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Got would?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Bob Smith, Dec 27, 2019.

  1. silvercharm

    silvercharm Member

    "on the season." As in "Podunk moved to 2-0 on the season."

    Nails on a chalkboard.
     
    garrow, Liut, Bronco77 and 1 other person like this.
  2. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    99 times out of 100, a team's record can be done with parentheses, followed by other information. "Podunk (13-2) won its eighth consecutive game . . ."
     
    HanSenSE and Liut like this.
  3. Matt Stephens

    Matt Stephens Well-Known Member

    I despise "has got ... "
     
    bpoindexter and Liut like this.
  4. ChrisLong

    ChrisLong Well-Known Member

    I gave up trying to get rid of "would." It's not "would happen." It "did happen." Even the veteran writers used it. We miss deadline if I changed them all.
     
    matt_garth and Liut like this.
  5. Bronco77

    Bronco77 Well-Known Member

    My shop is full of reporters who use "different" in that context and assigning editors who contend it's necessary. I've argued that it's wordy, substandard writing, but I'm always either ignored or told to mind my own business.
     
    Liut likes this.
  6. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    Mind your own business?

    You're an editor. It IS your business. :eek:
     
    Dog8Cats, Slacker and Liut like this.
  7. Matt Stephens

    Matt Stephens Well-Known Member

    Only if there are five receivers with the same name.
     
    bpoindexter and HanSenSE like this.
  8. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    Then you could write "five similar receivers. "
     
  9. Dog8Cats

    Dog8Cats Well-Known Member

    Yes, active voice is great. But the "would" issue isn't a matter of active or passive. It's a matter of an unnecessary conditional.
     
    Slacker likes this.
  10. Sam Mills 51

    Sam Mills 51 Well-Known Member

    WOULD you stop ...
     
  11. inthesuburbs

    inthesuburbs Member

    If we're naming redundancies (words you can nearly always omit):

    -- New. Smith named as new coach = Smith named as coach. Of course she's a new coach. Everyone understands that teams don't hire the old coach.

    -- Local. A local hospital = a hospital. If they were flown to Paris for surgery, we'd say that.

    -- -based. A Nashville-based freelancer = a Nashville freelancer. Everyone understands that people travel for work. They're not the Chicago-based Cubs.
     
    HanSenSE and Liut like this.
  12. ChrisLong

    ChrisLong Well-Known Member

    We always joked about it -- he was slowly taken to a faraway hospital.

    One of my peeves was "in the game." Smith got three hits in the game. No shit. If he did it during batting practice, we wouldn't care.
     
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