Words have Power
Brad Hayden, PhD
English teacher at a private academy (loving it!), retired professor, biopharmaceutical documentation consultant, and writer
"Language most shows a man; speak that I may see thee" is a centuries-old quotation from English writer Ben Jonson. What was true when he wrote that phrase is even more so now in our age of emojis and the "dumbing-down" of the English language.
A problem encountered by all educated speakers of English, but even more so for those speaking English as a second language, is the blind leading the blind. I cringe a lot when listening to people speak on television or when reading news. People use a ready-made language that is vague, imprecise and sometimes just plain stupid.
So the writing tip for this week is devoted to English usage errors. Educated people understand the differences in meaning. Uneducated people do not.
Here is a case in point: I was once reviewing a clinical protocol for a trial involving a heart medication. The protocol called for patients to be monitored "continually" due to the potential for severe, life-threatening adverse events, possibly leading to death. When I asked the author, a very intelligent physician, if she meant "continuously" versus "continually," she just gazed at me. There's a huge difference given the context in the interpretation of those two words. One means to watch the patient every minute; the other means to check on the patient regularly but periodically. So which is the precise word?
The English language contains many words that speakers and writers confuse probably they hear or see them misused so often that they think they must be correct. How often do you see "a lot" or "all right" misspelled as a single word--more often than not. How about the difference between words like "amount" and "number"? The amount of people in a room or the number of people in a room. Hint: "amount" refers to abstractions (like "love), whereas "number" relates to something that can be counted. So which is correct? It's not a matter of guessing. It's a matter of being precise.
Want to learn more? Send me your name and an email address, and I will send a pdf with come common mix-ups for you to know. You can reach me at [email protected].