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Words we never need

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by inthesuburbs, Mar 17, 2018.

  1. inthesuburbs

    inthesuburbs Member

    Words we never need: latter, former, respectively. Others?

    A sentence on ESPN's site is dizzying: "Sale and Groome were fast friends, the latter admiring the former's work ethic, the former impressed by the latter's desire to learn."

    How the reader reads that: Sale and Groome were fast friends, the latter -- let's see, that's Groome -- admiring the former's -- Sale's -- work ethic, the former -- uh, that's Sale, I guess -- impressed by the latter's -- Groome's -- desire to learn."
    'I thought one of my buddies was playing a prank on me': How Chris Sale is grooming Jason Groome
     
  2. cjericho

    cjericho Well-Known Member

    Needed former and latter in Latin class in freshman year of high school.
     
  3. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    "Exciting changes."
     
    jr/shotglass likes this.
  4. fleishman

    fleishman Active Member

    innings of work when describing a pitcher's line.
    or in the process when saying in the process a team won their 10th straight.
     
  5. Flip Wilson

    Flip Wilson Well-Known Member

    past history

    future plans
     
  6. HandsomeHarley

    HandsomeHarley Well-Known Member

    OMG, your bad for getting me started ...

    My college writer is the king of redundacy:

    "Smith struck out five in seven innings pitched." As opposed to what, seven innings caught?
    "Smith won the 200-meter dash in a time of 10:29."
    "Podunk swept a doubleheader played Tuesday."
    "The Bears' Jill Brown led Podunk with 24 points."
    "Smith won the pole vault. In addition to Smith winning the pole vault, Brown won the javelin."
    "Brown was 4 for 5 at the plate."
    "Smith started on the mound for Podunk. Brown relieved Smith on the mound ..."
     
  7. inthesuburbs

    inthesuburbs Member

    "on the bump"
     
  8. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    I always call that "Mojo Jojo Disease" and have had to call out every young writer I've worked with about it at one time or another.

     
  9. MNgremlin

    MNgremlin Active Member

    Side note, but I hate seeing a sentence start with The Bears'. Had a coworker who would write in that style multiple times per story.

    Simple solutions: "Bears guard Jill Brown" or "Bears senior Jill Brown"
    Or would it be Bear? I never get that one right.
     
  10. MNgremlin

    MNgremlin Active Member

    Sale and Groome said that they were fast friends.
    Sale and Groome said they were fast friends.
     
  11. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    I've always had a thing about "Brady completed 34-of-45 passes to seven different receivers for 398 yards." Do you really need the different?
     
    Bronco77 likes this.
  12. Spartan Squad

    Spartan Squad Well-Known Member


    I used to write this all the time, but it was also in the context of me trying to fill space. Of course I would usually say "Smith won the 200-meter dash with a time of ..." When I was pressed for space, I would have the person's places in each event with times in parentheses.
     
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