Wednesday, January 14, 2004

Something Useless

Fie upon useless words. Fie, I say!

The latest culprit: “Is something that.” Reading these words reminds me of eating a bowl of mushy, gray cereal. No flavor. Precious little purpose when easier-to-take alternatives exist. An editor can and should excise that phrase violently.

“The concert is something that everyone will enjoy.”

Make it: “Everyone will enjoy the concert.”

“The show is something that demonstrates the development of artistic styles.”

Make it: “The show demonstrates the development of artistic styles.”

Next topic.