Today, we begin a new weekly feature on the use of words in oral and written communication. This is intended as a forum for exploring language, examining inter alia, words, phrases, rules of grammar, punctuation and colloquialisms. We hope you'll find the column useful.

Keeping you company vs. keeping your company

The constructs, "I want to keep you company", and "I want to keep your company" are both valid. However, they have different meanings. When I choose to keep you company, I am opting to stay with you to save you from being lonely, e.g. a neighbour who stays with you after the death of your spouse, or a radio station that gives you frequent updates during the passage of a hurricane. Alas, one radio station continues to repeat with pride its station promo which says: "We are glad that we kept your company throughout the hurricane."

The concept of keeping your company, suggests habitual association with, not a one-time event. So a mother in her distress might say to the unsavoury character leading her son astray, "Ever since he started to keep your company, things have gone downhill."

To err in good company

Many managers and directors before you have made the same mistake or engaged in the same bad practices, but the company chooses to penalise you. In your anger you ask, "Why am I being treated differently? After all "I err in good company."

For questions and comments, email : the speechcoach_ja@yahoo.com