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    Wisconsin Lawyer
    March 01, 1999

    Wisconsin Lawyer March 1999: In Plain English

    In Plain English


    Pet Peeves of Improper English Usage

    Readers sound off on pet peeves of their own.

    By Mary Barnard Ray

    Some time ago, I invited readers to send their pet peeves of improper English usage for inclusion in a future writing column. The authors of these "peeves" wish to remain anonymous, and so they shall. Their voices are their own. My comments, if any, are clearly identified.

    To those who sent in these "peeves," and to everyone who has contributed to the mailbag, thank you. Please continue to write. It's gratifying, as an author, to hear from readers.

    Reader: Here's my grammatical pet peeve: people in advertising who don't know the difference between the plural and the singular. For example: Using "they" when referring to a business like Phil Tolkan Pontiac. Frequently the writer will switch back and forth between the singular and the plural. It is very annoying.

    Ms. Ray: Good choice! This indifference to numbers can be annoying and misleading. Sometimes the problem may stem from ignorance or indifference, but often it is done as a flawed attempt to avoid gender-biased language. But it creates ambiguity and offends the trained English ear; legal writers should not resort to the habit. There are better ways to avoid gender-biased language.

    Using the plural form throughout a text avoids the need for "he or she" without violating numerical logic.

    "Attorneys choosing to exercise this option should submit their completed applications by June 6, 1999."

    When the plural form cannot be used without sacrificing precision, then try rephrasing to reduce the number of references to the person involved.

    "Any attorney who uses this form should include a self-addressed, stamped envelope."

    When this is not possible, use "he or she."

    "If a stockholder has not received a written notice by Sept. 1, 1999, then he or she should contact... ."

    Even if "he or she" occasionally seems cumbersome and distracting to you as a writer, it will not be as cumbersome or distracting to the careful reader as inconsistent numbers and subject/pronoun disagreement.

    RayMary Barnard Ray is a legal writing lecturer and director of the Legal Writing Individualized Instruction Services at the U.W. Law School. She has taught writing workshops and offered individual sessions for law students; she also taught advanced writing and commenting and conferencing techniques in the training course for the legal writing teaching assistants. She has taught and spoken nationally at many seminars and conferences of legal and college writing instructors. Her publications include two coauthored legal writing books, Getting It Right and Getting It Written and Beyond the Basics, published by West Publishing Co.

    If you have a writing problem that you can't resolve, email or send your question to Ms. Ray, c/o Wisconsin Lawyer, State Bar of Wisconsin, P.O. Box 7158, Madison, WI 53707-7158. Your question and Ms. Ray's response will be published in this column. Readers who object to their names being mentioned should state so in their letters.

    Reader: I have lots of peeves, but a few of my pet ones are these:

    1. Using "impact" as a verb.
    2. Using "quality" without a qualifier (as in, "It's a quality product," instead of "It's a high-quality product").
    3. Not using a comma before "and" or "or" in a list. This drives me nuts, because it can change the meaning of a sentence. In legal drafting, we always use that comma to avoid any misunderstandings. I think the teachers in elementary schools now teach students affirmatively not to use that comma, because the young attorneys we get in the office have to be "deprogrammed."
    4. One I see all the time in everyday writing and speaking is the overzealous avoidance of ending a sentence with a preposition. I don't know how it happened, but suddenly everyone thinks it is improper to end a sentence with a preposition. (It's like the incorrect avoidance of using "me" when "me" is correct, instead of "I.")

    People are afraid of looking ignorant, when in fact the usage is wrong.


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