Whilst? (British Commonwealth usage)
Whilst? (British Commonwealth usage)
(OP)
I'm editing a paper submitted by someone in the UK. He uses "whilst" a lot, where I would use "while". Is this standard, or is it a little weird even Over There?
Hg
Hg





RE: Whilst? (British Commonwealth usage)
"But what... is it good for?"
Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
RE: Whilst? (British Commonwealth usage)
My google kung fu has returned to me, and it looks like I have nothing to worry about and I should leave the poor guy alone. (I'm shredding enough of his comma splices and sentence fragments to keep him quite busy anyway.)
Ah, editing...like the soothing simple pleasure of popping bubble wrap.
Hg
RE: Whilst? (British Commonwealth usage)
I think "whilst" tends to be more legal jargon and adds a certain pomposity to statements in court.
Jeff
RE: Whilst? (British Commonwealth usage)
RE: Whilst? (British Commonwealth usage)
RE: Whilst? (British Commonwealth usage)
Whilst & amongst are hangovers from Olde English. Many areas in the North of England still use Thee, Thou & Thy verbally ... at least my cousins did when I visited as a lad.
There is nothing wrong with their usage. Sure, while & among can certainly be used, but the older forms do add a nice flare ... to my ears anyway.
If you need to "pick on" spelling & grammar, start with the North American abuse of the language. Like, "yous guys", "I gots", "this is way more funner".
Ye Gods ... if the Baird were alive he'd be turning in his grave.
RE: Whilst? (British Commonwealth usage)
"But what... is it good for?"
Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
RE: Whilst? (British Commonwealth usage)
It comes down to what the reader is used to hearing.
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-whi2.htm
For the record, I tend to use those terms in the written form rather than verbally.
RE: Whilst? (British Commonwealth usage)
"Whilst: Brit. While"
RE: Whilst? (British Commonwealth usage)
In common usage, while and whilst have become generally interchangeable, but I think whilst often sounds a bit pretentious when used instead of while.
I like CorBlimeyLimey's comment about 'the baird turning in his grave'. If he was that worried about the written word, he shouldn't have invented television.
John
RE: Whilst? (British Commonwealth usage)
Reason 1. It adds color to the document (and the UK flare)
2. It seems more active.
3. It fits the sentence better in correct use and sets the difference off better as in "You have not written me in a while" verses "I have been fishing whilst I have been thinking about you".
I am in the USA and enjoy the difference and color of the UK and Canada. It makes life and meeting new people exciting. I met some young men one summer from the UK and just had a blast when one asked me for a spanner.
Have a productive day, John
RE: Whilst? (British Commonwealth usage)
Hg
RE: Whilst? (British Commonwealth usage)
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