Disposable words

1936 Chevrolet pickup

When I worked for a newspaper an editor challenged my use of the phrase "pickup truck." He changed it to just "pickup" because the "truck" was unnecessary. At one time, of course, the word pickup was an adjective, describing the kind of truck it was. Over time it gained use as a noun, making truck redundant. In the same way a convertible car became just a convertible

Many of the words we use in writing and especially in speaking are unnecessary, or what Patricia T. O'Conner calls disposable in her book Words Fail Me. They just aren't needed. Some of these are redundant, saying something that's already been said. More often they are words that are all but meaningless.

O'Conner lists several such words, very being prominent among them. I overuse very, as I think most of us do. Our intention is to put an exclamation point over the word it modifies. When we say we were "very sick" we mean we had something worse than the common cold or indigestion. When a man is described as "very tall" we mean he is something more than a six-footer.

Yet we seriously overuse the word. O'Conner makes light of this with an imagined Chamber of Commerce speech: "I'm very proud, and very honored, to accept this very distinguished award on behalf of Mr. Dithers, who is very sorry that he could not be here on this very special night." Take out the verys and the speaker would say the same thing in a shorter speech.

Other disposable words include really, somewhat, sort of, kind of, you know, a little and, of course, actually. One of my current pet peeves is the phrase "to be very clear" and all the variations on that phrase. Politicians, officials and TV commentators use such phrases repeatedly, often following them with something that is not clear at all.

Everybody, it seems, needs a good editor.