Collins Improve Your Writing Skills. Graham King

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СКАЧАТЬ I do not want a single European currency until various other factors affecting the question have been dealt with. The factors are these . . .

      A former US President, George Bush, was famous for his bemusing circumlocution, as in this speech defending his accomplishments:

       I see no media mention of it, but we entered in – you asked what time it is and I’m telling you how to build a watch here – but we had Boris Yeltsin in here the other day, and I think of my times campaigning in Iowa, years ago, and how there was a – I single out Iowa, it’s kind of an international state in a sense and has a great interest in all these things – and we had Yeltsin standing here in the Rose Garden, and we entered into a deal to eliminate the biggest and most threatening ballistic missiles . . . and it was almost, ‘Ho-hum, what have you done for me recently?’

      Circumlocution (also called periphrasis) typically employs long words, often incorrectly or inappropriately, and probably derives from a need to sound learned (a policeman referring to a bomb as an explosive device) or a desire not to offend (asking, for example, ‘I wonder if you would mind awfully moving to one side’ instead of the more direct ‘Get out of my way!’. Some forms of circumlocution may be excusable, but most are due to unthinking use of jargon and clichés in place of more precise (and usually briefer) expressions. Typical is the use of with the exception of for except; with reference to/regard to/respect to for about; for the very good reason that for because, and so on.

      To avoid being accused of circumlocution, stick to the point! If you intend to drive from London to Manchester in the most direct way possible you’d hardly wander off every motoway exit and then dither about along country lanes. The same principle applies to effective communication.

      It also pays to be aware of persistent offenders – circumlocutory phrases many of us are inclined to utter when the exact, simple word we want fails to turn up. Here’s a short list.

      The Circumlocutionist’s Lexicon

      apart from the fact that – but, except

      as a consequence of – because of

      as yet – yet

      at the time of writing – now/at present

      at this moment/point in time – now/at present

      avail ourselves of the privilege – accept

      be of the opinion that – think, believe

      because of the fact that – because

      beg to differ – disagree

      by means of – by

      by virtue of the fact that – because

      consequent upon – because of

      consonant with – agreeing/matching

      could hardly be less propitious – is bad/unfortunate/unpromising

      due to the fact that – because

      during such time as – while

      during the course of – during

      except for the fact that – except/but

      few in number – few

      for the reason that/for the very good reason that – because

      give up on (it) – give up

      go in to bat for – defend/help/represent

      in accordance with – under

      in addition to which – besides

      in a majority of cases – usually

      in all probability – probably

      in anticipation of – expecting

      inasmuch as – since

      in association with – with

      in close proximity to – near

      in connection with – about

      in consequence of – because of

      in contradistinction to – compared to/compared with

      in excess of – over/more than

      in isolation – alone

      in less than no time – soon/quickly

      in many cases/instances – often

      in more than one instance – more than once

      in order to – to

      in respect of – about/concerning

      in spite of the fact that – although/even though

      in the absence of – without

      in the amount of – for

      in the event that – if

      in the light of the fact that – because

      in the near future – soon

      in the neighbourhood of/in the vicinity of – near/about

      in the recent past – recently

      in view of/in view of the fact that – because

      irrespective of the fact that – although

      large in size/stature – large/big

      make a recommendation that – recommend that

      nothing if not – very

      notwithstanding the fact that – even if

      of a delicate nature/character – delicate

      of a high order – high/great/considerable

      of the opinion that – think/believe

      on account of the fact that – because

      on a temporary basis – temporary/temporarily

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