Magic79  +  932053 Wed, 07 Oct 09 03:11 PM Hello. There are many expressions related to losing a job: 1. He lost his job. 2. He was fired. 3. He was sacked. 4. He was given the sack. 5. He was relieved of his duties/post/job. 6. He was given their notice.  7. He was given the pink slip. 8. He was laid off. (and maybe more I don't know of) The question is: Any stylistician or semantist to shed light on the shades of meaning and different uses of these expressions? Which ones are harsh and which ones are less harsh or neutral? Which ones are informal? Thanks.   Magic79 Joined on Sun, Jul 2 2006 Full Member 225 Colours, Expressions

	Clive  +  932144 Wed, 07 Oct 09 04:25 PM Hi, There are many expressions related to losing a job: 1. He lost his job. neutral. 2. He was fired.  Not formal. Blunt. 3. He was sacked. Informal, idiomatic. 4. He was given the sack. Informal, idiomatic. More wordy due to the passive voice. 5. He was relieved of his duties/post/job. Very formal. 6. He was given their (his) notice.  Quite formal. Not N. American. 7. He was given the pink slip. Informal. Euphemistic. Quasi-humorous. 8. He was laid off. Neutral. (and maybe more I don't know of) The question is: Any stylistician or semantist to shed light on the shades of meaning and different uses of these expressions? Which ones are harsh and which ones are less harsh or neutral? Which ones are informal?   Ask again if you need more information. Clive Clive Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004 Canada Veteran Member 29,621 El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo Colours, Countries, United States, American, Expressions

	khoff  +  932157 Wed, 07 Oct 09 04:34 PM Also, "fired" (as well as 3, 4, and 5) implies that he lost his job because (for any of a variety of reasons) he was no longer considered a good employee.  "Laid off" suggests that he was not at fault, but that the company had to eliminate some jobs due to financial problems, downsizing, etc.  "Lost his job" could mean either. khoff Joined on Sun, Mar 6 2005 Senior Member 3,270 Native speaker of American English (but not a grammar expert) Mistakes

	Magic79  +  932346 Wed, 07 Oct 09 07:32 PM  Thanks Clive for your clear and concise answers and Khoff for the valueable elaboration Magic79

	Clive  +  932601 Wed, 07 Oct 09 11:10 PM Thanks, Khoff.   Clive Clive