Re: Just a few suggestions:
Faux Pas, on host 38.164.171.7
Thursday, March 1, 2001, at 06:33:32
Re: Just a few suggestions: posted by Travholt on Thursday, March 1, 2001, at 02:56:21:
> > > > > Trav"it's popular among the tourists from the southern parts of Europe, so a lot of them get stolen, but you can also buy stickers etc. of these"holt > > > > I love how some non-native English speakers use "etc." after listing only one item. My foreign exchange brother from Japan does it all the time, because they have a word that gets translated that way. It cracks me up every time. > > > > gab"'This container for plastic bottles etc. only'"by > > Hm... but what's the correct thing to say? Et al? > > Trav"learns something new every day"holt.
"Et al" would be the correct thing to say; however, most American English speakers do use "et cetera".
What gabby is saying is the common usage of "et al" or "etc." usually follows more than one item, as in:
... The Coca-Cola Company, Pepsico, et al.
(which means: ... The Coca-Cola Company, Pepsico, and others.)
... The Coca-Cola Company, Pepsico, The Dr Pepper Company, etc.
(which means: ... The Coca-Cola Company, Pespico, and so forth.)
-Faux "cultural differences" Pas
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