atw: Re: 'that' vs 'who'

  • From: "Terry Dowling" <Terrence.Dowling@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 12:04:45 +0800

Add it onto the list for our evolving language, along with:

 

Enormity (to denote size or complexity - showing my age, but I have a
dictionary at home where the only meaning is great wickedness.
Apparently, we're going full circle as centuries ago it used to mean
size - so I'm younger than that!!)

Less (e.g. less people, instead of fewer)

Lay, where lie should've been used (e.g. I was laying on the beach...)

'Should of' instead of should've or should have

Compliment/complement...

And a common error in docs I'm currently fixing is principle/principal,
where both meanings are used and pretty much each time it's wrong.

 

If it is a generational thing, I'd say it's rooted in the diminution of
reading.

 

Cheers,

Terry

 

________________________________

From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Kathy Bowman
Sent: Wednesday, 4 November 2009 10:40 AM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: 'that' vs 'who'

 

I think the upholders of the "use 'who' when referring to people"
convention are losing the battle. Have you noticed that in speech and
print, 'that' seems to be winning, as in "the man that..." and "the
person that...".

Is it a generation thing?

 

cheers

Kath

 

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