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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 34
newbie
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OP
newbie
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 34 |
"Putting the brakes on business babble", Seattle Times, June 10, 2004 Extract: Batko reserves a special place in the language dung heap for what she calls "-ize endings."
"Optimize. Maximize. Utilize. 'We need a way to utilize our resources here.' No, you just need a way to use your resources."
.... Sometimes we change words out of a desire to sound smart. Sometimes the new word reflects a nuance that the commonly used word can't capture.
Take "utilize" (please).
"Many might argue that 'utilize' and 'use' do have different meanings; they're used in a slightly different context," Denham says.http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2001952569_grammar10.html
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027 |
Hi tang,
Proving that this is a never-ending struggle: your example has already been considered worthy of an entry in Eric Partridge's Usage and Abusage (first published by Hamish Hamilton, 1947) Penguin Books 1985.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661 |
...your example has already been considered worthy of an entry in Eric Partridge's......and deserves a YART call if ever one did!  
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526 |
Optimize. Maximize. Utilize.
All are legitimate words with correct usages and incorrect usages. Some usages may be correct, but are inflated or inappropriate. I'm not sure about the other two, but "utilize" is overused.
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
I would have put "utilize is overutilized," but that's just me.
-ron obviousize
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
I still say why say incentivize when we have the perfectly good incent?
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467 |
And if you have a mentor who does that for you, are you in an incentuous relationship?
This incents(es) me!
TEd
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 725
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 725 |
. . . and I only have IZE for you!
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