There are words which remain in use, after having been threatened with oblivion.
So with our adverb.
"Derechef"
, note the academicians in their column
Saying, not saying
, almost disappeared.
Already in the 18th century, the author Pierre de la Touche
"was astonished that these 'Gentlemen of the Academy did not condemn him'"
.
But nothing helps:
"again"
resists at all costs, although the eighth edition of the Dictionary described it as
"old"
in 1935. If it is still alive today, it is sometimes misused.
Explanations.
The common mistake is to use it as a synonym of
"on the spot"
,
"immediately"
.
Formed from the preposition
"of"
and the prefix
re
, indicating the return, and of
chief
,
"in the sense of head, end, extremity"
, let us remember that the adverb means
"again, a second time"
.
It can only be used in the direction of repeated action.
Example:
“As he was not elected the first time, he ran again”
.
On the contrary, we will not be able to say
"he answered me again"
, or
"he arrived again",
if there is not this idea of repetition. The correct word in this context is
“immediately”
, or
“immediately”.