20 Words You
20 Words You
20 Words You
Steven Pinker is probably as good an expert to ask as anyone. Helpfully, the renowned Harvard
linguist and best-selling author recently wrote a book, entitled The Sense of Style , that aims to
help readers improve their use of the English language.
If you're in the market for an update to good, old Strunk and White , it's probably a good buy. But if
you just want to spot check that you've not been making embarrassing language mistakes for
years, a monster list of 58 commonly misused phrases covered in the book that recently appeared
in the UK's Independent newspaper is probably a good place to start. Here are some highlights:
It should be noted that while it's always good to polish up your writing, one of the joys of language
is that it isn't fixed in time. It evolves. Nor is there a single "correct" style (in English, at least).
You'd neither connect nor impress if you chose your words like an Oxford don at a rap battle
(though, actually, someone please make that YouTube video), and you'd be unlikely to get a job at
an investment bank today speaking like Shakespeare.
Why is this important? It's easy to get too caught up in being perfectly "correct" and become a
tedious language snob. Remember you probably want to come across as intelligent and thoughtful
not uptight and pedantic. So don't get so worked up over the little things that you miss the larger
point of good writing -- to communicate clearly and engagingly with your chosen audience.