I know a little boy, barely four years old, with a brilliant mind. He’s always straight up and to the point, no matter who you are; a trait I truly admire and I hope he never changes. Whenever we talk on the phone, which was mostly nighttime, the conversation would start something like this:
“Good evening, Timothy*,” I would say, to which he’d respond, “It’s night, Aunty Channa.”
I’d smile at that. It was dark out, and as young children, the most basic thing we’d known about a day is that there are two times; daytime and nighttime. During the day, depending on what time it was, we’d use the proper greeting; “Good Morning”, or “Good Afternoon”, but when it got dark out that’s when it got tricky, and for many of us, we’d automatically switch to a “Good Night”— because after all, it was night time, right?
I then started thinking back, to the many other people; strangers, friends, associates, family… just people generally, who would also often greet me with a “Good Night”, and I’d realise since then, that the proper use of “Good Evening” in comparison to a “Good Night” was lost to many, and may not be understood as widely. I can’t, and wouldn’t attempt to correct every person I encounter who’ve greeted me as such, and so, I’ve decided to use this platform to share instead, the difference between “Good Evening” and “Good Night”. I’ll try my best to explain as best as I can, with hopes, my dear readers, that you’ll find this information useful and be able to put ‘the right stuff’ into practice more often.
Let’s start with the basics.
When greeting others throughout the day, typically 5:00 a.m. to noon (12:00 p.m) we say “Good morning”. “Good afternoon” is used during that time of 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and after that, “Good evening” is then the greeting used, generally after 6:00 p.m. or after the sun goes down.
Now, where does “Good night” fall in all of this? Firstly, I’ll tell you where it doesn't; it doesn't come at the beginning of a conversation— why? Simply because, “Good night” is never a greeting— that is first and foremost, and it is very important to remember and keep this in mind. So, what is it? Well, it is quite the opposite of a greeting and is only used, in formal communication to say “goodbye”. To break it down, let's consider the following conversations:
“Good evening, Jackie, did you enjoy tonight’s festivities?”
“Good evening, Tom. I surely did, it was fun to see the floating lights.”
“It was indeed, but my favourite was the singing cat.”
“That really was a treat! It got me excited for the next event. But, after all that excitement, I’m very exhausted. We’ll talk again next week at social. Good night, Tom.”
“Of course, do take care. Good night, Jackie.”
Or perhaps a conversation between a mother and her young child, as she gets him ready for bed:
2. “Luke, have you brushed your teeth for bed?”
“Yes mom, I did already.”
“Okay good. Now off to bed, you go. Goodnight, dear.”
“Goodnight, mom.”
We see that in both interactions, “Good night” was only used as the characters ended each conversation. Saying “Good night” to someone to open a conversation, is like starting a speech in reverse; giving the conclusion first. More than that, we also see two different ways in which “Good night” is used, in the first instance, it’s used as both persons part ways for the night, and in the second, to indicate that its bedtime and the characters are going off to bed— which also brings me to another point (good night vs. goodnight) that I will explain further below.
In any case, no matter what hour it is at night; 10 pm/11 pm, once you’re saying hello to someone for the first time during the late hours, it is always still “Good evening”. It is important to note too, that this too can be used in two ways; as a greeting, and as a farewell, depending on how it is used, and the context of the conversation. For example, if you’re leaving someone for the last time during those hours, you may say, “Have a good evening” as your farewell, and that is quite acceptable.
But wait, there’s more!
We’ve learned the difference between “Good evening” and “Good night” in formal verbal communication (give yourselves a round of applause, well done!), but what about written communication? Well, my friends, that’s where we get into another difference— “Good night” vs. “Goodnight”.
In written language, to say “goodbye”, the two-word “Good night” is what is used. However, the one-word “Goodnight” is often used as an adjective, in a more intimate setting, or with close family members and friends when going to bed. It is simply wishing that others do have a good night. In any case, the two-word "Good night", is still acceptable, and if you aren’t certain, you can’t go wrong using that choice instead.
Now in summary, once you remember that “Good night” is never a greeting you’ll never misuse the terms again. And when in doubt, you can always borrow the words of one of my favourite lecturers (may his soul rest in peace); whenever someone entered his late evening sessions and greeted him with a “Good night”, he’d always say, “You say ‘good night’ when you’re going to bed.”
And with that, let’s keep spreading the knowledge, and practicing the right stuff; learning as we grow, and teaching as we go.
Until next time, have a good evening, and of course, big up yuhself!
*Names of persons changed.
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