Highschool or High School?

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Mr Greg
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Highschool or High School?

Post by Mr Greg »

Which version do you think is correct?

One of the commonly used terms in education is “high school,” but many people misspell it as “highschool.”

Further reading: https://www.mrgregenglish.com/high-scho ... s-correct/
SitangCampus
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Re: Highschool or High School?

Post by SitangCampus »

Very informative, thanks.
But as far as I know, in Hong Kong and other Commonwealth countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, high schools are called colleges, and in mainland China there are middle schools that include students from ages of 13 to 18. The same are divided into junior high schools or senior high schools in other parts of the country.
Would you clarify that?
Mr Greg
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Re: Highschool or High School?

Post by Mr Greg »

I am working in Hong Kong and college is not used here. Secondary school is more commonly used than high school.

In the UK, where I grew up, college and high school are two different things. High school is right after primary and is compulsory.
driverjumre
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Re: Highschool or High School?

Post by driverjumre »

The correct version is "high school" as two separate words. It's a common mistake to spell it as "highschool," but in standard English usage, it should always be two words. To remember this, think about how we refer to similar terms like "middle school" and "elementary school"—both are also two words.
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ericpaulmonroe
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Re: Highschool or High School?

Post by ericpaulmonroe »

"Highschool" is a misspelling for "high school."

"College" comes from Latin and literally means "with reading": "col" is an allomorph for the conjunction "with" and "lege" comes from "legere", which means to read... gather knowledge... like firewood.

Otherwise, college would be a translation problem from another language or another educational system.

Here are examples from three educational systems:
  • day care, pre-school, kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, senior high school, community college, college, university (for undergraduate and graduate studies, doctoral studies)
  • nursery, pre-school, kindergarten, primary school, middle school, secondary school, vocational school
  • 小学、 中学、 大学: small, middle, big learning institutions

Don't take my word for it. Check out these reference materials:

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/highschool

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/spellc ... highschool

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_stage
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Eric Paul Monroe
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Resichey
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Re: Highschool or High School?

Post by Resichey »

I've never really paid attention to the spelling of phrases like "higher school" before. In my native language, these would be two separate words, so English grammar and vocabulary often seem tricky to me. Learning English can be challenging, especially in areas like academic writing, where even small details like formatting can be confusing. Students struggle to organize their work correctly, so I can use https://edubirdie.com/academic-ghostwriting-service for more precise guidance on using words. This can be a helpful tool, especially for those who lack confidence in their skills or need more time to focus on formatting.
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saruusa
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Re: Highschool or High School?

Post by saruusa »

Writing "highschool" is a misspelling and is not acceptable in standard writing.
SitangCampus
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Re: Highschool or High School?

Post by SitangCampus »

Mr Greg wrote: March 15th, 2024, 1:27 am I am working in Hong Kong and college is not used here. Secondary school is more commonly used than high school.

In the UK, where I grew up, college and high school are two different things. High school is right after primary and is compulsory.
Dear sir, if my memory serves me right, the word "college" can actually mean a middle school in the UK which enrols students aged 13 to 17, different from the word we are all familiarised with, that means a university.

The reason I give my reply today is that I read a magazine about British education, which leads me to the website of a college based in the UK. If you still have any doubt about it, you can check it out at www. concordcollegeuk.com .

I am not doing any ad for this college, I simply want to tell the truth. It is nothing unusual or embarrassing for one not to know what happen under his nose or near his home. I learn what is going on in my city from the web or from the posts of friends living in another country.
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