Plain Words (13 page)

Irresistibly reminded
is on the way to becoming a cliché, especially useful to after-dinner speakers who want to drag in an irrelevant story, but by no means confined to them.

Other intrusive words are
incidentally
,
specific
and
particular
. In conversation,
incidentally
(like
actually
and
definitely
) is often a noise without meaning. In writing it is an apology for irrelevance, sometimes unnecessary or even ambiguous, as here: ‘Dennis Brain will play horn concertos by Haydn and Mozart, both incidentally written to order'. Is it incidental to the announcer's announcement that the concertos were written to order, or to the working practices of Haydn and Mozart?

Particular
intrudes (though perhaps more in a certain type of oratory than in writing) as an unnecessary reinforcement of a demonstrative pronoun:

No arrangements have yet been made regarding moneys due to this particular country.

We would point out that availabilities of this particular material are extremely limited.

On the same day on which you advised the Custodian of the existence of this particular debt.

So much fun has been made of the common use of
literally
in the sense of ‘not literally but metaphorically' that it is perhaps hardly worthwhile to make more. But it would be a pity not to record some of the choicer blossoms from a recent flowering of this perennial in the correspondence columns of
The Times
:

In all utility writing today, official and commercial, the simple prepositions we have in such abundance tend to be forgotten and replaced by groups of words more imposing perhaps, but less precise. The commonest of these groups are:

As regards

As to

In connection with

In regard to

In relation to

In respect of

In the case of

Relative to

With reference to

With regard to

They are useful in their proper places, but are often made to serve merely as clumsy devices to save a writer the labour of selecting the right preposition. In the collection that follows, the right preposition is added in brackets:

A firm timetable
in relation to
the works to be undertaken should be drawn up. (for)

It has been necessary to cause many dwellings to be disinfested of vermin, particularly
in respect
of
the common bed-bug. (of)

The Authority are fully conscious of their responsibilities
in regard to
the preservation of amenities. (for)

It will be necessary to decide the priority which should be given to nursery provision
in relation to
other forms of education provision. (over)

The rates vary
in relation to
the age of the child. (with)

Coupons without restrictions
as to
how you should spend them. (on)

There may be difficulties
with regard to
the provision of suitable staff. (in)

Similar considerations apply
with regard to
application for a certificate. (to)

The best possible estimate will be made at the conference
as to
the total number of houses which can be completed in each district during the year. (of)

Note
. If Gowers's examples above had been written today, it would be unsurprising to find the phrase
in terms of
used for all of them (‘A firm timetable
in terms of
the works to be undertaken …', ‘particularly
in terms of
the common bed-bug', and so on)
. In terms of
is now widely used to mean not only
for
,
of
,
over
,
with
,
on
,
in
and
to
, but also
about
,
towards
,
against
,
and
,
by
,
including
and
because
, as well as
for example
. And sometimes it means nothing. It circulates in what Gowers called the ‘highest places'. In 1995, the Committee on Standards in Public Life gave as its very first principle, under the heading ‘Selflessness', that ‘Holders of public office should take decisions solely in terms of the public interest'. It would have been enough to remind the venal public servant that official decisions should be taken ‘solely
in
the public interest'.

The vagueness of
in terms of
is demonstrated by the following extract from a ‘meta-evaluation', by a professor of public sector evaluation, of an external review of multiple other evaluations of a public body:

The timing of the technical review process has limited its value in terms of improving individual evaluation reports. Because it has been undertaken after a draft evaluation report has been
produced, there has been little scope to respond to any gaps or problems in terms of terms of reference, evaluation design (methodology), data collection or analysis'.

Though substituting
in
for
in terms of
would make both these sentences clearer, perhaps more would be gained than lost by rewriting them as follows: ‘This review of the general principles on which the reports were based comes too late for there to be much chance of improving the reports themselves'.

The phrase
in terms of
is sometimes rightly used to make plain that a subject is being matched to a restricted class of language. But slack use of the expression is so prevalent that if one person now says of another, ‘He abused me in terms of extreme violence', it is no longer clear whether the victim has endured a shocking verbal assault, or has suffered (say) being hit over the head with a bottle. Though
in terms of
has helped itself to the meanings of numerous other single words, its three-word form is not enough for some, who prefer the inflated version
in terms of issues to do with
. In the sentence, ‘How highly should issues about access to treatment rank in terms of issues to do with resource allocation …', a mere
in
would suffice; and the authors of the sentence that starts, ‘In terms of issues to do with cosmopolitanism, we will show that …', could have contented themselves with a simple
on
. ~

As to
deserves special mention because it leads writers astray in other ways besides making them forget the right preposition. It may tempt them into a more elaborate circumlocution:

The operation is a severe one as to the after effects. (The after effects of the operation are severe.)

It is no concern of the Ministry as to the source of the information. (The source of the information is no concern of the Ministry.)

As to
serves a useful purpose at the beginning of a sentence by way of introducing a fresh subject: ‘As to your liability for previous years, I will go into this'. But it also has a way of intruding itself where it is not wanted, especially before such words as
whether
,
who
,
what
,
how
. All the following examples are better without
as to
:

Doubt has been expressed as to whether these rewards are sufficient.

I have just received an enquiry as to whether you have applied for a supplement to your pension.

I am to ask for some explanation as to why so small a sum was realised on sale.

I will look into the question as to whether you are liable.

Note
. Gowers himself uses the form
the question whether
elsewhere in this book (e.g. ‘We can now turn to the question whether some general advice can be given to fortify the writer against infection'). There may be readers who find themselves wanting to amend this to ‘the question
of
whether'; but omitting
of
, though unusual these days, is not wrong, and has the merit of brevity. ~

Certain words beget verbosity. Among them are
case
and
instance
. The sins of
case
are well known. It has been said that there is perhaps no single word so freely resorted to as a trouble-saver and consequently responsible for so much flabby writing. Here are some examples to show how what might be a simple and straightforward statement becomes enmeshed in the coils of phrases formed with
case
:

The cost of maintenance of the building would be higher than was the case with a building of traditional construction. (Than that of a building of traditional construction.)

That country is not now so short of sterling as was formerly the case. (As it used to be.)

Since the officiating president in the case of each major institute takes up his office on widely differing dates. (Since the officiating presidents of the major institutes take …)

The National Coal Board is an unwieldy organisation, in many cases quite out of touch with the coalfields.

It is not easy to guess the meaning of this last example.

This trick of using
case
is even worse when the reader might be misled, though only momentarily, into thinking that a material case was meant:

Cases have thus arisen in which goods have been exported without the knowledge of this commission.

Water for domestic use is carried by hand in many cases from road standpipes.

There are, of course, many legitimate uses of the word, and writers should not be frightened away from it altogether. To borrow from Fowler, there are, for instance:

A case of measles.

You have no case.

In case of need, or fire, or other emergency.
*

A bad case of burglary or other crime.

A law case of any sort.

Circumstances alter cases.

But do not say ‘It is not the case that I wrote that letter', when you mean ‘It is not true that I wrote that letter', or merely ‘I did not write that letter'.

Instance
beguiles writers much as
case
does into roundabout ways of saying simple things:

In the majority of instances the houses are three-bedroom. (Most of the houses are three-bedroom.)

Most of the factories are modern, but in a few instances the plant is obsolete. (In a few of them.)

In the first instance
can generally be replaced by
first
.

Another such word is
concerned
in the phrase
so far
(or
as far
)
as
…
is concerned
. A correspondent has written asking me to

scarify the phrase ‘so far as … is concerned', e.g. ‘the war is over so far as Germany is concerned', an actual instance; or ‘so far as he was concerned interest in the game was over'. After long and vigilant watch I have still to find a case in which a single preposition would not be clearer as well as shorter.

It is perhaps putting the case too high to say that
so far
(or
as far
)
as
…
is concerned
could always be replaced by a single preposition. I do not think that the phrase can be dispensed with by those who wish to emphasise that they have blinkers on, and are concerned only with one aspect of a question. ‘So far as I am concerned you may go home' implies that someone else has a say too. Or again:

So far as the provisions of the Trading with the Enemy Act are concerned, the sum so released may … be utilised to reimburse you for expenses.

There is no other equally convenient way of making clear that the writer is removing only the impediment created by the Act and is not concerned with any other impediment there may be.

Possibly, though less certainly, this sentence might claim the same indulgence:

The effect of the suggested system, so far as the pharmaceutical industry is concerned, would be to ensure rewards for research and development work until the new preparations were absorbed into the B.P.

It might be argued that we should not get quite the same meaning from ‘on the pharmaceutical industry': this destroys the suggestion that there may be other effects, but the writer is not considering them.

But these are exceptions. There is no doubt that the phrase is generally a symptom of muddled thinking:

Some were opposed to hanging as a means of execution where women were concerned. (As a means of executing women.)

Wood pulp manufacture on a commercial scale is a very recent development so far as time is concerned. (Omit the last six words.)

The punishments at their disposal may not be of very serious effect so far as the persons punished are concerned. (On the persons punished.)

That is a matter which should be borne in mind because it does rule out a certain amount of consideration so far as the future is concerned.

I cannot translate this with any confidence. Perhaps it means ‘That is a matter which should be borne in mind because it circumscribes our recommendations for the future'.