Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!columbia!rutgers!caip!clyde!cbatt!ihnp4!ihlpg!tan
From: tan@ihlpg.UUCP (Bill Tanenbaum)
Newsgroups: sci.lang
Subject: Re: "Presently" ?= "Now"
Message-ID: <2579@ihlpg.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 17-Oct-86 01:37:57 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihlpg.2579
Posted: Fri Oct 17 01:37:57 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 18-Oct-86 00:32:39 EDT
References: <3489@utcsri.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 19

< [Henry Chai] ( guest on suran@utcsri )
< I read somewhere that "presently" does not mean "now", but rather
< "soon" (as in "He'll be along presently".)  However, I still see
< everyone else use it as if it means now.  So I looked it up in
< several dictionaries, and found THREE definitions for it:
< 1. now
< 2. soon
< 3. at once (archaic)
< I guess most people nowadays have only the "now" definition in mind.
< I try to avoid it (by using "at present" if I have to.)  What do
< you people out there think?
-----------
"Presently" is one of the many words which has different meanings
in American and British English.  In American English, it means "now".
In British English, it means "soon".  I'm not sure what it means
up there in Canada, but typically Canadian English is much closer
to American than to British.
-- 
Bill Tanenbaum - AT&T Bell Labs - Naperville IL  ihnp4!ihlpg!tan