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"Left on read"
Is "read" a past participle as an adjective here? How come an adjective comes after "on" instead of a noun? Can someone help explain? Thank you.
Jul 9, 2019 12:43 PM
Comments · 8
1
It seems to be an expression (and a concept) familiar to todayâs teenagers. âReadâ is the past participle, meaning that the message you sent has been âreadâ by the recipient. (Apps let the sender know this status.) âLeft on readâ means the recipient has not yet responded. Apparently, some of todayâs teenagers get really upset about such things. Iâm sure most of them are not that way, though. At least, I hope so.
July 10, 2019
I agree with Phil. A lot of messaging apps have âread receiptsâ. On WhatsApp, you get one check mark when your message is sent, two check marks when your message is delivered to the other person (if the other personâs phone is turned off or not connected, the message stays in the server and you only get one check mark till their phone is reconnected), and blue check marks when the person reads your message. To be âleft on readâ means that you can tell the other person has read your message but hasnât responded. A lot of young people nowadays interpret that as being ignored.
Some apps allow you to turn off this feature so that you donât see when people have read your messages and they donât see when youâve read theirs.
July 10, 2019
It is a modernisation of "to be left on hold" in the ancient days of telephoning it was common for a receptionist to say "I will/am putting you on hold Sir Chris Is busy with another student right now".
The receptionist would then switch a switch on the telephone exchange (a small mobile large desktop Telephone Exchange in front of her), to leave you on hold = "holding the phone". Literally until the receptionist connected you to each other with the words "Sir Chris will speak to you now".
That was yesterday, today it is all automated and digitised/digitized onto social media "message/texting apps".
So it is a logical progression and adaption your messages remain in the inbox but are not read until the recipient "reads them" or chooses to read them or not.
July 10, 2019
I'm not sure there is a "standard" explanation.
I'm familiar with the following:
"on loan"
"on hold"
"on call"
"on leave"
"on sick leave"
"on vacation"
"on business"
The Oxford Learner's Dictionaries are an excellent resource.
on preposition
21
used to describe an activity or a state
<em>to be on business/holiday/vacation</em>
<em>The book is currently on loan.</em>
July 10, 2019
It has been a spoken expression used a lot in Chinese society here these years for describing "To read someone's message(s) and not give any response, particularly on an instant messaging application where it is visible to any user as to whether or not the interlocutor has read a message." For example, "My boyfriend left me on read yesterday after I asked him to send me a picture of his dog, which made me very angry!" ("Quote from Wikidictionary")
I am wondering if it should originally be "left <s style="color: rgb(230, 0, 0);">(someone)</s> on (the) read <s style="color: rgb(230, 0, 0);">(message)</s>. Though this expression has become more common in the west. It turns out not to be this way?
July 10, 2019
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Elearner
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), English
Learning Language
English
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