Sunday, February 22, 2009

Words that drive me mad

I feel like thrashing my desktop or banging my head against the wall on seeing the following words in user documents and emails:
  • On approval or once approved
  • Bolded
  • Revert back
  • Impacted
The problem with the first word is if the user has to do an action after a particular step or authorisation, I can write, "After xyz task, ...". Why should the word "once" be used?

In the printing industry, the word "bold" stands for "boldface". It is a character or type set in boldface. According to a printing glossary, "Bold is a type that appears darker than the next type of the same typeface." The adjectives are bolder and boldest, and not bolded.

Technical writers can use make bold or set to bold instead of bolded that gives a puking sensation.

The same applies to impacted. Even though, this is a popular , I will substitute it with another word or rewrite the sentence.

I do not know who discovered the expression "revert back" as a synonym for "reply". I have seem numerous instances of this wrong expression in emails. Check the meaning at dictionary.com.

Books Update - Nov 2022

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