Hoist By His Own Petard

Earlier this month, a public affairs/political science prof at UT-Austin, Edwin Dorn, wrote a "goodbye to Mr. Chips" piece for the Austin fishwrap in observance of Professor William Livingston's departure to honorable retirement after more than 50 years at UT-Austin. Dorn's appreciation of his mentor/grammar policeman also caught the eye of Marlene Rogers of Austin and she wrote the following to the editor today:

Re: Sept. 1 commentary "Goodbye, good luck, and thanks." As a language instructor, I was very glad to see the article by Edwin Dorn, a professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, on the correct use and misuse of the English language. I was disappointed to see that he used the expression "most importantly" incorrectly (in his next-to-last paragraph). It is most important (emphasis supplied), not importantly, to think before you write. I tell this to my students, and to him, importantly. /s/Marlene Rogers

Touché, Marlene Rogers! Professor Dorn fell in love with the sound of his own (written) voice. Unfortunately, this affliction is not limited to those who write in the Austin fishwrap. Such bloviation can be found in this blog more too often than not. If this is (fair & balanced) candor, so be it.


[x Austin Fishwrap]
Goodbye, good luck and thanks
By Edwin Dorn

Today, professor William Livingston will begin his retirement from the University of Texas. Bill served UT in many ways during his 58 years on the Forty Acres: as teacher, scholar, dean, interim president, senior vice president and the mellifluous voice of TEX, the university's computerized online registration process.

For me, however, Bill's most important role was that of grammarian. When I was a UT undergraduate in the 1960s, he was the only professor who took the time to point out the misused words, split infinitives, trite phrases and other bad writing habits that I had brought with me from high school.

Initially, I resented his effort to imprison me in the rigid confines of proper English grammar. But the more bad writing I have seen, the more I appreciate what Bill did for me. I wish there were more like him.

So, as a tribute, I have produced a list of writing pointers. Some are firm rules; others are my personal judgments. Observing these rules will not make you a great writer, but it will spare you the disadvantage of being perceived as — let me put this gently — not yet ready to be taken seriously.

1. Use the active voice. "It was announced by the White House that ... . " is not as crisp as "the White House announced that ... ." But wait: buildings don't announce things. Attributing actions to inanimate objects is a way of concealing responsibility. A writer should state who announced, decided or messed up something.

2. Get to the point quickly, preferably within the first few paragraphs. Then provide supporting evidence, alternative views and nuance.

3. Do not use contractions.

4. Know and observe the difference between the following words, which are confused frequently:

a. affect, effect

b. among, between

c. anxious, eager

d. comprise, composed of. "Comprised of" is not acceptable.

e. continual, continuous

f. currently, presently. Appearances notwithstanding, "presently" means "in the future."

g. hopeful, hopefully

h. impact, influence. Yes, you can use "impact" as a verb, but only if you have modest professional aspirations.

i. I, me. Never, never write "for him and I."

j. its, it's

k. principle, principal

l. that, who. The rule is, "people who", "things that." Do not write, "I don't like professors that correct my grammar" — because it is bad form, not because the professors will take offense.

m. who, whom

5. Avoid unnecessary verbiage and trite modifiers. Examples:

a. Please do not hesitate to contact me: contains four unnecessary words.

b. I am appreciative of ... . Just write, "I appreciate ... ."

c. Very (or totally) unique

d. Truly, really, actually, literally

e. Could be possible. Either something is possible, or it is not.

6. Limit the use of "and." The connective "and" is used for words, phrases or clauses that are of equal value. Thus, when you use "and," you are making a list, not developing an argument. Words that advance an argument include "therefore" and "however."

7. Proofread, ask a friend or classmate to proofread your work, and plan to do some rewriting. Never turn in the first draft.

8. Use a dictionary. If you do not know the difference between "affect" and "effect", do not rely on a computer word processing program to figure it out for you.

9. Consult the experts. I recommend The Elements of Style by William B. Strunk Jr. and E.B. White and Writing with Style by former UT professor John Trimble.

Most importantly, think before you write. What is your principal message, the most important thing you want the reader to remember? The answer should be in the first couple of paragraphs. Crafting those opening paragraphs can be the biggest challenge in writing. Seldom does a writer get them right the first time.

The course I took from Bill Livingston was about the British form of government. I use that knowledge occasionally. What he taught me about writing, I use every day.

Edwin Dorn is a professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs of the University of Texas at Austin.

© 2007 The Austin American-Statesman

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