Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Correct Usage of the word "Revert" (Very Important)



revert
verb
verb: revert; 3rd person present: reverts; past tense: reverted; past participle: reverted; gerund or present participle: reverting
1.       return to (a previous state, practice, topic, etc.).
"he reverted to his native language"

Quite possibly the most abused word in the electronic mail landscape, “revert” can usually be found at least once in your emails for the day. If you have gotten an email with the phrase “Please revert as soon as possible”, feel free to charge the sender with culpable homicide amounting to murder of the English language.
A common error is to use revert to mean reply or respond. The word revert means either:
  • return to an earlier topic or subject, or
  • return to a former state; to start doing something again that you used to do in the past
Thus, we do not say:
  • I will revert to you tomorrow.
  • Please revert to me on your preferences.
  • Kindly revert back for any clarification.
  • Please revert to me on the status of the project.
  • We will investigate and revert back as soon as possible.
Instead, we can say:
  • I will get back to you tomorrow.
  • Please let me know of your preferences.
  • Kindly write or call me if you need any clarification.
  • Please update me on the status of the project.
  • We will investigate and get back to you as soon as possible.