The Right Word: Be Careful What You Say and Write

Posted by on Oct 1, 2009 in Blog | 1 comment

Crossing my desk: notice of a new book published by Harvard University Press, on “Harnessing the Empowered Employee.”  The authors apparently don’t see the contradiction.  No human in a harness is empowered.

When you write, pay close attention to what you say. Words are powerful.  They have very specific meaning.  The wrong word can undermine what you mean to say.

I had this point drilled into me at an early age by a grade school English teacher who was a retired British Royal Marine.  Col. A.G. Ferguson Warren  gave a major writing assignment every week and was merciless in correcting errors, bad habits and, in particular, misuse of language.  Good and bad papers alike were read aloud.  I will never forget the day he held one of mine up to the class and scowled:

“Mr. Crawford, this paper is a perfect bull’s foot.  Just look at it — bathed in my red ink.  Would you explain what you mean, for example, when you write, ‘the man ascended into the well’?  Never mind — come and take it off my desk.”

Tough words for a 14 year-old to hear.  Were he a teacher today, Col. Warren would doubtless be condemned by the Parent/Teacher Association for cruel and unnatural behavior.  But I have always been, and still am, grateful to this man.  From that day, I determined not to make a fool of myself in prose again.  Hopefully, I have never failed the test that crusty old marine — a hero of Dunkirk and Burma — put to me that day: the challenge to say what I mean and mean what I say.

Not all writers are so lucky to have a mentor like that, and the results show.  Recently I came across a brochure that espoused a company’s commitment to “execute and commit to a broad footprint.”  From this I presume they intend to kill something, then step on it.   It would have sufficed to say they plan to expand their service area.  Simple enough, don’t you think?

Today, on the portico of the small private school I attended so many years ago, stands a statue of Col. Warren.  Children rush by on their way to class.  Perhaps one or two wonder idly who he was and what he did to merit such an honor.  But on Homecoming Day, his former students — even those he tongue-lashed — pass that monument smiling.

Related posts:

  1. How to Write a Great Tech Press Release There are three problems with most press releases issued by...
  2. How To Write a Social Media “How To” Book After reading every social media book, I realize one can...
  3. Executive Communications: Le Mot Juste and the Just Word The Fortune 100 company chairman looked at the draft speech...
  4. Secrets of Telecom PR: Don’t Make Reporters Take Your Word For It You've successfully navigated a tough interview, providing great info, fielding...
  • Ken Valentino

    In the early 1960′s–around 1962 to 1964- I was a student at Bullis Prep, when the school was still in Silver Spring, Maryland. Colonel Ferguson Warren was an English Instructor there for a time during that period.nnAlthough I never had him as an Instructor, he was well known to all of us. He reminds me now of Alec Guiness in a way, as back then he wore a well trimmed moustache and was of a slight stature. The other striking thing was that occasionally he would become very jaundiced, developing a yellow palor over his face and his eyes would yellow. Of course, we never questioned his infirmity, but assumed it was from malaria that he developed during his time in Southeast Asia (Singapore/Malaya/Thailand/Burma). His participation in the Bridge Over The River Kwai construction as a British prisoner of war was well known to us, and occasionally we would hear stories.nnWe referred to him as Col. Ferguson-Warren, or Sir, or many times simply, Colonel, as the case may have been, and he was a very well liked and admired instructor.nnFortunately, we had a number of notable veterans at the school in those years including General Alan Shapley, USMC, and Admiral Bruce Ware, USN for example. The Colonel never lacked for outstanding company from men who had served notably in the war.nnI never knew why he did not stay at Bullis, and really paid it no mind at the time. I was interested to note that he taught at Flint Hill, however, and glad to see that his students seem to have admired and cared for him as much as we did.nnThe above is a footnote to his life as a soldier and as an Instructor. I hope it adds a bit to your knowledge of Colonel Ferguson-Warren.nnKen Valentinonkenvalentino@gmail.com