# I have done holiday today



## Lun-14

Hi

I'm a grade 9 student. Joshi is my friend. He sends me a text message and asks: Where are you?
Me: I'm at home.
Joshi: Why? Haven't you gone to school today?
Me: No, I haven't. *I have done holiday today/I have made holiday today*.

Is the bold idiomatic? If not, please, how would you express this?

Thanks muchly.


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## 2PieRad

Hi

No. That doesn't work. 

There are different ways to say this, including:

I'm celebrating the holidays at home today/I'm celebrating (name of holiday) at home today. 

Also, "are you not at school right now/did you not go to school today?" And "no, I'm not/I didn't go."


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## Hermione Golightly

"I'm on holiday today" or "Today's a school holiday" if the school is closed for some reason.
"I stayed at home today" or "I took the day off today", if you simply didn't go to school for some personal reason.

Your context is not at all clear.


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## Lun-14

Hermione Golightly said:


> Your context is not at all clear.


What's unclear in my context?


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## VicNicSor

Lun-14 said:


> What's unclear in my context?


The real reason why you didn't go to school. It may be obvious to you, but from what you said, it isn't to us.


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## 2PieRad

Yeah. Usually, it should be obvious to everyone that it's a holiday and that's why you're not at school. 

A-Why aren't you at school today?
B-It's Christmas today. There's no school on Christmas. I'm celebrating Christmas at home with my family. 
B-It's a PD* day. The school's closed.

*Professional Development day-not really a "holiday." The teachers dedicate the day to lesson planning etc. 

Or, if it's a holiday specific to your culture or religion, perhaps the situation is like this:

A-Why aren't you at school today?
B-It's Yom Kippur today. (Jewish day of atonement, I think). I'm spending** (Yom Kippur/the day) at home. 

** I don't think one would "celebrate" Yom Kippur.


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## Hermione Golightly

The other strange thing is, if you are talking about a public holiday such as Diwahli, Independence Day, Eid or Ramadan, why doesn't your friend know about it?
Perhaps different areas in your country have different school holidays whereas in the UK they are at much the same time although some schools have longer holidays.
Anyway, regardless of all that, which would help us to help you express yourself naturally, neither of your suggestions is correct.
Neither 'do' or 'make' is used with 'holiday'.


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## Lun-14

I'm a bit out of sorts today. I want to get some rest. That's why I have __________ holiday today.
There's no official holiday today; there's working day today (I mean, there are classes today). I myself have _______ holiday today to get some rest to relieve myself. I have sent my application to the principal saying that I'm feeling unwell and I am not coming to school today.

I don't know what verb I can use in the blank other than "do" or "make" (as HG says they both don't work with _holiday_).

Would you please let me know a suitable verb?
I hope my context is clear now. But if it is still confusing, please feel free to let me know.


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## suzi br

You don’t use “holiday” at all for an unofficial days off. 
Me: I’m at home
Josh: Why aren’t you in school?
Me: I’m having a day off because I’m sick.


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## tittiugo

suzi br said:


> You don’t use “holiday” at all for an unofficial days off.
> Me: I’m at home
> Josh: Why aren’t you in school?
> Me: I’m having a day off because I’m sick.



 Thanks, I didn't know...it's fine having known it.

Please confirm:

when no national holidays are involved, we talk about "day off", just to rest for instance,  is it right?

thank you


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## suzi br

Yes. 
There are other informal idioms but “days off” covers sickness pretty well


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## tittiugo

Hi Suzi,

many thanks for your reply.


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## Lun-14

suzi br said:


> Me: I’m at home
> Josh: Why *aren’t* you in school?
> Me: *I’m having* a day off because I’m sick.


Here you're talking about the _state_ of being someone on a holiday (red bold). But I'm talking about the process (black bold) That's why I used "do" or "make".
A: Why *have* not you gone to school?
B: I *have* ______ a day off.

Does "do" or "make" work now?


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## suzi br

Lun-14 said:


> Here you're talking about the _state_ of being someone on a holiday. But I'm talking about the process. That's why I used "do" or "make".
> A: Why have not you gone to school?
> B: I have ______ a day off.
> 
> Does "do" or "make" work now?



Taken. I have taken a day off.


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## Lun-14

suzi br said:


> Taken. I have taken a day off.


But _to *take* the day off _suggests that I submitted my application earlier, i.e. one day ago and requested the principal that I would be on holiday tomorrow. But this is not the case here - I have _____ day off on my own will, i.e. I wanted to get some rest. There's no external factor involved; I have _____ the day off with my own wish.
Now, what verb would be suitable here?


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## sound shift

I wouldn't use "the day off". I'd just say "I'm feeling unwell, so I'm off school today."


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## heypresto

Lun-14 said:


> But _to *take* the day off _suggests that I submitted my application earlier, i.e. one day ago and requested the principal that I would be on holiday tomorrow.



It doesn't necessarily suggest this at all. 



Lun-14 said:


> I have _____ day off on my own will, i.e. I wanted to get some rest. There's no external factor involved; I have _____ the day off with my own wish.
> Now, what verb would be suitable here?



As suzi br suggested, '_taken_'.


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## Lun-14

sound shift said:


> I wouldn't use "the day off". I'd just say "I'm feeling unwell, so I'm off school today."


What's is the reason you wouldn't use "day off"? May I know please?


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## sound shift

Certainly. "Day off" to me suggests an employment context, not a school context.


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## Lun-14

sound shift said:


> Certainly. "Day off" to me suggests an employment context, not a school context.


But what if the person saying the sentence is a teacher, who is any _employee_?


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## sound shift

Lun-14 said:


> But what if the person saying the sentence is a teacher, who is any _employee_?


Then "day off" is fine by me - but I was really talking about the context that you provided, in which you say "I'm a grade 9 *student*".


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## PaulQ

Lun-14 said:


> Me: No, I haven't. *I have done holiday today/I have made holiday today*.


You seem to be making the horrible mistake of believing that a Hindi1 construction can be translated word for word into English. It can't.

1I am assuming that this is true as Hindi is from the same language family as Bengali/Bangla in which that construction also appears.


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## suzi br

Lun-14 said:


> But _to *take* the day off _suggests that I submitted my application earlier, i.e. one day ago and requested the principal that I would be on holiday tomorrow.



No it doesn’t. Why do you argue with native speakers this way? It’s not discursive, it’s just rude of you. 

  If my suggestion didn’t work in the everyday context of being ill I would not suggest it. 

Holidays are “official” and planned. Sick days are not.


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## Hermione Golightly

Just one of the many idiomatic ways of saying you aren't at school or at work because you're unwell, is to say "I'm off sick". You pause after "I'm off " before saying "sick".
'Sick' here means 'unwell'.


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## tittiugo

Hermione Golightly said:


> Just one of the many idiomatic ways of saying you aren't at school or at work because you're unwell, is to say "I'm off sick". You pause after "I'm off " before saying "sick".
> 'Sick' here means 'unwell'.



Why do we need pausing?


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## Hermione Golightly

We need to pause because of the grouping:I'm off + sick.
Not I'm + off sick. It's rather like the difference between 'a black bird' and 'a blackbird' - the voice goes down on the last syllable of blackbird.
If you say "I'm offsick" it will sound very strange.
(I probably shouldn't have mentioned it!)
I suggest that if you want to talk about it further you start a new thread.


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## Lun-14

suzi br said:


> No it doesn’t. Why do you argue with native speakers this way? It’s not discursive, it’s just rude of you.
> 
> If my suggestion didn’t work in the everyday context of being ill I would not suggest it.
> 
> Holidays are “official” and planned. Sick days are not.


Thank you, Suzi. I wasn't being rude to you or anyone else; I was just saying what _I_ thought "take" with _days off_ could mean. Perhaps it's just because "take" is so often used in my native language.
I'm sorry for my words. Please forgive me...

Can you think of a different verb other than "take" to suggest for my context in #8?
Note again that I am not talking about state; I am talking about the_ process. _


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## tittiugo

Ok, thank you
mine was just curiosity: I'm not interested in the pronunciation...I first have to learn how to speak English ...pronunciation will come afterwards!


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## PaulQ

Lun-14 said:


> Can you think of a different verb other than "take" to suggest for my context in #8?
> Note again that I am not talking about state; I am talking about the_ process. _


SuziBr has already said that your #8 cannot be spoken as it is not idiomatic.

"I have accrued 20 day's leave, so I have taken a holiday today." This assumes that your culture sees "holiday" as able to be one day that you choose and that you see "one day's leave [from work]" as "a holiday".

"I have day's leave, so I am taking a holiday tomorrow."


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## Lun-14

PaulQ said:


> your culture sees "holiday" as able to be one day that you choose and that you see "one day's leave [from work]" as "a holiday".


...which idiomatic English doesn't.


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## tittiugo

PaulQ said:


> SuziBr has already said that your #8 cannot be spoken as it is not idiomatic.
> 
> "I have accrued 20 day's leave, so I have taken a holiday today." This assumes that your culture sees "holiday" as able to be one day that you choose and that you see "one day's leave [from work]" as "a holiday".
> 
> "I have day's leave, so I am taking a holiday tomorrow."



...so it's wrong "to have/make a Holiday" but is right "to take a Holiday", isn't it?


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## PaulQ

Lun-14 said:


> ...which idiomatic English doesn't.


I did not say that. I know what English culture is, but I do not know how Hindi and your culture see "a holiday". I have described, in BE, how "holiday" is seen - it is a very close (but not an exact) synonym of "day-off". 


tittiugo said:


> ...so it's wrong "to have/make a Holiday" but is right "to take a Holiday", isn't it?


No.
You can have a holiday = to have a day off; to spend some days away from home, etc. but, in broad terms, you cannot "*make/do *a holiday" in the sense that you mean.


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## Lun-14

PaulQ said:


> it is a very close (but not an exact) synonym of "*day-off*".


"Day off" from what? Can you give some examples to show how "holiday" is taken to mean in BrE?


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## dcwldct

Lun-14 said:


> "Day off" from what? Can you give some examples to show how "holiday" is taken to mean in BrE?



It's also worth pointing out that "holiday" has a broader meaning in British English than American English.  Here in the states it isn't used interchangeably with "vacation" and refers only to actual pre-defined holidays (as designated by government) on the calendar.

"Day off" would be be by far the most common way of saying what you are describing in AE.  You could also use the colloquial phrase, "I'm playing hooky" which is to take an unplanned or unexcused absence.


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## Franco-filly

Lun-14 said:


> Can you think of a different verb other than "take" to suggest for my context in #8?


 No, but you could say "taken an unofficial holiday/day off" or, more idiomatic "I'm taking an unofficial holiday"


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## PaulQ

Lun-14 said:


> "Day off" from what? Can you give some examples to show how "holiday" is taken to mean in BrE?





PaulQ said:


> "I have accrued 20 day's leave, so I have taken a holiday/a day off today."





Lun-14 said:


> "Day off" from what?


Work, school, football practice, etc., writing my book, decorating the house, taking the dog for a walk, anywhere/anything that you regularly attend or do.

It is a simple as this:
In Bengali (and I assume in Hindi) there is a common construction that is literally "I <insert verb to do/make> bath/holiday". In English, it is "I have/take a bath/holiday" or "I am having/taking a bath/holiday."

When I learned Bengali, I simply accept this as the way that the language is. I realised that arguing and giving hundreds of examples in which the English way would work in another language, was pointless. You may wish to consider the same thing. 


Franco-filly said:


> You could say "taken an unofficial holiday/day off" or, more idiomatic "I'm taking an unofficial holiday"


To me that would indicate that I couldn't be bothered going into work and had decided to play truant.


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## Hermione Golightly

'Take a day off' from any activity.
You can 'have a day' off too.

_"Why aren't you at school/work?
"I'm having/taking the day off because I don't feel well."_


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## Lun-14

My only confusion is Suzi's post #9 - She said that we only use "holiday" for official days off. We don't use it for unofficial days off. 

Could someone expand on her point further?


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## PaulQ

Lun-14 said:


> My only confusion is Suzi's post #9 - She said that we only use "holiday" for official days of





suzi br said:


> Holidays are “official” and planned. Sick days are not.


You really must learn to read carefully - SuziBr was contrasting "holidays" and sick days - a sick day is not, and cannot be a holiday, although it is a "day off".


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## Lun-14

PaulQ said:


> You really must learn to read carefully - SuziBr was contrasting "holidays" and sick days - a sick day is not, and cannot be a holiday, although it is a "day off".


Please see my edited version of #38.  You were very quick replying.


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## PaulQ

Lun-14 said:


> My only confusion is Suzi's post #9 - She said that we only use "holiday" for official days off. We don't use it for unofficial days off.


Dear me Lun!
She actually wrote


suzi br said:


> Holidays are “official” *and planned*. Sick days are not.


And you did not read my


PaulQ said:


> *SuziBr was contrasting "holidays" and sick days - a sick day is not, and cannot be a holiday, although it is a "day off".*


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## Hermione Golightly

A day off sick is not called a holiday. A few days off sick aren't called holidays.
The day after Christmas in England is a holiday because the banks and businesses are closed. That's an official holiday.


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## suzi br

I give up!


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## PaulQ

suzi br said:


> I give up!


You can't! No holidays days off for you!


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## suzi br

PaulQ said:


> You can't! No holidays days off for you!



Thanks!


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