Monday, March 5, 2012

IT'S WRITING, NOT THE WRITING PROCESS...

      George Carlin brought this up twenty years ago in his HBO stand-up special "Jammin' in New York" and I can't say that it has ever left my mind...the overuse of the word "process". Before I begin my stupid rant, let me give examples of what I'm talking about...

Good administrators use the evaluation processes to support teachers

Such a screening process is used to prevent a Minbari from choosing the wrong caste due to others' expectations.

It will also make the writing process more enjoyable.

Each of those example sentences contains an inappropriate use of the word process, usually taking the form of "the _____ process". It just bugs the shit out of me every time I read such clumsy phrasing. I can't help but feel the speaker or writer says "the _____ process" in an effort to come across sounding more intelligent than they really are (or in George Carlin's opinion, to make them or the things they're talking about to sound more important than it really is). They're such unnecessary words and I'll show you using those same sentences, but with a slightly different wording.

Good administrators use evaluations to support teachers.

Screening is used to prevent a Minbari from choosing the wrong caste due to others' expectations.

It will also make writing more enjoyable.


You see what I did there? You don't need "the ____ process": you can just use the word represented by the blank. They're extra words unnecessary to both your speech and writing. Drop these unnecessary processes and your speech becomes clearer and less pretentious. An example of correct usage?

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants make food from light, water, nutrients, and carbon dioxide.

Do yourself a favor and refrain from unnecessary wording. Consider the following George Carlin bit your handy-dandy helpful guide. You're welcome...assholes.



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