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CALVIN AND HOBBES copyright 1992 Watterson. Dist. by UNIVERSAL
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word or the longer series of words is not as clear as the simpler expression. I challenge anyone to show how "at this
point in time" means, in its cumbersome way, more than the simple word "now." The concept denoted by "if' is not
improved by substituting the pompous expression "in the event that.''

Special Cases

Perhaps the worst offender of all is the word "case." There is no problem with a case of canned goods or even a case
of flu. However, 99% of the uses of "case" are jargon. In case you think that 99% is too high, make your own study.
Even if my percentage is too high, a good case could be made for the fact that "case" is used in too many cases.

Another word that I find offensive (in all cases) is the word "interface." As far as I know, the only time people can
interface is when they kiss.

Still another word that causes trouble (in some cases) is "about," not because it is used but because it is avoided. As
pointed out by Weiss (1982), writers seem unwilling to use the clear, plain "about" and instead use wordier and less-
clear substitutes such as:
approximately pursuant to

in connection with re
in reference to reference

in relation to regarding
in the matter of relating to the subject matter of
in the range of relative to

in the vicinity of respecting
more or less within the ballpark of

on the order of with regard to
on the subject of with respect to

In Appendix 4 I have collected a few "Words and Expressions to Avoid." A similar list well worth consulting was
published by O'Connor and Woodford (1975). It is not necessarily improper to use any of these words or expressions
on occasion; if you use them repeatedly, however, you are writing in jargon and your readers are suffering.

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