Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Misuse of "borrowed" for "loaned"



As an avid viewer of Judge Judy I get to see a lot of different types of people, folks from all walks of life and all along the spectrum of education and literacy...or the lack thereof. It's not a huge secret that the majority of litigants, and their families/witnesses who accompany them, are neither highly intelligent nor highly educated. Oh, sure, a lot of them know some impressive big words, such as "altercation" and "incarcerated." *rolling my eyes right now* But when it comes to basic language skills, let's just say they tend to be very lacking.

One of the most commonly heard phrases uttered by litigants on Judge Judy is: "I borrowed him some money..." And, yes, my eyes roll every time I hear that! Judge Sheindlin usually corrects them, saying: "You LOANED him some money!" But that's usually accompanied by a whooshing sound as the correction goes right over their heads.

So when it comes to borrow and loan, when do you use which? That's easy!:

(Assume the money has to be repaid)

If you're the one GIVING the money to the other person, you're loaning the money to them.

If you're the one RECEIVING the money from the other person, you're borrowing the money from them.

Still not sure which word is correct? Please post a comment below, or contact us on Twitter.



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