英语语法：191 Loan versus Lend

Grammar Girl here.

Today’s topic is the difference between the words loan and lend.

Guest-writer Bonnie Trenga writes, Traditionally, lend is the verb and loan is the noun. I'll have a memory trick for you at the end.

British Rules

This rule is still true in Britain, but not in America (1). So in the UK it would be wrong to say, “My mom loaned me her favorite dress.” In the U.K., you’d have to say, “My mom lent me her favorite dress.”

American Rules

Some American grammarians agree with the British rule and prefer to use loan as a noun only. One American stickler¹, Bill Walsh, author of Lapsing² Into a Comma, suggests that you consider giving up loaned for lent [quote] “if you don’t want to incur³ the word nerds’ wrath” (2). Others contend⁴ that loan as a verb has been used “vigorously” in American English so it “must be considered standard” (3). In fact, loan has been used as a verb for nearly 800 years (4).

Banks

You will often see the verb to loan, and the noun loan, when you’re talking about banks and money. You can go to the Loan Department to ask for a loan (a noun). If you meet the financial requirements, the bank will loan you the money (loan is a verb). You don’t, however, refer to the bank as the loaner; rather, it’s called the lender. (A loaner often refers to a car that you borrow if you have your car in the shop.)

Art

You will also see the verb to loan when you’re talking about museums and artworks. For example, a Canadian newspaper had the headline “Louvre to loan works to Quebec museum” (5). However, you’re just as likely to see the verb to lend used to refer to artwork. One museum’s policy states, “The Museum will not under any circumstances lend objects to individuals” (6). You will also hear the phrase “on loan,” as in “These artworks are on loan from that other museum.”

Figuratively Lending

Loan and lend, in America, are therefore interchangeable when you’re talking about money, paintings, or other physical things. You can say you loaned someone money, loaned someone a pen, or loaned someone a Van Gogh masterpiece. You can also say you lent someone money, lent someone a pen, or lent someone the painting. You can’t, however, use the verb to loan when you’re talking in a figurative sense; you have to use to lend. For example, you could say, “The smoke lent an eerie⁵ feeling to the room” but not “The smoke loaned an eerie feeling to the room.” In this sense, lent means “gave” and loaned makes no sense at all. A famous Shakespeare line, from Julius Caesar, uses lend in a figurative sense: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.” I imagine the crowd of Romans would have laughed if Marc Antony had said, “Friends, Romans, countrymen, loan me your ears.”

Quick and Dirty Memory Tip

The bottom line is that some American grammarians prefer that you only use loan as a noun, so if you know your writing will be read by a picky grammarian or persnickety professor, you might want to stick with lend as the verb. Otherwise, if you’re in North America, you can feel fine about using loan as a verb when you’re talking about physical objects.

You can remember that because the words loan and noun both have o's in them, and lend and verb both have e's in them. Loan, noun. Lend, verb.

Administrative⁶

This show was written by Bonnie Trenga, author of The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier, who blogs at。。。Also, this is a great week to buy my new paperback⁷ book, Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. You'll still be one of the first people on your block to get it and see the 20 great cartoons of Squiggly and Aardvark, which aren't available anywhere else yet, to help you remember the finer points of grammar. Let me know how you like it.

That's all. Thanks for listening.

 

1 stickler   

n.坚持细节之人

参考例句：

• She's a real stickler for etiquette,so you'd better ask her advice.她非常讲求礼节，所以你最好问她的意见。
• You will find Mrs. Carboy a stickler about trifles.您会发现卡博太太是个拘泥小节的人。

2 lapsing   

v.退步( lapse的现在分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失

参考例句：

• He tried to say, but his voice kept lapsing. 他是想说这句话，可已经抖得语不成声了。 来自辞典例句
• I saw the pavement lapsing beneath my feet. 我看到道路在我脚下滑过。 来自辞典例句

3 incur   

vt.招致，蒙受，遭遇

参考例句：

• Any costs that you incur will be reimbursed in full.你的所有花费都将全额付还。
• An enterprise has to incur certain costs and expenses in order to stay in business.一个企业为了维持营业,就不得不承担一定的费用和开支。

4 contend   

vi.竞争，搏斗，声称，主张；vt.坚持主张

参考例句：

• The firm is too small to contend against large international companies.这家公司太小，无法与国际性的大公司竞争。
• Let a hundred flowers blossom,let a hundred schools of thought contend.百花齐放，百家争鸣。

5 eerie   

adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的

参考例句：

• It's eerie to walk through a dark wood at night.夜晚在漆黑的森林中行走很是恐怖。
• I walked down the eerie dark path.我走在那条漆黑恐怖的小路上。

6 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。

7 paperback   

n.平装本，简装本

参考例句：

• A paperback edition is now available at bookshops.平装本现在在书店可以买到。
• Many books that are out of print are reissued in paperback form.许多绝版的书籍又以平装本形式重新出现。