This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
  1. KudoZ™ Top
  2. English
  3. Linguistics

to make double sure / to make doubly sure

English translation: to make abolsutely sure

07:37 May 23, 2005
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Linguistics
English term or phrase: to make double sure / to make doubly sure
are they substandard / standard or standard / literary English?

thank you.
sergey (X)
Local time: 07:11
Selected answer:to make abolsutely sure
Explanation:
to make double sure: incorrect

to make doubly sure: correct, but rather informal

to make absolutely sure: slightly more formal

When you say 'literary', I'm not sure whether you mean formal, or whether they would appear in a book.

to doublecheck -maybe - has a slightly different meaning, perhaps more specific
Selected response from:

Lia Fail (X)
Spain
Local time: 08:11
Grading comment
Thanks to All!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +10to make abolsutely sure
Lia Fail (X)
5"be certain to disconnect the iron when you are through"; "be double sure to lock the doors")
Morad Safe (X)
4double sure makes sense in the context in which you plan to use it
Balasubramaniam L.


Discussion entries: 7





  

Answers


20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +10
to make abolsutely sure


Explanation:
to make double sure: incorrect

to make doubly sure: correct, but rather informal

to make absolutely sure: slightly more formal

When you say 'literary', I'm not sure whether you mean formal, or whether they would appear in a book.

to doublecheck -maybe - has a slightly different meaning, perhaps more specific


Lia Fail (X)
Spain
Local time: 08:11
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 7
Grading comment
Thanks to All!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Orla Ryan
1 hr
agree  jrb
1 hr
agree  Robert Donahue (X)
2 hrs
agree  Mari Noller
3 hrs
agree  cmwilliams (X): having looked at the question sergey is referring to, I don't agree with the asker's comments.
3 hrs
agree  rangepost
4 hrs
agree  RHELLER: doubly sure :-)
6 hrs
agree  Alp Berker
7 hrs
agree  Alfa Trans (X)
8 hrs
agree  Refugio: doubly sure
17 hrs
neutral  Jack E Holt (X): In American English both doubly and double are adverbs so both "to make double sure" and "to make doubly sure" are acceptable and have the same meaning which is "to act so as to be or to seem to be sure or confident to twice the extent [as usual]".
379 days
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
double sure makes sense in the context in which you plan to use it


Explanation:
Although doubly sure is the correct form (and you need no convincing on that, what with your red degree and 15 years residence in UK :) ) but after seeing your Russian-English posting, I can understand why you would want to use "double sure", and I think it will serve your purpose fairly well.

You probably want to convey to your English-speaking audience the slight ungrammatical usages in the original Russian conversation, and throwing in an ungrammatical English expression like this will do that superbly, and will in fact be a more accurate translation than a technically correct "doubly sure".

That of course is MHO.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs 50 mins (2005-05-23 10:27:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In that case I would like to stick my neck out in favour of \"doubly sure\" and declare \"double sure\" as quite ungrammatical and incorrect usage.

Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 11:41
Native speaker of: Native in HindiHindi
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Refugio: Double sure is colloquial and informal, not necessarily incorrect.
15 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
"be certain to disconnect the iron when you are through"; "be double sure to lock the doors")


Explanation:
Informall talking

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs 36 mins (2005-05-23 11:13:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

exercising or taking care great enough to bring assurance;

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs 37 mins (2005-05-23 11:14:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

exercising or taking care great enough to bring assurance;

Morad Safe (X)
Local time: 09:41
Native speaker of: Native in Persian (Farsi)Persian (Farsi)
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

See also:
ProZ.com term search
Search millions of term translations
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search