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Article #2371Re: "Presently" ?= "Now"
From: Bill Tanenbaum
Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1986 05:37
Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1986 05:37
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< [Henry Chai] ( guest on suran@utcsri ) < I read somewhere that "presently" does not mean "now", but rather < "soon" (as in "He'll be along presently".) However, I still see < everyone else use it as if it means now. So I looked it up in < several dictionaries, and found THREE definitions for it: < 1. now < 2. soon < 3. at once (archaic) < I guess most people nowadays have only the "now" definition in mind. < I try to avoid it (by using "at present" if I have to.) What do < you people out there think? ----------- "Presently" is one of the many words which has different meanings in American and British English. In American English, it means "now". In British English, it means "soon". I'm not sure what it means up there in Canada, but typically Canadian English is much closer to American than to British. -- Bill Tanenbaum - AT&T Bell Labs - Naperville IL ihnp4!ihlpg!tan
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Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!mnetor!seismo!columbia!rutgers!caip!clyde!cbatt!ihnp4!ihlpg!tan From: tan@ihlpg.UUCP (Bill Tanenbaum) Newsgroups: sci.lang Subject: Re: "Presently" ?= "Now" Message-ID: <2579@ihlpg.UUCP> Date: Fri, 17-Oct-86 01:37:57 EDT Article-I.D.: ihlpg.2579 Posted: Fri Oct 17 01:37:57 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 18-Oct-86 00:32:39 EDT References: <3489@utcsri.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL Lines: 19