In a moment of frustration, I recently posted on Facebook how I find it annoying when people refer to the book in the Bible as Revelations. It’s Revelation, not Revelations. To my surprise, I got a slew of responses of words/phases that also bother readers. Among them:
End a sentence with a preposition? Like nails on a chalkboard.
- It’s a moot point, not a mute one
- “Close proximity” is redundant
- It’s the Book of Psalms; each chapter is a Psalm
- It’s toward, regard and afterward – not towards, regards and afterwards
- It’s Daylight Saving Time, not Savings
- Is it drapes or draperies? To avoid the issue, I use window treatments
- People graduate from college; not people graduate college
- You shop at Kroger, not Krogers
- A mason works in masonry; not in masonary
- Men can get prostate cancer; not prostrate cancer
- It’s means it is
- You’re, not your, means you are
- You insure (not ensure) things like people and property
- And the all-time worst offender to me: Ending a sentence/question with a preposition – it’s like nails on a chalkboard with a full body shudder.
What are some words/phrases that bother you?
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I’m one of those people who interprets words in their most literal definition, which can be good or bad if you write for a living. Case in point: A friend tells me about her part in a play about the Old South and says, “Everything will be fine as long as we take care of the black dishwasher in the back.” For the life of me, I could not understand what an appliance could possibly have to do with anything.
To my writing colleagues, I pray you’re not afflicted with TWTOL (Translating Words Too Literally) Syndrome. Although TWTOL can date back to childhood (I remember being strapped in the back of the station wagon on the family vacation, and my parents told me to keep my eyes peeled for a Dairy Queen – I started crying at the thought of peeling eyes), I’ve learned to work with it and around it. I even credit TWTOL with some of my professional writing abilities, especially in regard to projects like speeches and internal communications. For instance, there’s no such thing as a free cholesterol screening if the employee has to pay for the results (seems obvious to me, but some CEOs just don’t get it). Then again, I’m the person who goes into all-out panic mode if the Bible says you must wear a purple robe to get into heaven, as in what shade of purple – light purple, dark purple, something in between? Should the robe be floor length or cocktail length, short sleeves or long sleeves? It never ends.
If you also have TWTOL Syndrome, take advantage of your literal perspective on words and weave that into your writing. And above all, have fun with it! My literal sense of translation has provided me countless moments of both laughter and embarrassment. Like the time I saw the sign that said “Watch Batteries Repaired.” Since I needed a new battery for my watch, I went inside the store. When the clerk took my watch to the back I called out with genuine disappointment in my voice ”But I thought I could watch.”
I don’t see a change any time soon. By “see,” I mean “predict,” not “visualize.”
