‘These Types Of’ vs. ‘Like These’
This video clip about typing is a funny way to call attention to a concern I have about a particular use of the word type. (For clip, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypDwh2ShJ6A. Alert: I suggest watching the clip only after reading the rest of this short post. Clicking on the link may take you away from the post.)
Something I read recently brought to mind a wordy, awkward phrase involving type that I often – far too often! – see and hear: “these types of …” (e.g., “these types of videos …”).
It’s the same with “kind.” Here’s an example from a recent article in The Washington Post: “… he dislikes both candidates equally and hopes to send a signal that Americans are not okay with these kinds of options.”
Why not say it less awkwardly with the help of a simple word: like? (That would change the end of the sentence above, for example, to the far more pleasing “with options like these.”)
A simple substitution like this can make your writing clearer, tighter, more engaging and less awkward. Try it. You’ll like it!
Thanks, Howard! I am beginning to work on my goal of writing more, and since I am not schooled in it, I pretty much depend on whether what I write seems to flow, or “sound right”. It’s good to be alerted to common ways people get away from just saying something. I’m still trying to remember a pet peeve word I see all the time. it’s something like “orientate” but more commonly heard and read. There seems to be a trend to take perfectly good words and make them longer, for no good reason. I’ll remember the word that bothers me soon (don’t have “same day delivery”, which could be a function of age.
Thanks, Iz. Nice to hear from you! You may find a few other helpful tips if you go to my main blog page and click on the “Writing & editing” category. You might also wish to check out “Tips on Creativity in Writing” and “Writing & Grammar Links,” both found under the “Resources” tab in the navigation bar at the top of each page. Don’t hesitate to get in touch anytime. Aloha!
P.S. I find that “sounding right” is usually a pretty good guide to “getting it right.”