The difference between “by” and “until”

Posted on April 12, 2012 by barnabyharward

WRONG
Write the report until 5 pm.
RIGHT
Write the report by 5 pm. 

Write the report until 5 pm means “Start writing the report now, continue writing it until 5 pm, then stop writing it regardless of whether it is finished or not.”

Write the report by 5 pm means “Make sure that at 5 pm the report is written and finished”.

As a preposition of time “by” means “on or before”.
E.g. We will send you the documents by Friday.

  • Use “by” when you refer to a deadline.

“Until” means “up to a particular time”.
E.g. We have until Friday to send out the documents.

  • Use “until” when you refer to the period of time before a deadline.

“By” is used to describe an action or event that happens on or before a particular moment.
E.g. We expect to know the judgment by the end of November.

“Until” is used to describe a state or situation in the period of time up to a particular moment.
E.g. The court proceedings are expected to last until November.

You may think of “until” as referring to the moment a state or situation changes.
E.g. Comments on the draft may be submitted until 30 April 2012.

Here’s a summary:

1.         I can do it by 5 pm.
            Now   → do it and finish it →   5 pm (it will be finished)

2.         I can do it until 5 pm.
            Now   →       do it       →   5 pm (I’ll stop even if I haven’t finished)

3.         I can’t do it by 5 pm.
            Now   → do it / not do it →   5 pm (either way it won’t be finished)

4.         I can’t do it until 5 pm.
            Now   →  can’t do it  →   5 pm (I’ll start)

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Write “wait until” NOT “wait with”

Posted on April 2, 2012 by barnabyharward

WRONG
The company does not have to wait with the redundancies until the termination period ends.
RIGHT
The company does not have to wait until the termination period ends before making the redundancies.

This mistake is very common among speakers of Slavic languages. It results from applying Slavic-language sentence structure to English sentences.

Here is an example of Polish sentence structure:
Musimy poczekać z ostateczną oceną do maja 2012 r.

It is wrong to use the same sentence structure in English, i.e.:
We must wait with a final assessment until May 2012.

The correct English translation uses a different structure, i.e.:
We must wait until May 2012 before making a final assessment.

The rule is as follows:

WRONG:     “wait with X until Y”
RIGHT:       “wait until Y before –ing X”

Here are three more examples. I have made the same correction to every sentence.

WRONG
As we cannot exclude that the registry court will ask for further amendments in this respect, we suggest waiting with the appointments until the registry court accepts the amended version of the Statute.
RIGHT
As we cannot exclude that the registry court will ask for further amendments in this respect, we suggest waiting until the registry court accepts the amended version of the Statute before making the appointments.

WRONG
As the case has not yet been finally resolved, it seems advisable to wait with the analysis until the court issues the judgment.
RIGHT
As the case has not yet been finally resolved, it seems advisable to wait until the court issues the judgment before conducting the analysis.

WRONG
We are already prepared to apply for a temporary residence permit for him, but we must wait with filing this application until he arrives to Ukraine.
RIGHT
We are already prepared to apply for a temporary residence permit for him, but we must wait until he arrives in Ukraine before filing this application. 

WRONG
Please instruct whether we should start the registration proceedings of the three Supervisory Board members now or wait with it until you have delivered the documents on the appointment of the other two members.
RIGHT
Please instruct whether we should start the registration proceedings of the three Supervisory Board members now or wait until you have delivered the documents on the appointment of the other two members [before starting it].

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The difference between “program” and “programme”

Posted on April 2, 2012 by barnabyharward

There is some confusion about the meaning and spelling of these words.

“Program” is US English. It is used for every meaning of the word, both as a noun and a verb.

“Programme” is UK English. It is used for every meaning of the word, both as a noun and a verb, EXCEPT in relation to computer programs, where the American spelling is used for both the noun and verb. So even in the UK we “program” computers and write “computer programs”.

The inflected forms of the verb are as follows:

UK English: programmed / programming

US English: programmed / programming OR programed / programing, although Microsoft Word doesn’t accept the single ‘m’ spelling.

Although “programme” is still technically correct in UK English, it may soon go out of use, as more and more British people are adopting the US spelling. Similar words like “gramme” and “kilogramme” are now archaic. Instead most British people prefer “gram” and “kilogram”.

Interestingly, “program” is the original spelling; “programme” was adopted in Britain in the 19th century from the French spelling. I guess people thought it looked sophisticated. The US did not make this change.

Of course words like “diagram” and “telegram” can never be spelt “diagramme”, “telegramme”.

Meanings

As a verb, program/programme means to set, schedule or regulate. As a noun, it has various different meanings, which are easily confused. Here are the most common (as I’m British I use the British spelling below):

  1. an important plan, usually organised by the government or a large organisation.
    E.g. The government’s anti-smoking programme has resulted in reduced tobacco sales. / The city has initiated an extensive building programme.
  2. a planned series of activities, events etc.
    E.g. The programme includes fun activities for both adults and children.
  3. a written list of the order of a series of activities, events etc.
    E.g. The preliminary programme of the conference is available on our website.
  4. a course of study or training etc.
    E.g. The deadline for applications for the MBA programme is 1 May.
  5. a TV or radio show
    E.g. I hate it when advertisements interrupt TV programmes.

The last definition seems to cause the most problems, because in other languages the word has different meanings in the same context.

CNN, Comedy Central, BBC Knowledge, MTV etc. are all televisions channels – NOT programmes. Examples of television programmes are Top Gear, Big Brother, Who wants to be a Millionaire?, Teletubbies, etc. etc.

If you want to know what is on television on a particular evening you look in the TV Guide at the listings. The word “listings” is also used to refer to what’s on at the cinema or theatre. In the context of the theatre, “programme” refers to the booklet you get listing the acts, scenes and interval, and giving short biographies of the actors etc.

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How to translate “na koncie” / “na konto”

Posted on April 2, 2012 by barnabyharward

WRONG
In English the phrase on a bank account is ALWAYS WRONG!

RIGHT
Payments are made into a bank account;
money is transferred to a bank account;
and, once a payment or transfer has been made, money is in a bank account.

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As of

Posted on April 2, 2012 by barnabyharward

“As of” is a little phrase but I have a lot to say about it. Although it is very common in business writing it can create ambiguity if used incorrectly.

Ambiguity is caused by the fact that “as of” has three different meanings: on, since or from, depending on the context.

Have a look at these sentences:

The contract enters into force as of 1 January 2022. = on

The contract has been effective as of 1 August 2018. = since 

The contract is effective as of 1 January 2022. = from 

As you see, the meaning of “as of” is determined by the grammar and wording of the sentence in which it is used. So when you use “as of” it is essential that this grammar and wording is correct for the reader to understand what you mean.

The main area of ambiguity is with “as of” meaning “on”. Most native English speakers understand it to mean “on” in the context of “on and after”, as in the first example above, i.e. the contract enters into force on 1 January and remains in force after that date.

But some native English speakers are happy with sentences like this:

The contract was terminated as of 1 January 2017.

To me this is incorrect because a termination cannot happen “on and after” 1 January, but only “on” 1 January. (Some people might dispute this and say that the fact of the contract being terminated continues after 1 January, but to me this is like saying “I drank a cup of tea as of Monday”, and claiming that it’s OK to use “as of” because the fact of the cup of tea being drunk continues after Monday!) But this usage exists nonetheless.

Another area of ambiguity relates to the use of the Present Perfect tense.

Consider this sentence:

The Company purchased 7,000 m3 of wood as of 16 September 2019.

Does this mean the Company purchased (Past Simple) the wood on 16 September 2019, or does it mean the Company has purchased (Present Perfect) the wood since 16 September 2019? The fact that the writer used the Present Simple might lead the reader to think that all the wood was bought on 16 September. But was the writer aware of his choice of tense use?

In my experience, even advanced non-native English speakers make mistakes with the Present Perfect tense. And in the above sentence, this was indeed what had happened – the writer should have written “has purchased”. So if you are not certain that you can use the Present Perfect correctly, do not complicate your writing by using “as of”.

So, after all that, I suggest you follow the advice of professor of linguistics R. L. Trask: “As of – this stiff business expression is best avoided in most writing; use on, since, or from instead, as required.” (Mind the Gaffe: The Penguin Guide to Common Errors in English, Penguin 2002)

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“At” a meeting, NOT “on” a meeting

Posted on April 2, 2012 by barnabyharward

Never say on a meeting. The correct way to say it is at a meeting. This is a very common mistake among speakers of Slavic languages.

WRONG
We amended the documents according to the instructions you gave us on the meeting.
RIGHT
We amended the documents according to the instructions you gave us at the meeting.

 

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When is it correct to use “to” plus –ing (part 2)

Posted on March 30, 2012 by barnabyharward

I said in the last post that when “to” acts as a preposition it is usually followed by an –ing form or a noun/noun phrase.

Now we will look at exceptions to this rule.

The most important exception relates to the verb “agree”. You may use an infinitive verb after “agree to”. For example:

I cannot agree to delete Section 3.7.

This provision may cause unnecessary difficulties especially in complex matters where the parties do not agree to extend the prescribed time period.

If you try to use –ing forms in these examples in a document written on Microsoft Word, you’ll find that “deleting” and “extending” are underlined in green. This is because Word’s grammar check knows about this exception.

“Agree” is not the only verb covered by this exception. Others are “consent”, “entitled” “inclined” and “prone”.

Here are some examples:

The duchess has consented to open her London house to the public for two months every summer.

The Company is entitled to request that the authority reassesses the circumstances of the case.

I am inclined to agree with you.

The Employee is prone to suffer from asthma attacks and cannot work in a dusty environment.

More on “agree to”

When Microsoft Word underlines “agree to + -ing” it does so because it knows that it is an exception to the rule I gave you in Part 1. But Word does not know that you may, in fact, use “agree to + -ing”.

However, there is a difference in meaning between “agree to + -ing” and “agree to + infinitive”. Let’s make a comparison:

I cannot agree to delete Section 3.7.

I cannot agree to deleting Section 3.7.

The first one means I am not going to delete Section 3.7 myself; whereas the second sentence means I don’t want Section 3.7 to be deleted by anybody.

Similarly, if we make a comparison of the second example:

This provision may cause unnecessary difficulties especially in complex matters where the parties do not agree to extend the prescribed time period.

This means that the parties may not want to extend the prescribed time periods themselves; whereas

This provision may cause unnecessary difficulties especially in complex matters where the parties do not agree to extending the prescribed time period.

means that the parties may not agree to the idea of the time period being extended by anyone.

If you find it difficult to see the difference in meaning, try replacing the -ing form with a noun phrase:

I cannot agree to the deletion of Section 3.7. (Deletion by anyone)

This provision may cause unnecessary difficulties especially in complex matters where the parties do not agree to the extension of the prescribed time period. (Extension by anyone)

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When is it correct to use “to” plus –ing? (part 1)

Posted on March 30, 2012 by barnabyharward
WRONG
I look forward to talk to you on Friday afternoon.
RIGHT
I look forward to talking to you on Friday afternoon.

As the example above shows, sometimes it is correct to use “to” plus the –ing form of a verb.

Many non-native English speakers are reluctant to use –ing after “to”. Maybe this is because you learnt at school that after “to” a verb should always be in the infinitive.

This is only half true. “To” actually has two uses – EITHER as an infinitive marker (i.e. to show that the next word is an infinitive verb – e.g. The Company wishes to purchase the shares), OR as a preposition (e.g. He has gone to lunch).

When “to” acts as a preposition it is usually followed by an –ing form (which in this case is a gerund) or a noun/noun phrase, as in these examples:

WRONG
There is no obstacle to register the company.
RIGHT (-ing form)
There is no obstacle to registering the company.
RIGHT (noun phrase)
There is no obstacle to the registration of the company.

WRONG
I do not recommend committing yourself to purchase the shares yet.
RIGHT (-ing form)
I do not recommend committing yourself to purchasing the shares yet.
RIGHT (noun phrase)
I do not recommend committing yourself to the purchase of the shares yet.

WRONG
Public procurement legislation has undergone some major changes in recent years due to implement EU public procurement directives.
RIGHT (-ing form)
Public procurement legislation has undergone some major changes in recent years due to implementing EU public procurement directives.
RIGHT (noun phrase)
Public procurement legislation has undergone some major changes in recent years due to the implementation of EU public procurement directives.

WRONG
I look forward to hear from you.
RIGHT (-ing form)
I look forward to hearing from you.
RIGHT (noun phrase)
I look forward to your reply.

There are, of course, exceptions to this rule. The next post looks at these.
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“Base on”, “based on”, “on the basis of” etc

Posted on March 30, 2012 by barnabyharward

These phrases seem to cause no end of trouble!

Base on

Mistakes with this arise from incorrectly translating the Polish verb opierać. Look at the example below:

Klimatolodzy opierają się na symulacjach tworzonych na komputerach.

You CANNOT translate this as:

Climatologists base on computer simulations.

This makes absolutely no sense. Instead, the sentence should be translated as follows:

 Climatologists use computer simulations.

Climatologists depend on / rely on computer simulations in order to do their work.

If you use “base on” you must say WHAT climatologists base on computer simulations:

E.g. Climatologists base their predictions about climate change on computer simulations.

This is because the verb “base on” requires two objects (it is what grammarians call a ditransitive verb). In the above example, computer simulations is one object, and their predictions about climate change is the other.

It is sometimes difficult for a reader to understand a sentence if “base on” is used incorrectly because, as you see from the above example, they may think that some information is missing.

Some more examples:

WRONG
We solely based on information provided by Mr Andreas Schmitt in his e-mail of last Friday.
RIGHT
We based our analysis solely on information provided by Mr Andreas Schmitt in his e-mail of last Friday.

WRONG
As requested, we based on the Company’s global template employment contract for L2/L3 level employees when drafting the contract for Mr Kowalski.
RIGHT
As requested, we based Mr Kowalski’s contract on the Company’s global template employment contract for L2/L3 level employees.

WRONG
As agreed we have based on the German retention letter; however, as you will see it required significant modifications.
RIGHT
As agreed we have based the new retention letter on the German letter; however, as you will see it required significant modifications.

Based on

You can also say that “something is based on something” – this is the passive.

WRONG
It cannot be said that the actions of Top Polska S.A. base on the consumer’s ignorance or lack of experience.
RIGHT
It cannot be said that the actions of Top Polska S.A. are based on the consumer’s ignorance or lack of experience.

WRONG
Any actions that base on a consumer’s ignorance or lack of experience contradict the rules of good practice.
RIGHT
Any actions that are based on a consumer’s ignorance or lack of experience contradict the rules of good practice.
OR
Any actions based on a consumer’s ignorance or lack of experience contradict the rules of good practice.

In summary, there are two ways of using “base on” – active or passive.

Active: Somebody bases something on something.
E.g. Climatologists base their predictions about climate change on computer simulations.

Passive: Something is based on something.
E.g. Predictions about climate change are based on computer simulations.

 W oparciu o / Opierając się na

W oparciu o / Opierając się na can be translated as “on the basis of” or “based on”.

There is no such phrase as “on the base of”.

WRONG
For the purposes of this agreement “Employee” also means a person acting for the company on the base of a freelance agreement, agency agreement or other civil law contract.
RIGHT
For the purposes of this agreement “Employee” also means a person acting for the company on the basis of a freelance agreement, agency agreement or other civil law contract.

There is no such phrase as “basing on”.

WRONG
Basing on the documentation you sent us, we believe your claim has a good chance of success.
RIGHT
Based on / On the basis of the documentation you sent us, we believe your claim has a good chance of success.

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How to translate “nasza dzisiejsza rozmowa”

Posted on March 30, 2012 by barnabyharward

Nasza dzisiejsza rozmowa CANNOT be translated as our today’s conversation.

WRONG
With reference to our today’s conversation I’d like to present you with a summary of our findings.
RIGHT
With reference to today’s conversation I’d like to present you with a summary of our findings.
With reference to our conversation earlier today I’d like to present you with a summary of our findings.

This mistake is very common. Here are some examples of related mistakes:

WRONG
Following our Monday’s conversation regarding the wholesale licence, please find below detailed information on the requirements that should be met by a business entity applying for this licence.
RIGHT
Following our conversation on Monday regarding the wholesale licence, please find below detailed information on the requirements that should be met by a business entity applying for this licence.

WRONG
We will be pleased to discuss the matter during our Wednesday’s meeting.
RIGHT
We will be pleased to discuss the matter during Wednesday’s meeting.
We will be pleased to discuss the matter during our meeting on Wednesday.

WRONG
According to Colin’s yesterday e-mail it seems that there were some contractual arrangements between the Company and Acme regarding the machine.
RIGHT
According to yesterday’s e-mail from Colin it seems that there were some contractual arrangements between the Company and Acme regarding the machine.
According to the e-mail we received from Colin yesterday it seems that there were some contractual arrangements between the Company and Acme regarding the machine.

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