英语语法：147 “Historic” Versus “Historical”

Grammar Girl here. Today’s topic is the difference between the words “historic” and “historical.”

A listener, Denise, wants to know if she should say, "We sell historic replicas¹" or "We sell historical replicas." Was an event "a historic occasion" or was it "a historical occasion"? These are good questions because it’s easy to get these two words confused. They sound alike and their meanings overlap², but the two words are used differently (1).

Now, Bonnie writes:

“Historic”

“Historic” is an adjective that means something important or influential³ in history. So Denise should say, “The treaty was a historic occasion.” It was an important occasion. It would be incorrect to say, “We sell historic replicas” unless they are replicas that are important to history. You’ve probably heard TV announcers refer to “historic treaties” or perhaps you’ve visited some “historic houses” or “historic battlefields.” All of these were important or famous things in history.

“Historical”

“Historical,” on the other hand, is an adjective that refers to anything from the past, important or not. Denise should say, “We sell historical replicas” because these replicas are from the past; they’re probably not so important. A “historical occasion” would be just some occasion in the past; it wasn’t necessarily an important occasion. “Historical documents” are just documents that record the past. You’ve probably read a “historical novel” or perhaps even a “historical romance,” which are books set in the past. There is nothing especially important about these books; if they were, they’d be “historic books.” The Gutenberg Bible would be a historic book, for example.

Memory Tricks

It’s common for people to mix these two words up. One style guide laments⁴, “Examples of ‘historic’ used incorrectly for ‘historical’ could easily run for several pages” (2). William Safire said something that might help you remember the difference: “Any past event is historical, but only the most memorable⁵ ones are historic” (3). I’ve also created an odd memory trick to help you: You can remember the meanings of these two words by thinking that “ic” is “important,” and they both start with i, and “al” is “all in the past,” and those both start with a.

“A Historic” versus⁶ “An Historic”

Throughout this podcast so far, I’ve said “a historic” and “a historical.” There are conflicting theories on whether to use “an” or “a” before these words. It’s all a matter of whether you pronounce the “h” sound. One authority, Bill Walsh, feels that Americans incorrectly use “an.” He acknowledges that “some British people pronounce ‘historic’ as ‘istoric,’ and that has led many Americans to believe ‘an historic’ is correct. It is not.” He points out that if you said the words “historic” and “historical” alone, you would hear an “h” sound, so you should say, “a historic” and “a historical” (4). Further, nobody would ever say a song was “an hit.” You'd say the song was “a hit,” and the “hi” sound at the beginning of “hit” is exactly the same as the sound at the beginning of “historic” and “historical.”

On the other hand, The New Fowler's Modern English Usage, a traditionally British-leaning style guide, holds an opposing view (3). It recommends that you say, “an historic” and “an historical,” but “a history.” I personally prefer “a historic” and “a historical,” but no matter which way you choose to say these words, you’re going to offend someone.

So, to sum up, something historic is important, something historical is all in the past, and in my opinion it's better to say “a historic” instead of “an historic.”

Administrative⁷

This show was written by Bonnie Trenga, author of The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier, who blogs at......

You can find me, Grammar Girl, and all the other great Quick and Dirty Tips podcasts at QuickAndDirtyTips.com. Lately I've been finding Small Biz Tech Girl's shows to be very helpful. She's reviewed a lot of new services from online storage sites to project management systems, and I've been thinking of trying them. Check her out.

That's all. Thanks for listening.

 

1 replicas   

n.复制品( replica的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His hobby is building replicas of cars. 他的爱好是制作汽车的复制品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The replicas are made by using a thin film of fusible alloy on a stiffening platen. 复制是用附着在加强托板上的可熔合金薄膜实现的。 来自辞典例句

2 overlap   

v.重叠，与…交叠；n.重叠

参考例句：

• The overlap between the jacket and the trousers is not good.夹克和裤子重叠的部分不好看。
• Tiles overlap each other.屋瓦相互叠盖。

3 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

4 laments   

n.悲恸，哀歌，挽歌( lament的名词复数 )v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• In the poem he laments the destruction of the countryside. 在那首诗里他对乡村遭到的破坏流露出悲哀。
• In this book he laments the slight interest shown in his writings. 在该书中他慨叹人们对他的著作兴趣微弱。 来自辞典例句

5 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

6 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

7 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。