2020-12-06
ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด P – Presently & currently
แนะนำการใช้ ตามที่ส่วนใหญ่ใช้ แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจผันแปร ตาม ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง Presently = ‘PREZ-uhnt-lee’
ออกเสียง currently = ‘KUR-uhnt-lee’
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree
Currently =
at the present time:
She is currently working on her thesis.
Not to be confused with:
in a little while, soon, shortly:
The supervisor will be back presently.
Dictionary.com
USAGE NOTE FOR PRESENTLY
The two apparently contradictory meanings of presently,
“in a little while, soon” and “at the present time, now,” are both old in the language.
In the latter meaning presently dates back to the 15th century.
It is currently in standard use in allvarieties of speech and writing
in both Great Britain and the United States.
The sense “soon” arose gradually during the 16th century.
Strangely, it is the older sense “now”that is sometimes objected to by usage guides.
The two senses are rarely if ever confused in actual practice.
Presently meaning “now” is most often used with the present tense
(The professor is presently on sabbatical leave)
and presently meaning “soon” often with the future tense
(The supervisor will be back presently).
The semantic development of presently parallels that of anon,
which first had the meaning, now archaic, of “at once, immediately,”
but later came to mean “soon.”
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Usage of Presently
Both senses 1. ‘without undue delay’ and 2. ‘at the present time’
are flourishing in current English,
but many commentators have objected to the last one.
Since this sense has been in continuous use since the 15th century,
it is not clear why it is objectionable.
Perhaps a note in the Oxford English Dictionary (1909) that
the sense has been obsolete since the 17th century in literary English is to blame,
but the note goes on to observe that the sense is in regular use in most English dialects.
The last citation in that dictionary is from a 1901 Leeds newspaper,
written in Standard English. Sense 2 is most common in contexts relating to business and politics. the fastest-rising welfare cost is Medicaid, presently paid by the states and cities — William Safire
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language,
Usage Note:
The original use of presently to mean "at the present time, currently"
goes back to the late 1300s.
This usage seems to have disappeared from the written record in the 1600s,
but it probably survived in speech,
as it is widely found nowadays in both speech and writing.
Perhaps because this sense was not treated in dictionaries until relatively recently,
some language critics have argued that this usage is an error
and that presently should only be used in the sense of "in a short time, soon,"
as in the shopkeeper's I will be with you presently.
In four surveys from 1965 to 1999, only 47-50 percent of the Usage Panel accepted the "currently" usage in sentences like She is presently the secretary of state.
By 2011, 63 percent found this sentence acceptable.
So, although many still adhere to this guideline, resistance appears to be waning.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary,
syn: See immediately.
usage:
The meaning “now” of presently dates back to the 15th century;
it is currently in standard use in allvarieties of speech and writing.
The sense “soon” arose gradually during the 16th century.
Strangely, it is the older sense “now” that usage guides sometimes object to.
The two senses are rarely if ever confused.
presently meaning “now” is most often used with the present tense
(The professor is presently on sabbatical leave)
and presently meaning “soon” often with the future tense
(The supervisor will be back presently).
Collins COBUILD English Usage
presently
1. used to mean 'soon'
If something will happen presently, it will happen quite soon.
He will be here presently.
I shall have more to say presently.
If you are talking about the past,
you use presently to say that something happened quite soon after something else.
Presently all was quiet again.
He was shown to a small office. Presently, a young woman in a white coat came in.
Both these uses of presently are slightly old-fashioned.
2. used to mean 'now'
Some people use presently after be to mean 'now'.
...the oil and gas rigs that are presently in operation.
She is presently developing a number of projects.
This use of presently is fairly new in British English,
and some speakers find it unacceptable.
Instead of 'presently', you can say at present.
He is at present serving a life sentence.
The comet is at present between the constellations of Pegasus and Delphinius.
You can put at present at the beginning or end of a clause.
You cannot do this with 'presently' when it means'now'.
At present there is a world energy shortage.
We're short of staff at present.
Common Errors In English Usage Dictionary
Presently & currently
Some argue that “presently” doesn’t mean “in the present.”
It means "soon.”
If you want to talk about something that’s happening right now,
they urge you to say it’s going on currently
Dictionary of Problem Words and Expression
Presently & currently
A century ago, presently was used to mean “now,”
a meaning that some writers and speakers still attributeto it.
Presently is more precisely used
to mean “soon,” “before long,” “directly,” and “in a short time”:
“I will be there presently.”
Its use to mean “at this time” is debatable and inaccurate.
Currently means “at the time now passing.” “at this moment,” “right now”:
“She is currently not well, I hope presently to feel better.”
