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Got would?

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

  1. Bob Smith

    Bob Smith Member

    Have been seeing sentences lately that read like this ... Jones would score 10 first-quarter points en route to a game-high 32 and Wilson High would beat Lincoln 45-43.

    When did people start putting "would" in every sentence?

    Excuse me if this has been covered before.
     
    SFIND and Liut like this.
  2. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    Been around as long as I have in this business, so at least 15-20 years. Always hear TV people say it, and I had a crusty old editor beat it out of me early on by saying, "Don't write that shit. That's TV-speak."
     
    SFIND, bpoindexter, Vombatus and 2 others like this.
  3. SoloFlyer

    SoloFlyer Well-Known Member

    Seems to be particularly rampant in college sports info departments.
     
    JM22720 and Liut like this.
  4. tonygunk

    tonygunk Member

    It's the dumbest writing habit anyone could have, in my opinion.
     
    SFIND, Slacker and Liut like this.
  5. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    Won't anyone think of the sj.com legend that is RSW?
     
    Big Circus, Liut and Batman like this.
  6. expendable

    expendable Well-Known Member

    I developed it for a brief moment when I was starting out, but I was straightened out by a reader. Best reader phone call I ever received.
     
    Liut likes this.
  7. Twirling Time

    Twirling Time Well-Known Member

    First thing I do when I receive stringer copy is go to find-and-replace and remove all the “woulds.”
     
    SFIND, Batman and Liut like this.
  8. Sam Mills 51

    Sam Mills 51 Well-Known Member

    Active voice.
     
  9. Liut

    Liut Well-Known Member

    Good opines. What continues to drive me batty is the continued and over-used use of "fall" or "falls" to describe a loss.

    I rarely usually use profanity on sj.com but there are fucking clumsy teams all over this fucking country, I guess!

    You win, lose or, possibly, tie. You don't fucking fall!

    How much damn time in practice would it take up to get every member of the team coordinated enough that the entire group would, on cue, fucking fall!

    Sorry. Carry on.
     
    SFIND and HanSenSE like this.
  10. swingline

    swingline Well-Known Member

    How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

    That's what I think about "would" in damn near any sports coverage. He "would" go on to drive in three runs? How about he drove in three runs and you stick the would up your ass?
     
  11. micropolitan guy

    micropolitan guy Well-Known Member

    My pet peeve: Stories that say "and City High was able to defeat Country High" or "City High went on to defeat Country High."

    City High defeated Country High. Save some words.
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2019
    OscarMadison, HanSenSE and Liut like this.
  12. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    Counterpoint: Those three skinny characters are pure gold when trying to write a one-column headline.
     
    Dog8Cats, BTExpress and Liut like this.
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