ANSWER: Hear, hear or here, here?
This week we are going to focus on the proper use of hear, hear vs here, here. And we're going to have help from the Stargate SG-1 crew.
These two phrases are often used interchangeably, especially due to the fact that they are homophones -- "words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings" -- but only hear, hear is correct when used to voice an agreement.
"I think we could use a break," Jack said with a smile. "It's been awhile, and I for one am looking for some quality one-on-one time at my cabin."
Daniel stared at his friend for a moment, trying to decide if he'd heard right. Then decided to run with it. "Hear, hear," he said with a great deal of enthusiasm. "I've been ready for a break for some time now."
According to the Oxford English Dictionary and Grammarly.com this phrase has been around since the late seventeenth century. It was used as a form of expression in the UK Parliament, where the original version was "hear him, hear him." This was shortened later on during the eighteenth century to "hear, hear", which is what we use today.
Here, here, on the other hand, is never used as an expression, but it can occur by happenstance -- such as when you are indicating a specific place:
"Where do you want this package?" Daniel asked as he walked into her lab.
Sam looked up to see what he was talking about, then indicated a spot on her desk. "Here. Here," she said again when he took longer than expected.
So, to recap, just remember, the proper term is hear, hear because you are agreeing to something that was verbalized.
These two phrases are often used interchangeably, especially due to the fact that they are homophones -- "words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings" -- but only hear, hear is correct when used to voice an agreement.
"I think we could use a break," Jack said with a smile. "It's been awhile, and I for one am looking for some quality one-on-one time at my cabin."
Daniel stared at his friend for a moment, trying to decide if he'd heard right. Then decided to run with it. "Hear, hear," he said with a great deal of enthusiasm. "I've been ready for a break for some time now."
According to the Oxford English Dictionary and Grammarly.com this phrase has been around since the late seventeenth century. It was used as a form of expression in the UK Parliament, where the original version was "hear him, hear him." This was shortened later on during the eighteenth century to "hear, hear", which is what we use today.
Here, here, on the other hand, is never used as an expression, but it can occur by happenstance -- such as when you are indicating a specific place:
"Where do you want this package?" Daniel asked as he walked into her lab.
Sam looked up to see what he was talking about, then indicated a spot on her desk. "Here. Here," she said again when he took longer than expected.
So, to recap, just remember, the proper term is hear, hear because you are agreeing to something that was verbalized.