Below are some useless complaints about problems in logic, diction and punctuation.
1. Avoid the Oxford comma, the one that should not come before the "and" in a series like red, white and blue. The purpose of the Oxford comma is to demonstrate that the author does not know what a comma in a series means. (It means "and" in this case.) So unless you want to write "red, white and and blue," get a grip on the series comma and its meaning.
2. "Tranche"! Tranche is a fancy word for a portion of something. It's from Old French, and what could be more elegant, unless you find, like me, Old French beyond your reach. In that case you could use "portion" instead. For the last year every host on MSNBC has been required to use "tranche" twice in each paragraph; enforcement of this rule is finally easing.
3. Tranche has been replaced by the word "reticent," which MSNBC hosts apparently think means "reluctant." So they say things like, "Trump was reticent to give up his plan to use force." In English a reticent person is one who is inclined to keep her thoughts to herself.
4. Begging the question is always used incorrectly on television. It does not mean that someone has said something that automatically demands you question it. It is an argument that takes the form the X is true because everyone knows that X is true. The question and answer are based on the same assumption in the hope that you won't notice.
5. Rhythm? These days sports talkers demand that athletes do things in rhythm. If Klay Thompson misses a long shot, it's because he hasn't gotten his rhythm. Or so they say. I believe that professional sports is hard enough already. Demanding people play basketball in rhythm is asking too much. And next announcers will be demanding rhyme.
6. Pronouncing silent letters. Nearly everyone now pronounces the silent letters in "often," "kiln" and "arctic." The last person I heard say "kiln" correctly on TV was Al Gore, so I know I've lost.
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