I sometimes hear discussions about whether “loan” is a verb.<\/p>\n
Problem:<\/strong> Explanation:<\/strong> Even though this website focuses on American English and not British English, there is a distinction to be made between “loan” and “lend” as verbs.<\/p>\n Some Americans use the verb “loan” as if it were completely synonymous with the verb “lend”, but this is a mistake.<\/p>\n The verb “loan” specifically means to make a loan of<\/em>, and the noun “loan” specifically applies to physical transactions.<\/p>\n So it is correct in American English to ask “Can you loan him your car?”, although I prefer “Can you lend him your car?”<\/p>\n But it is incorrect in both British English and<\/em> American English to say, “The colors loan the painting a sense of lightness.”<\/p>\n Solution:<\/strong> I sometimes hear discussions about whether “loan” is a verb. Problem: “Loan” in American English is a verb, but it has a specific meaning. Explanation: British English tends to avoid using “loan” as a verb, and British critics many years ago identified the use of “loan” as a verb as an Americanism. Even though this…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-verbs","category-versus"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n“Loan” in American English is<\/em> a verb, but it has a specific meaning.<\/p>\n
\nBritish English tends to avoid using “loan” as a verb, and British critics many years ago identified the use of “loan” as a verb as an Americanism.<\/p>\n
\nIf your audience is British, then never use “loan” as a verb. If your audience is American, then use “loan” as a verb only when referring to the lending of goods or money but never when referring to figurative transactions. The simplest solution is to avoid all use of “loan” as a verb.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"