Am I my brother’s keeper? Maybe not, but we are responsible for our words. Jesus said, “You can be sure, on Judgment Day, people will have to account for every word carelessly spoken” (Matthew 12:36 EWS).
No, we’re not referring to a biblical story here. We want to look at a subtle yet important ways to make our words better.
Pay attention to the use of “can” and “able,” both in your writing and in publications. Most of the time, what authors mean is the action, not the ability to do the action. Consider these examples:
● Scarface could see the police cars coming his way, lights flashing, sirens blaring.
● She seemed to be able to read my mind.
● Jack wasn’t a reliable witness, because he hadn’t been able to get a good look at the murder’s face.
Unless Scarface was blind, we know he was capable of seeing the police cars. Did he see them? That’s all we need to know. Each of these examples is stronger when we describe the action, not the ability.
● Scarface saw the police cars coming his way, lights flashing, sirens blaring.
● She seemed to read my mind.
● Jack wasn’t a reliable witness, because he hadn’t gotten a good look at the murder’s face.
A similar weakness exists with the word “try.” As Yoda in Star Wars once said, “Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.” Often, what we really mean about our goals is to do, not to try.
● Stan had to try to get home before Child Protective Services arrived.
● Standing in front of his boss, Bill nodded, determined to try to do better next time.
● To have any chance of winning, Jeanine had to try to beat two runners who always turned in better times.
If the goal is not to try, then edit out that aspect.
● Stan had to get home before Child Protective Services arrived.
● Standing in front of his boss, Bill nodded, determined to do better next time.
● To have any chance of winning, Jeanine had to beat two runners who always turned in better times.
Even professional writers are known to miss “can” and “able,” so in this one small way you can now write better than some of the experts.
