Help? Favour?

I took an English course some years ago, but it seems nothing there is no improvement with my skill. hehehe.. I'm kind of a lazy person though you know. ("You know" is a stutter word like "uh" and "um." We say it, but we don't write it.)

One day, I asked in a forum about what is deferent the difference between "help" and "favour." Then, you know, I was still confused about when I shall should use 'help' and when I shall use 'favour' the two words. and Also, why is there's "favor" and "favour"?

Hi Awan,

To answer your second question, "favor" is the American English spelling of the word, and "favour" is the British English spelling of the word. Many words that end in "-our" in British English have the "u" dropped in American English (e.g. color, harbor), although some still keep the "u" (e.g. glamour).

As for the difference between "help" and "favor," "help" simply means to aid someone in some way. "Favor" though is more specific: it means to aid in a way that likely only benefits the person being helped. Here are the definitions according to Dictionary.com:

Help - "to give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a need; contribute strength or means to; render assistance to; cooperate effectively with; aid; assist"

Favor - "something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for remuneration; a kind act"

According to Google, "help" in Indonesian is "membantu" (verb) or "bantuan" (noun), while "favor" is "kebaikan" or "tolong" (nouns) and "berbaik hati" or "bermurah hati" (verbs). I don't speak Bahasa Indonesia, so I cannot confirm the accuracy of these translations.

Halp? Favour?

I took an English course some years ago, but it doesn't seems to have helped much.nothing improvement with my skill. hehehe.. I am kind of a lazy person you know.

One day I asking asked in the forum about what deferent the difference between 'help' and 'favour'. then, you know, I still confuse when I shall should use 'help' and when I shall should use 'favour,'  and what is the difference between y there's 'favor' and 'favour'?

You can ask for help.

You can ask for A favor.

You can do someone A favor.

You can help someone.

You can't do someone a help.

You can favor someone, but that doesn't mean you are doing them a favor or helping them, it would mean that you are giving them an advantage or preferring them over something else.

The only difference between favor and favour is the spelling, and it is far better to use "favor" which is the common usage.

Help? Favour?

I took an English course some years ago, but it seems there has been no improvement in my skill. Hehehe.. I'm kind of a lazy person, you know.

One day I asked in a forum what the difference was between 'help' and 'favour'. I'm still confused regarding when I should use 'help' and when I should use 'favour'. And what is the difference between 'favor' and 'favour'?

 

Favor is a kind or friendly act done to help someone. For example, "My friend did me a favor by lending me his car for the weekend". Favour means the same, it is just a spelling variant.

 

Another meaning of favor is favorable regard, or support. For example "The new employee is in favor with the top management". It can also mean bias or favouritism - "The referee favoured the home team in his decisions". 

 

Help means to make it easier for someone to do something, for example "My friend helped me to move house". The usage is much wider than favor.