Grammar 101: Ex- and Former
July 19th, 2011 by Michael Kwan
For instance, Jon Rubenstein was the CEO of Palm before it was acquired by HP. Would it be accurate to call him the former CEO of Palm or should you call him the ex-CEO of Palm? Strictly speaking, both terms would have exactly the same meaning: he once held this position, but he no longer holds this position.
That said, English can be a very confusing language and word choice very much comes into play. If Mary and Henry got divorced, Mary would refer to Henry as her ex-husband. It just sounds odd to say that he is her former husband. Similarly, some may say it’s odd to refer to Bill Clinton as the ex-President of the United States; it’s generally more accepted to say that he is the former President. Both have the same meaning, but one is preferred over the other.
One very important difference to note between ex- and former, though, is that ex- is a prefix while former is a complete word on its own. In this way, ex- has to be connected to the former position with a hyphen. Examples include ex-wife and ex-employee. Colloquially, an “ex” (as its own word) could refer to a former partner, as would be the case with an ex-girlfriend or ex-husband. Former would still go in front of the former position, but it is not connected with a hyphen. He is the former boss of Palm. She is a former Marine.
And then there are all sorts of instances where conventional word choice would lead you one way or the other. If you once lived somewhere, it might be acceptable to call that dwelling your former home, but it doesn’t sound right to call it your ex-home. In like manner, if you once worked somewhere, you could say that they were your former employer (as in, “I was formerly employed at XYZ Company”). Saying that XYZ Company is your ex-employer doesn’t sound right either.
Yes, English can be very confusing. The difference between a job and a career can a simple matter of semantics, but some word choices have no real rhyme or reason behind them. You just learn by reading and listening to native English speakers.
Tags: grammar, grammar tips, word choice
Filed under Freelance Writing.
In para 4 last sentence, I’m not quite sure ‘former Marine’ sounds right. I’ve watched many Hollywood war movies, and I’ve always heard ‘ex-Marines’, and never ‘former Marine(s)’.
In using ‘ex-’ or ‘former’, especially in a conversation, there may be a chance for the parties invovled to confuse ‘former’ from ‘formal’, e.g. ‘former employer’ vs ‘formal employer’.
Some people will argue that there is a difference in connotation for the Marines (or another military personnel). I don’t think either is technically incorrect, though.
Yes, I think it’s fundamentally an issue of how speakers and writers use of a language use pairs of words that technically have the same meaning. Maybe it’s just collocation.
Also, I think synonyms or near-synonyms derive their meanings, which cannot possibly be mistaken , from other words they are related with in actual use.
By the way, what does “break out your lighters” mean in the following sentences?
1. We have a blast, love what we do and whether it’s a bar, club, cookout, birthday, reunion, or wedding, we’re always ready to rock out and ready for you to sing along & break out your lighters!
2. Break out your lighters, the IBM Service Management World Tour is coming!
Does it mean bring out your glow sticks and wave them in support of your rock bands?
Thanks very much!
At rock concerts, it’s common for the fans to take out their lighters (and in more modern context, their cell phones if they don’t smoke) and wave them from side to side in time with the music. It makes for a fun effect and it’s another way of showing the artists that you’re having a good time.
Thanks very much.
It then seems that rock fans typically smoke and have cell phones!
I think Ex is more personal, while former is less intimate. Example, a wife or husband are intimate or close physically so they would be Ex. An employer is does not have that closeness type of relationship so they would be former.
As for the Ex-Marine, I believe that a job that, or a Fireman, etc. are very personal, intimate jobs that don’t relate like a regular job and Ex applies better.
Ex and Former means almost the same but it is taken by the listeners in a different way.When we say ex-husband it’s like we are taking it so personally ,and when we say professionally former husband is used.English language is really very very confusing.