Surely (S/O of the who/whom thread)

[Jean in Newcastle]

Do people still use the word "surely" anymore? As in "He surely will get in trouble if he steals some money." or "Surely, you've met before?"

 

I still use it but I always feel funny when I do. No one else I know IRL seems to use it.

[MamaT]

I do. I haven't really noticed that other people do not use it anymore.

[Amy1k]

Don't call me Surely! /not helpful :P

[In The Great White North]

I do. I haven't really noticed that other people do not use it anymore.

 

:iagree:

[amy g.]

We use it.

[johnandtinagilbert]

Surely, we are not alone, however IRL persons who are not in the world of education or mature in years rarely enjoy the pleasures of antiquated tongue.

[Chelle in MO]

My dh and I use it, but I think it's like Amy1k's use of it. One of us will say, "Surely it won't rain ALL week." To which the other one will say, "It may very well rain all week, and stop calling me Shirley."

 

We're weird.

 

Chelle

[Mabelen]

I do, but then again I am not a native English speaker and I lived 10 years in the UK. I am aware of my English being a little different than that of most people I associate with in the US!

[WTMCassandra]

I use it--hadn't really thought about it being archaic. But I'm told I talk like a dictionary anyway . . . shrug.

[Laurie4b]

Do people still use the word "surely" anymore? As in "He surely will get in trouble if he steals some money." or "Surely, you've met before?"

 

I still use it but I always feel funny when I do. No one else I know IRL seems to use it.

 

I use it. I haven't noticed that it's not used.

[Jean in Newcastle]

So if someone says, "It looks like rain." Do you say, "It sure does." or "It surely does."

 

If someone says, "Please help me with this heavy box." Do you say, "Sure, I'll be there in a minute." or "Surely, I'll be there in a minute."

[Mrs Mungo]

So if someone says, "It looks like rain." Do you say, "It sure does." or "It surely does."

 

If someone says, "Please help me with this heavy box." Do you say, "Sure, I'll be there in a minute." or "Surely, I'll be there in a minute."

 

I agree that I mostly hear it used only in certain instances-"surely, they will be here soon." I rarely hear "we surely completed our work quickly today." In the latter case most people use "sure." There are times even *I* don't use "surely" because it does sound antiquated, might as well start using "verily." :D

[stripe]

My kids say "surely" occasionally, but I'm not sure why. Then again, my daughter has started to say that things are "jolly."

[Mabelen]

This is an example of my personal usage taken from an email I sent to my dd's school counselor asking for clarification as to why two class periods had been used the previous week by her L.A. teacher to show the movie Ratatouille (this is an 8th grade L.A. class by the way, but I digress): "Surely, there must be plenty of things they have yet to learn..."

[Mabelen]

My kids say "surely" occasionally, but I'm not sure why. Then again, my daughter has started to say that things are "jolly."

 

What is your daughter watching or reading these days? ;)

[Rosie_0801]

I do sometimes, but I'm the only person I know who uses "ought" too.

 

Rosie

[LauraGB]

I do. I didn't know it made me sound old. ;)

[BikeBookBread]

I do. I didn't know it made me sound old. ;)

 

As do I.

[johnandtinagilbert]

I use it--hadn't really thought about it being archaic. But I'm told I talk like a dictionary anyway . . . shrug.

What a marvelous compliment! Really.

[angela in ohio]

Don't call me Surely! /not helpful :P

 

:D I use it, but not to dh, because it will surely garner a response of "...and don't call me Shirley."

 

Dc and I say,"Surely you jest" to each other quite often. Not sure where that comes from. :confused:

[elegantlion]

Don't call me Surely! /not helpful :P

 

Yes, I use the word. Yes, I can't help but think of that line, even if I don't say it.

 

I do. I didn't know it made me sound old. ;)

 

If sounding old means I don't talk like a text message I'm okay with that.

[stripe]

What is your daughter watching or reading these days? ;)

I think I've identified it as being the influence of an E. Nesbit character. Surely being "jolly" isn't a bad thing? ;)

[Kathleen in VA]

I use surely. And I get those who reply, "Don't call me Shirley." But then, I had a friend look at me cross-eyed when I used the word "indeed." I think she had commented on the weather (Looks like rain) and I replied, "Indeed." She thought I'd stepped out of a Jane Austen novel or something.:D