Ralph Allwood recently posted this list of unnecessary words, which you might like to have a look at and then immediately excise from your writing (Ooh, look how clever I am - I know the work excise). Here are my thoughts on the list (too long for a comment): Somewhat - OK if you really want to convey the meaning of the word (to a moderate extent), as in [Spanish capolies] have a pit which is somewhat larger than a cherrys; normally redundant. It is a somewhat old fashioned word, reaching its peak of popularity around 1900, when it was bandied about as a sort of filler to give an air of cleverness, much as it is today (cf. Philip Moellers Five Somewhat Historical Plays, 1918). This air of old-fashionedness can give the word a somewhat humorous note, which is not always welcome, when it is used nowadays. Located - As far as I can tell, an invention of the late eighteenth century and a cleverness even then, used primarily to give a sense of classical education. Its Latin root, the verb locare (to put or place) was in fact used far less often in classical Latin than the compound form conlocari (to be in the same place as. Located can usually be removed; for example, the title of the 1997 report Extension of hydroelectric project located in the state of Washington reduces to Extension of hydroelectric project in the state of Washington (the state of is necessary to avoid ambiguity with the city Washington D. C. and the informality of Washington state; otherwise, it could be similarly removed). Veritable - Like somewhat, more of a problem in 1910 than it is today (the 1913 edition of the Michigan alumnus has The Choral Union, under Mr. Stanley, achieved a veritable triumph., a fairly typical usage). Originally borrowed from the French, veritable was once used [to express] truth of representation, or truth in its expository aspect (Smith, Synonyms Discriminated, 1910) but quickly became a scriveners hocus-pocus, simultaneously emphasizing what was placed after it and showing off the erudition of the author. Nowadays, it has an old-fashioned air about it, making it particularly dangerous in the hands of those who think that old-fashionedness on its own guarantees literary flair. Egregious - As you say, this word could be replaced almost everywhere with Im clever because I know the word egregious and the only change in my reaction to reading it would be admiration at the authors sudden flash of honesty. The same goes for penultimate (which is a syllable shorter than second last) and a great many other words. I am all for rediscovering forgotten words but, as a rule of thumb, if youve heard at least two people use a word in the last year then it no longer counts as forgotten and you no longer sound clever when you use it. Potentially - Potential has valid uses; potentially has not. English is already awash with ways of expressing that something is not a certainty, many of which are already abused, often for the sake of some faux politeness (the obsequious clerk, with his If you would just write your name in this box here. If you would like to fill in the bank details you appear to have left out here, sir is an example). We do not need another word like potentially. The two examples you give are, of course, particularly bad (could already expresses the sentiment intended with potentially, and dangerous indicates a potential danger). Proverbial - Most popular in the 1850s, when it still meant of or pertaining to proverbs in a general sense, this word has enjoyed a small resurgence in the last twenty years or so in the more specific sense of referred to in a proverb or idiom. In this sense, it is not always bad, and can be used for humorous effect if youre giving a twist on an old saying (Like the proverbial empty vessels, the couple in 3B made the most noise.), but the effect is quite subtle, and should not be attempted by those who have no talent for humour. Too often, proverbial is appended to the start of a well-known proverb, and has no function other than to point out the obvious fact that what follows is a proverb (stick out like the proverbial sore thumb and the proverbial weakest link are two examples, and it is easy to come up with many more). I should point out the other new usage of proverbial - as a euphemistic placeholder, as in This cold water is freezing my proverbials off or Ralph Allwood is a right pain in the proverbials; this usage was probably funny twenty years ago, but is stale now. Eponymous - fine as a shorthand for having the same name that I just used, as in the eponymous hero of Dickenss Nicholas Nickleby, but is too often misused, as in The book ends with the hero climbing the eponymous thirty-nine steps. Google NGrams shows a startling increase in this words popularity starting in around 1980, and itll be a pity if the original meaning disappears and it becomes yet another useless word which exists only to make its writer sound clever. Something of a - Like somewhat, but followed by a noun rather than an adjective. The guidelines for somewhat apply equally to something of a. Today - I disagree with you on this one; I think today is very necessary for expressing the concept of yesterdays tomorrow, and Im not sure why its here. Designated - Sometimes OK, but normally unnecessary management-speak. Through/On - If you mean in phrases like go on through etc., then this is indeed unnecessary. With short words like these, its fairly easy to tell whether their use is justified or not. Removing on and through from go on through into the frount room gives you go into the front room, which means the same thing, whereas removing through from he walked straight through the hedge gives you a piece of nonsense. I think rather than banning individual prepositions, it makes more sense to ban strings of prepositions in general (unless they are part of an idiomatic verb-preposition pair, like up in put up with). Onto - This isnt a word anyway: it should be on to. Into - OK when used the right way, not OK when used the wrong way (see Through/On). Alternatively - long, impressive-sounding synonym for or. Its only redeeming quality is that at least it is better than using alternately, which is a mistake (originating somewhere in America, I think). Future - Sometimes misused, but not an unnecessary word. Pan-fried salmon/Hand-battered chips - obviously unneccesary, though until it was pointed out to me, pan-fried salmon always sounded better and classier than the fried version. I think the main issues here are the following: - A wish to sound clever, and a belief that using long words makes you sound clever. - A wish to sound polite. Some sentiments are politer than others, but there is no reason why politeness should manifest itself in the way we use language to express those sentiments. If someone has done something nice for us, it is polite to express gratitude, and sensible to do so by saying thank you. If we are trying to get someone to do something, its polite not to seem like a domineering bully, but it is wrong to meaninglessly transform sentences into conditional clauses (If you would like to just...). If I didnt think Id come across as incredibly rude, Id stop saying please, as it is just a shortening of if you please, which is an old-fashioned way of saying if thats OK, which should have no place in the 21st-century English that I speak. But I think thats too much to hope for. Remember your Ps and Qs, kids. - A desire to be funny. Its possible to do this with words, but its more subtle than most people think, and you need a genuine talent for it. Most people are better off not trying. Things to add: In terms of - This is usually lazy usage, and can be replaced by an appropriate preposition, depending on what is in terms of what. Appropriate in mathematics, e.g. Express x in terms of y. Various nasty management words like synergy and leverage (used as a verb!) - I am lucky to have been shielded from these most of my life, but they come up in almost every other sentence in the corporate world. ..there are so many more of these, but I cant remember any at the moment. I think some of the entries on your list are a bit harsh, but I think the point stands - I shall do what I can to stop saying somewhat and something of a in my writing from now on!
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 16:35:35 +0000
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