Wednesday, April 16, 2008

A puzzle and a tip

Today's spot-the-error puzzle:
Erma had waked to discover painful whelps covering her limbs.

Today's tip: Avoid vague enhancers like "very."
I kept a list entitled "Evil Words" for reporters and editors at my previous position. At the top of the list: very.
The word rarely adds meaning and frequently detracts. Calling it a "weasel word," The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style says: This intensifier, which functions as both an adjective and an adveb, surfaces repeatedly in flabby writing. In almost every context in which it appears, its omission would result in at most a negligible loss. And in many contexts the idea would be more powerfully expressed without it.

Other vague enhancers that generally weaken one's writing: Extremely, greatly, completely, totally, much, really

Completely eliminating these very useless words from your vocabulary will greatly improve your writing. I'm totally convinced it will make a really big difference.

8 comments:

freedom star said...

I agree completely.

Mumbling Mary said...

Well, shoot! Guess I was wrong on all three sentences yesterday, but as to your advice on the use of "very" and other such vague enhancers, good lesson and I definitely agree.

Now, about today's puzzle: were the whelps biting Erma, I wonder? I guess she could've just knocked 'em off the bed and gone back to sleep.

Potato Creek Patty said...

Had waked? What's wrong with awakened, or woke up? And did she wake up only for the purpose of discovering painful whelps? Were the whelps painful to her, or only to themselves? Mumbling Mary sure knocked them off the bed, so she must have had experience with this sort of problem. That is a VERY confusing sentence if one takes the time to break it down and I don't think eliminating very would make this sentence stronger. ;-)

word nerd said...

Tenses do not match? Had waked/covering should be had waked/covered?

I agree with potato creek patty on the clarity of the sentence.

My English 101 professor would not allow the students to use 'very' in class assignments and discouraged its use during discussions.

refugeroad said...

Change "had waked" to "awakened". A "whelp" is not a "welt". This is one of several words that are used differently here. My family moved here when I was 12. It was an interesting experience to have to relearn spoken English.

word nerd said...

past-participial? Is this the new spelling or a slip of the (typing) finger?

David Cox said...

To word nerd from a fellow WD:

"Participial — Of, relating to, consisting of, or formed with a participle." American Heritage College Dictionary

"The past tense and past particial forms of 'wake' and its siblings are perhaps the most vexing in the language."

Although it's been a long time since I studied this stuff, I think past participle, past perfect and pluperfect are all synonyms of past participial.

The term "participial" is more often used with "phrase." The puzzle in Thursday's blog begins with one: "Anxious to begin building,"

David Cox said...

Word nerd,
I forgot to cite the source of the second quote, and then I posted it on the wrong original post. The source was the Oxford Dictionary of American Usage & Style.