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ESL forum >
Ask for help > the word "treatment"
the word "treatment"
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chenchen_castrourdiales
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the word "treatment"
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Hello,
I �m correcting one of my upper-intermediate students � compositions and I have a doubt. He has written a review about a restaurant and he has written the following sentence. "Although the service is too slow the treatment is good and homely." The word "treatment" sounds a Spanish translation into English but after looking up in the dictionary the word I have no answer for him. Should I correct it and say "Although the service is too slow waiters handle with customers well and homely"? When do we use the word treatment? Isit right in this context? Thanks in advance. |
20 Jun 2010
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perma
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"treatment" doesn �t sound right to me in this context. As to how to correct it, why not choose the simple way? -> "Although the service is slow (cross out the word "too" here) the waiters are very polite and friendly" To tell you the truth "homely" doesn �t sound very good to me here, either!
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20 Jun 2010
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libertybelle
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Homely means plain or ugly - he means homey or comfy.
What perma wrote it fine -
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20 Jun 2010
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chenchen_castrourdiales
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Thanks for your suggestions but I like bringing an English dictionary to my class to show my students the word they have used is not correct nor appropriate in that context. If you look up in Macmillan dictionary the word "treatment" it says: the particular way in which you deal with someone.
According to this definition the word "treatment" should fit in the context my student wrote but it sounds weird. Could you please clarify me the contexts in which this word is used?
In British English homely means simple and pleasant in a way that makes you feel comfortable and at home. So I think homely is correct in my student �s sentence. In Am E means ugly. |
20 Jun 2010
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kodora
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I think it could also be: Although the service is rather slow, the staff are friendly, polite and helpful or Although the service is rather slow, the staff �s treatment of the customers is friendly, polite and helpful.
Treatment can be used because it means behaviour towards somebody, a particular way of behaving towards someone or of dealing with them
Dora
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20 Jun 2010
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yanogator
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In US English, at least, if you use "treatment" by itself, it usually refers to some sort of medical procedure. To use it in this context, it should be "the waiters � treatment of the customers", as Dora said. So the word is correct, but not used correctly.
Also, unless they are all male, we say "servers" instead of "waiters".
Bruce |
20 Jun 2010
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libertybelle
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Def. of homely:
- Not attractive or good-looking: a homely child.
- Lacking elegance or refinement: homely furniture.
- Of a simple or unpretentious nature; plain: homely truths.
- Characteristic of the home or of home life: homely skills.
You can treat someone well or nicely. You can treat someone �s illness.
But we don �t use treatment about waiters or waitresses. (I hate that new word servers - sounds too much like servant)
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20 Jun 2010
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Jayho
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Agreed - treatment is not appropriate in this context in Australia although it might be used if service is particlularly bad e.g. our treatment at the restaurant was terrible
I learnt something new tonight - and that is that homely can mean ugly in US English. That is certainly not the case here and I checked the National Australian dictionary just to make sure. To use it downunder it means that it is plain and suited to the home or domestic environment. So, if they made a roast dinner just like mum does then it could be called homely because it is served plainly just like mum does with her roast. An environment can also be homely if it looks comfortable like a nice home does but for a restaurant we would probably say cosy. Now, I �ll just have to remember to not say that my host �s home looks homely when I visit the US just in case I never get asked back ... here it is a compliment if you are told you house looks homely (bearing in mind that that means that it is decorated cosily and comfortably in warm colours).
Cheers
Jayho
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20 Jun 2010
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yanogator
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Just to make things clear, "homely" doesn �t mean "ugly", just "not pretty", and we generally use it in the US only to refer to people, and sometimes pets. You used the word "plain", Jayho, and that is a synonym for "homely" here.
For a home, we would probably use "cozy".
Bruce |
20 Jun 2010
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Jayho
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okidoke Bruce - but The Free Dictionary . com does define it as plain or ugly for US and Canadian English and Libertybelle confirmed this so maybe this is the case in some parts of the US - so it must be ever so confusing for NNS, but then hey, that �s the craziness of English.
We usually use homely or cosy for a home and both are compliments and more complimentary than nice.
Cheers
Jayho |
20 Jun 2010
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sp.watson
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What an interesting range of opinions. Clearly local use of some words varies considerably around the world! To add a UK perspective:
The word "treatment" without any further clarification is generally assumed to be of a medical nature e.g. if I heard "I received good treatment " - I would assume it to be from a doctor, whereas "the treatment we received from the restaurant staff was very good" is clear and sounds ok.
"Homely" in the UK means literally "like at home" and is generally a synonym for comfortable, cosy or good traditional quality. I cannot recall it being used in a negative sense unless irony is being used.
Restaurant workers are generally waiters, waitresses, or staff. The word "server" might be used for someone in a canteen who only serves the food from a fixed position, but is not in common use.
Cheers
Simon. |
20 Jun 2010
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