Word Wise: The Wednesday Word Wise Roundup

October 10, 2007

On Sept. 23 Reuters ran a story about the 16,000 words that “have succumbed to pressures of the Internet age and lost their hyphens in a new edition of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary.” This past Sunday, Oct. 7, The New York Times finally roused itself from its slumber and reported the same story. Later than Reuters but better later than never, I suppose (plus, the Times brought up the use of hyphens by Shakespeare, Donne, Milton, and even E.E. Cummings - Shakespeare liked them, Cummings did not). The most depressing quote in the Times version: “People are not confident about using hyphens anymore,” said the dictionary’s editor, Angus Stevenson. “They’re not really sure what they’re for.”

Everyone likes to air their pet peeves – over at a blog called Words to the Wise (subtitled “A conversation on language – with a dash of editing”) professional copyeditors do exactly that. Two with which I agree: “I could care less. This phrase means the opposite of what the writer or speaker intends, which is could NOT care less” and “Extraneous words and phrases. In order to; in the process of; currently.”

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I don't think a general lack of confidence about when or how to use a hyphen (or anything else) warrants its slow banishment from existence. How sad.

Do you not think that sometimes "I could care less" is said in a sarcastic vein?

Funny that in a post about grammar you should list ee cummings and apply standard capitalization and punctuation -- which in his case is wrong.

Why "Word Wise"?

When I started to send out a weekly writing tip to my Chicago colleagues at Edelman (the world's largest privately owned PR firm), little did I know how quickly the list of those receiving it would grow. But word spread, as word is wont to do, and for the past three years about 1,500 of my 2,400 colleagues worldwide have been receiving it. The tips, which are about grammar, usage and style, have a dual purpose – to remind my colleagues in public relations of the power of the written word (I’m lucky to work for a company that not only prizes, but expects, expert communications skills), and, more generally, to support and perpetuate clear, concise, creative, honest, lively, stylish, compelling writing everywhere. With “Word Wise,” I hope you’ll challenge me, challenge other readers, make suggestions, argue minutiae, add commentary, exchange ideas, and help all of us become the best writers we can be.

Word Wise