工廠英語：任務狀态，用“close”，還是“closed”？

Jason工廠英語，專為工廠及工廠從業人員提升英語水準。

今天收到的第一封郵件，是工廠的IPQC（in-process quality control, 在制過程品質控制）組長發出來的IPQC巡檢不合格項記錄表。

IPQC Daily Audit Report (Jun 09, 2023)

目前狀态，有的是“Open”，有的是“Close”。我相信，大部分基層管理人員會說: “對啊，沒問題啊，這樣很清晰明了。”

然而，作為一名嚴謹的英文使用者，我要說這裡至少犯了兩層錯誤。

首先，與“未完成open” 相對的 “已完成”，不是close，而應該是closed。

“close” 這個詞有兩個詞性：

1、 動詞，讀音為/kləʊz/，主要是指“關閉”這一動作。它的過去分詞為“closed /kləʊzd/”，也可當作形容詞用，意為“關閉的”。

2、 形容詞，讀音為/kləʊs/，主要是指“（空間或時間上）接近的，靠近的”。

第二，open和closed使用不精确，并不能準确地描述工作任務的完成狀态。

清晰地表達一項任務的完成狀況，建議用以下英語單詞：

- Completed: “已完成”，表示任務已成功完成

- In progress/Ongoing: “進行中”，表示任務仍在進行，處于未完成狀态

- Pending: “待進行”，表示任務還沒有開始或處于中止等待狀态

- Cancelled: “已取消”，表示任務已取消，無需完成

- Failed: “已失敗”，表示任務經努力後無法成功達成預定目标。

以下英語問答，供有興趣者深入了解：

To describe the completion status of an assigned task, which word is the correct one between "close" and "closed"? Why?

The correct word to use when describing the completion status of an assigned task is "closed." "Closed" is the past tense form of the verb "close," which makes it the appropriate term to use to indicate that the task has been completed or finished.

"Close" is the present tense of the verb, and it would not accurately convey the completion status of the task. Therefore, "closed" is the correct word to use to indicate that the task has been completed and is no longer active.

On the other hand, the word "close" can be used as an adjective to describe proximity or distance, it is not appropriate to use "close" to describe the completion status of corrective actions on a task list.

Corrective actions on a task list should be described using words that clearly indicate the status of the action, such as "completed," "resolved," or "closed out." These words provide more specific information about the status and outcome of the corrective action, which is essential for tracking progress and ensuring that tasks are completed successfully.

Using "close" as an adjective to describe completed corrective actions could be confusing and may not accurately convey the status of the action. Therefore, it is not recommended to use "close" in this context.

Is it the right way to mark the completion status of a task as "open" or "closed"? why?

No, it is not the sufficient way to mark the completion status of a task as "open" or "closed" as these terms do not accurately reflect the status of completion.

"Open" typically means that a task has been created and is waiting to be started or assigned to someone. It does not convey any information about the progress or completion status of the task.

"Closed" typically means that a task has been completed, but it does not provide any information about the progress or completion status during the course of the task.

It is better to use more descriptive terms like "completed", "in progress/ongoing", "pending", "cancelled", or "failed" to indicate the status of completion, as they provide clear information about the progress of the task and its status.

- Completed: Indicates that the task has been finished successfully

- In progress/Ongoing: Indicates that the task is still being worked on and is not yet finished

- Pending: Indicates that the task has not yet been started or is waiting for further action

- Cancelled: Indicates that the task has been cancelled and will not be completed

- Failed: Indicates that the task was attempted but was not successful in achieving its intended objective.