From the November 16, 2019 edition of The Writer’s Almanac:
- There are 25 Native American languages that are spoken in Oklahoma, which is more than any other state in America.
English, meanwhile, can be challenging to deploy efficiently.
Anytime you start a sentence with There are, you’ve probably already wasted two words.
And anytime you find that are embedded in a sentence, you’ve probably wasted another word, maybe two.
Then look for which is.
There and that and which are technically English-language words, but they are largely comprised of shredded cardboard. They are filler. Avoid them.
- 25 Native American languages are spoken in Oklahoma, more than any other state.
Nuff said. In English, anyway.
I LOVE your site, but:
There and that and which are technically English-language words, but they are largely comprised of shredded cardboard.
They comprise OR they are composed of, BUT not comprised of . . .
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I never knew this! Thank you for this correction, Margaret. You’re absolutely right. https://www.dictionary.com/e/comprise-vs-compose/ So glad this blog comprises give AND take 🙂
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