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"About" vs. "regarding"

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MBALOVER

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Dec 11, 2009, 2:37:56 AM12/11/09
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Hi all,
Could you tell me the different between "About" and "regarding"?

I think that "about" precedes a noun, but "regarding" can precede
either a noun or a clause.
Also, "regarding" is more formal?

Am I correct?
Thanks.

D. Stussy

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Dec 11, 2009, 4:12:42 AM12/11/09
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"MBALOVER" <mbal...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:2b718266-b68b-446c...@b15g2000yqd.googlegroups.com...

Le me start with their parts of speech:

About - a preposition. Expresses proximity.
Regarding - a participle of a verb. Expresses consideration or inclusion.


James Hogg

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Dec 11, 2009, 4:19:49 AM12/11/09
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About expresses more than just proximity: "A book about death."

Regarding is also a preposition that means "about, concerning".

The two words are often interchangeable:

"The president's statement regarding/about the financial crisis."

--
James

Athel Cornish-Bowden

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Dec 11, 2009, 9:46:59 AM12/11/09
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Often, yes, but "concerning" usually sounds more pompous than "about".
It's a word favoured by officials.


--
athel

James Hogg

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Dec 11, 2009, 9:54:18 AM12/11/09
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Indeed. I try to get by with the simple "about".

--
James

Mike Lyle

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Dec 11, 2009, 6:23:09 PM12/11/09
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Confirmed sesquipedalists like "in respect of"; and there are rare
occasions on which it's needed (not that I can think of one just now).

MBAL, note that "with regards to [somebody]" is an rather informal way
of saying something like "give my best wishes to [somebody]", while
"with regard to" is a synomym of the "regarding" we've been talking
about here. Many English-speakers get that "s" in the wrong place.

--
Mike.


Robert Bannister

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Dec 11, 2009, 7:09:03 PM12/11/09
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Except when "regarding" means "with regard to".

--

Rob Bannister

Steve Hayes

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Dec 11, 2009, 11:41:34 PM12/11/09
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My experience has been that "regarding", "in respect of" and "with regard to"
are used by people who prefer to express relationships vaguely in case they
get it wrong.

As Stanislav Andreski says:

"The attraction of jargon and obfuscating convolutions can
be fully explained by the normal striving of humans for
emoluments and prestige at the least cost to themselves, the
cost in question consisting of the mental effort and danger of
'sticking one's neck out' or 'putting one's foot in it'. In
addition to eliminating such risks, as well as the need to
learn much, nebulous verbosity opens a road to the most
prestigious academic posts to people of small intelligence
whose limitations would stand naked if they had to state what
they have to say clearly and succinctly."

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

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