The List first appeared after a New Year’s Eve party in 1975.  Since then, LSSU has received tens of thousands of nominations for the list, which includes words and phrases from marketing, the media, education, technology, and elsewhere.

We commend LSSU for this important service.

Anyone wishing to submit a word or a phrase for consideration should first check the complete list on the website.

The 2010 list:

Shovel-ready — Transparent / transparency — Czar — Tweet — App — Sexting — Friend as a verb — Teachable moment — In these economic times . . . — Stimulus — Toxic assets — Too big to fail — Bromance — Chillaxin’ — OBAMA-prefix or roots

It seems that almost every day now you hear people using the phrase, “That begs the question.”  Unfortunately, most people get it wrong.

I suspect they’re like me; they know that for some reason that isn’t quite clear, it sounds smarter than, “That raises the question.”  So they think if they use it, they’ll sound smart, too.

I was lucky.  Maybe I picked it up in Freshman Writing, or maybe I heard William F. Buckley use it on Firing Line to put old Bella Abzug in her place.

In any case, I had a vague notion it meant more than raising a question, and a little research revealed that it is a logical fallacy.  It means to assume what you are trying to prove.

If all WFB had been saying was, “Bella, that raises a question,” milquetoast responses like that would’ve killed Firing Line in its first season.  What he was really saying was, “Bella, I believe your argument is a classic case of petitio principia.  You’re assuming that which you are trying to prove.”

Unfortunately for his opponents, WFB could spot a logical fallacy from a hundred paces.

Here’s an example of begging the question that turned up with a little web research:

Person A: Selling liquor on Sundays is illegal in this town, because it’s bad.

Person B: They sell liquor in the next town over on Sundays, and everyone’s okay with that.  Why is it bad?

Person A: If it weren’t bad, it wouldn’t be illegal, would it?

Person A demonstrates that begging the question is a form of circular reasoning.  He is begging the question (Why is it bad to sell liquor on Sunday?) because the answer he gives fails to demonstrate that selling liquor on Sunday is bad.  It just assumes it’s bad.

Here’s another, less obvious one:

Person A: I believe you should be a good person.

Person B: But I just want to make as much money as possible and do what I want to do.  Why should I be good?

Person A: Because being good benefits society.

Again, Person A begs the question (Why should I be good?) because the answer he gave is the same as his premise.  “Benefit society” is just another way of saying “Be good.”  Being good is benefiting society.  You might as well say, “Benefiting society benefits society.”

If you’re interested in other logical fallacies, check out a book on composition and rhetoric, such as: The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric.

Ron Vlieger is a financial writer in New York City.

• Although – even though.  Both have the same meaning, but “even though” is more emphatic.  Both combine two phrases that form a contrast.  (Although it was November, he wore a Panama hat.  Even though she smokes two packs of cigarettes a day, she’s a famous cardiologist.)
• Farther – further.  This one is easy if you remember “far”.  Use “farther” to talk about physical distance.  Get it?  (How much farther do we have to drive?)  Use “further” with figurative distance.  (You’re further along in your project than I am in mine.)  Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between physical and figurative distance; in such cases, it’s OK to flip a coin.
• Like – as.  Even though “like” is used almost all the time in everyday speech, there is a difference.  “Like” is a preposition and should be followed by an object to form a prepositional phrase.  (My date looked like a hamster.)  “As” is a conjunction and should be followed by a clause containing a subject and a verb.  (The warthog squealed as if he had a toothache.)
• That – which.  “That” introduces a restrictive (defining) clause – the person or thing being talked about.  (I have a car that is easy to drive.)  “Which” introduces a nonrestrictive clause – one that gives additional information about something that has already been identified.  (He wore a fur hat, which his wife had given him for his birthday.)  In this use, “which” is always preceded by a comma.
• Who – that.  The best rule of thumb is to use “who” when writing about a person.  (He’s the vet who cured my ferret.)  Use “that” when writing about an object.  (This is the book that came in the mail.)

Here’s a short review of some of those pesky words:

• Affect – effect. These are tough because they can be either nouns or verbs.  (a) As a noun: “Affect” is a technical term used in psychology; “Effect” means essence or appearance (economic effects).  (b) As a verb: “Affect” means to produce a material influence upon or to act upon (how day care affects the company). “Effect” means to bring about (to effect changes).
• Historic – historical.  “Historic” means having great and lasting importance (his election was historic).  “Historical” means having the character of history (a historical survey of popular music).
• Its – it’s.  “Its” is the possessive of “it” (the cat ate its dinner).  “It’s” is the contraction for “it is” (it’s time to go).
• Lay – lie.  “Lay” is a transitive verb, i.e., it requires an object and transmits its action from a subject to an object (the duck lays an egg.  You don’t lay down).  “Lie” is an intransitive verb, i.e., it doesn’t require an object (you lie down).
• Principal – principle.  As a noun, “principal” means a capital sum (principal earns interest) or, as an adjective, the most important (the team’s principal shortstop).  “Principle” is only a noun.  It means a fundamental law or doctrine; a rule (conservative principles).  Tip: think of the “le” in both “principle” and “rule”).

Some examples:

• Email that looks like texting from a busy 9 year-old
• Over-use of jargon and buzzwords
• Letters that are signed but not proofread
• Confusing memos
• Unintelligible website content
• That letter from your insurance company

Why is bad writing bad for business?

• Brochures, website content, and correspondence (including email) with bad spelling, grammar, and punctuation create a poor impression.  How can that be good for business?
• Obscure writing can cause confusion and misunderstanding.  Who needs the aggravation, and even litigation, that could result?

What to do, short of putting English majors in charge?

Some of these remedies may help:

• Set standards of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and clarity.  Squelch the “who cares?” attitude.
• Try writing workshops.
• Appoint and train certain staff members to be proofreaders, as an additional duty.
• Retain a proofreading service for designated writing such as customer correspondence.
• Randomly monitor email.
• Get HR behind the “good writing” policy.

Any improvement in a company’s writing will help to enhance its image and get the right message out.