posted
Someone just pointed out to me in a story, I have "until" shortened to "till", and they have helpfully pointed out it should be "'til" or "'till".
Looking in the dictionary.com, it says: ---------------------------------------- Usage Note: Till and until are generally interchangeable in both writing and speech, though as the first word in a sentence until is usually preferred: Until you get that paper written, don't even think about going to the movies. ·Till is actually the older word, with until having been formed by the addition to it of the prefix un-, meaning “up to.” In the 18th century the spelling 'till became fashionable, as if till were a shortened form of until. Although 'till is now nonstandard, 'til is sometimes used in this way and is considered acceptable, though it is etymologically incorrect. --------------------------------------
So based on dictionary.com (assuming it's correct) am I safe with "till"?
posted
Yes. I have seen it used many times without the apostrophe. To me, the apostrophe is extra and unnecessary, even distracting.
Posts: 818 | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
With all such irregular words, you simply need to decide which form fits your voice best. With a word like "till", which, as Gilly just pointed out, has several unrelated meanings in different parts of speech, you also need to consider clarity at times.
If someone is simply helpfully incorrecting your grammer, there are a few different ways to respond. One is to politely pretend the comment was never made, much as if you heard someone fart during a dinner party. Another is to ask whether your usage is totally unacceptable, specifying that you do like the effect it has. You can also bluntly ask "what do you mean?"
The only option that would really be a transgression of good etiquette would be to write back and call the offending party an ignoramous who has no business offering criticism. After all, you asked that person to critique your work. But in the case of someone that is offering unsolicited criticism, even this option is not a violation of etiquette. It may, however, still be beneath your dignity.
posted
I have an editor point out that "'til" and "till" don't mean the same thing, although he did agree that wasn't why he rejected the story. I wonder how long before someone rejects my story because I spelled "alright" as two words? Posts: 2830 | Registered: Dec 2004
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posted
Well, as you selected the second option, asking if your usage was totally unacceptable, I would count it as being sufficiently polite, even though you asked everyone else rather than just the person in question.
Using the third option is only acceptable if you ask the person directly. And of course the fourth option is even more horribly impolite if you do it in public.
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