[Gansan]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

None the less, I am never sure of I was or I were.

We never say "If I was you". The correct usage is "If I were you". The use of was is considered a slang.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I wish tilt would explain, as I am pretty sure he can. It would save me from having to google!

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I wish tilt would explain, as I am pretty sure he can. It would save me from having to google!

I wish Thad would quote, as I am pretty sure he can. It would save me from having to scroll up, in search of the context .

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

None the less, I am never sure of I was or I were.

Is it "nonetheless" or "none the less"? I always thought the former, but I am no authority on the language. For example, I thought "freest" is a made up word

[meerkat]

Here is some strange usage of the word 'basis' that keeps bothering me (this one is from a bank (seemingly all of them are guilty of such usage)):

Credit limits at individual card level are decided at sole discretion of the bank basis extant internal guidelines.

-- obviously meaning something like "based on" or "on the basis of".

This seems to have spread now to every field in India (this forum too) -- not just banks!


And, here is some strange use (to me) of a valid word in an unexpected context (albeit from the English version of a respected non-English news/documentary channel, DW, who are usually quite careful with their English!):

... He's looking for seeds and seedlings suitable for the renaturation of deforested areas.

Is it an accepted usage of the word 'renaturation' in such context now?
.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

I wish Thad would quote, as I am pretty sure he can. It would save me from having to scroll up, in search of the context .

Sorry! You don't really need the history. Crux of it is, is it If I were you or If I was you.

Originally Posted by amitoj

Is it "nonetheless" or "none the less"?

My spelling checker doesn't mind nonetheless, neither does Google, and... neither do I!

I thought "freest" is a made up word

Out of context, that had me baffled! Is America the land of the free, the freer or the freest? Out of context, both freer and freest look weird.

Originally Posted by meerkat

Here is some strange usage of the word 'basis' that keeps bothering me (this one is from a bank (seemingly all of them are guilty of such usage)):

I think they are talking about some sort of basis. But marketing folk mangle the language, and many of them have gone into finance world. A lot of it comes from the desire to sound clever.

the word 'renaturation'

Is a horrible word! See the google page. There is a technical definition in molecular biology: I can't argue with that.

However, wikipedia seems to have a page on this usage. I just think it's awful. I've heard rewilding, which is nicer.

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Out of context, both freer and freest look weird.

If I didn't know any better I would have used "free-er" or "free-est"!

[binand]

Originally Posted by meerkat

Is it an accepted usage of the word 'renaturation' in such context now?

Wikipedia says "renaturation" is the same thing as "ecological restoration" - if we accept this, the sentence you quoted seems OK to me. Also Merriam-Webster defines the verb "renature" as "to restore to an original or normal condition" and claims this use of the word is prevalent since 1907.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Crux of it is, is it If I were you or If I was you.

With "you", I think it is going to be always "if I were you...". Basically I can't be you, so the sentence is referring to a hypothetical situation in which case the subjunctive is to be used.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Is America the land of the free, the freer or the freest? Out of context, both freer and freest look weird.

Wel'l, they'd like their land to be of the free, and in their view no freer land exists. But we outsiders know that it isn't the freest.

Incidentally, if there is one English word that I can't stand, it is "prepone". Even typing it out makes me want to wash my keyboard and hands with soap and water...

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by binand

With "you", I think it is going to be always "if I were you...". Basically I can't be you, so the sentence is referring to a hypothetical situation in which case the subjunctive is to be used.

This is a good explanation of when to use "if I was" / "if I were":
https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/v...-if-i-was.html

Incidentally, if there is one English word that I can't stand, it is "prepone". Even typing it out makes me want to wash my keyboard and hands with soap and water...

Methinks Prepone is a typical Indglish invention. A better alternative is "advance". From Merriam-Webster online:
Advance: to bring forward in time
especially: to make earlier
E.g.: advance the date of the meeting

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by binand

Wikipedia says "renaturation" is the same thing as "ecological restoration" - if we accept this

We don't!

With "you", I think it is going to be always "if I were you...". Basically I can't be you, so the sentence is referring to a hypothetical situation in which case the subjunctive is to be used.

Now I have to look up subjunctive. Yes, I am of a generation that did learn this stuff at school, but that was a long time ago!

Incidentally, if there is one English word that I can't stand, it is "prepone". Even typing it out makes me want to wash my keyboard and hands with soap and water...

Actually, I think it is a wonderful word!

Making up words, if done appropriately, is a super way of making the language grow. Good examples are prepone and underwhelm. Both fill gaps in the language, and they do it nicely. Prepone, by the way, is purely Indian English.

Compare with upgradation. That illegitimate (my original word gets stared out!) word is ugly, and there was never a need for it, because upgrade is itself a noun already, or had become so before anyone thought of adding the needless syllables. That one makes me want to scream whenever I see it

Just read...

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Methinks Prepone is a typical Indglish invention. A better alternative is "advance". ...

Yes, It is "Indglish." I continue to feel that -pone begged for an opposite prefix just as -whelm did.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Yes, It is "Indglish." I continue to feel that -pone begged for an opposite prefix just as -whelm did.

Reminds me of Bertie's lines from "The Code of the Woosters" - "I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled".

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Out of context, that had me baffled! Is America the land of the free, the freer or the freest? Out of context, both freer and freest look weird.

Haha. I came across this word only when I saw people claiming that New Hampshire is the "freest" state in US. Of course it was being propagated by a certain political party that believes in gun rights and small governments.
Digging in I found the word to be grammatically correct. Not sure about anything else being correct.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Wait! Are there shades of freedom? I suppose there are.

Do remember, friends, there are no shades of unique. Something is unique or it is not. It can not be more, or less unique. People do need regular reminders of this.

[meerkat]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Compare with upgradation.

How about 'updation' -- another Indlish invention?

(I can't somehow digest 'Indglish', -- can't quite pronounce it, -- and if I force myself, it wants to come out as 'Injlish'!)
.

[binand]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Making up words, if done appropriately, is a super way of making the language grow. Good examples are prepone and underwhelm.

So this is where we disagree. I don't think prepone is an appropriately made-up word.

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Reminds me of Bertie's lines from "The Code of the Woosters" - "I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled".

This must be the right time to introduce this: https://www-ccs.cs.umass.edu/cris/texts/how-i-met.html