Not long ago, LuckyVitamin, an online store, greeted me with an email that opened with this line: From receiving products without clicking a button to shopping for everything you need in one place, we are here to simplify your lifestyle.
And that, dear reader, is a perfect example of... (Read More)
There’s nothing that can’t be improved by making it shorter. That’s what Charles Osgood said recently when he retired as host of “Sunday Morning” and reflected on his long career on the air. “Short words, short sentences, short paragraphs,” he stressed.
Copy that is shorter is typically clearer and... (Read More)
I read a lot of obituaries—both the news pieces journalists write and the paid notices, which are typically penned by the families of those who have died. While an obituary is certainly the venue to pour on the praise, more often than not people pile it on too heavily, whether... (Read More)
“Very is the most useless word in the English language and can always come out. More than useless, it is treacherous because it invariably weakens what it is intended to strengthen. For example, would you rather hear the mincing shallowness of I love you very much or the heart-slamming intensity... (Read More)
People often ask me whether it’s okay to start a sentence with the word and. And the answer is: Yes, it is.
Lest you beg to differ (I am sometimes met with raised eyebrows when I tell people this) here is what three usage experts have to say on... (Read More)
(That’s my attempt at writing a “Jeopardy”-like clue.)
A milestone is, by definition, an important event, advancement, or development. Merriam-Webster goes one step further and defines it as a very important event.
So why do we tend to embellish this word with superfluous adjectives like important, major, and... (Read More)
When the Eagles rock band learned it was among this year’s Kennedy Center honorees, the group’s musicians issued a statement saying they were truly humbled. A school that surpassed its fund-raising goal said the sum was a true testament to the incomparable educational experience it offers. A company I patronize... (Read More)
My neighborhood Equinox is being renovated, and the gym has posted a sign in the entry letting us know what one of the chain’s “most iconic sites” has in store for us.
Iconic is one of those words—unique is another—that gets applied way too liberally, particularly by overzealous brand... (Read More)
The other day Staples sent an email with a subject line that read, “Over 60% off this LITERALLY hot item.” I opened it to find a picture of a toaster oven.
Oh, Staples, you sabotaged your pun. You have an item that is literally hot to the touch and is... (Read More)
“Who wrote this crap?”
Steven Pinker often asks himself that question when he’s reviewing his work. “Who’s Steven Pinker?” you might ask. He’s a professor at Harvard, chair of the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary, and author of a new book on writing, The Sense of... (Read More)
