extradite (back)
(extreme) hazard
F
(face) mask
fall (down)
(false) pretense
(favorable) approval
(fellow) classmates
(fellow) colleague
few (in number)
filled (to capacity)
(final) conclusion
(final) end
(final) outcome
(first and) foremost
(first) conceived
first (of all)
first time (ever)
fly (through the air)
follow (after)
(foreign) imports
(former) graduate
(former) veteran
(free) gift
friend (of mine)
(from) whence
(frozen) ice
(frozen) tundra
full (to capacity)
(full) satisfaction
fuse (together)
(future) plans
(future) recurrence
G
gather (together)
(general) public
grow (in size)
H
(harmful) injuries
(head) honcho
heat (up)
(hollow) tube
(hot) water heater
hurry (up)
I
(illustrated) drawing
indicted (on a charge)
input (into)
integrate (together)
integrate (with each other)
introduced (a new)
introduced (for the first time)
(invited) guests
J
join (together)
(joint) collaboration
K
killed him/her (dead)
kneel (down)
(knowledgeable) experts
L
lag (behind)
later (time)
lift (up)
(little) baby
limited (only) to
(live) studio audience
(live) witness
(local) residents
look (ahead) to the future
look back (in retrospect)
M
made (out) of
(major) breakthrough
(major) feat
manually (by hand)
may (possibly)
meet (together)
meet (with each other)
(mental) telepathy
merge (together)
might (possibly)
mix (together)
(mutual) cooperation
(mutually) interdependent
N
nape (of her neck)
(native) habitat
(natural) instinct
never (before)
(new) beginning
(new) construction
(new) innovation
(new) invention
(new) recruit
none (at all)
nostalgia (for the past)
(now) pending
O
off (of)
(old) adage
(old) cliché
(old) custom
(old) proverb
(open) trench
open (up)
(oral) conversation
(originally) created
(original) founder
(original) source
(other) alternatives
output (out of)
(outside) in the yard
(over) exaggerate
(overused) cliché
P
(pair of) twins
palm (of the hand)
(passing) fad
(past) experience
(past) history
(past) memories
(past) records
penetrate (into)
penetrate (through)
(perfect) circle
period (of time)
(personal) friend
(personal) opinion
pick (and choose)
plan (ahead)
plan (in advance)
(Please) RSVP
plunge (down)
(polar) opposites
(positive) identification
postpone (until later)
pouring (down) rain
(pre)board
(pre)heat
(pre)record
(private) industry
(present) incumbent
present (time)
previously listed (above)
proceed (ahead)
progress (forward)
(proposed) plan
protest (against)
pursue (after)
R
rarely (ever)
reason is (because)
reason (why)
recur (again)
re-elect (for another term)
refer (back)
reflect (back)
(regular) routine
reiterate (again)
repeat (again)
reply (back)
retreat (back)
return (back)
revert (back)
round (in shape)
S
(safe) haven
same (exact)
scrutinize (in detail)
(serious) danger
share (together)
(sharp) point
shiny (in appearance)
shut (down)
(single) unit
skipped (over)
slow (speed)
small (size)
(small) speck
socialize (together)
soft (to the touch)
speeding (too fast)
spell out (in detail)
spliced (together)
square (in shape)
start (off or out)
(still) persists
(still) remains
(sudden) impulse
(sum) total
T
tall (in height)
tall (in stature)
(temper) tantrum
(temporary) reprieve
(three-way) love triangle
time (period)
(tiny) bit
(tired) cliché
(total) destruction
(true) facts
(truly) sincere
tuna (fish)
(twelve) noon or midnight
(two equal) halves
(two polar) opposites
U
(ultimate) end
(ultimate) goal
(ultimate) outcome
(unconfirmed) rumor
undergraduate (student)
(underground) subway
(unexpected) emergency
(unexpected) surprise
(unintentional) mistake
(unnamed) anonymous
(usual) custom
V
various (different)
(veiled) ambush
(very) unique
visible (to the eye)
W
warn (in advance)
weather (conditions)
whether (or not)
(white) snow
write (down)
RELATIVE ABSOLUTES
Some words represent absolute things or ideas; some words represent relative concepts. Here’s the difference: An absolute is something that cannot be modified; for example, a certain extreme state or condition. It is the epitome of what we mean when we say, “It is what it is.” These important words represent absolutes:
absolute
not relative; only has one state, measure, or meaning
best
most extreme element with some good quality
better
good in some higher degree
dead
not alive or functional
equal
exactly the same
eternal
forever, without beginning or end
f
alse
factually incorrect
deadly
final
conclusive
finite
bounded, not infinite
identical
exactly the same
immortal
lives forever
infinite
unbounded, not finite
irrevocable
granted forever
opposite
the other side of a binary condition
parallel
not converging or diverging; exactly the same direction
perfect
cannot be made better
pregnant
with child
relative
not absolute; has a spectrum of states, measures, or meanings
round
circular
square
at exactly right angles
straight
without a bend or curve
supreme
extreme, of the highest quality, degree, importance, etc.
total
complete, 100% of something
true
actual, real, correct
unanimous
in complete agreement
unique
one of a kind
worse
bad in some higher degree
worst
most extreme element with some bad quality
Absolutes tend to have only one distinct meaning. Most of the time, an absolute is the end of some binary scale. You can frequently define an absolute by saying it is the opposite of the other end of the binary scale, as truth is the opposite of falsehood. Some absolutes have multiple meanings, but in general, they cannot be modified with adjectives and adverbs like most, least, more, less, very, not very, or almost. Modifying absolutes as though they were relatives is a common abuse. We frequently hear phrases like these:
It was the most unique.
She was very pregnant.
That is more true.
We need to make this more square. The vote was more unanimous.
This poison is less fatal.
These absolutes provide a large source of pleonasms. Put absolutely or relatively in front of any of the words listed above and you get a pleonasm.
DOUBLE NEGATIVES
We all learned in school that we shouldn’t use no double negatives. A double negative is created when two negative terms are used in the same clause. Logically, a double negative resolves to negating a negation; therefore, it resolves to a positive. In other words:
negative one times negative one = positive one (-1 x -1 = +1)
The Yale Book of Quotations, edited by Fred Shapiro, contains a great quote by the philosopher Sidney Morgenbesser. He listened to a speaker saying that although in many cases two negatives make a positive, he could think of no case in which two positives make a negative. To this, Morganbesser replied, “Yeah, yeah.” This is nice example of the importance of tone in delivery. Only humans can invent ways to circumvent the purity of mathematics and create a double positive that translates into a negative.
Double negatives usually occur in informal speaking and vernaculars. Here are a few classic rock and roll double negatives with which almost everyone is familiar.
I can’t get no satisfaction. (The Rolling Stones meant, “I can’t get any satisfaction,” but these words translate logically into I can get satisfaction, which we all know is true.)
We don’t need no education. (Pink Floyd meant, “We don’t need any education,” but these words translate logically into we need education, which we all know is true.
You ain’t seen nothing yet. (Bachman Turner Overdrive meant, “You have not seen anything yet,” but these words translate into you have seen something.
I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more. (Dylan meant, “I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm any more,” which nobody misinterprets.)
There are many common double negatives that are proper English. However, there are positive ways to say exactly the same thing with no confusion.
Don’t go without me! (Wait for me!)
I am not dissatisfied. (I am satisfied.)
I don’t dislike that person. (I like that person.)
It is not infinite. (It is finite.)
I am not independent. (I am dependent.)
I won’t ask you to not go. (Please leave.)
It is not unusual. (It is common.)
I don’t disagree. (I agree.)
In most of these cases, the reasonable-looking double negatives are used by people who can’t bring themselves to say the positive form because it feels too strong to them. They resort to the double negative form, which feels softer. My favorite is the expression, “I don’t disagree.” We have all heard this a jillion times in business meetings, where it is almost always secret code for, “I don’t totally agree, but I don’t want to say I don’t agree.” The speaker usually follows this up with a sentence that begins with the word but. Try stopping someone right after they say, “I don’t disagree,” and ask, “But do you agree?” The person will usually squirm and stall, think over their answer, and respond either “Yes, but…” or “Well, partly,” and then state the points that they don’t agree with.
I found my all-time favorite example of a double negative about 15 years ago in the sports section of a newspaper. A Cal Berkeley alumnus had just been traded to an NBA basketball team that had the worst record in the league. Asked about his team’s chances in the upcoming year, he was quoted as saying, “We are going to turn this team around 360 degrees.” Although this is not a double negative, it is a great example of a statement that has the same effect. This alumnus meant to turn the team around 180 degrees. He doubled the negation unintentionally, ignorantly setting the team on the same dismal path as the year before. I was not happy that my alma mater had not produced a basketball player who was not illiterate.
Triple and quadruple negation can also occasionally be seen. It results in total obfuscation of the author’s real intent. The last sentence of the previous paragraph is a good example, as is my parenthetical comment regarding Dylan, above. While double negatives are frowned upon in English, the French commonly use two negatives to make a stronger negative, particularly in informal French. The Romance languages and Greek and Slavic languages routinely use double negatives. If you are a native English speaker and converse with non-English speakers using either spoken or written communications, you may notice that they use double negatives in their English. Imagine how hard it is to learn English as a second language when your native tongue routinely uses semantic structures that are considered incorrect in English.
PUZZLE 12. COULD JEFFERSON WRITE?
The preamble to the Constitution of the United States is a good example of a one-sentence paragraph. While it may be a rather long sentence (due to its list of intents), it is a well-structured thought with crisp, meaningful words. It stands alone as a strong paragraph.
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America.
Of all the abuses presented in this chapter, there are two specific instances that show up in one of America’s most revered paragraphs. Can you find them?
Many of the examples of English abuse sprinkled throughout this book have been the works of very accomplished people. Perhaps it is insane for me to suggest that our preamble could have been written better. Perhaps I should strike the word perhaps from that last sentence. This paragraph has stood the test of time. My nitpicky judgments on some potentially poor usage are made more than 230 years later, when the usage models for some words have evolved quite a bit. Nevertheless, this is a great retrospective poser for pedantic language observers.
CHAPTER 4
Synchronize With
Your Audience
Communicating more effectively tops the list of organizational development needs year after year. It is emphasized and highlighted in feedback from every employee survey, leadership workshop, and management training session. Whenever managers or management consultants confer, they discuss the need for more effective communications, but then what? The how, why, when, what, and where are left to be dealt with later and usually by short-term, unsustained, and shallow efforts. You can’t significantly improve your communications skill with one quick-hitting lecture or book, or even a longer term curricula, it needs to be a long term self-motivated pursuit.