no nun half so awfully

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hello everybody,

I hope someone can help me understand the following sentence:

“But I am under vows, no nun half so awfully, and I dare not tell my story yet, even to you.”

What I don’t understand is the use of the word half in this sentence. I looked it up in some dictionaries but all the meaning I found gave me no sense for the sentence.

I’m suspect that may be is a special verb meaning for example to stand.

I hope you can help me.

Cheers!

2

Ah, Carmilla!
Such old language!

Carmilla will not confide in the narrator because she has vowed not to divulge the secret yet.
A nun’s vows are sacred, but in Carmilla’s eyes even a nun’s vow is not half as serious as the one she has made.

3

Hi Beeesneees,

I see that you know very well Carmilla.

I am reading the book and, in general I am understanding the story but sometimes I found things like the one I sent which are not easy to understand. In this case so few words with a big meaning.

With your pretty clear explanation, I now understand the idea. Could it be in other words as follows: Vows so awful that a nun could not stand even the half of them.

Is it correct the sentence I wrote down?

Thanks for your valuable help.

Cheers!

4

Not so much that a nun couldn’t stand them, I suspect you are misinterpreting use of the word ‘awful’. Here it means something similar to ‘powerful’. The vows are more powerful than those that a nun would be expected to make.

5

I’ve got it, Beeesneees.

Now I understand the whole idea.

Thank you for clarify my misinterpretation.

Cheers!