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SuperESL Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Ilk

Hello,

Does "and the ilk" in the following example sound right?

"The drive to increase access to universities fits in with their pronouncements on social inclusion and the ilk."

My understanding is that the most common usage of 'ilk' is in the form of:

......the veiled suggestions that reporters of his ilk......
......there was music by Parry and Elgar and others of that ilk
......brave men of the ilk of Sir George

There is a usually a 'his/her' or 'that' preceding 'ilk' to refer to the thing/things that the 'ilk' in question is/are similar to. But in "......social inclusion and the ilk," does the 'the' serve a similar referencing function? Would it be better if the sentence went: "......social inclusion and its ilk"?

Thanks.
  

Top answer

Since your sentence is cited as an example of usage in the Online Oxford I can hardly say it's wrong, but usually there is a his , or something of that ilk, that precedes it.

— Blue Jay

  • Since your sentence is cited as an example of usage in the Online Oxford I can hardly say it's wrong, but usually there is a his , or something of that ilk, that precedes it.
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23 Answers
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Since your sentence is cited as an example of usage in the Online Oxford I can hardly say it's wrong, but usually there is a his, or something of that ilk, that precedes it.
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Originally, of that ilk was a Scottish phrase meaning of the place of the same name. It has been adopted into English to mean of that kind. Some authorities object to this usage, but it is now the usual one.
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Thank you.

I don't take the Oxford dictionary as infallible, authoritative though it certainly is. Think 'a list of woes' and 'jeremiad.'
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I mean one says "the preservation of endangered species in zoos, botanical gardens, and the like." But "and the ilk"? I just find it sound funny. Maybe it's only me.
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There are 13 COCA citations for 'the ilk', 32 for 'that ilk' and 255 for possessive + 'ilk'.

I was surprised to see any for 'the ilk'. I would never use it.

I am a speaker of BrE.
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SuperESLI mean one says "the preservation of endangered species in zoos, botanical gardens, and the like." But "and the ilk"? I just find it sound funny. Maybe it's only me.
I think it sounds funny too, but the Oxford dictionary examines actual use in order to decide what to include, so if it is used that way by reputable writers they will include it.
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and the ilk does not seem unusual to me.
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I am trying to think about it in this way:

Let's treat 'ilk' as synonymous with 'kind' or 'type':
......the veiled suggestions that reporters of his ilk / kind / type seem to be so good at......
......there was music by Parry and Elgar and others of that ilk / kind / type......

In these examples 'ilk' is completely replaceable by 'kind' or 'type.'


But in
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My dictionary defines 'ilk' as a family, class or set.
And adds that it is usually derogatory.
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