"Multiple": Another single word cliche
Poynter |
It's everywhere. In written journalism and used by talking heads on TV. "Multiple" when plain old "many" is called for.
In the print version of the NY Times a few days ago: Great Barrier Reef Facing Multiple Threats, Report Says. (The online version of the story did better: Great Barrier Reef Threatened by Climate Change, Chemicals and Sediment).
Besides, there's really only one threat to the reef: human activity.
Besides, there's really only one threat to the reef: human activity.
The single word cliche is a variant of the Elegant Variation rule about using the same word twice in a sentence. Writers making this error apparently want to tart up their prose with a word different than the obvious---and usually shorter---choice.
Labels: Language
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