Online English class is now in session.
So let's take a moment to examine this paragraph that just appeared in a Baltimore Business Journal article:
"Hogan's order goes into effect at 8 p.m. on Monday and requires that Marylanders only leave their homes for an essential job or reason. Those who violate the order could face up to a year in prison, $5,000 in fines or both."
OK, English fans, what's incorrect in there?
Yep, the "only" is misplaced. It should be placed in between "for" and "an" within the first sentence.
Where it currently is located within the sentence, the "only" could be interpreted to mean "only Marylanders" need to follow the new edict, which I guess on one level is true since this was proclaimed by the MD governor . . . but that misses the true intent, no?
OR
it could be interpreted that the "only" is meant to modify "leave," which means that perhaps "showing" a home to a prospective buyer or sales agent is ok. Something tells me the governor would not approve of that.
Picky? Maybe. Did I get the message regardless? Yes, eventually, but why does the reader need to slow down and think through what was really meant? It's the writer's responsibility -- and especially the responsibility of a professional communicator -- to make his/her writing efficiently clear.
And there are indeed times when this can REALLY matter. Take medical procedures. What if the instructions on a package read:
"Only insert the tube into the throat of the patient after the passageway is clear."
The EMT might take a critical extra few seconds to sort out in their head whether the "only" applies to "insert," or "the tube," or "the throat," or "after the passageway is clear."
How one writes is just as important as what one writes.
David Ryan is the owner/producer of Pro Video Promos
No comments:
Post a Comment