Boston Globe
You probably have heard the expression, “Jumping the shark.” It refers to a scene in the 1970s TV series Happy Days in which the family vacations in Southern California and Fonzie ski-jumps over a shark. It’s come to mean the moment a TV series — or any institution — goes too far, and becomes ridiculous, and starts its decline.
Desperate writers sometimes use hyperbole — meaning exaggeration; far more dramatic wording than the situation calls for — and come off looking silly. Here are some examples.
“We’re ecstatic you’ve chosen to call our hotel home during your stay.”
“We are thrilled to invite you… “
“Our sale will be legendary.”
“The party was awesome.” (Ask the person, "Were you in awe?” She might not know what that means.)
“That touchdown was unbelievable!” (Of course, everyone was able to believe it.)
“We will not rest until the killer is found.” (Well, this person will rest.)
Watch this on video: https://youtu.be/ueEpPlkvwxI?si=N7CdLBEkcIzuam-F
Items before the Assizes:
Oyez, Oyez, Oyez! On the docket:.
Longtime reader and occasional contributor Bruce Moore, himself a retired copy editor and a former colleague of the “Horribly Wrong” team, questioned the capitalization of “former.” The question also was raised about “President.” The Rules Committee opined: “‘We partly CONCUR. ‘President’ before a name is still a title and still uppercase. But former in any usage should be lowercase.”
Next time: Oh! So close.
Readers: "Something Went Horribly Wrong" features samples of bad writing we see nearly every day. You can participate! Be our duly deputized “grammar police.” Your motto: “To protect and correct.” Send in your photos of store signs, street signs, menus, TV news graphics, newspaper headlines, tweets, and so on. It doesn’t have to be a grammatical error. It can be just what we call “cowardly writing.” Include your name and home town so we can credit you properly. You're free to add a comment, although we reserve the right to edit or omit. Now get out there! Send to Eliot@eliotkleinberg.com
Haven’t signed up for our newsletter yet? Do it now! And tell your friends!
NOTE: Eliot and Lou Ann are available for speaking engagements, and can travel. Reach us through the comments section. Just think of all of your employees getting back to work on a Monday, their heads filled with all the ways we’ve shown them to be better communicators!