There is an older/old man working with us.

[tufguy]

I am a bit confused about the usage of "old" and "older" along with "young" and "younger" when it comes to talking about a person. Let me give you some context.

1) There is a guy aged 60 or above at my office. Should I say "There is an older man working with us" or "There is an old man working with us"? This is just an example, no older man is working with us.



Supplementary questions below faded by moderator. Each needs its own thread.

2) There is a man aged 60 or above and he has been with the organisation for about 10 years. Should I say "There is an older man who is an old employee of this organisation" or "There is an old man who is an old employee of this company"?

I have heard a lot of natives referring aged men as "older guys". I am confused whether it should be "old" or "older"? The same goes with "young" and "younger". Here is the example.

1) There is a guy aged 19 in my organisation. Should I say "There is a young guy working with us" or "There is a younger guy working with us"?

2) What should we use for a toddler "young" or "younger"?

 

[Rover_KE]

tufguy, ask one question only per thread.

When you say 'older', you need to say who you are comparing him to.

I see the average male life expectancy for an Indian male in 2021 was a little over 67, [link] so the 60-year-old gentleman in your office probable doesn't consider himself 'old'.

 

[emsr2d2]

@tufguy For how many years have we been telling you that titles must include some/all of the sentence you're asking us about? I've changed this one for you. Please don't create any more situations in which someone else has edit your thread title.

 

[Tarheel]

If the rest of you are 30 or younger it might make sense to refer to him as an older man. Why do you want to call attention to his age?

 

[tedmc]

I think calling someone "an old man" is derogatory. "Senior" sounds better.

 

[Manu Vanatko]

I am a bit confused about the usage of "old" and "older" along with "young" and "younger" when it comes to talking about a person. Let me give you some context.

1) There is a guy aged 60 or above at my office. Should I say "There is an older man working with us" or "There is an old man working with us"? This is just an example, no older man is working with us.



Supplementary questions below faded by moderator. Each needs its own thread.

2) There is a man aged 60 or above and he has been with the organisation for about 10 years. Should I say "There is an older man who is an old employee of this organisation" or "There is an old man who is an old employee of this company"?

I have heard a lot of natives referring aged men as "older guys". I am confused whether it should be "old" or "older"? The same goes with "young" and "younger". Here is the example.

1) There is a guy aged 19 in my organisation. Should I say "There is a young guy working with us" or "There is a younger guy working with us"?

2) What should we use for a toddler "young" or "younger"?

Older is more polite

 

[Tarheel]

I think calling someone "an old man" is derogatory. "Senior" sounds better.

I often say things like "I'm old and can't hear."

 

[Rover_KE]

You can say what you like about yourself; when referring to others it’s kinder to say elderly or older.

 

[tufguy]

You can say what you like about yourself; when referring to others it’s kinder to say elderly or older.

Is it also correct to say "I am an old employee of this company. I have been working here for ten years" or "James is an older guy who is an old employee of this company. He has beencwith them for ten years. He is the oldest employee of this company"?

Can we say "Someone is an oldest employee"? Like "James is the oldest guy in the company interms of age as well as work tenure".

 

[jutfrank]

Learn the word 'longstanding'.

I'm a longstanding employee of this company.
He's the longest standing employee here.

 

[Skrej]

Is it also correct to say "I am an old employee of this company. I have been working here for ten years" or "James is an older guy who is an old employee of this company. He has been with them for ten years. He is the oldest employee of this company"?

No. You're trying to use 'old' as a descriptor of employment length. While it's not impossible to create such a context, typically we'd use 'old' to describe age, not length of employment. You'd need to say something like "James has been with the company longer than anyone" or "James is the longest serving employee in the company".

Sometimes the term 'seniority' is used to refer to length of employment, so you might also say "James has the most seniority." However, without context, it that could be confusing as to whether you're talking about rank or duration of employment.

Can we say "Someone is an the oldest employee"? Like "James is the oldest guy in the company in terms of age as well as work tenure".

With the correct article, yes, IF they have been alive longer than anyone in the company. That doesn't necessarily mean they've worked for the company the longest.

 

[tufguy]

No. You're trying to use 'old' as a descriptor of employment length. While it's not impossible to create such a context, typically we'd use 'old' to describe age, not length of employment. You'd need to say something like "James has been with the company longer than anyone" or "James is the longest serving employee in the company".

Sometimes the term 'seniority' is used to refer to length of employment, so you might also say "James has the most seniority." However, without context, it that could be confusing as to whether you're talking about rank or duration of employment.



With the correct article, yes, IF they have been alive longer than anyone in the company. That doesn't necessarily mean they've worked for the company the longest.

1) I am the longstanding member of this gym.

2) I am the longest standing member of this gym.

3) I am the oldest member of this gym.

4) I have been with this gym longer than any one else present in the gym.

5) I have the most seniority in the gym.

Are these correct?

 

[Skrej]

1) I am the longstanding member of this gym.

2) I am the longest standing member of this gym.

3) I am the oldest member of this gym.

4) I have been with this gym longer than any one else present in the gym.

5) I have the most seniority in the gym.

Are these correct?

#1 doesn't work - see Jutfrank's example in post #10.
#3 is okay, but it means something completely different than the other examples.
#4 is okay, but leaves open the possibility that there are members who've been with the gym longer who aren't currently present.
#5 works in the context of gym employees, but not gym members.

 

[tufguy]

#1 doesn't work - see Jutfrank's example in post #10.
#3 is okay, but it means something completely different than the other examples.
#4 is okay, but leaves open the possibility that there are members who've been with the gym longer who aren't currently present.
#5 works in the context of gym employees, but not gym members.

I am a longstanding member of this gym.

 

[emsr2d2]

"Older" is more polite.

Your member profile shows that you are an English teacher. As such, please ensure that your posts are grammatically correct and contain the appropriate punctuation.