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'old fashioned' vs 'out of date'



 
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Questions answerable with "this is ..." | Sentence: I love travelling and sit beside the driver.
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'old fashioned' vs 'out of date' #1 (permalink) Wed Feb 11, 2009 1:45 am   'old fashioned' vs 'out of date'
 

Hello everyone,

Could you please tell me what is the difference between 'old fashioned' and 'out of date'? Do they express exactly the same meaning? Does it make any differency if I use 'old fashioned' instead 'out of date' in the following sentence:

Some information in your database may be slighty out of date.

Does it make sense if I say:

Some information in your database may be slighty old fashioned.
or
Some information in your database may be slighty out of fashion.

Do they sound nature? Please let me know if any mistake found in my post. Your kindness help will be highly appreciated.

Thanks and regards,
Shi Weiqiang
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Infin1ty
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 443
Location: Beijing, China

'old fashioned' vs 'out of date' #2 (permalink) Wed Feb 11, 2009 6:51 am   'old fashioned' vs 'out of date'
 

There is a difference. "Out of date" means that something is no longer useful, because there is something new and better to replace it. It is mostly used in situations where a new thing is more useful than an older thing. It is usually bad if something is out of date. Your example below is excellent, it is mostly used with some kind of information.

Old-fashioned means that something belongs to history, that it used to be normal but is now considered somewhat abnormal. It comes from "fashion", you might look up that word. Example: hats are old fashioned now in Europe, because people rarely wear hats now, although most people used to wear hats a hundred years ago. It may be good or bad. It may be used with clothing, manners and the like.

Out of fashion means that something is no longer in fashion, it means almost the same as old fashioned. It is usually about something bad, sometimes neutral, but rarely good. Example: "do you own a yacht?" - "no I don't, yachts have been out of fashion for at least ten years".

Correct: some information in your database may be slighty out of date.

Not correct: some information in your database may be slighty old fashioned.

Not correct: some information in your database may be slighty out of fashion.

"Do they sound nature?{should be: "natural"} Please let me know if any mistake found {should be: "is found"; or: "if you find"} in my post. Your kindness {should be: "kind"} help will be highly appreciated.

Thanks and regards {not both thanks and regards, or you should use "thanks and kind regards"},
Shi Weiqiang"
Cerberus™
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Posts: 774

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'old fashioned' vs 'out of date' #3 (permalink) Wed Feb 11, 2009 7:51 am   'old fashioned' vs 'out of date'
 

Thank you Cerberus™, for your timely reply and also for your detail explanation. Smile I don't know how to express my gratitude, my appreciation to you for your kind help is beyond words.

Please correct me if you find any mistake in my post. Very Happy
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Today is a gift, that's why we call it the present.
Infin1ty
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 443
Location: Beijing, China

'old fashioned' vs 'out of date' #4 (permalink) Wed Feb 11, 2009 8:22 am   'old fashioned' vs 'out of date'
 

You are too kind!

"Thank you Cerberus™, for your timely reply and also for your detail {detailed: adjective} explanation. Smile I don't know how to express my gratitude, my appreciation to you for your kind help is beyond words. {appreciation is a bit uncommon with "to" and a person: you mostly either use appreciation without any qualifications, or with "of": "my appreciation of your help is beyond words", though "I appreciate" is used more often}

Please correct me if you find any mistake {correct, but "any" usually goes with plural - unless no more than one instance is expected} in my post. Very Happy"
Cerberus™
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Posts: 774

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