On Sat April 7 2007 12:39 am, Andrew Fildes wrote:
> Er, why wouldn't you say "I'll be there in a moment."? It's quicker,
> accurate and more elegant.
Actually I would say "I'll be there shortly". "In a moment", "momentarily"
used to mean the same, I'll be there shortly" or other such words and
phrases way implies to me that the listener expects whatever is going to
happen 'in a moment" to occur sooner that the speaker is willing to commit
to.
> Frankly I suspect that people who use 'momentarily' in everyday
> speech, either properly or improperly, are the kind of people who use
> 'deceased' instead of 'dead'. Basic rule of good English is a kind of
> Occam principle - simple is best.
> Challenge - can anyone suggest ANY use of the word 'utilise' that
> can't be replaced with 'use'? Not a sarcastic joke – I really would
> like to find one. To prove myself wrong. :-)
> Andrew Fildes
> afildes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
In meaning I don't believe there is one. You actually nailed the
difference
with your 'deceased' instead of 'dead' observation. If you were talking to a
group that expected deceased and used dead you would come across as uncouth.
A coroner that referred to someone killed as the dead instead of the deceased
on television most likely wouldn't win his next election.
If I was writing a a report on a research project "The utilization of
Kudzu
to synthesize ethanol" would more likely get me funding than "How to use
kudzu to make alcohol" which would be more of title for "The Mother Earth
News."
Which word one chooses to use out of a selection of words that mean about the
same depends on the group you're talking to. A doctor would ask you about
you're urine, A mother might ask her child if he had to pee and if you were
in a bar with you're buddies you would go take a p*ss, same meaning different
audience.
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