Difference between revisions of "Floor - ground"
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Misuse, in terms of formal English, is common. A footballer does not ‘hit the floor’ – unless he is playing indoor football, in a sports hall, or somewhere similar. Many footballers say that they do, where formal English prefers ‘hit the ground’ (even better, ‘fall to the ground’). (The OED gives, under '''floor''', n1, meaning 7. b, ‘(Cricket colloq.): the ground. '''''So to put a catch on the floor''''': to fail to hold it’ – which may in itself serve to show the difference between academic and informal English.) | Misuse, in terms of formal English, is common. A footballer does not ‘hit the floor’ – unless he is playing indoor football, in a sports hall, or somewhere similar. Many footballers say that they do, where formal English prefers ‘hit the ground’ (even better, ‘fall to the ground’). (The OED gives, under '''floor''', n1, meaning 7. b, ‘(Cricket colloq.): the ground. '''''So to put a catch on the floor''''': to fail to hold it’ – which may in itself serve to show the difference between academic and informal English.) | ||
| − | The position may also be complicated when we consider the terms used to name levels of buildings. In the U.K. the storey of a building which is on the same level as the land on which it stands is called the '''ground floor'''. The fact that it is man-made is reflected in the word ‘floor’; the fact that it is near nature is shown by ‘ground’. (In American English, this is called the 'first floor’, i.e. the one which you enter on first arriving at the building. In British English, the '''first floor''' is the level above that – the first time in the building that you are standing on a completely artificial level.) | + | The position may also be complicated when we consider the terms used to name levels of buildings. In the U.K. the [[storey]] of a building which is on the same level as the land on which it stands is called the '''ground floor'''. The fact that it is man-made is reflected in the word ‘floor’; the fact that it is near nature is shown by ‘ground’. (In American English, this is called the 'first floor’, i.e. the one which you enter on first arriving at the building. In British English, the '''first floor''' is the level above that – the first time in the building that you are standing on a completely artificial level.) |
(In itself, of course, the phrase ‘ground floor’ is an ambiguous collocation of the two words.) | (In itself, of course, the phrase ‘ground floor’ is an ambiguous collocation of the two words.) | ||
[[category:malapropisms]] | [[category:malapropisms]] | ||
Revision as of 14:23, 10 April 2007
In many varieties of spoken English, not least in the North of England, ‘floor’ is used to mean what academic English would call ‘ground’.
In formal writing, the ground is basically a natural surface. A floor is something constructed. As so often in English, this is not wholly true (the sea has a floor, as does a forest); but it will do as a rule of thumb.
Misuse, in terms of formal English, is common. A footballer does not ‘hit the floor’ – unless he is playing indoor football, in a sports hall, or somewhere similar. Many footballers say that they do, where formal English prefers ‘hit the ground’ (even better, ‘fall to the ground’). (The OED gives, under floor, n1, meaning 7. b, ‘(Cricket colloq.): the ground. So to put a catch on the floor: to fail to hold it’ – which may in itself serve to show the difference between academic and informal English.)
The position may also be complicated when we consider the terms used to name levels of buildings. In the U.K. the storey of a building which is on the same level as the land on which it stands is called the ground floor. The fact that it is man-made is reflected in the word ‘floor’; the fact that it is near nature is shown by ‘ground’. (In American English, this is called the 'first floor’, i.e. the one which you enter on first arriving at the building. In British English, the first floor is the level above that – the first time in the building that you are standing on a completely artificial level.)
(In itself, of course, the phrase ‘ground floor’ is an ambiguous collocation of the two words.)
