Friday, November 02, 2007
located versus locate
Here is a mistake I see made by many Japanese authors:
The word “locate” is a verb that means “to find”. For example:
Indonesia locates in Southeast Asia.The correct pattern is “A is located in B”.
The word “locate” is a verb that means “to find”. For example:
Radar is used to locate objects that might be located in a position that poses a hazard to other aircraft.
I can't seem to be able to locate my glasses.
Echo-sounders are used by fishermen to locate fish.And thus:
Indonesia is located in Southeast Asia.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
あなたは「staff」？それとも「employee」？
The word staff in English can take a few different meanings, but the meaning you probably think of first is: a worker for a department or organization.
But this meaning is not strictly correct. The real meaning is not for a single worker, but for an entire group of workers of a department or company or similar.
Incorrect: A staff of the Marketing Department will be here soon.
Correct: A staff member from the Marketing Department will be here soon.
(Note that in natural spoken English we would say, "He works for the Marketing Department". Also "I work for DSi", not "I am a staff of DSi").
Incorrect: The survey will be undertaken by the staffs of DIEA.
Correct: The survey will be undertaken by several employees of DIEA.
Note that staff can be used as a plural. But in only two ways. One way is as a non-count noun for some undefined number of employees from a particular organization.
Example: After the opening ceremony, staff will be available to answer questions.
The other way is to refer to multiple complete sets of employees.
Example: This order affects the staffs of the Accounting Department and the Personnel Department.
So, are you a staff or an employee?
But this meaning is not strictly correct. The real meaning is not for a single worker, but for an entire group of workers of a department or company or similar.
Dictionary: (n) 1: personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task; "the hospital has an excellent nursing staff"; "the general relied on his staff to make routine decisions" 2: the body of teachers and administrators at a school; "the dean addressed the letter to the entire staff of the university"This group meaning is very important, and the two most common mistakes are 1) to use staff to mean a single person and 2) to use the word as a plural (staffs) to mean two or more individual workers.
Incorrect: A staff of the Marketing Department will be here soon.
Correct: A staff member from the Marketing Department will be here soon.
(Note that in natural spoken English we would say, "He works for the Marketing Department". Also "I work for DSi", not "I am a staff of DSi").
Incorrect: The survey will be undertaken by the staffs of DIEA.
Correct: The survey will be undertaken by several employees of DIEA.
Note that staff can be used as a plural. But in only two ways. One way is as a non-count noun for some undefined number of employees from a particular organization.
Example: After the opening ceremony, staff will be available to answer questions.
The other way is to refer to multiple complete sets of employees.
Example: This order affects the staffs of the Accounting Department and the Personnel Department.
So, are you a staff or an employee?
