Dear Editors,
Could you please tell me how often you use the word “quote”, in the
price request, compared to the word “quotation”.
I am confused about how to use it in terms of replying to a request for
a quotation.
Strictly speaking, using quote as a noun is incorrect, right? Which
sentence is more common to use?
“Please find attached the quotation”; or
“Please find attached the quote”.
Please find attached the quotation you requested.
Quote is informal and normally used between colleagues, as in “Have you sent out that quote yet?”
Quotation is more formal and should be used in correspondence addressed to your customer.
The second sentence is more common, but the first is more correct. All sources I have found agree that “quotation” is a noun and “quote” is a verb, but some state that “quote” can be used as a noun colloquially. Better to stick with what is correct than to risk looking sloppy. (Example - Flipper, who makes himself look like an illiterate by never using capital letters.)
News item - Lousy and bogus translations abound in mainland China. Quite a bit of it in Taiwan, too, I should think: Strict Rules Urged for Irresponsible Translation Works
Isn’t the adjective of common, commoner?
The second sentence is commoner…
And I don’t think you looked terribly hard for quote:
Isn’t the adjective of common, commoner?
The second sentence is commoner…[/quote]
Common is an adjective. Since it has two syllables, the comparative could be commoner or more common.
Of course, common can be a noun in certain situations, but not in the above example.
I find that all very unhelpful. Firstly you say stick with what is correct, and yet earlier you imply degrees of correctness with more correct (plenty of prescriptivist grammarians would red ink that one). Secondly, saying a word is a part of speech is less helpful than saying words can assume different parts of speech. Categories in grammar are never discrete, they are clines.
Isn’t that what I just said? I am confusing. What you speak?
No. But if you don’t know what you’re saying, I sure as hell can’t help you.
The American Heritage Dictionary lists the inflected forms of “common” as “commoner” and commonest." These sound unnatural to me, so I tend to use “more common” and “most common.”
From the American Heritage Dictionary:
NOUN: 1. Informal A quotation. 2. A quotation mark. 3. Used by a speaker to indicate the beginning of a quotation. 4. A dictum; a saying.
So, when formality is called for use “quotation.”
When formality is not an issue use either “quotation” or “quote.”
Does this help?
That’s all for now, commoners.
Sir Jeff
[quote=“wolf_reinhold”]I don’t think you looked terribly hard for quote.[/quote]It’s precisely by looking (googling) for it that I established that “the second sentence is more common” (or commoner, if you prefer.) Common as it may be, I would recommend the use of “quotation” rather than “quote” in this case because I feel the latter, though not actually wrong, is a little too colloquial/informal/sloppy/common (in the old-fashioned perjorative sense of the word.)
[quote=“wolf_reinhold”]Isn’t the adjective of common, commoner?[/quote]Soddom already got you on that. Shape up, Wolfie! 
[quote=“Soddom”]Firstly you say stick with what is correct, and yet earlier you imply degrees of correctness with more correct.[/quote]OK, stick with what is more correct. Congratulations to Soddom for out-nitpicking Juba!
[quote=“Juba”]Common as it may be, I would recommend the use of “quotation” rather than “quote” in this case because I feel the latter, though not actually wrong, is a little too colloquial/informal/sloppy/common (in the old-fashioned perjorative sense of the word.)
[/quote]
Hey, watch where you put that period!
While we’re on the topic of editing, has anyone ever done work with Web-Com? One word of advice: DON’T!
We had an excruciating experience working with this company. My experience so far working with Taiwanese companies has been good until this one. Web-com was referred to us by a friend who said they were looking for people to write dialogues and simple articles for a new e-learning website. We met with the manager of the program (who ended up being the brother of the director of the company) and he offered us 90,000Nt to write the beginning and intermediate chapters of the program. One chapter consisted of one thirty-line dialogue, one article relating to the dialogue, and one page of 30 questions about the chapters. After we tried doing one test chapter and handing it in for review we decided that the job was worth out time. One chapter took a little more than an hour which came out to about 1000Nt per hour, not bad!
To make a long story short we got totally screwed. After agreeing to do the project we asked to sign a contract but they said they could not because it was illegal to hire us and they wanted to avoid any proof that they hired us. This should have been the first clue but since our friend worked for the company we went took his word that things would be ok. After about 9 days of constant typing by three different people the first 30 chapters were finished we handed in our work in the end of March. We were told that work was finished and asked to start the next chapter. Our friend quits his job with web-com. We started, seeing that they were in hurry and told that we would be paid for the first chapters on the 5th of the following month. Wrong! After 7 weeks and 30 more chapters we get this e-mail from the director that says
OR as RR said: verify, then trust. yes.
[quote=“swingking”]While we’re on the topic of editing, has anyone ever done work with Web-Com? One word of advice: DON’T!
We had an excruciating experience working with this company. My experience so far working with Taiwanese companies has been good until this one. Web-com was referred to us by a friend who said they were looking for people to write dialogues and simple articles for a new e-learning website. We met with the manager of the program (who ended up being the brother of the director of the company) and he offered us 90,000Nt to write the beginning and intermediate chapters of the program. One chapter consisted of one thirty-line dialogue, one article relating to the dialogue, and one page of 30 questions about the chapters. After we tried doing one test chapter and handing it in for review we decided that the job was worth out time. One chapter took a little more than an hour which came out to about 1000Nt per hour, not bad!
To make a long story short we got totally screwed. After agreeing to do the project we asked to sign a contract but they said they could not because it was illegal to hire us and they wanted to avoid any proof that they hired us. This should have been the first clue but since our friend worked for the company we went took his word that things would be ok. After about 9 days of constant typing by three different people the first 30 chapters were finished we handed in our work in the end of March. We were told that work was finished and asked to start the next chapter. Our friend quits his job with web-com. We started, seeing that they were in hurry and told that we would be paid for the first chapters on the 5th of the following month. Wrong! After 7 weeks and 30 more chapters we get this e-mail from the director that says
[quote=“swingking”] I would also have gotten deported.
[/quote]
Was your company legal? Were you working legally? How can you complain about being screwed over if you weren’t even permitted to do this business in the first place?
[quote=“Flicka”][quote=“swingking”] I would also have gotten deported.
[/quote]
Was your company legal? Were you working legally? How can you complain about being screwed over if you weren’t even permitted to do this business in the first place?[/quote]
I’m struggling here, but I can’t find the relevance of your comment. :? First, if the arrangement was illegal, then both sides were breaking the law. Why does this allow one side to cheat the other? Second, from the way it was described, this seems to have been a consulting arrangement. As far as I know, private consulting is permissible as long as it’s in the area of expertise noted on your ARC application. (I’m by no means an expert on this, though, so those of you with more legal knowledge please correct me if I’m wrong.) I used to consult with several government agencies and never had any problems.
[quote=“jeff”][quote=“Flicka”][quote=“swingking”] I would also have gotten deported.
[/quote]
Was your company legal? Were you working legally? How can you complain about being screwed over if you weren’t even permitted to do this business in the first place?[/quote]
I’m struggling here, but I can’t find the relevance of your comment. :? First, if the arrangement was illegal, then both sides were breaking the law. Why does this allow one side to cheat the other? Second, from the way it was described, this seems to have been a consulting arrangement. As far as I know, private consulting is permissible as long as it’s in the area of expertise noted on your ARC application. (I’m by no means an expert on this, though, so those of you with more legal knowledge please correct me if I’m wrong.) I used to consult with several government agencies and never had any problems.[/quote]
I think my comment is very relevant. Sure, if both sides were illegal, then both were breaking the law, but it is the foreign side earning the fee, not the local one, who has more to lose (deportation, money, etc.). If you are working illegally, you have no business trying to claim any rights in the first place, especially when you get screwed over. “Private consulting” is not legal, and the reason you never see people getting in trouble for it is that it is not easy to get caught.
So you’re just supposed to bend over…?
No, breaking the law does not deprive you of rights.
Brian
So you’re just supposed to bend over…?[/quote]
You can do what you want–I just think it is silly to complain about being screwed over in a business situation which you were performing illegally (and perhaps under an illegal company).