joham
Key Member
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2007
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Chinese
- Home Country
- China
- Current Location
- China
Details of the meeting had been circulated well in advance /beforehand.
What's the difference between 'in advance' and 'beforehand'? There's no difference in that sentence. Are they interchangeable? They are in that sentence.
Thank you in advance [STRIKE](beforehand?)[/STRIKE]. They're not interchangeable there.
I, personally, don't regard it as impolite. I appreciate the polite thought behind the words.I've always been uneasy about "thanking somebody in advance". I read it may be considered a bit rude as it suggests you're not eager to produce a follow-up response and also, it sort of assumes you'll get an answer.
Yet I think that a lot of users in this forum end their queries this way precisely for the opposite reason - they want to be polite. I've never seen any of the teachers or NESs complain about how the phrase is used here (I must admit I didn't do any thread digging though) but maybe you're just being understanding and polite yourself? ;-)
I've always been uneasy about "thanking somebody in advance". I read it may be considered a bit rude as it suggests you're not eager to produce a follow-up response and also, it sort of assumes you'll get an answer.
Yet I think that a lot of users in this forum end their queries this way precisely for the opposite reason - they want to be polite. I've never seen any of the teachers or NESs complain about how the phrase is used here (I must admit I didn't do any thread digging though) but maybe you're just being understanding and polite yourself? ;-)
I, personally, don't regard it as impolite. I appreciate the polite thought behind the words.
What does make me less than happy sometimes is when members give some thought to an answer and then receive no sign from the person asking the question that they have even read it. We are not after effusive thanks for doing something that we enjoy doing, but some acknowledgement, such as clicking on 'like' or writing 'That cleared it up/I understand now' would not come amiss. For me, thanking in advance does not mean that nothing else is required.
That's why the chance to click on like is so useful. It takes no time to do, and the message takes no time to read. It is a simple acknowledgement.And then, won't you get tired of reading every time when discussing some matter with an English learner, 'thank you', 'thank you', 'thank you' after every respond of yours?
That's why the chance to click on like is so useful. It takes no time to do, and the message takes no time to read. It is a simple acknowledgement.
Of course, acknowledgement of every exchange in an on-going dialogue is unnecessary and, sometimes, inappropriate- the fact that you are responding to an answer is in itself an acknowledgement that you have read the answer. As your post #6 was a response to my #4, I would be surprised if you clicked like[/U on #4.
I must add that I do NOT expect thanks for what I do, and I am sure that most people in this forum don't either. We take part in this forum because we enjoy it.