sell-by date

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Hela

#154580 Thu, 03 Nov 05 04:55 AM

Dear teachers,
Would you please tell me how to analyse these phrases?

a) a sell-by date
b) the / a (?) best-by date
c) the / an expiry date

Are "sell-by / best-by / expiry" kind of adjectives?
Many thanks,
Hela

Hela

Joined on Mon, Nov 15 2004

Tunisia

Regular Member (831)

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Clive

#154595 Thu, 03 Nov 05 05:28 AM

Hi,

a) a sell-by date I'm not familiar with this. I guess it would be a date marked on a product, after which the store should take it off the shelf and no longer sell it.

b) the / a (?) best-by date The date marked on a product to indicate when it will be past its best condition. eg on a milk carton,I suppose. It can still be sold.
c) the / an expiry date This is the date when something becomes invalid, no good. My passport has an expiry date, after which I need to get a new one.

Are "sell-by / best-by / expiry" kind of adjectives? Yes.

You can use 'a' or 'the', depending on whether you want to be specific or not.

Every product on the shelf had a best-by date.

The best-by date on this carton of milk is tomorrow.

Best wishes, Clive

Clive

Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004

Canada

Veteran Member (21,162)

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

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paco2004

#154598 Thu, 03 Nov 05 05:32 AM

Yes they are kind of adjectives.

"Sell-by date" comes from "They can sell the food by the date ***".
"Best-by date" comes from "The food will taste best by the date ***"
"Expiry" is originally a noun meaning "time limit"

paco

paco2004

Joined on Wed, Nov 17 2004

Senior Member (4,095)

In Japan today even dogs are learning how to bow-wow in English.

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MrPedantic

#154662 Thu, 03 Nov 05 08:17 AM

Yes; it's a kind of embedded imperative: a "sell (this) by" date. (On the product itself, it says something like "Sell by: 00/00/00".)

On packaged edible goods in British shops and supermarkets, you usually have 2 dates: the "sell by" and the "use by" or "best by" dates.

MrP

MrPedantic

Joined on Wed, Oct 13 2004

Veteran Member (12,052)

...opella forensis / adducit febris...

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pieanne

#154705 Thu, 03 Nov 05 11:34 AM

Paco, I see you're getting ready for Xmas? You look so nice dressed as Santa! (what will you do for Easter?) Rose [F]

pieanne

Joined on Thu, Jan 20 2005

South of France ...But I'm Belgian!

Veteran Member (7,512)

I'm glad to help, but I'm not a native! And please excuse my typos...

paco2004

#154715 Thu, 03 Nov 05 11:59 AM

Hello Pieanne

As you know well, this Paco dog is a lazybones. He'll be Santa till coming Easter.

paco

paco2004

pieanne

#154717 Thu, 03 Nov 05 12:01 PM

Smile [:)]

And then ... http://www.errer.com/graphics/shop/eggshells/large/egg_dog1.jpg ?

pieanne

rishonly

#155005 Fri, 04 Nov 05 04:30 AM

Hi Paco2004,

A quick question. " The food will taste best by the date 11/11/05". To me, this sentence makes an impression that the food will taste bad before and after 11/11/05. Instead shall we say, "The food will taste best until 11/11/05"?

Thanks in advance,

rishonly

Joined on Sat, Mar 5 2005

KUMBAKONAM,INDIA

Contributing Member (1,781)

Regards, Krish

Dates, Before and After

paco2004

#155024 Fri, 04 Nov 05 05:32 AM

Hello Krish

I admire your linguistic sensibility. Yes you are quite right. I made "The food tastes best by X" to explain the meaning of "best by", but indeed it sounds weird. Because "something tastes best" is a stative event, the time-anchor word should be "till". "Event till X" means the event continues till X. It should be "The food tastes best till X"

I think the phrase "best by" was coined as an analogue of "sell by". Anyway I am sorry for making such a wrong sentence like "The food tastes best by X".

paco

paco2004

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