either is or she isn'ae. She's nae one of the twa possible lassies that's the best!

[jourdain2]

TCL I was referring to other contributors of this thread. 'Unique' means there is only one, however, and I would hope that all English speakers would know that.
Why pick on me, by the way? Others made the same point, some less kindly than I.

[Atheist]

TCL; Don't tangle with jourdain; she knows her oignons!

[THECORBYLOON]

Would you say that, "almost square" is not acceptable since something is either square or it isn't?

[THECORBYLOON]

The third definition of "unique" in the OED is,

"That is the only one of its kind; having no like or equal; unparalleled, unrivalled, esp. in excellence. Later also in extended use (especially with premodifying expressions): uncommon, unusual, remarkable."

[jourdain2]

Yes.