The use of "lest"

Question

HiCould you please tell me if native speakers use "LEST" in their spoken/written English these days? How do you find these sentences? Natural?I ) Be careful with the hammer lest you (should) hurt yourself.2) I tied the dog lest it should escape.Thanks,Tom

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Could you please tell me if native speakers use "LEST" in their spoken/written English these days?

Spoken - rarely

Written - not often, but occasionally, in formal or literary contexts

How do you find these sentences? Natural? No.

I ) Be careful with the hammer lest you (should) hurt yourself.

2) I tied the dog up lest it should escape.

'Lest' seems out of place in such trite contexts.

Clive

Mr. Tom · Answer

Thanks, Clive!

Could you please give me a natural substitute for "lest"? I mean, if I have to write down the original sentences without "lest", how can I nicely word them?

1) Be careful with the hammer....

2) I tied the dog up ....

Thanks again,

Tom

Clive · Answer

Hi,

1 ) Be careful with the hammer lest you (should) hurt yourself.

Be careful with the hammer in case you hurt yourself.

Be careful with the hammer so (that) you don't hurt yourself.

2) I tied the dog up lest it should escape.

I tied the dog up in case it escaped.

I tied the dog up so (that) it wouldn't escape.

Clive

Mr. Tom · Answer

I don't agree with the IDEA that I [as a trusted member] should not/cannot see who verified the post. What's the harm in this?

Tom

Khoff · Answer

CliveHi,
1 ) Be careful with the hammer lest you (should) hurt yourself.

Be careful with the hammer in case you hurt yourself.

Be careful with the hammer so (that) you don't hurt yourself.

2) I tied the dog up lest it should escape.

I tied the dog up in case it escaped.

I tied the dog up so (that) it wouldn't escape.

Clive

Clive, I find the first blue sentence in each pair very unnatural. It seems to me that "Do A in case B happens" means that "If B happens, then you'll be glad you did A." For instance:

You should have a first aid kit handy in case you hurt yourself. (If you hurt yourself, it would help to have a first aid kit handy. Not If you hurt yourself, you should be careful with the hammer. If you hurt yourself, it's too late to be careful with the hammer.)

Your dog should have an identification tag in case it gets lost. (If the dog gets lost, it should have an identification tag. Not If the dog gets lost, you should tie it up.)

The second blue sentence in each pair is fine.

And I agree that "lest" is almost never used in conversation, and rarely in writing -- it sounds very formal and old-fashioned, almost Biblical. Sometimes when I'm bringing in groceries I say something like "I have to put away the perishables, lest they perish" -- but I'm just trying to be funny. ("Perish" also sounds old-fashioned and dramatic.) A normal way of saying it is "I have to put the perishables in the refrigerator so they don't spoil."

CalifJim · Answer

Mr. Tomcannot see who verified the post.

Tanit verified that one.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

Mr. TomCould you please tell me if native speakers use "LEST" in their spoken/written English these days? How do you find these sentences? Natural?

I ) Be careful with the hammer lest you (should) hurt yourself.

2) I died the dog lest it should escape.

I find them very unnatural. You can live your whole life without using lest. In my opinion, a very idiomatic substitute in the case of an imperative is or and the future.

Be careful with the hammer or you'll hurt yourself.
Tie up the dog or it will escape.

Otherwise, you can use so with won't or wouldn't.

I am being careful with the hammer so I won't hurt myself.
I tied up the dog so it wouldn't escape.

CJ

Yankee · Answer

Hi Tom

I agree with Clive that 'lest' is rarely used in spoken English and that it seems quite out of place in the contexts you provided.

I agree with Khoff that the 'in case' sentences seem odd, even though you will see 'in case' used that way sometimes. I think the best use of 'in case' would be to talk about precautions you take based on the possibility that something might happen later:

- I've got my umbrella with me (now) in case it rains (later).

I also like CJ's suggestions for the rewording of your sentences.

The use of "lest"

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