Grammar Moses: When details don't matter, why provide them?

Wayne Reynolds of Schaumburg writes: "Invariably, at least once a week, I see news reporters, read print articles, or hear everyday conversations that go something like these examples:

• 'I have an appointment to go to THE DOCTOR tomorrow';

• 'Paramedics are on the scene and are in the process of transporting the accident victims to THE HOSPITAL';

• 'Little Johnny hates going to THE DENTIST.'

Using the article "the" like this indicates singular, like there is only one doctor, one hospital, one dentist. In most cases, there are more than one.

It is so much easier, and makes more sense to state the following:

• 'I have an appointment with Dr. Jones tomorrow.'

• 'Paramedics are on the scene and are in the process of transporting the accident victims to City Hospital, Lincoln Hospital, and others.'

• 'Little Johnny hates going to our dentist, Dr. Smith.'"

All right already, Wayne. Whose column is this anyway?

My position on this is that no real sin has been committed here.

However, in the interest of packing as much detail as possible into a small space, I tell my staff to never write, "Smith was taken to a hospital/the hospital," and rather specify Sherman or Northwest Community or Whoville Hospital. To some readers, which hospital makes a difference.

(As an aside, I avoid jargon such as "transporting.")

I can see plenty of instances in which the name of the doctor is something the speaker does not want to disclose. And dollars to doughnuts the receiver doesn't care what the doctor's name is.

"Dear boss, I will be in late tomorrow because I'm going to see Dr. Haverkamp, the world-famous erectile dysfunction specialist."

It's almost a waste of breath to offer the name of the doctor. Just the idea that someone is going to see a doctor is all the speaker needs to convey and the receiver needs or wishes to hear.

One of my editors is married to a dentist. If Diane were going to the dentist, she might tell me, "I have an appointment with Tim to look at a broken crown before he opens up the office to paying patients."

In that case, the identity of the doctor is of interest to me.

I would suggest, though, that it's always a good idea to tell someone which hospital you're going to. Especially if you're expecting flowers or a visit.

16 times?

As I kissed my wife before heading to work the other day, I heard this sentence emanate from the TV: "Officer Van Dyke shot and killed Laquan McDonald 16 times."

I know exactly what that poor Chicago TV news reporter said, because I watched it three times just to be sure.

I also know what that TV reporter meant to convey, which was something different.

If you haven't caught the gaffe yet, Laquan McDonald was killed just once.

Tom Roth of Arlington Heights was a copy editor in college. He sent me an old Daily Herald clipping after underlining this sentence, which has eerie similarities to the Laquan sentence:

"Frederich and Wilhemina had 10 children on the farm where they raised horses and sold them to Chicago brickyards for labor there."

This was a piece about the 1800s. Who knew that in those days parents sold their children to the Chicago brickyards for labor?

The TV news reporter could have easily fixed her problem by saying, "Officer Van Dyke shot Laquan McDonald 16 times, killing him."

And whoever wrote the history piece could have benefited from splitting the run-on sentence into two: "Frederich and Wilhemina had 10 children on the farm. The family raised horses and sold them to Chicago brickyards for labor there."

I also would have questioned the spelling of Wilhemina. Ordinarily, it's Wilhelmina.

Write carefully!

• Jim Baumann is assistant vice president/managing editor of the Daily Herald. Write him at jbaumann@dailyherald.com. Put Grammar Moses in the subject line. You also can friend or follow Jim at facebook.com/baumannjim.