Complete vs Finished

I recall moments from primary school when we used to be in this rush in class, as to see who would accomplish the given classwork first and then raise our hands excitedly and go “Ma’am finished!” No, I did not leave the comma out by accident. I don’t think we even had time for that. We just literally went “Ma’am finished!” That, of course, earned us a good speech from our teacher who always emphasized on the incorrect use of the phrase. But then again, we never learnt; not at the time, at least.

It reminds me of another time when the teacher asked “Have you completed your homework?”

My point here: the sole purpose in both of these cases were the accomplishment of the given task. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed how complete and finished have been used synonymously, and sometimes interchangeably?

So are they the same? Well, not really. I wouldn’t say so.

I’m going to be honest here, I googled what would come up if I put complete vs finished. This is what came up: The word complete is used in the sense of 'entire' or 'total'. On the other hand, the word finish is usually used in the sense of 'conclude' or 'end'. This is the main difference between the two words.

The way I see it: complete is more of the whole picture; becoming whole, wholesome, every part coming together. Finish is more of just getting it together or the end of something. While complete could refer to something more positively, finished could go both ways: positively or negatively, just the end of something. Let me put it this way: while a circle gets complete, a line finishes. Maybe this is why we always say it is the finish line.

If God forbade, your life were to end tomorrow, would you say that life has been complete, or your life is finishing? If you think that way, it actually depends on the perspective, does it not?

Comments

Rajamati

I think we’ve all heard the song of Rajamati growing up. It is so popular that many people in Nepal claim this is the only Newari song that they have heard. The song was written some 200 years back. The first few lines go like this, which I’m sure you must have heard of, unless you’ve been living under a rock: Rājamati kumati, jike wasā pirati Hāya bābā Rājamati-chā Rājamati mabila dhāsā Kāshi wane tela bubā Hayā biu Rājamati-chā. San dhāsā kuli kuli, mikhā dhāsā bālā bālā Sakumi yā mhyāy machā lā Khwā dhāsā tuyu khwā, khwālay niga tee du Tāhā Nani yā Rājamati-chā. It is said to be written by or rather from the perspective of a man who was infatuated and in awe of the beauty of Rajamati. He describes with great admiration: her hair, her eyes, her complexion and the little moles on her face. However it is unknown who the writer of this beautiful song is. The song rushed into popularity after it was played in England in 1850 when Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana vi...

Everyday Phases by my Mother part 2

I have been meaning to write this part 2, especially after Every Day Phrases by my Mother , the first part was liked by so many and also because, well, the phrases and the dialogues never end with my mother. I did tease her about writing a book or making a scrapbook about all her phrases, but we never got around to it. So here we are, after almost 4 years, apologies if the Nepal bhasa wordings are incorrect somewhere Ne tha ne masau Bhwauthau pwa This is basically saying, not being able to take advantage of the situation or not doing what you are supposed to do at the event. If you get invited somewhere that has food, you should eat there. Neu twanyu tha yu yethe, jui chwanyu kata pinyu yethe I have heard this one many times. In the society that we live in, impression and your social image matters a lot, especially when it comes to family prestige. So it does not matter what you do at home but once you step outside, there is this social obligation of dressing appropriately, behav...

The Oldest Kumari

Dhana Kumari Bajracharya resides amidst the hustle and bustle in Gabahal, Patan. She is a 70 year old woman, who you would think is much younger at age, if you look at her. Age seems to have done justice to this beautiful woman. What makes this wise old woman different than other wise old women in Patan? She is the oldest Kumari of Patan. Kumari, the living goddess is a tradition or a practice that has been around for many years and that has been celebrated widely in the Kathmandu Valley. The very first Kumari goes back to 17 th Century. The process to choose the Kumari is divine and a girl must go through several tests to get chosen as the Kumari. Dhana Kumari Bajracharya is the longest serving Kumari of Patan having been established as the Kumari from 2010 B.S to 2042 B.S. A whooping 32 years. Perhaps her case is the most rare that we might come across. A girl serves as a Kumari until she reaches puberty, or she has her first menstruation. After that, it is believed that th...

My World

Search This Blog