Most of you are armed with grammar apps, spell checkers and AI. But we’re still seeing plenty of grammatical fumbles in your submissions. Take the word “irregardless.” It’s frequently misused because it appears in most dictionaries and sounds more imposing than simply saying “regardless. ” By adding the prefix “ir” (which means “not”) to a word that already means “without regard,” you’re essentially saying: “not not without regard.” Huh!?
Using double negatives makes you sound unprofessional and unattuned to the details. That’s a liability if you’re in professional services even if your software doesn’t flag it. Most of the time “regardless” will suffice when you’re implying that something will happen (or is true) without being influenced by other conditions.
TIP: Try substituting “regardless” for “irregardless” in each example below.
- Irregardless of opposition, he still wanted to expand the team.
- They decided they would go ahead with the plan irregardless of the risks.
- She elected to buy the growth stock irregardless of the high valuation.
- I’m not sure about your tax advice, but I’m going to follow it irregardless.
Did the meaning or intent change? No. Are the sentences cleaner and more economical? Yes. Did you save your reader time? Yes. Stick with regardless.
I could (or couldn’t) care less?
On a recent NBA telecast, analyst and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said: “I could care less what people think. People are stupid.”
Barkley is an imposing 300-pound individual who was known as The Round Mound of Rebound during his playing days. I might not correct Big Chuck in person, but if he “could care less” what people think, it implies that he does care at least a little bit what people think of him. Likewise, many of you have said you “could care less” about clients who ignore your advice or you “could care less” about Jim Cramer’s latest stock tip on cable TV. Please tell me you didn’t mean that!
When you get a chance, tell your software that “could care less” and “couldn’t care less” are often used interchangeably, even though only one of them technically conveys the intended meaning.
People will often use “I could care less” as a shorthand way of showing how little they care. But “I could care less” implies that you still have a little room left in your subconscious to care about something — even though you don’t hold it in high “regard.” Would your interest be piqued if new information or your circumstances changed? That’s what you’re implying by using “could care less.”
For all intensive purposes, don’t peek
Speaking of “piqued,” it’s spelled with a “q” if you’re trying to show interest in something. I’ve seen some of you mistakenly write “peaked” (as though your interest level is no longer as high as it used to be) or “peeked” (as in you took a quick look at something but didn’t study it further). “Peaked” and “peeked” generally won’t get flagged by your tools, but they’re not the correct word choices in the aforementioned situation. So, for all “intents and purposes,” follow the rules above and you’ll be just fine. By the way, “intents and purposes” is correct if you mean “in effect” or “essentially.” Don’t say: “intensive purposes”!
It’s great to have spellcheck, grammar apps and AI to assist you. However, you can’t go wrong by reading your work aloud before submitting it or consulting with a trained professional if you’re not sure. I hate grammar, too. When in doubt, I just keep it simple and try to be as economical as possible with word choices. As Barkley famously said when asked about his formidable rebounding technique: “Yeah, I’ve got a technique. It’s called just go get the damn ball!”
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter how well you know the numbers, without having a solid command of the English language you won’t be taken seriously. After all, You’re an Elite Professional; Don’t Sound Like a Jamoke or #TheRoundMoundofRebound.
#grammar, #businesscommunication, #thoughtleadership, #TheRoundMoundofRebound
