[Grammar] Forbidding or Forbiddance ?

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Daniel0220

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Hello everyone,

I got a question regarding the usage of the word "forbidding" versus "forbiddance"

I would like to know which one of these two sentences below that is correct, or more correct and why that is please.

"The forbidding of gay marriage"

"The forbiddance of gay marriage"


I am confused.
 

SoothingDave

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I have never heard anyone use the word "forbiddance." My browser doesn't even recognize it as a word.
 

Daniel0220

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I have never heard anyone use the word "forbiddance." My browser doesn't even recognize it as a word.

The word "forbiddance" is an official word. I find it in all the major dictionaries as well as in other places.

Anyone?
 

SoothingDave

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I don't doubt that. But it is so uncommon that I have never heard it and my browser's built-in dictionary does not contain the word.

You asked for advice. I gave you mine.
 

Daniel0220

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I don't doubt that. But it is so uncommon that I have never heard it and my browser's built-in dictionary does not contain the word.

You asked for advice. I gave you mine.

I appreciate your advise, do not misunderstand me. But the advise I was seeking was not in regards to how common or uncommon these specific words are but rather which one of them that is correct, or more correct and why that is.

But again, thank you for the 2 cents.
 

Rover_KE

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I have a question regarding the usage of the word "forbidding" versus "forbiddance".

I would like to know which one of these two sentences below [STRIKE]that[/STRIKE] is correct, or more correct and why that is please.

"The forbidding of gay marriage"

"The forbiddance of gay marriage"


I am confused.

They are not sentences as they have no verb.

They both appear to be 'correct', but I have no way of knowing which might be 'more correct'.

I have never heard of 'forbiddance', and even though I now know the word exists, I have no plans to use it anytime soon.

Most people reading it would think it was a mistake.

Rover
 

Daniel0220

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They are not sentences as they have no verb.

They both appear to be 'correct', but I have no way of knowing which might be 'more correct'.

I have never heard of 'forbiddance', and even though I now know the word exists, I have no plans to use it anytime soon.

Most people reading it would think it was a mistake.

Rover

I see, so the mistake would be on them then. Thanks!
 

5jj

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I see, so the mistake would be on them then. Thanks!
Not really. If a large number of your readers think that you have made a mistake, then you might as well have made one. I see no point in being cleverer than one's readers if they think you are more ignorant.

There are no citations for this word in COCA, and only ten in the BNC - nine of them from the same book. Like Dave and Rover, I thought that the word did not exist. I was amazed to find it in several dictionaries here.
 

Rover_KE

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I see, so the mistake would be on them then.

We don't know that. You haven't given us the context in which you read that phrase.
 
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Tdol

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I don't think either collocates that well. I would use ban.
 

5jj

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emsr2d2

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I, too, had no idea that forbiddance was a real word and I would have assumed an error had I read it. I agree that that doesn't make it incorrect, but it makes it so unusual that I can't really see any point in using it. Knowing that it's a real word, I don't really see how anyone could say which one of forbidding or forbiddance is "more correct". For me "more correct" is a pointless search. Once you know something is correct, you then get into the realms of which is more natural or more common.

For my part, I don't use "The forbidding of" and I have no plans to use "The forbiddance of". If I were to construct that phrase (it's not a sentence), I would use either:

- Forbidding gay marriage ...
- The ban on gay marriage ...

Which one I would choose would depend entirely, of course, on context and on the rest of the sentence.
 
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