2021-04-03 ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด – A – about & around & round & about to

Revision A

2021-04-03

ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด – A – about & around & round & about to

แนะนำการใช้ ตามที่ส่วนใหญ่ใช้ แต่ละท้องถิ่น

ความหมาย อาจผันแปร ตาม ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค

Dictionary.com

ออกเสียง about = ‘uh-BOUT’  

ออกเสียง around = ‘uh-ROUND’

ออกเสียง round = ‘ROUND’

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language,

about

Usage Note:

The preposition about is traditionally used to

refer to the relation between a narrative and its subject:

a book about Cézanne; a movie about the Boston Massacre.

For some time, this usage has been extended beyond narratives

to refer to the relation between various kinds of nouns

and the things they entail or make manifest:

The party was mostly about showing off their new offices.

You don't understand what the women's movement is about.

This controversial usage probably originates with

the familiar expression all about,

as in Let me tell you all about her.

In our 2001 survey, 62 percent of the Usage Panel rejected about

in the party example listed above, and 51 percent rejected

Their business is about matching people with the right technology.

In 1988, 59 percent rejected a similar example.

It is probably best to limit this use of about to more informal contexts.

When followed by an infinitive, about to means "on the verge of,"

as in I'm about to go downtown.

The construction not about to

usually expresses intention or determination,

as in We are not about to negotiate with terrorists.

This usage was considered unacceptable in formal writing

to a majority of the Usage Panel in 1988,

but resistance has eroded with familiarity.

Fully 82 percent accepted it in our 2001 survey.

Common Errors In English Usage Dictionary
about
“This isn’t about you.”

What a great rebuke!

But conservatives sniff at this sort of abstract use of “about,”

as in“I’m all about good taste”

or “successful truffle-making is about temperature control”;

so, it’s better to avoid it in very formal English.

COLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY

USAGE FOR AROUND

In American English,

around is usually used instead of round

in adverbialand prepositional senses,

except in a few fixed phrases

such as all year round.

The use of around in adverbial senses is less common in British English

Collins COBUILD English Usage

about

1. 'about'

You use about when you mention

what someone is saying, writing, or thinking.

Manuel told me about his new job.

I'll have to think about that.

You can say that

a book is about a particular subject

or that it is on that subject.

She is writing a book about politics.

I'm reading Anthony Daniels' book on Guatemala.

You can also use about to say what a novel or play deals with.

Don't use 'on'.

This is a novel about ethics.

They read a story about growing up.

2. 'about to'

If you are about to do something, you are going to do it soon.

You are about to cross the River Jordan.

I was about to go home.

Be Careful!
Don't use an -ing form in sentences like these.

Don't say, for example, 'You are about crossing the River Jordan'.

For more information, see around - round – about

Collins COBUILD English Usage

Around – round – about

1. talking about movement: 'around', 'round', and 'about'

as prepositions or adverbs

When you are talking about movement in many different directions,

you can use around, round, or about.

You can use these words as adverbs.

It's so romantic up there, flying around in a small plane.

We wandered round for hours.

Police walk about patrolling the city.

You can also use these words as prepositions.

I've been walking around Moscow.

I spent a couple of hours driving round Richmond.

He looked about the room but couldn't see her.

Speakers of American English usually use around,

rather than 'round' or 'about', in this sense.

2. talking about position: 'around' and 'round' as prepositions

When one thing is around or round another thing,

it surrounds it or is on all sides of it.

In this sense, these words are prepositions.

You can't use 'about' in this sense.

She was wearing a scarf round her head.

He had a towel wrapped around his head.

The earth moves round the sun.

The satellite passed around the earth.

Speakers of American English usually use around,

rather than 'round', in this sense.

3. being present or available: 'around' and 'about' as adverbs

When you are talking about

something being generally present or available,

you can use around or about, but not 'round', as adverbs.

There is a lot of talent around at the moment.

There are not that many jobs about.

4. 'around' and 'round' used in phrasal verbs

You can also use around or round

as the second part of some phrasal verbs,

including come (a)round, turn (a)round,

look (a)round, and run (a)round.

Don't wait for April to come round before planning your vegetable garden.

When interview time came around, Rachel was nervous.

Imogen got round the problem in a clever way.

A problem has developed and I don't know how to get around it.

He turned round and faced the window.

The old lady turned around angrily.

American English uses only around in these cases.

5. 'around', 'about' and 'round about' meaning 'approximately'

In conversation, around, about and round about

are sometimes used to mean 'approximately'.

He owns around 200 acres.

She's about twenty years old.

I've been here for round about ten years.

Be Careful!
Don't use 'round' like this.

Don't say, for example, 'He owns round 200 acres.'

Dictionary of Problem Words in English
about & around & round

About is a commonly used word

with several meaning and shades of meaning,

most of which develop the idea of circling,

on every side, or here and there (walk about, look about).

It has also the meaning of “nearly” or “approximately” (about 100 books).

Aboutis informally used in the sense of “almost” (about ready to go).

The phrase “at about” (at aboutmidnight) is wordy;

the at can be omitted unless you intend about to mean “approximately.”

Around has many of the basic meaning of about

(on all sides,” “here and there”), as in “walk around” and “look around.”  

But in such sense around is more informal than about.

“Wait around,” “to travel around,” “to have been around,”

and “around noon” are fully permissiblein colloquial (spoken) usage.

Around is usually preferred to round in such expressions

as “around the world” and “around the Horn.”

“Meet me round noon” is more informal than “Meet me around noon”;

Preferably, say or write “Meet me about noon.”

Dictionary of Problem Words in English

about to

The word about has a meaning ofreadiness or willingness;

the phrase “not about to” conveys an idea

of unwillingness, unreadiness, or opposition of some sort:

“He was not about to pay the bill.”

The expression is trite and informal and should be avoided.

Write

“He was not ready to (or was unwilling to or refused to) pay the bill.”