Forgo vs. Forego

Forgo vs. Forego Forgo vs. Forego Forgo vs. Forego By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between forgo and forego? It’s a foregone conclusion that there’ll be some confusion, but I’ll forgo further digression to get to the discussion. To forgo is to do without, or relinquish: â€Å"He will forgo the pleasure of her company†; â€Å"I’ll forgo the formality of requiring a co-signer.† The present participle is forgoing (â€Å"She is forgoing the procedure†), the past-tense form can be forwent (â€Å"She forwent the procedure†) or forgone (â€Å"She had forgone the procedure†), and one who forgoes is a forgoer. Only the basic verb form, however, is common. To forego, by contrast, is to go before, to precede. Forego is much less common in usage than forgo, and it generally has a figurative sense, often used in such statements as â€Å"Her reputation will forego her† or â€Å"Her reputation foregoes her,† meaning that others will have heard about the subject before they meet her. However, although the past-tense form forewent is rare, the form foregone, and the present participle foregoing are more common than the root word. A phrase I used in the first paragraph, â€Å"foregone conclusion,† is applied frequently to indicate that something is implicitly understood to be true; foregoing refers to something that has previously been encountered, as a passage in a document: â€Å"The foregoing statement should not be construed as an endorsement.† To maintain the distinction between the words forgo and forego in your mind, remember these basics: Use forgo or forgoing in the sense of â€Å"doing without†; past-tense usage is rare. And though use of forego is unlikely, foregone and foregoing are common terms for reference to something already done. Or, most simply, think of -fore in before to remind yourself that forego and its variants refer to sequence and that forgo resembles forget, which is often the reason something is left undone. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How Many Tenses in English?10 Types of TransitionsMay Have vs. Might Have

Two-Way Prepositions Part 3

Two-Way Prepositions Part 3 Believe it or not, two German accusative/dative prepositions make yet another distinction that English does not! The common prepositions  an  and  auf  can both mean on or at but they differ in how they are applied to surfaces. If an object is on or near a vertical surface (a wall, a chalkboard, etc.), then usually the prepositionan  is used. If a horizontal surface (a tabletop, a floor, etc.) is involved, then  auf  is used to express on or at. Look at the illustrations below... Horizontal and Vertical ON or ATAN  (vertical) and  AUF  (horizontal) AN  Ã‚  VERTICAL -  SENKRECHT  Ã‚  die Wand   the wall​​ An  object  approachinga vertical surface.The accus. phrase an die Wandanswers the question  wohin? An  object  on or atthe wall.  (vertical surface)The dative phrase an der Wandanswers the question  wo?    AUF  Ã‚  HORIZONTAL -  WAAGERECHT  Ã‚  der Tisch   the table​ An  object  approachinga horizontal surface.The accus. phrase auf den Tischanswers the question  wohin? An  object  onthe table.  (horizontal surface)The dative phrase auf dem Tischanswers the question  wo? Now, if youve been paying attention, can you say what the dative prepositional phrase  an dem Tisch  or  am Tisch  means? Unlike  auf dem Tisch,  an dem Tisch  means at or next to the table. If you are sitting at the table, you are  am Tisch. If you are sitting on top of the table, you are  auf dem Tisch! German is being very consistent here. If you are talking about your location in relation to the vertical part of the table (the legs, etc.), then you use  an. If youre talking about your location in relation to the horizontal top of the table, then you use  auf. This logic also applies to expressions like  an der Donau  (on the Danube). The use of  an  refers to being on the edge of the river. If were actually on the Danube (in a boat), then were  auf der Donau. More Examples  (A accus., D dative)Here are some examples of the uses of  an  and  auf: wo?  an der Ecke  D - on/at the cornerwohin?  an die Ecke  A - to the cornerwo?  an der Grenze  D - on/at the borderwohin?  an die Grenze  A - to the borderwo?  am Rhein  D - on the Rhinewohin?  an den Rhein  A - to the Rhinewo?  auf dem Dach  D - on the roofwohin?  auf das Dach  A - onto the roof Idiomatic ExpressionsBesides their normal uses,  an  and  auf  are also used in many idiomatic expressions and verbal phrases. Here are some examples: auf der Bank  - at the bankjemandem auf der Tasche liegen  - to live off of someoneauf der Straße liegen  A - to be down and outjemanden an der Nase herumfà ¼hren  - to lead someone around by the nose, take them for a foolworan liegt das?  - whats the reason for that? Most of the other two-way prepositions are used in idiomatic expressions as well. Related Links The Four German CasesA guide to the four German cases: Accusative, Dative, Genitive and Nominative. Includes cases and the  two-way  prepositions. A guide to the many ways to say by in German. Prepositional PitfallsPotential problems and how to avoid them.