it's very good to English myself ;p

In the aftermath of the Janina San Miguel Bb. Pilipinas controversy we are led to ask ourselves, "why do we try so hard to speak in a language that is not our own?" The answer to this question will need a separate blog entry. Sometimes, it is not "very good to English yourself." But we are in a country where leaders "think" English is the language so we are forced to learn it and speak it even if we can't or don't want to. (roll eyes)

This entry is about the rules that we violate in academic writing. These rules are from Strunk and White's The Elements of Style. I love this book because the authors are sarcastic. Haha. Here are some excerpts:

certainly   Used indiscriminately by some speakers, much as others use very, in an attempt to intensify any and every statement. A mannerism of this kind, bad in speech, is even worse in writing.

enthuse   An annoying verb growing out of the noun enthusiasm. Not recommended.

facility   Why must jails, hospitals, schools suddenly become "facilities"?
ex.    He has been appointed warden of the new facility.
        He has been apponted warden of the new prison.

finalize   A pompous, ambiguous verb. Finalize is not standard; it is special, and it is a peculiarly fuzzy and silly word. Does it mean "terminate," or does it mean "put into final form"? One can't be sure, really, what it means, and one gets the impression that the person using it doesn't know, either, and doesn't want to know.

-ize   Do not coin verbs by adding this tempting suffix. Many good and useful verbs do end in -ize: summarize, temporize, fraternize, harmonize, fertilize. But there is a growing list of abominations: containerize, prioritize, finalize, to name four. Be suspicious of -ize; let your ear and your eye guide you. Never tack -ize onto a noun to create a verb. Usually you will discover that a useful verb already exists. Why say "moisturize" when there is the simple, unpretentious word moisten?

people    A word with many meanings. The people is a political term, not to be confused with the public. From the people comes political support or opposition; from the public comes artistic appreciation or commercial patronage. The word people is best not used with words of number, in place of persons. If of "six people" five went away, how many people would be left? Answer: one people.

personally   Often uneccessary.
ex.   Personally, I thought it was a good book.
       I thought it a good book.

prestigious   Often an adjective of last resort. It's in the dictionary, but that doesn't mean you have to use it.

secondly, thirdly, etc.    Unless you are prepared to begin with firstly and defend it (which will be difficult), do not prettify numbers with -ly. Modern usage prefers second, third, and so on.

so   Avoid, in writing, the use of so as an intensifier: "so good"; "so warm"; "so delightful."

the forseeable future    A cliche, and a fuzzy one. How much of the future is forseeable? Ten minutes? Ten years? Any of it? By whom is it forseeable? Seers? Experts? Everybody?

very    Use this word sparingly. Where emphasis is necessary, use words strong in themselves.

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Of course I can't help but add "abominations" that I have encountered.

Abomination #1: mature   This word can be used as an adjective or a verb. When using it as an adjective, it is funny to use it in the past tense.
ex.   She is mature. (sentence pattern: S-LV-Cadj)
       She is matured. (sentence pattern: S-LV-V)

Abomination #2: cope up   The verb cope means "to keep up". Saying "cope up" is saying "keep up up".

Abomination #3: taken cared of   This is from Cookie's list of abominations. Why is it that we feel the need to write care in the past tense when take is already a past participle?
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Oh well... I still hate the "English-as-medium-of-instruction-policy". It just doesn't make sense to me. Why do we need to teach Math and Science in English when it is more effective to teach them in Filipino? What's with this "globally competitive" mindset? Hmph.

It's very good to English myself because I am Pilipino and this is a prestigious country of English. The very important is that I expressed myselves and people understands me. Ahlavet! ;p