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Better English 101
Tips For Communicating Better
Vol I, No. 13 ISSN 1939-5795
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In this issue
-- SOME WORDS FROM THE RIGHT
-- HOW TO APOLOGIZE--AND WHY
-- FEWER OR LESS THAN?

Welcome back from the summer. You mean it's over? In this issue we discuss the power of the apology as promised, and expose a shocking practice of the media.

Automate your typing!


SOME WORDS FROM THE RIGHT
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 Some subscribers are paying more attention than others--and writing back to prove it.

One reader points out that I used incorrect diction in several examples: "Can I go ahead of you please?" The verb "may" should have been used since it asks for permission while "can" means "able to."

"Can I step ahead of you please, because I'm really late for my doctor's appointment?" We have the same misuse of the language. "May I step ahead?" is correct

An editor friend from Ontario, Canada pointed out my misuse of "then" in this sentence: "Smile, because it's easier then trying to explain why you're sad." Here's a guy who knows that "then" relates to time, and "than" doesn't--unless you have a thick accent.

HOW TO APOLOGIZE--AND WHY
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 When I announced in the last issue that I would cover the apology as a powerful communication tool, I had no idea that an onslaught of regretful public expressions would follow.

A football player is involved in dog fighting, a senator's name is discovered in a certain address book, and a toy corporation recalls a harmful product. Who can deny that sometimes we are overwhelmed by requests for forgiveness on all fronts--from entertainers to politicians, to corporate leaders to athletes. There was an apology every other week since the last issue, it seems.

I got the idea from a lengthy article by Sarah Kellogg in the June 2007 "Washington Lawyer." In "The Art and Power of the Apology," she describes the use of the apology in legal and corporate arenas. Says Kellogg: "It can be a shrewd tactic for corporate America when confronted with discontented customers, unhappy employees, or angry patients."

So true. But the apology can also have powerful benefits for all who communicate. And aren't we communicating every hour of our lives? Still, the process of admitting wrong and expressing an earnest plea for forgiveness is a communication device that has its own store of techniques, conventions, rules, and finally tips. Used properly, these tips can help us express ourselves sincerely. Here are seven key elements of a good apology.

1. Acknowledge the mistake.
2. Find out how the other person felt.
3. Recognize that pain was caused.
4. Accept responsibility for the error and its consequences.
5. Vow not to repeat it.
6. Apologize sooner than later.
7. Forget about your pride.

What are the benefits? Consider these, advises Joshua Underberling, a communications specialist in Australia:

Discover the secrets of winning communication skills!

-- You act as a role model and encourager.
-- Apologizing begins to fix the problem.
-- You give back what you have taken.
-- You show that the relationship is important.

FEWER OR LESS THAN?
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 A weary observer from Manhattan asks if I will please explain the difference between "less" and "fewer." She is "shocked" that the mainstream media "continues to replace the word 'fewer' with the word 'less.' "

"Fewer" refers to how many, to a quantity that can be counted, and is used with plural nouns. We can count bikes and hats, but we can't count exercise and clothing.

"Less" is used with singular nouns that can't be counted. And it also refers to how much. Less clothing, less exercise. How much clothing, how much exercise?

Here's News 10 in Rochester, NY: "Rochester police are investigating the city's second homicide in less than 48 hours." If it's been 48 hours, it's been a number of hours that can be counted, so "fewer than 48 hours" is correct.

How about KATC 3 in Lafayette, LA: "The St. Landry Parish schools superintendent says he's quitting the job, less than two months after taking it." Two months are a plural countable quantity, requiring "fewer." But he could have been getting less respect than he wanted.

Here's a correct headline from USAToday: "Scientists expect far fewer polar bears by 2050."

Very nice examples, you say, but how do I remember?

--Use "fewer" for things you count, and "less" for things you measure.
--Use "less" for so-called mass nouns like ice cream, money, and troops but "fewer" for countable nouns like cones, dollars, and soldiers.
--Final tip: If you can count them on your "few" fingers, use "fewer."
--Final tip 2: Remember the grocery store checkout counter. The express lane limits you to fewer than 15 items that you can count one by one.

Best wishes,
Barry Beckham


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