A Correct “Fewer” and a Digression

Occasionally I see a comic that has a grocery store checkout that says “fewer.” Here’s another one. The digression is below the comic.

Okay, digression. This is about the likelihood of picking the fastest line and why we always seem to not pick it. The reason is that line speeds are actually random, and when we pick a line, we compare where we are to the line on each side. That makes the odds of picking the fastest line three to one. So sometimes we do pick the fastest line, but only one out of three times feels worse than it is. I read this in an article in Scientific American, so it must be true.

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Perhaps the second-most common logical fallacy (after non sequitur) is “begging the question.” Well, maybe post hoc. Begging the question is when you use the thing you’re trying to prove as evidence for its truth. For example, someone asks whether you were speeding, and you reply, “Well, I didn’t get a ticket, did I?” Mostly people say “beg the question” because they heard the phrase in class when they weren’t paying attention, so that’s what they say when they mean “beg to ask a question.” They mean what the guy correctly says in the first panel:

When something stimulates you to ask a question, that’s okay; just don’t say you’re begging the question.

PS—a non sequitur is when two things happen together and you say that one thing is the cause of the other. And post hoc means “after this (therefore because of this.)” They are pretty similar.

I see “utilize” a lot in technical writing. A lot of folks seem to think that the fancier word, the better. Not so!

Good expository writing is concise, and that often means using the simpler word if you have a choice. Besides, the words aren’t quite the same. “Utilize” implies that something was used “creatively,” made use of, as it were.

The rule: if use works, use it.

Besides, since that’s a poster, “use” takes up less space and is easier for the audience to read. If they can read.

This one’s too easy.

Um, you do know what “literally” means, and the difference between “healthy” and “healthful,” right?

(Another shameless plug for someone else)

Mike Peterson is a journalist who writes a blog named Comic Strip of the Day. Usually he uses comics as starters for political and social commentary. (Mike, if you see this, I hope you think that’s a fair description.) I frequently use comics too, but to make points about grammar and writing, mostly expository writing.

This time he started with a Non Sequitur comic that fits well here (see below) and he writes about grammar! Go read the whole post; it’s good, though I don’t know the rule he refers to regarding “may” and “might.”

Here’s the comic: