Existent vs. Existing

Existent vs. Existing Existent vs. Existing Existent vs. Existing By Maeve Maddox A reader wonders about the correctness of the following phrase: â€Å"the strengths of the existent organization.† Says the reader: I just read this phrase in an email sent out from the Deans office of a large Midwestern university known nationally for academic excellence. Personally, I would not have written the sentence with the word existent I would have used â€Å"existing.† Did someone not proofread carefully enough? Is â€Å"existent† OK to use? Does it sound too snooty? Although both adjectives mean â€Å"having being or existence in the present time,† existing is the word most commonly used to describe such things as organizations, processes, laws, and amenities: Your IT department might have a list of best practices and guidelines that you can use to streamline information, avoid duplication, protect sensitive data, and use existing systems more efficiently. Use of immunoglobulin heavy- and light-chain measurements compared with existing techniques as a means of typing monoclonal immunoglobulins. The four main methods in reforming law are repeal  (get rid of a law), creation of new law, consolidation (change existing law) and codification. Existent may not be exactly â€Å"snooty,† but it is more often used in discussions of spiritual or philosophical matters than in talking about day-to-day activities: It is commonly accepted that there are two sorts of existent entities: those that exist but could have failed to exist, and those that could not have failed to exist. Entities of the first sort are  contingent beings; entities of the second sort are  necessary beings. Russells problem of the  existent  round square might then be reformulated as  the problem of the existent-cum-modal-moment round square.   One point on which there is agreement [about Existentialist thought] is that the existence with which we should be concerned here is not just any existent thing, but  human existence. When speaking of a health condition that is in existence at the time someone applies for health insurance, the usual term is â€Å"pre-existing condition.† There is a word pre-existent, but like existent, it appears mostly in religious and philosophical writing. For example: According to Baha’i teachings, the individual soul of a human being comes into being at the time of conception and only thereafter is eternal; in other words it is not pre-existent. [They also teach] that God, a reality which human consciousness cannot comprehend, is pre-existent, that is He exists prior to time and to His creation. Arius (c. 256-336 CE) believed that the pre-existent Son of God was directly created by the Father, that he was subordinate to God the Father, and that only the Father was without beginning or end, but that the Son was also divine. The word nonexistent, on the other hand, is quite common in ordinary speech:   Cops Arrest Photographer for Nonexistent Law They [job applicants] bought a bachelor of science degree in biology, dated June 13, 1975, and a masters degree dated June 10, 1988, in Collins name both from Lexington University, a nonexistent school purportedly in Middletown, N.Y. Speakers and writers who replace existing with existent in a non-philosophical context may be creating a back-formation from nonexistent. In standard usage, it’s still best to use existing to refer to such things as laws, customers, and systems, reserving existent for philosophical discussion. The adjective extant, â€Å"continuing to exist,† is used to describe artifacts or structures that have survived beyond the time other things like them have disappeared. Here are two examples of this use: The only extant copy of Clarkes 1619 broadsheet can be found in the British Library. The Yambol Covered Bazaar is the only such Ottoman institution still extant in Bulgaria. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Possessive of Proper Names Ending in SThe Letter "Z" Will Be Removed from the English AlphabetDouble Possessive

Opposition to the DREAM Act Legislation

Opposition to the DREAM Act Legislation Imagine for a moment that you are a teenager: you have a group of close friends whove been with you since elementary school; youre one of the top students in your class; and your coach tells you that if you keep it up, you could have a shot at a scholarship, which you really need since your dream is to go into medicine. Unfortunately, you wont be able to fulfill your dream because of your parents undocumented status. As one of the 65,000 undocumented students in the U.S. who graduate from high school each year, you are barred from higher education and cannot legally obtain employment after graduation. Worse yet, there are people who in the U.S. who believe that all undocumented immigrants should be deported. Through no fault of your own, you could be forced to leave your home and move to a foreign country. Why Do People Think the Dream Act Is Bad for the U.S.? Does that seem fair? The DREAM Act, legislation that would provide a way for undocumented students to gain permanent residency through education or military service, is taking a hit from anti-immigrant groups, and in some cases, migrant advocates. According to the Denver Daily News, anti-illegal immigration advocate and former Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo said the bill should be renamed the NIGHTMARE Act because it will increase the number of people who come to the United States illegally. FAIR thinks the DREAM Act is a bad idea, calling it amnesty for illegal aliens. The group echoes many anti-DREAMers saying that the DREAM Act would reward undocumented immigrants and encourage continued illegal immigration, it would take education spots away from American students and make it more difficult for them to obtain tuition assistance, and passage of the DREAM Act would put additional strain on the country since the students could eventually petition for their relatives residency. Citizen Orange explains that the military provision within the DREAM Act is a cause for concern for some migrant advocates. The author says that because many undocumented youth are underprivileged, joining the military could be their only path to leg al status. Its a concern that depends on a persons view of military service: whether it is seen as being forced to risk your life, or an honorable way to serve your country. There will always be differing views and opinions on any type of legislation, but especially so when it comes to a controversial topic like immigration. For some, the debate is as simple as whether or not to make children suffer because of the actions of their parents. For others, the DREAM Act is only one small part of comprehensive immigration reform, and the effect of such legislation would be widespread. But for the DREAMers - the undocumented students whose futures depend on the outcome - the outcome of the legislation means much, much more.