English for Runaways #273

The misuse of “I” and “myself” for “me” is caused by nervousness about “me.” Educated people know that “Jim and me is goin’ down to slop the hogs,” is not elegant speech, not “correct.” It should be “Jim and I” because if I were slopping the hogs alone I would never say “Me is going. . . .” If you refer to yourself first, the same rule applies: It’s not “Me and Jim are going” but “I and Jim are going.”

So far so good. But the notion that there is something wrong with “me” leads people to overcorrect and avoid it where it is perfectly appropriate. People will say “The document had to be signed by both Susan and I” when the correct statement would be, “The document had to be signed by both Susan and me.” Trying even harder to avoid the lowly “me,” many people will substitute “myself,” as in “The suspect uttered epithets at Officer O’Leary and myself.”

“Myself” is no better than “I” as an object. “Myself” is not a sort of all-purpose intensive form of “me” or “I.” Use “myself” only when you have used “I” earlier in the same sentence: “I am not particularly fond of goat cheese myself.” “I kept half the loot for myself.” All this confusion can easily be avoided if you just remove the second party from the sentences where you feel tempted to use “myself” as an object or feel nervous about “me.” You wouldn’t say, “The IRS sent the refund check to I,” so you shouldn’t say “The IRS sent the refund check to my wife and I” either. And you shouldn’t say “to my wife and myself.” The only correct way to say this is, “The IRS sent the refund check to my wife and me.” Still sounds too casual? Get over it.

On a related point, those who continue to announce “It is I” have traditional grammatical correctness on their side, but they are vastly outnumbered by those who proudly boast “it’s me!” There’s not much that can be done about this now. Similarly, if a caller asks for Susan and Susan answers “This is she,” her somewhat antiquated correctness is likely to startle the questioner into confusion.

More errors from Paul Brians can be found here

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Elignsh for Ryawnuas #272

Tihs is not new, but it's aaylws fun, jsut rgnardieg the apcest of slinlpeg, I gesus the gmmarar's crecort ;-)

cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

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English for Runaways #271

Writing Dates in English

There is still frequent confusion on how to correctly write dates in English. Don't let be confused by differences in British English and American English:

In British English the day is put before the month. You only put a comma before the year, if the date is part of a sentence: The conference takes place 10-12 December, 2007.

Example: 5 October 2007

In American English the month is put before the day. It is common to write a comma before the year.

Example: October 5, 2007

You can also write the date by using numbers only. The most common forms are:

Example: 5/10/07 or 5-10-07

Note, however, that 5/10/07 usually means 5 October 2007 in British English and May 10, 2007 in American English. To avoid any possible confusion, you should spell out the month or use the abbreviation.

Example: 5/May/07 or Oct-10-07

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English for Runaways #270

I like the book which Jack is reading.

This is a tricky one! Simply remember 'which' introduces a non-restrictive (non-defining) clause or phrase and 'that' introduces a restrictive (defining) clause or phrase. In other words whatever follows 'that' is essential to the meaning of the sentence. Generaly you will also use commas with 'witch'.

I like Jack's book, which I have read myself. (non-restrictive)
I like the book that Jack is reading. (restrictive)

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English for Runaways #269

We English never miss an opportunity to (try to) be funny. But we should never do it at the 'cost' (sic.) of somebody. Even if you may say 'auf Kosten von jemanden' in German, you should say 'at the expense of someone or something' in English.

'Opportunity costs' are an economic term and defined as what must be given up (the next best alternative) as a result of a decision made. Any decision that involves a choice between two or more options has an 'opportunity cost'. In German: 'Opportunitätskosten'.

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English for Runaways #268

So your company publishes a catalogue or a brochure regularly? Maybe you do it every year? This doesn't mean you have a 'yearly' (sic.) catalogue. What you have is an 'annual' catalogue.

You may read a 'daily' newspaper, a 'weekly' magazine. Publications may appear every fortnight (every fourteen nights), which in English is the term used for every two weeks. If something happens every other month we say it is 'bi-monthly'. 'Quarterly' would be once every quarter. There is however no English for the German 'halbjährlich', we revert by saying 'twice a year'.

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English for Runaways #267

I often hear Germans say that their English is something they need to 'exercise'. Now when we exercise, we go to a gym, it's more physical. On the other hand we may refer to our home-work as exercises. Nevertheless in English we 'practise' a task to become better and more proficient.

The German 'Übung macht den Meister' translates into 'practise makes perfect'.

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English for Runaways #266

Here’s a not so obvious one but I’ve heard it many times, especially from lawyers. If you are guilty then you have been caught, charged and possibly fined for breaking the law or a rule. If you have a good lawyer then he will prove you innocent, which does not mean that you really are. The German word 'gültig' may have a similar phonetic ring to 'guilty', but 'gültig'means valid, justifiable or legitimate.

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English for Runaways #265

It's always a real challenge getting a translation for educational degrees and academic titles. So even if university seems to be a universal term in both English and German, what do we make of a Fachhochschule in English? There used to be something called a Polytechnic. Today it seems that University for Applied Sciences has become more popular also referred to as specialised colleges of higher education.

Good Wiki: Institutes of technology versus polytechnics

Should you have studied “Betriebswirtschaftslehre” in Germany it would be appropriate to refer to having a degree in Business Administration, the equivalent of an MBA (Master of Business Administration) elsewhere. “Volkswirtschaftslehre” would refer to a university degree in economics.

It is difficult to translate terms for things that simply do not exist in another language. So in Germany before going to a university or any other higher education, you will have had to complete the Oberstufe at the Gymnasium with your Abitur. In England you complete your A-levels in the sixth form at a secondary school.

Link: A-levels

Remember, the German Gymnasium is not a gym in English. The word gymnasium comes from Greek. A gymnasion was originally a place for physical training and education. English chose the physical meaning whilst Germans went for the educational aspect. In German das Gymnasium is an academic secondary school.

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English for Runaways #264

Let me start this little series with a popular false friend. This is the name given to words that look like a German word, but have a different meaning, sometimes funny, sometimes embarrassing.

Look at the word actual which in English means something exists in act and not only potentially.

"Google Video to refund actual money, not just credits."

It is not to be confused with the German aktuell which translates to 'currently' or 'presently'.

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