Grammar Moses: Wrong place, wrong time to use 'allegedly'
Unless you are someone who feels the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut a decade ago was an elaborate hoax, you'll probably accept what I'm about to tell you.
Reader Sue Budak wrote to tell me that “only” isn't the only modifier that gets misplaced in sentences.
“Allegedly” gives it a run for its money.
She referred to a story about Golden State Warriors coach and dynastic Bull Steve Kerr's reaction to the May 24 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
A passage reads: “State officials said at least 19 Robb Elementary School students and a teacher allegedly were killed by an 18-year-old gunman.”
“Unfortunately, there is nothing alleged about the death of these victims,” Budak wrote. “What is alleged is who committed the crime.”
Very astute, Sue.
Those 19 students and (now two) teachers indeed were killed.
Her improved sentence reads: “State officials said at least 19 Robb Elementary School students and a teacher were killed, allegedly by an 18-year-old gunman.”
You're on the right track, Sue. But I'm going to one-up you anyway.
The word “allegedly” should be anathema to any journalist. It's lazy, for starters. It's vague. And it provides writers a false sense of legal protection. One must attribute information to a cop, a prosecutor or whoever the authority is in the story. “Allegedly” doesn't hang that information on anyone.
In this case, we've already attributed the information to “state officials” at the outset.
My sentence: “State officials say an 18-year-old gunman killed at least 19 Robb Elementary School students and a teacher.”
Heck, that provides active voice to boot. Winning!
Mule muffins!
Jim Lang, Mike Rooney and Terry McNamara all wrote to me to point out that “eminent” appeared in an Associated Press golf story (and headline) when the word should have been “imminent.”
To review, “eminent” is an adjective meaning famous and respected in a given milieu.
“Albert Einstein was an eminent physicist.”
“Imminent” is an adjective that suggests something is going to happen soon.
“As Albert Einstein fumbled with the radio dial while taking his bath, the transformation to his trademark hairstyle was imminent.”
I'll save “eminent domain” for another day.
I mention Jim's letter, because I enjoyed it the most.
“I'm sure I'm the 37th person to report this to you today,” he wrote. “It's a shame wire service copy usually cannot be corrected or edited before they go in the paper, but really! As Col. Potter would say, “Mule Muffins!”
First off, we correct wire copy all of the time, but not every time, as this example proves.
Actor Harry Morgan's excretory exclamations in “M.A.S.H.” were legendary, and it's probably where I picked up “Horse hockey!”
Write carefully!
• Jim Baumann is vice president/executive editor of the Daily Herald. You can buy Jim's book, “Grammar Moses: A humorous guide to grammar and usage,” at grammarmoses thebook.com. Write him at jbaumann@dailyherald.com and put “Grammar Moses” in the subject line. You also can friend or follow Jim at facebook.com/baumannjim.