The rather cumbersome word ‘friendlily’ is an adverb that can be found in the Oxford Dictionary.Īs stated above, the phrase is used politely when the person requesting the task does not want to be seen to be pulling rank or unduly rushing the person doing the work. Similar words in the English language include friendly, lovely and homely. Hence, the construct of the phrases ‘in a timely fashion’, ‘in a timely manner’ and ‘on a timely basis’.
In the form ‘timely’, it should only be used to describe other nouns and not verbs. The word ‘time’ is a noun, and therefore becomes an adjective, and not an adverb, when the suffix -ly is appended. The basis for the argument is that adverbs are formed by adding the suffix -ly to adjectives.įor example, ‘that is a beautiful dress’ (adjective) can be used as an adverb, ‘the dress was sewn beautifully’. Others may argue that that sentence should be rephrased as, ‘There needs to be timely delivery of the report’. ‘the report needs to be delivered timely’. However, debate rages about whether the word ‘timely’ can be used as an adverb, e.g.
In a timely manner synonym full#
The plastering on the building is to be done in a timely fashion, however the client understands that there may be time delays due to unfavourable winter weather conditions.Īmericans do tend to use the word ‘timely’ in place of the full phrase. The work needs to be done to a agreed upon standard, while bearing in mind that there is a time constraint. There is some leeway with regard to the exact time of delivery, but not to a lack of conscientiousness.
The task is to be done as soon as possible, taking into account the prevailing circumstances. There is a time component and the attitude to that time component. There are two parts to the concept, namely ‘timely’ and ‘fashion’. It is not a legally binding term, given the vagueness of the expression, but does imply the need for due diligence and cognisance of a time frame in which to deliver results. Time is important but attitude even more so
They might have loud hailers, and shout, ‘A tsunami is coming! A tsunami is coming! Get out the building now and head for the top of the hill!’ Management would probably not urge their guests to leave the hotel, ‘in a timely fashion’. In the moments before the disaster, however, the term would not have been effective. The occupants of the hotel received the warning of the tsunami in a timely fashion and were therefore able to evacuate the building and reach high ground before disaster struck. The use of the phrase implies an agreement between two people, usually of different ranks, about a task that will take a period of time, and may be complex.įor example, it would be used when requesting that the catering for a party be delivered on time, but not for a single cup of tea on returning home. If a senior member of staff wanted a junior member of staff to deliver results quickly, they would employ this phrase. The term arose around the mid-1900s during the era that saw the rise of corporate management. “In a timely manner” is basically a formal, but polite way of saying, ‘hurry up’, or ‘I need this task completed quickly’. What is the meaning of “in a timely manner”? In the 21 st century, we would more likely speak of delivering, ‘to a given standard, on time and within budget’. It has its origins in the emergence of bureaucracy, and has been replaced by terms more commonly used these days in project management. The phrase “in a timely manner” conjures up images of a bygone era when time seemed to move more slowly.
0 kommentar(er)
