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Hello, Wordsmiths - and a happy new year to us
all!
'Tis the season for Thankyou Letters. Having hit
the big Four-Oh in November, I enclosed many of these with my Christmas
cards.
Did your Mummy make you write them, when you were a child? My problem was, I
liked writing so much that I never knew how to finish those letters; they
would run on for pages and pages, in my fat uneven writing, making the whole
job last until at least mid-February.
But, even if you don't normally bother with Thankyou Letters (or emails)
after Christmas, there are some tricks to ensure your regular correspondence
does not leak insincerity - whether you mean it or not!
*** I have no wish to bother you with unwanted emails. To stop receiving The
Wordsmith, just Reply to this email with NO THANK YOU as the subject. I will
never pass on your details to anyone else either. That's a promise. ***
Honestly, I loved the orange and purple socks .
. . Honestly. Actually. In fact. Truly. Sincerely.
These are clues that you DON'T mean what you are saying. Even if you DO mean
it, using these words gives the subtle impression that you don't. So, don't
use them. Ever.
I'm very, very, very grateful for the slimming book ....Very, really,
fairly, absolutely, utterly. You normally tack words like these on to the
front of a description, to add emphasis and conviction. They are called
'qualifiers'.
Unfortunately, what they do is WEAKEN the meaning. And, again, they may make
you sound insincere or unconvinced. I wouldn't. I really, really wouldn't!
We will try to visit you in 2005 . . .Try?
You'll only TRY? Don't bother!
This is equally true of the spoken word: when you say you'll try, it means
you are not committed to carrying out that promise.
If you can say it without 'try' (". we'll come and see you during the kids'
summer holidays."), without feeling as if you are lying, then go ahead and
say it. You are a nice person and will make Aunty Flo's day. However, if you
only feel sincere when you promise to 'try', then it would be better not to
disappoint Aunty Flo with false hopes. Talk about something else instead. Or
promise to write or telephone more often, if you can do that sincerely.
* CLICHÉ CLUB *
Every month, I recruit fresh examples of Grievous Bodily Harm to the English
Language. There were some beauties in December! Here's my favourite:
Gauntlets and gamuts
A Radio Four news commentator described the Law Lords as 'running the gamut
of emotions' when rejecting an important Government policy as unlawful. I
cringed. Let me explain. A 'gamut' is the full range of something.
The gamut of colours might be 'all the colours of the rainbow' or 'all the
colours in a Shirley Bassey dress'.
The gamut of emotions (the usual use for this rather odd little word) could
be a description of how you feel during any episode of your favourite soap:
wit, violence, affection, terror, slapstick, disgust, giggling . . . or, in
my case . . . boredom.
You may FEEL the gamut of emotions. Someone might EXPRESS the gamut of
emotions. You don't RUN it, though.
That's 'running the gauntlet': a medieval demonstration of manliness,
whereby a knight faced various physical challenges in order to win the hand
of the fair lady (or take over his enemy's castle). I don't believe that is
what you mean!
* VERBAL INFECTIONS *
One person starts it, and suddenly every news bulletin, drama script and
magazine article is doing it too. Then WE catch it. Verbal infections are
nasty! This month's infection is obvious, once you spot it:
High as can be
Not everything that is running at an extreme level is 'high'. Trust me.
Tempers may run high. I would prefer to say they run hot - but then I'm a
stickler for the right word. I was taught English grammar for three years by
Daisy Barnfather, the scariest Scottish primary school teacher in the world.
High winds are not unknown. Rainfall, however, is HEAVY, not high. Even if
six inches fell overnight, that's a high LEVEL of rain, not 'high rainfall'.
High spirits are pleasant in moderation. 'Satisfaction' cannot be described
as 'high', though, no matter how well-received your customer service survey
has been. LEVELS of satisfaction, yes. Satisfaction may also be described as
'running at a high level' . and I'm sure your customers do love you.
© Fiona Cowan, Words That Work, Jan 2005 |
