Faculty of Humanities and Social Science > English
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shibli:
Thank you for your inspiration, Sameen and Uk madam. Regards.
Please don't say 'find difficulty doing something', please say have difficulty doing something:
Incorrect: If you find difficulty understanding the instructions, call me.
Correct: If you have difficulty understanding the instructions, call me.
shibli:
Has gone to vs. Has been to
... has/have gone to ... refers to someone who has gone to a place but has not yet returned.
He's gone to the bank. He should be back soon.
Where has Tom gone?
... has/have been to ... refers to a place which someone has visited sometime in his life. In other words, "has been to" refers to an experience.
Examples:
He's been to London many times.
I've been to Disneyland twice.
shibli:
e.g./i.e.
When you mean “for example,†use e.g. It is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase exempli gratia. When you mean “that is,†use “i.e.†It is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase id est. Either can be used to clarify a preceding statement, the first by example, the second by restating the idea more clearly or expanding upon it. Because these uses are so similar, the two abbreviations are easily confused. If you just stick with good old English “for example†and “that is†you won’t give anyone a chance to sneer at you. If you insist on using the abbreviation, perhaps “example given†will remind you to use “e.g.,†while “in effect†suggests “I.E.â€
Since e.g. indicates a partial list, it is redundant to add “etc.†at the end of a list introduced by this abbreviation.
shibli:
AM/PM
“AM†stands for the Latin phrase Ante Meridiem —which means “before noonâ€â€”and “PM†stands for Post Meridiem : “after noon.†Although digital clocks routinely label noon “12:00 PM†you should avoid this expression not only because it is incorrect, but because many people will imagine you are talking about midnight instead. The same goes for “12:00 AM.†You can say or write “twelve noon,†“noon sharp,†or “exactly at noon†when you want designate a precise time.
It is now rare to see periods placed after these abbreviations: “A.M.â€; but in formal writing it is still preferable to capitalize them, though the lower-case “am†and “pm†are now so popular they are not likely to get you into trouble.
Occasionally computer programs encourage you to write “AM†and “PM†without a space before them, but others will misread your data if you omit the space. The nonstandard habit of omitting the space is spreading rapidly, and should be avoided in formal writing.
shibli:
SPECIALLY/ESPECIALLY
In most contexts “specially†is more common than “especially,†but when you mean “particularly†“especially†works better: “I am not especially excited about inheriting my grandmother’s cat.†“Especial†in the place of “special†is very formal and rather old-fashioned.
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