...when five words will do

Saying "due to the fact that" is a 100%-accurate predictor of idiocy, and nobody sensible says "at this moment in time" anymore. I have just read that one of our teachers "is conscious of the fact that" something is going on.

Do you know any more lengthy phrases that can be replaced with a single common word, such as becuase, now or know?

"Having given due consideration to both sides, it has been decided that..." = "We've decided..."

Indeed. Here's what I have to wade through:

IMPLEMENTING VERIFICATION ACTIVITIES

Once the Test and Verification Requirement packages
are baselined, the implementation activities are
performed. Issues raised during the implementation
process must be resolved before the Test and
Verification Requirement package is closed. If the
results of the implementation are successful, a
verification report is written that will justify
closure of the applicable verification activity. If
the results are not successful, then the results will
be analyzed to determine the root cause for the
unsuccessful implementation.

This is what it means translated into English:

Once we figure out how to test everything, we will test everything.
If there are any problems then we have to fix them before we are done.
If something checks out OK, we have to write down how we know that.
If it doesn't, we have to find out why and write that down, too.

Neveu, that is just great!

I tend toward wordiness, and I have to edit much of my writing mercilessly.

We have talked about this before and there are some great examples here and here. That Human Becoming Theory is deadly!

Good heavens, Neveu, I didn't know that our Qualifications and Curriculum Authority were writing in San Francisco...

quote:

Good heavens, Neveu, I didn't know that our Qualifications and Curriculum Authority were writing in San Francisco...

Actually, that particular gem came out of Houston...

"at this point in time" = 'now'

Yes, I am wordy. I do say "at this point in time," rather than "now."

There was a great For Better or for Worse today, where a boss was trying to motivate his people, but actually they were playing BINGO instead. Here was his motivational mumbo jumbo:

"As the publisher of Portrait Magazine, I welcome this opportunity to validate my association by saying that I consider myself implementational in the enabling of our team to focus, prioritize and access our potential for proactivity.

We are already outside the box, delivering the wow factor, and I'm cautiously optimistic that our cutting edge approach will put us on a level playing field.

Our competitors have demonstrated overlapping visions in trying to be unconventionalistic. They lack clarity, which minimizes the velocity of their 'translation-to-action' methodology.

Our key to success is our implementation of team integrationalism! By identifying high-performance leadership within the corporate gene pool, we create a lateral think tank, which will allow us to take it to the bank!!!

This is not a value-neutral situation! The paradigm here is the balancing act we see between empowerment and productivity through an incrementally changing environment.

Proceeding on a go-forward basis, I..."

I'd just slit my wrists if I worked for him!

Yes, why say I don't like shrimp when one can say I like not shrimp? Or more amusing rather than amusinger? How is now any less of a cliche than at this point in time? Language itself is a cliche. And if the shortest "word" is the best, why mayn't we use contractions in formal English: e.g., I'll go tomorrow versus I shall go tomorrow (or I'm going tomorrow). Why do some prefer It is not uncommon to It is common?

quote:

Why do some prefer It is not uncommon to It is common?

Those two phrases are not opposites. The former means "It's not rare, but it's not especially common either". At least, that's how it's used in the UK.

OK, how about It is not untrue and It is true?

quote:

OK, how about It is not untrue and It is true?

Likewise, as Arnie says. This is one of the subtleties of UK English which seem to be lost on other English speakers.

If I were to respond to someone's point by saying, "...It is not untrue...", that does not mean I am necessarily validating the point made. I am not saying it is true; I am saying it is not untrue.

Linguistically the meanings might be the same; in UK English idiom they are not.

I have to agree with arnie and Richard on this. In the UK "it's not untrue" doesn't mean the same as "it's true" and nor does "it's not uncommon" mean the same as "it's common". In fact this is true of almost any pair of opposites. "It's not small" doesn't mean the same as "it's big". "I'm not unhappy" is different to "I'm happy".

The negative expression always either carries and implied "but" at the end or expresses that the speaker is somewhere between the two states. "I'm not unhappy", for example, means that while I'm not weeping and wailing I'm also not singing and dancing.

I don't think this use of the negative for is common outside the UK although I could be wrong. Or perhaps just not right.

Linguistically the meanings might be the same; in UK English idiom they are not.

I would say that linguistically, the meanings in the two different dialects are different. Logically, a proposition is either true or not true. But, in language, we all know that things can be unique as well as very unique.

[Fixed typo.]

This message has been edited. Last edited by: zmježd,

quote:

But, in language, we all know that things can be unqiue as well as very unique.

I have always considered that things could be almost unique - but only the English can be completely unique ;-)

Ah yes: the best beer, the best diplomats, and now the best uniqueness. The best modesty too, no doubt?

yes my friends, to be sure, first of all, as I stand here before you, let me just say this one small thing, that all in all, at that point in time = Then

yes my friends, to be sure, first of all, as I stand here before you, let me just say this one small thing, that all in all, at this point in time = Now

Hi, whatsa! Wazzup?

(Laconic enough for y'all here?)

quote:

Originally posted by arnie: "Having given due consideration to both sides, it has been decided that..." = "We've decided..."

No, no, arnie. This is government-agency-speak for, "Having completely ignored what you said, we reiterate our decision against you."

I think, however, that sometimes saying things differently makes the writing more interesting. I remain in the minority, I see. I just would hate for us to get too prescriptive about it.

quote:

Ah yes: the best beer, the best diplomats, and now the best uniqueness. The best modesty too, no doubt?

Certainly no. We have little to be modest about.

quote:

There was a great For Better or for Worse today, where a boss was trying to motivate his people, but actually they were playing BINGO instead.

A link.

Curious. An American cartoon in which a character says "Trip to the loo". Is 'loo' in common usage in the US now?

I was a member of a scale modelling society in which the Committee has sadly been infected by characters like this, often from the world of advertising where talking bollocks seems to be mandantory (and I know I haven't spelt that right- where's my dictionary!). I've since left the society as it has deteriorated considerably since these people arrived but is not curiously lacking in much back slapping for it's "successes".

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Erik Johansen,

For Better or Worse is Canadian, and (I believe) one of the character's parents were from the UK.

Ah, I see! The link was to a Californian newspaper so I assumed it to be US in origin.

Um... This must be a common game played in offices...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/graphics/2006/02/22/calex22.gif

Oh, that's hilarious, Arnie. The 2 comics are quite similar, really.

Erik, Zmj is correct that For Better or Worse is Canadian. As far as I know, not many Americans use the word "loo," though "Toilet" instead of "Restroom" or "Ladies Room" or whatever seems to be making its way here. I see that more and more now.

quote:

An American cartoon in which a character says "Trip to the loo". Is 'loo' in common usage in the US now?

I find that it's considered "cool" to use slang from other countries. UK slang is the easiest, of course, since it's in English, but I've heard folks say "holy merde", etc.