Monday 21 March 2011

English Lessons - Indianisms: Revert, Reply


When you want to get back to someone, you use the word 'reply', not 'revert'. 'Revert' means 'to return to a former state'. It cannot be used in place of 'reply'. 

People commonly and mistakenly use 'revert' in business emails & letters, trying to sound professional, when they're really grammatically incorrect.

Examples:

Wrong: Please revert at the earliest.
Correct: Please reply at the earliest.

You can view my full article on Indianisms on CNNGo here: http://www.cnngo.com/mumbai/life/10-indianisms-652344


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1 comment:

said...

Good catch.
However it is so common that I am afraid they might change the dictionary to add 'reply' as one of the meanings of revert :P

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