A full day of copyediting today reminded me of another pet peeve: Goofy words at the beginning of sentences.
They're the lazy guy's way of communicating, the equivalent of n in an algebraic equation. In these sentences as in algebra, the objective is to get rid of the n and replace it with something meaningful. And when we're successful, the whole equation—the sentence—adds up more sensibly.
Two n words stand out:
A full day of copyediting today reminded me of another pet peeve: Goofy words at the beginning of sentences.
They're the lazy guy's way of communicating, the equivalent of n in an algebraic equation. In these sentences as in algebra, the objective is to get rid of the n and replace it with something meaningful. And when we're successful, the whole equation—the sentence—adds up more sensibly.
Two n words stand out: "there" and "it." In this post, I'm focusing on "there." (Next week, we'll move on to "it.")
Check out how much better these sentences become when we solve for n:
Bad: There is a dog on the sofa.
Better: A dog is on the sofa.
Aside from the fact that a canine is smelling up your furniture, that first sentence stinks. Everything in the universe is somewhere...either "there" or "here," depending on your vantage point. There is a pencil! There is a chair! There is a superfluous exclamation point!! Are we really asking the question, "Where is the dog?" Nope. We're just saying, hey, a dog is drooling on your couch cushions. Why not say it crisply? A dog is on the sofa, damn it! Get him off! Much more direct than the wimpy, "Ooh, there is a dog...not here, there..."
Try flipping sentences that begin with "there" around, and you'll see that it forces you to come up with action words and concrete constructions:
Bad: There can be no other explanation.
Better: No other explanation makes sense.
Bad: There is no easy way to say this.
Better: I can't find a way to say this easily.
Bad: There are instances when editors are annoying.
Better: Sometimes, editors are annoying.
Maybe it's just me.
P.S.: My dog is always on the sofa.
A full day of copyediting today reminded me of another pet peeve: Goofy words at the beginning of sentences.
They're the lazy guy's way of communicating, the equivalent of n in an algebraic equation. In these sentences as in algebra, the objective is to get rid of the n and replace it with something meaningful. And when we're successful, the whole equation—the sentence—adds up more sensibly.
Two n words stand out: (more...)
A full day of copyediting today reminded me of another pet peeve: Goofy words at the beginning of sentences.
They're the lazy guy's way of communicating, the equivalent of n in an algebraic equation. In these sentences as in algebra, the objective is to get rid of the n and replace it with something meaningful. And when we're successful, the whole equation—the sentence—adds up more sensibly.
Two n words stand out: "there" and "it." In this post, I'm focusing on "there." (Next week, we'll move on to "it.")
Check out how much better these sentences become when we solve for n:
Bad: There is a dog on the sofa.
Better: A dog is on the sofa.
Aside from the fact that a canine is smelling up your furniture, that first sentence stinks. Everything in the universe is somewhere...either "there" or "here," depending on your vantage point. There is a pencil! There is a chair! There is a superfluous exclamation point!! Are we really asking the question, "Where is the dog?" Nope. We're just saying, hey, a dog is drooling on your couch cushions. Why not say it crisply? A dog is on the sofa, damn it! Get him off! Much more direct than the wimpy, "Ooh, there is a dog...not here, there..."
Try flipping sentences that begin with "there" around, and you'll see that it forces you to come up with action words and concrete constructions:
Bad: There can be no other explanation.
Better: No other explanation makes sense.
Bad: There is no easy way to say this.
Better: I can't find a way to say this easily.
Bad: There are instances when editors are annoying.
Better: Sometimes, editors are annoying.
Maybe it's just me.
P.S.: My dog is always on the sofa.
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Today's goof comes from syracuse.com, an affiliate of Syracuse's Post-Standard. Given that the site draws more than 58,000 visitors per month -- and represents a metro-area newspaper that boasts a new $40 million press hall -- you'd think the peeps over there would be staffed to the gills with copyeditors and proofreaders. Maybe that would make a difference.