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Alex+ Posted 19 years ago
Vocabulary

custom or customary

0 I'm a little confused. Which expression should I use when I talk about what is normal or what most people do in a particular situation? When I talk not about special traditions such as weddings or old national traditions, but when I talk about habits and what people usually do in their every-day life. 02br
001. It is the custom (to do sth)02br
002. We have the custom (to do sth)02br
003. It's customary (to do sth)02br
02br
00Could give me a few examples? 0-
  

Top answer

0 Hi Alex02br 02br 001. 02br 002. 02br 003.

— Cool Breeze

  • 0 Hi Alex02br 02br 001.
  • 02br 002.
  • 02br 003.
  • He used to smoke a cigar after dinner.
  • )02br 004.
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9 Answers
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0 Hi Alex02br
02br
001. It was customary for him to smoke a cigar after dinner.02br
002. It was his custom/habit to smoke a cigar after dinner.02br
003. He used to smoke a cigar after dinner. (Past tense only!)02br
004. He was in the habit of smoking a cigar after dinner. (Awkward.)02br
005. He would smoke a cigar after dinner.
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0Hi!02br
02br
00Why I can't say: "01i00Normally he smokes a cigar after dinner"?02i02br
02br
00Thank you!0-
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0 Nothing stopping you - just as acceptable.0-
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0But it is unusual or not?02br
02br
00I don't like to use literal translation instead of the real idiom ...02br
02br
00Thank you for your tip!0-
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0 Cool Breeze, thank you very much for your examples. 0-
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0 How can I politely explain to a foreigner that he shouldn't do anything because it can be regarded as the wrong or strange thing. 02br
02br
00Is it Ok to say?02br
001. You shouldn't put your feet on the desk. It's not customary.02br
002. It's not customary to ask people how much they earn.02br
003. It's not customary here to speak loudly
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0You can say "It's considered impolite to ..." if it's actually impolite. That's different from not being customary. 02br
00On your list, I'd say 1 through 3 are considered rude.02br
02br
00It's considered rude to ask people how much they earn, and to speak loudly in public places. 02br
02br
00If it's just not common, but not rude, you can say
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0I agree that if it something that is seen as rude or unacceptable, you should warn them in stronger terms than just 'it's not customary'. No-one will be offended by if they still want to do something that is not the custom (such as shake hands) but they could get in trouble if they do something that is seen as rude or ill-mannered or breaks one of the society's taboos.02br
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0 Grammar Geek and Nona, thank you very much. You've given very good and clear examples. 0-
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