We are getting slammed with snow in my region. A newscaster said, "We are following school closures." Is that correct...or would it be, "We are following school closings."?
Well, both “closing” and “closure” are nouns, and they both mean about the same thing, so the two words are probably interchangeable.
Two kids in college; writing checks each quarter (and semester) is not coming to closure for another 2.5 years.
Ha! I suggest you are prepared for those post college graduation years, for some reason they miight remain on your payroll
Are we talking Seiko Sport type preparation or vintage Speedy type preparation? One is working on a dual degree in Engineering Physics and Mathematics, the other Economics.
Either is grammatically correct, but I think "closures" is the better choice. Closures suggests something out of the ordinary, while closings is what happens every day. https://wikidiff.com/closure/closing says: As nouns the difference between closing and closure is that closing is the act by which something is closed while closure is an event or occurrence that signifies an ending. Regarding the so-called Oxford Comma, yes. The question is not "Why should you put a comma before the last element in a series", the question is "Why did the AP Stylebook decide there should be a comma between every pair of elements of a series EXCEPT the last one?" Omitting the Oxford Comma is irrational and can be confusing if the elements of a series are punctuated with commas. Calling it the Oxford Comma suggests it's Oxford vs. the rest of the world; actually it's the world vs. the AP Stylebook and a few deluded copy editors who follow AP Style in other contexts.
Closure implies a more active event, like barricades were put around the school. Closing is more passive, as in the school, which was locked up overnight, remained locked up and just didn't open. Closing is better.
I agree with the many who've said either is acceptable in this case. I would personally prefer 'closure' as it is a clear noun and signifies a special event (which this nasty snow-storm is). It also has a definitive and somewhat 'past-tense' interpretation, making it clear that the schools are closed and not still in the active process of 'closing'. (ie: "Children must stay home today due to the school 'closure' as a result of the snow storm.") 'Closing' can be a noun or a verb and therefore I wouldn't use it in to describe schools that have been closed for a specific event. I would think of 'closing' more as a pending event or something currently in progress (ie: "Please leave the school as it is 'closing' soon.")
I think the message is easily discernable, but I think closings is probably the more correct way to say it.
+1. I have been assuming, correctly or incorrectly, that "closing" is normally used for physical objects (e.g. schools, roads, stores, airports etc.) and "closure" for non-physical stuff (e.g. issue/problem etc.).
From online m-w.com: Definition of closure 1 archaic : means of enclosing : enclosure 2 : an act of closing : the condition of being closed closure of the eyelids business closures the closure of the factory 3 : something that closes pocket with zipper closure child-resistant closure (other specialized definitions omitted) Examples of closure in a Sentence The government forced the closure of the factory. I need to talk to him and get some closure on this issue. Going to the memorial service for his late wife made it possible for him to achieve closure. We all felt a sense of closure after our sister's murderer was sent to jail. trying to bring closure to the victim's family CLOSURE Defined for Kids Definition of closure for Students 1 : an act of closing The weather forced a closure of the schools. 2 : the condition of being closed Closure of the business has been hard on the workers. I would use "closure" for this case.
