Yes, I too have heard some folks who are adamant about this because some former English teacher harped on them that "A roasted turkey is done; people are finished." I marvel at how those stay with people. All I really remember from my high school English class is my teacher was get livid repeatedly because folks would mispronounce the word "conduit" like "con-do-it." According to him and some source he cited frequently, it was supposed to be pronounced "con-dit." My goal as a teacher is to leave my students with more meaningful memories than something like that! Linda Linda Comerford 317.786.6404 [log in to unmask] www.comerfordconsulting.com -----Original Message----- From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Karl Hagen Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2008 2:43 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: done We might equally well ask where this word rage against "done" = "finished" comes from, since it doesn't appear to be based on any facts about actual English usage. "Done" has been used as an adjective in this sense since the 14th century (originally with "have", and since the 18th century with "be"). It has been used by any number of canonical authors, including Dickens and Twain. The handful of usage books that claim it's a problem are simply perverse and should be ignored. It's unquestionably standard. Jane Saral wrote: > I know that this issue has been addressed before, but I was just at > dinner with someone who grows livid hearing the word "done" used to > mean "finished." I have never found it particularly objectionable, > though I probably would not use it in really formal circumstances. > (Still, I > might...) Anyway, where did the usage come from? and when did it arise? > Jane Saral > Atlanta > > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: > http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html > and select "Join or leave the list" > > Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/