Verbs

“Relay” vs. “Re-lay”

Hyphens, Verbs, Versus

I thought about these two words after my wife this morning talked about removing and replacing some floor tiles.

Problem:
Although the two verbs sound alike, only one of them refers to the process of removing and replacing something.

Explanation:
The verb “relay” — spelled R-E-L-A-Y — means to carry or pass along by or as if by relays.

The verb “re-lay” — spelled R-E-HYPHEN-L-A-Y — means to lay again.

In other words, one can not “relay” — without the hyphen — floor tiles.

Instead, one must “re-lay” — with the hyphen — floor tiles.

However, because the two verbs sound alike, one must have the context of an expression or sentence to determine whether the heard verb is “relay” — without the hyphen — or “re-lay” — with the hyphen.

Solution:
Use the verb “relay” — without the hyphen — when referring to the noun “relay”. Use the verb “re-lay” — with the hyphen — when referring to laying something again.

“Lend” vs. “Loan”

Verbs, Versus

I sometimes hear discussions about whether “loan” is a verb.

Problem:
“Loan” in American English is a verb, but it has a specific meaning.

Explanation:
British English tends to avoid using “loan” as a verb, and British critics many years ago identified the use of “loan” as a verb as an Americanism.

Even though this website focuses on American English and not British English, there is a distinction to be made between “loan” and “lend” as verbs.

Some Americans use the verb “loan” as if it were completely synonymous with the verb “lend”, but this is a mistake.

The verb “loan” specifically means to make a loan of, and the noun “loan” specifically applies to physical transactions.

So it is correct in American English to ask “Can you loan him your car?”, although I prefer “Can you lend him your car?”

But it is incorrect in both British English and American English to say, “The colors loan the painting a sense of lightness.”

Solution:
If your audience is British, then never use “loan” as a verb. If your audience is American, then use “loan” as a verb only when referring to the lending of goods or money but never when referring to figurative transactions. The simplest solution is to avoid all use of “loan” as a verb.

“A permit had been attained.”

Common English Blunders, Verbs

I heard this yesterday during a television program.

Problem:
The speaker used the wrong verb.

Explanation:
I was watching an episode of “Forensic Files” on the truTV channel.

Someone by the name of Randy Scott, identified as Lead Investigator, was discussing a crime.

Mr. Scott said, “A permit had been attained.”

The verb “attain” — spelled A-T-T-A-I-N — means to accomplish, achieve, or reach as an objective, as in “He attained success on the racing circuit at the age of 25.”

Mr. Scott should have used the verb “obtain” — spelled O-B-T-A-I-N — instead because this verb means to acquire, procure, or get.

Unfortunately, there is not a simple way to search the Internet for mistaken use of “attain” as a substitute for “obtain”; otherwise, I would put some statistics from Google here.

This is not the first time that I saw or heard the mistaken use of these two verbs as synonyms, and I believe that it is a relatively common English blunder.

The confusion between “attain” and “obtain” provides yet another example of the value of knowing the roots of words in the English language.

The verb “attain” comes from the prefix A-T, which means toward or near, and T-A-I-N, which comes from the Latin verb “tangere”, which means to touch.

The verb “obtain” comes from the prefix O-B, which has many meanings including to and on, and T-A-I-N, which comes from the Latin verb “tenere”, which means to hold.

In other words, the T-A-I-N in “attain” the T-A-I-N in “obtain” are from different Latin verbs, so “attain” and “obtain” are NOT synonyms.

Solution:
“A permit had been obtained.”