About vs Around

Mouse

Mouse

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Discuss.

Okay, okay, I'll start. So, I'm currently editing a very old thing of mine and I'm going through changing a hell of a lot of stuff. I've just changed all my 'whilsts' to 'whiles' because, even though there's nothing wrong with 'whilst,' I don't actually use it any more myself.

I've just gone and changed my 'leant' to 'leaned' too, even though I'm keeping dreamt/leapt/whatever else.

I can't make my mind up on forward/forwards toward/towards. I think the s cos otherwise it sounds American.

And... it looks like I've been using 'about' instead of around. So, I know 'about' means around too (obviously, or I wouldn't have been using it), but is it old fashioned?
 
Ah. I had to take all the 's's off my 'towards' etc. to please the US.
 
Got an example? Neither seem old-fashioned to me. If its Fantasy, though, you might want it to sound a little old-fashioned.
 
Can you give an example?

The only time I can think of where "about" might seem slightly old-fashioned is something like "I wrapped a scarf about my neck".
 
The dog leaves his toys lying about the place.

I'm usually hanging about somewhere.

We have workers coming about 9ish on Monday.



That sort of thing?
 
For AMB's examples above, the first two are very British to me, the third is one that I would use interchangeably with "around".

I use "about", myself, in many cases where I never used to, but that's because I hang about with you lot. :D

I remember a lady at a yard sale that had my mother puzzled one time -- she said she was looking for some clothes for her hubby to hack a boat in. That's what my mother heard, anyway, until she figured out the lady was Canadian and was looking for clothes for her hubby to hack about in.
 
For AMB's examples, I'd use 'around.' For all of them.

I've got lots, but here's some:

[FONT=&quot]waved his hands about in a fluster.


[/FONT][FONT=&quot]looked about for Cloud in the swarm


[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Cloud, anxious to leave, hung about


[/FONT][FONT=&quot]people moving about the streets[/FONT]
 
Aaargh! I now pronounce all those as "aboat"!

1, fine, better than around
2, fine I think, though you could just say "looked for"
3, maybe does sound a bit old-fashioned, but I prefer it
4, definitely a bit old-fashioned to me, but I'm not sure "around" would work as it would imply circumnavigation (er, to me at least, maybe not to anyone sane). Plus I like the feel. And this is an other-world fantasy (I recognise the name Cloud) so I really don't think there's a problem with a (very) slightly idiosyncratic voice.
 
Maybe it is a US/Europe thing. I have no problem with any of those, but change them all to Around and I imagine them as American.
 
Anyway, for my money, you should stick in as much dialect as it will take. I'm still hoping you're working up to writing "Empire of the Wurzels". The world is waiting for zummerpunk!
 
HareBrain said:
Anyway, for my money, you should stick in as much dialect as it will take. I'm still hoping you're working up to writing "Empire of the Wurzels". The world is waiting for zummerpunk!
Click to expand...

Ha ha ha ha!! Oh, I'm so tempted.
 
HareBrain said:
Anyway, for my money, you should stick in as much dialect as it will take. I'm still hoping you're working up to writing "Empire of the Wurzels". The world is waiting for zummerpunk!
Click to expand...
Dear I,Brian,
Please can we have a 'Like' button for posts like this? Pretty please?
Sincerely,
Aber

Brilliant, HB! :D
Go on, Mouse. I'd buy me some Zummerpunk.
 
Somerset is often referred to as 'Zummerzet' as that's how we talk down here. So 'Zummerpunk' is gonna be a brand new genre written entirely in wurzel.
 
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