Right. This one scores a mighty 8.9 on the Thomas Rantometer.
So sit straight and pay attention.
Why do people continue to use the word "whilst"? Solicitors apart, who heretofore and hereinafter justifye theyre fees bye inventyng a new langwyge, shouldn't we use "while"?
Whilst is archaic. It's history. You'll never hear it spoken unscripted.
I can only think there is something phonetically more pleasing (to some) about whilst, compared to while.
For example:
Whilst walking the dog the other day, I bumped into my solicitor. "Thou shalt add that to thy tymesheet," he growled (the solicitor, not the dog).
What's wrong with:
While walking the dog the other day, I bumped into my solicitor.
And what's wrong with the non-passive, I bumped into my solicitor while walking the dog the other day.
In fact, the word "while" is a pile of pants. If you write a sentence and it contains "while", revise it and get rid of it ("I was walking the dog the other day when I bumped into my solicitor" is just peachy!) If you write a sentence and it contains the word "whilst", revision is unnecessary. Simply burn the page, or smash up your PC, and shoot yourself.
Amidst? Now we're touching 9.5 on the Rantometer...
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5 comments:
Actually I'm a great one for whilst, amidst etc. but then again I'm very old!
You know I don't really believe you posted that blog at four in the morning. Go to settings and you can put that right.
Totally agree about 'whilst', but what's wrong with poor old 'while'?
And I'm a bit mystified re. your use of the word 'passive'. There's nothing passive in this blog, surely.
It's simple, whilst is still used regularly in England but the American's prefer while. They mean the same. I use whilst all the time, written and spoken and I am not old... just English.
Whilst just......sounds better. I'm English also.
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