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 #2 (permalink) Sun May 11, 2008 2:32 am sick vs ill |
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| "Sick" and "ill" are both correct, perfectly acceptable synonyms. The manager isn't wrong, and you're not wrong either. |
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Jamie (K)
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| #3 (permalink) Sun May 11, 2008 8:02 am sick vs ill |
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| Jamie (K) wrote: |
| "Sick" and "ill" are both correct, perfectly acceptable synonyms. The manager isn't wrong, and you're not wrong either. |
I've not often heard "reported/called in ill". Is it AmEng? |
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Molly
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| #4 (permalink) Sun May 11, 2008 11:20 am sick vs ill |
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| Molly wrote: |
| Jamie (K) wrote: |
| "Sick" and "ill" are both correct, perfectly acceptable synonyms. The manager isn't wrong, and you're not wrong either. |
I've not often heard "reported/called in ill". Is it AmEng? |
Americans are more likely to say "sick". Both words are used on both continents. This just happens to be something you haven't seen before. |
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Jamie (K)
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| #5 (permalink) Sun May 11, 2008 13:58 pm sick vs ill |
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| Quote: |
| Both words are used on both continents. |
In expressions such as "he called in..." or "she reported (in)..."?
The BNC gives 114 per mill. for "called in sick" and none for "called in ill".
Do you also alternate these?
"Show me his sickness/illness report". |
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Molly
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| #6 (permalink) Sun May 11, 2008 14:12 pm sick vs ill |
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| Molly wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Both words are used on both continents. |
In expressions such as "he called in..." or "she reported (in)..."?
The BNC gives 114 per mill. for "called in sick" and none for "called in ill". |
Regardless of what the BNC says, it's not unheard of to used "called in ill". It's much less common, but it's said.
| Molly wrote: |
Do you also alternate these?
"Show me his sickness/illness report". |
No, because we don't use either of those expressions at all. We call it a "medical excuse" or a "doctor's note". That is, if you mean that note you present to be excused. If it's just an ordinary report on someone's illness, it would be a "medical report". |
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Jamie (K)
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Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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| #7 (permalink) Sun May 11, 2008 14:24 pm sick vs ill |
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| Quote: |
| If it's just an ordinary report on someone's illness, it would be a "medical report". |
I mean a report that a company may keep to record an employees periods of sickness/illness".
| Quote: |
| Regardless of what the BNC says, it's not unheard of to used "called in ill". It's much less common, but it's said. |
Even the BYU Corpus of American English give 114 for "called in sick" and nothing for "called in ill". I just wonder who is saying the latter and where.
Regarding the advice below, would you still entice an ESL student to learn and use the combination "called in ill"?
"A good knowledge of collocations (typical word combinations) is essential for fluent and natural-sounding English. Using collocations will improve your style of written and spoken English, and knowledge of collocations is often tested in examinations such as Cambridge FCE, CAE, CPE and IELTS. Learning correct word combinations will also help you avoid common learner errors. English Collocations in Use presents and practises hundreds of collocations in typical contexts. It is ideal for students at good intermediate level and above."
From: English Collocations in Use Intermediate |
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Molly
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| #8 (permalink) Sun May 11, 2008 14:36 pm sick vs ill |
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Companies here don't keep a record of your illnesses, just of the days you took off due to illness.
| Molly wrote: |
| Even the BYU Corpus of American English give 114 for "called in sick" and nothing for "called in ill". I just wonder who is saying the latter and where. |
Workers in offices and schools, for example, say those things.
Corpus linguistics is in its infancy, and no corpus includes everything that everyone commonly says everywhere. So far I have never seen a linguist follow people around offices all day, record what they say, transcribe it, and put it into a corpus.
The BYU corpus does not contain the term "taste fairy" at all, but I used to hear this several times a week on my jobs, and in certain industries, and even outside of them, everyone knows what this means. However, they never write this in a formal document, and they wouldn't use the term if they were being interviewed on the radio, and it's never in an academic document or in a newspaper. Thus, a very common term flies under the corpus radar. |
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Jamie (K)
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Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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| #9 (permalink) Sun May 11, 2008 15:33 pm sick vs ill |
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| Quote: |
| So far I have never seen a linguist follow people around offices all day, record what they say, transcribe it, and put it into a corpus. |
I've never seen a native speaker do the same.
| Quote: |
| Thus, a very common term flies under the corpus radar. |
Is it a useful term for ESLers? Do you see the question of whether to learn "taste fairy" and the question of whether to use "called in sick" or "called in ill" as similar questions? |
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Molly
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| #10 (permalink) Sun May 11, 2008 15:40 pm sick vs ill |
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Interesting Googled result?
352,000 English pages for "called in sick".
791 English pages for "called in ill".
424 English pages for "taste fairy".
Maybe the folks who use "call in ill" are the same ones who use "taste fairy", eh? |
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Molly
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| #11 (permalink) Sun May 11, 2008 16:33 pm sick vs ill |
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| Jamie (K) wrote: |
| Americans are more likely to say "sick". |
Your Google results basically verify what Jamie said, don't they Molly?
We do use the word 'ill' on this side of the pond, but I would agree that 'sick' is used more often over here.
On the other hand, I can't remember ever having heard someone talk about a 'taste fairy'. Though I can imagine that someone might say it, it is not something I hear or have heard people use regularly -- as I said, I can't remember actually having heard it at all.
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Yankee
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| #12 (permalink) Sun May 11, 2008 17:06 pm sick vs ill |
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| Quote: |
| Your Google results basically verify what Jamie said, don't they Molly? |
That's only a part of what jamie said, Amy. I didn't disagree with that part, did I?
| Quote: |
| We do use the word 'ill' on this side of the pond, but I would agree that 'sick' is used more often over here. |
Which collocation would you advise an ESL student to use, "call in sick" or "call in ill", and why? |
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Molly
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| usage of 'like' | Question from a newcomer |
