Over the last few days, at home and at work, I’ve been bitching and moaning about the use of the word impact as a verb. It exists today in dictionaries as a verb, but the English teachers and professors I’ve spoken to on the topic say nay to that use. More important: I despise it. :-) Even if you believe its use is grammatically proper, you've got to agree that it's way, way, way overused.
Have you ever wondered how it became fashionable to use impact as a verb? I can’t prove it, but I’ll bet you a shiny nickel someone started using it because they couldn’t remember when to use effect and when to use affect.
I have the same hypothesis on the very common misuse of reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.) in place of object pronouns: me, us, you, him, her, it, them, whom and whomever.
Have you ever wondered how it became fashionable to use impact as a verb? I can’t prove it, but I’ll bet you a shiny nickel someone started using it because they couldn’t remember when to use effect and when to use affect.
I have the same hypothesis on the very common misuse of reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.) in place of object pronouns: me, us, you, him, her, it, them, whom and whomever.
3 comments:
The misuse of "impact" bothers me too. On a similar topic, do you get as irked as I do when you hear people turning verbs like "ask" and "get" into nouns? I freakin' HATE that...
Sorry so slow getting back to you. Long couple of weeks on the road. :-)
I can't say that I've run into "ask" and "get" being used as nouns - at least not that I remember.
No need to wonder:
1935 W. G. HARDY Father Abraham 370 For there was about them an air of eagerness and of shuddering expectation which impacted on his consciousness and fascinated even while it repelled him.
Actually "impact" is attested as a verb (well, past participle) before it was attested as a noun.
Post a Comment