Analysis of sentences

Question

Are both these sentences correct, and do they mean the same:

a) "Having lost my wallet, and being far away from home, I felt I had TO BEG people's kindess in order to return home."

b) "Having lost my wallet, and being far away from home, I felt I had TO APPEAL TO people's kindess in order to return home."

Weather Vane · Answer

They are both correct, but not quite the same.

One of the meanings of appeal is defined by Lexico as

appeal
  VERB  
  
  1 Make a serious, urgent, or heartfelt request.
  police are appealing for information about the incident

One of the similar meanings of beg is defined by Lexico as

beg
  VERB  
  
  1 Ask someone earnestly or humbly for something.
  he begged their forgiveness

But another meaning of beg is given as

2 Ask for food or money as charity.
  a young woman was begging in the street

So your first sentence has overtones of begging from random strangers, or, asking for help after getting refusals to your appeals for help. You might appeal to someone's kindness, and if they won't help, then beg them to help you.

This WikiDiff page: Beg vs Appeal - What's the difference? states the difference but I think it is wrong: their definition of appeal is strictly legal and overlooks this context.

Analysis of sentences

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