Know your English

[suresh]

Is the title of this thread correct? Knowing my English vs. your English? As in people of England?

I think it is correct ("Know your language"). Anyway, the name of this thread is based on a similarly named column that has been running in the newspaper "The Hindu" for as long as I can remember.

[jayakris]

Prof. Jay, may I please request a lesson on the use of till vs. until too?

No difference! Can use either word in any sentence.

I think both words can sound a little odd in some sentences though. Perhaps there is a connotation of continuous action when we use "until" whereas "till" fits fine with both continuous actions and with something that has a fixed time associated to it. Like "It ain't over till the fat lady sings". "Until" might look odd there, as the "getting over" happens at a point in time - the singing of the fat lady. Till or Until would feel okay for "It goes on until the fat lady sings". I believe there are also instances when "till" would look odd. May be "till" is less preferred as a starting word in a sentence. Like "Until I finished writing, I had no sense of time" might look odd with "Till" at the start. But these are generally only minute stylistic differences. I don't think anything is considered wrong as per the rules of grammar; both words are listed as fully interchangeable.

[Atithee]

Yes, but when in doubt, one should use until. Also, till is a noun too (as in a safe, vault, etc.).

[jayakris]

Actually, there should be no doubt. Use either just as you wish. You're never wrong with "till" or "until". If one of them happens to feel more correct, pick that. That's all. I just read up more on it. It turns out that the idea that "until" is better as a default is some sort of an American thing. Americans (apparently wrongly) believe that "till" is informal. It isn't. In fact "till" is the older word and "until" is a later word, it appears.

"Till" is also a verb. Basically "ploughing" though "tilling" may be more of a breaking-soil action than "ploughing". I knew the word from when "Kubota power tillers" started being used in paddy fields instead of the usual ploughing with bulls, back in Kerala when I was young.

[gbelday]

I was talking to someone recently recently who mentioned that she can figure out whether a piece is written by an Indian author or not based on the usage of the word "till" versus "until". I never realized that until that conversation. I tend to use "till" a lot!

This is something that I had posted a while ago. I struggle with till/until quite a bit but thanks jay for the explanation.

[kujo]

http://time.com/101160/20-incorrectly-used-words/
20 More Incorrectly Used Words That Can Make You Look Horrible

Here is a snippet, with the correct usage of the word "even".

9. Invariably

This word gets tossed in to indicate frequency: “Invariably, Johnny misses deadlines,” is only correct if Johnny always, always, always misses deadlines, because invariably means in every case or occasion.

Unless Johnny messes up each and every time, without fail, use frequently, or usually, or even almost always. And then think about his long-term employment status.

[kujo]

http://www.thehindu.com/books/know-your ... 538759.ece

“I remember that. Quite a few politicians put up a statement saying ...”

“You generally don’t ‘put up’ a statement. One usually ‘puts out’ a statement.”

“But is it correct to say ‘put out a statement’?”

“It certainly is. When you put out a statement, you issue a statement to the media.

I have heard people say: "where are you put up?"
what do you mean put up? I am neither "put" nor "up"!!

ARGHHH... just ask: "where are you staying...."

[prasen9]

I suppose you put up a statement on a bulletin board

[suresh]

This is in response to a post where someone used revenge when he/she most probably meant avenge.

Source: Avenge vs. Revenge

Avenge is a verb. To avenge is to punish a wrongdoing with the intent of seeing justice done. Revenge can be used as a noun or a verb. It is more personal, less concerned with justice and more about retaliation by inflicting harm.

[Tolamu]

Suresh, it was me. Thanks.

[suresh]

Suresh, it was me. Thanks.

You are welcome. I didn't want to mention you by name!

[gbelday]

This is a good one (from Grammar Girl site). I make this mistake quite a bit...

Everyday vs. Every day

Everyday (one word) means “common.”

You let the kids set the table with the everyday dishes, not the good china.

Every day (two words) means “each day.”

Every day I keep hoping I’ll feel better.

[Varma]

Thanks for the clarification, Gautam. I do that mistake, too. Those examples you cited are really good. Easy to remember and clearly distinguishable.

- Varma

[kingofwar123]

it's really nice topic to discuss about English there are lots of things I can learn from here

[jayakris]

it's really nice topic to discuss about English there are lots of things I can learn from here

Okay, so, should I start by correcting your line for punctuation and grammar? Just kidding... You're right; this has always been a good thread, both for fun and learning!