The Write Stuff
[vc_single_image image=”60016″]April 2018
Reduce Redundancies!
By Alan Crawford,
Impact Editor
Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press” speculates about the penalty that Facebook ‘could potentially” face from the Cambridge Analytica fiasco. Nancy Youssef on “Washington Week’ thinks John Bolton “could potentially” shape President Trump’s thinking on Iran and North Korea. Over at CNN, Fredricka Whitfield, reporting on White House calls for conciliatory action by North Korea, asked how this demand “could potentially impact” a meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un. These three are hardly the first to use this redundancy and — unfortunately — won’t be the last. Could potentially seems popular these days and is getting more popular by the minute. You hear that clunky construction by broadcasters all the time and read it now from writers.
Writers tend to copy what they hear broadcasters say, which is worrisome. It’s worrisome because broadcasters use more words than they need for the simple reason that they have to fill time. (Notice how often broadcasters and their “guests” repeat themselves, in their words as well as in their thoughts.) That means they add unnecessary words and even syllables. “Before” is replaced by “prior to,” which can sound punchier and more emphatic when, most of the time, it means the same thing. It also sounds vaguely legalistic.
Could potentially is redundant. I’m not a grammarian, but people who know these things say words like could, would, may and might are “auxiliary” or “modal” verbs expressing degrees of certainty or uncertainty. How scholars classify such words is less important, of course, than knowing what they do and how they function. And could, would, may and might all convey a sense of possibility and uncertainty — of potentiality. Ergo, you don’t need potentially at all. The sense of uncertainty is implied by the verb itself. Could impact is sufficient — if you insist on using impact as a verb, which everyone now does, so we will let that pass.
It’s almost always bad form for a writer to use more words than they need. When you do, you waste your readers’ precious time — and could test their patience. Potentially.
Annoying Word of the Month: “Recently.” Is there a more deadly way to begin an article or even presentation with than recently? No one in everyday speech says recently any more than they say indeed (which sounds as ridiculous and affected as alas). If the time when something happened is important, say when it happened. If it isn’t important, why mention the time at all?
In addition to being the editor of Impact, Alan Crawford is a published author and journalist. His latest book, How Not to Get Rich, looks at the financial misadventures of Mark Twain.
Want More Information on This Topic?
Contact Alan Crawford, editor, Impact
Additional Resources
Speechwriting and Presentation Skills Workshop – May 22
The Write Stuff – Just Say It!
