Let’s Talk About Meaning …
… and, specifically, words. Writers are notorious for using words poorly: we create our own vocabularies and collect our own expressions, no matter what the words may actually mean in Real Life. (Hmm… sounds like another of my blog articles, the one in which Alice confronts Humpty-Dumpty…)
But we’re not alone in misusing and abusing English. In fact, the newsroom may even be coming out ahead! Take a few of my favorite examples from this list of newsroom groaners:
- At The End Of The Day – The “clearly” of the 21st century. Politicians and pundit/talking head types ram this awful phrase down our throats whenever they want to intimidate, show off, or end the argument. Please don’t fall into their trap. At the end of the day, night falls. That’s it.
- Estranged – Yes, this is a convenient little term for not-quite-divorced husbands and wives. Trouble is, no one in real life ever says, “Peg and I can’t take it anymore. We’re estranged.” No one has a “trial estrangement”. If a couple is separated, say so.
- Major Breakthrough – By definition, there’s no such thing as a minor breakthrough, any more than there’s such a thing as a miniature Sumo wrestler.
- Spectacular Fire – “Wow! look at that spectacular fire! There must be 20 people trapped in there! Cool!” Let’s never use positive-sounding words to describe negative events. The dictionary equates “spectacular” with “thrilling.” Fires don’t thrill. Fires kill.
It’s worthwhile, perhaps, to look at what we’re saying before we say it, and certainly before we broadcast it in print or on a website. And maybe then we’ll have less of a reputation as butchers of the language … and move beyond the elements of style!
Posted in Process Matters, About Writing, Words on June 17th, 2007