Pet Peeves
Okay, this is a little random, but the quote in the title of this Atrios post reminded me of something that drives me nuts. If you’re going to use the word “approximately”, you should follow it with a round number, not a precise one. You could say that “approximately 20 Democrats” voted against cloture on the Alito nomination since the number was actually 19, but saying “approximately 19 Democrats” would make you sound like an idiot who’s trying to spice up your writing with big words. If you know the right number, don’t pretend to be unsure about it. Either use the word “exactly” or avoid the use of a modifier completely.
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Save up to $25 and more! That usage literally makes my head explode.
Comment by Bob Munck — January 31, 2006 @ 6:38 pm
You’re so base10-centric!
Comment by Royko — February 1, 2006 @ 12:27 am
I think that should be “19 approximate Democrats.”
Comment by E-mart — February 1, 2006 @ 6:33 am
And typo in the post: it was 19 who voted for cloture.
Comment by E-mart — February 1, 2006 @ 6:36 am
You know what else I hate? When writers use “it’s” when they mean “its.” Its not that hard folks!
Comment by Ben — February 1, 2006 @ 8:09 am
Well, since we’re sounding off:
I hate it when people use “loose” instead of “lose”… Oh, and of course, the misuse of: there, they’re, and their. Don’t get me started on “thier”!
Comment by dAVE — February 1, 2006 @ 11:14 am
OK, how about “quality” time? Or a “quality” automobile.
Would that be high quality or low quality? Or maybe just plain average quality. It can’t just be “quality” and make any sense!
Comment by austropithicus — February 1, 2006 @ 4:20 pm
I think E-Mart is right, “democrats” is being modified, not the number of them. For example, Lieberman only counts as .2 of a democrat.
Comment by artboy — February 2, 2006 @ 6:01 am
“It’s” not that hard, Ben.
Comment by Bud — February 4, 2006 @ 11:34 am