advance/promote

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Itasan
Posts: 557
Joined: Wed Nov 05, 2003 8:22 am
Location: Yokohama, Japan

advance/promote

Post by Itasan » Wed Mar 30, 2005 8:26 am

Are these all OK and do they mean the same thing?
1-1. He was advanced to the rank of general.
1-2. He was promoted to the rank of general.
2-1. He was advanced to Sales Manager.
2-2. He was advanced to Sales Manager.
Thank you.

fluffyhamster
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Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again

Post by fluffyhamster » Thu Mar 31, 2005 10:13 pm

My intuitions tell me that 'promoted' can be passive, but that 'advanced' has more "active" connotations and thus would take more the active form here.

RolandTrego
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Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2005 8:23 pm

Post by RolandTrego » Sat Apr 02, 2005 2:18 am

I agree with Fluffy, if indeed s/he means that one would more likely say He was promoted to general manager and He advanced to general manager.

fluffyhamster
Posts: 3031
Joined: Tue Oct 26, 2004 6:57 pm
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again

Post by fluffyhamster » Sat Apr 02, 2005 3:15 pm

That is indeed what I meant with my somewhat convoluted phrasing, RT! Thanks for helping make things doubtless clearer for Itasan! :P

Richard
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2004 7:33 pm

Post by Richard » Wed Jun 01, 2005 10:32 pm

In the American (U.S.) variety of spoken English, advanced would never be used in this sense. Only promoted would be used.

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