While or Whilst?

[Les Biehn]

I have had to write a letter for a job, should it be;

While carrying out basic runner duties

or

Whilst carrying out basic runner duties

 

[SJ's Love Monkey]

just put i can cook chips, that is all they need to know!

 

[Tooting Gull]

Both are fine. Many newspapers have dubbed 'whilst' as archaic and now use 'while' - but if you can live with that...

 

[bhafc99]

While.

Whilst is old-fashioned, and typical of the trap people fall into of thinking they have to be overly formal when they write. You don't. The more your writing sounds like how you'd say something in normal conversation, the better. (Obviously I don't mean full of expletives and slang, I just mean talking simply and clearly.)

The whole "I remain, sir, your humble servant" stuff sucks.

 

[Les Biehn]

Also how should you finish these type of letters?

Yours Sincerely?

 

[Gilliver's Travels]

The whole "I remain, sir, your humble servant" stuff sucks.

Unless, of course, the potential employer is a dominatrix.

 

[Frutos]

Also how should you finish these type of letters?

Yours Sincerely?

I always thought it was "Yours Faithfully" if you have started the letter with "Dear Mr/Mrs So-And-So", whereas if it starts with "Dear Sir/Madam" then you use "Yours Sincerely".

 

[Les Biehn]

how about if its

Dear ACTION co-ordinator?

 

[John Dorian]

I always thought it was "Yours Faithfully" if you have started the letter with "Dear Mr/Mrs So-And-So", whereas if it starts with "Dear Sir/Madam" then you use "Yours Sincerely".

You would be correct Mr. Frutos, Sir.

 

[John Dorian]

how about if its

Dear ACTION co-ordinator?

Should be Yours Sincerely, because it is only yours faithfully if it is a personal letter and you know the name of the person you are sending it to. ie: Mr Jones would mean a Yours Faithfully at the end. I just hope Action Commander isnt his real name !!!!

 

[Woodchip]

how about if its

Dear ACTION co-ordinator?

You trying to get a job as a runner for a porn film company??

 

[Icy Gull]

You would be correct Mr. Frutos, Sir.

Thought it was the other way round myself.

Dear John finishes Yours sincerely
Dear Sir finishes Yours faithfully

Now wondering what Dear Mr Smith should finish with

 

[Gritt23]

I always thought it was "Yours Faithfully" if you have started the letter with "Dear Mr/Mrs So-And-So", whereas if it starts with "Dear Sir/Madam" then you use "Yours Sincerely".

It's the other way round.

Dear Mr Wilkins



Yours sincerely.



Whereas, if you don't know the persons name and it's Dear Sir / Madam, then it's "faithfully".

 

[Woodchip]

Thought it was the other way round myself.

Dear John finishes Yours sincerely
Dear Sir finishes Yours faithfully

I thought that as well, but as it was 2 against 1 I thought I was wrong.

 

[Les Biehn]

So it should be Yours faithfully?

 

[Frutos]

I apologise

 

[Gritt23]

I have had to write a letter for a job, should it be;

While carrying out basic runner duties

or

Whilst carrying out basic runner duties

I'm not 100% sure, but I always though whilst was a conjunction whereas while is a noun. As for usage, that would mean you'd start a sentence with "While", but "whilst" would be used in the middle of a sentence.

Therefore:

While carrying out basic runner duties, I am able to toss myself off at any porn being acted out.

or

I am able to toss myself off whilst carrying out basic runner duties.

 

[NMH]

I went to school to learn English, for a whilst.

In a whilst, I will cook dinner.

See, better to eradicate the word from the dictionary altogether

 

[John Dorian]

It's disturbing that I've only been out of school 4 years and have forgotton. I apologise too but I was merely the sheep and following Frutos.

 

[Woodchip]

So it should be Yours faithfully?