flammable, inflammable which is correct?

[timwilky]

Watching an advert on TV for breakfast cereal, the father character trying to deny his kid the cereal describes it as flammable. When I went to school we would have had the 3' rule (not ruler) across our knuckles for such poor English. It is inflammable, I.E. burns. The opposite of which is non-inflammable.

Daughter tells me, they were not allowed to use inflammable as it causes confusion and some think it means the opposite.

Am I starting to speak a dead language and we might as well teach English alongside Latin to only a select few?

[DarrenSV650S]

Is your keyboard broken?

[the_lone_wolf]

I wouldn't light my farts near either...

[Tiger 55]

They mean the same thing.

Boy I learned that one the hard way...

[Neeja]

Usage Note: Historically, flammable and inflammable mean the same thing. However, the presence of the prefix in- has misled many people into assuming that inflammable means "not flammable" or "noncombustible." The prefix -in in inflammable is not, however, the Latin negative prefix -in, which is related to the English -un and appears in such words as indecent and inglorious. Rather, this -in is an intensive prefix derived from the Latin preposition in. This prefix also appears in the word enflame. But many people are not aware of this derivation, and for clarity's sake it is advisable to use only flammable to give warnings.


:D

[the white rabbit]

It's because in as a prefix can mean not or can also mean into.

eg. invagination

I said vag...teehee

Edit, wot he said. However, using the word inflammable on inflammable things could be one method of getting rid of some of the thick.

[timwilky]

It's because in as a prefix can mean not or can also mean into.

eg. invagination

I said vag...teehee

Edit, wot he said. However, using the word inflammable on inflammable things could be one method of getting rid of some of the thick.



How many people will now be off to google with a new word? thanks to Mr Wabbit.

[TazDaz]

I just look for this! Solves all confusion!

http://www.hse.gov.uk/chip/images/fire-l.gif



To the OP, I came out of secondary school about 4 years ago and during my five years at secondary school I had over a dozen english teachers, of which only 2 or 3 were english themselves! :)

[timwilky]

I just look for this! Solves all confusion!





To the OP, I came out of secondary school about 4 years ago and during my five years at secondary school I had over a dozen english teachers, of which only 2 or 3 were english themselves! :)

As most foreigners tend to speak a better standard of English, than our home grown. I would think that being taught English by Jonny foreigner an advantage.

[TazDaz]

As most foreigners tend to speak a better standard of English, than our home grown. I would think that being taught English by Jonny foreigner an advantage.

Sorry for the off topic...

I'd agree to a certain extent as I work in a multi-lingual office, but the standard of english I witnessed as a student was very poor in my opinion.

[the white rabbit]

On the topic of English, I meant its not it's :lol:

[sauluk]

I always thought it was gases / liquids that were described as flammable and materials that were inflammable (like when you buy a new sofa and it says on the label)

[Bluefish]

listen ere geezer its like wot he sed innit

[Kinvig]

I seem to recall at school, um, 20 years ago, that fammible was the more modern spelling...though 20 years ago global hypercolour (hypercolor??) t-shirts were also modern.