- By Jim Evans
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SMART TALK SMART TALK by Dr. Garrel S. Utter
WHOLE LOT: “I love you a whole lot” sounds cute to some people. However, at the Center for English as a First Language, it’s a symptom of Redundancy Syndrome, which is as common as cold viruses and as difficult to control.
How much is a lot, anyway? Can you tell when it’s a whole lot any better that when it’s a half a lot?
My dad was a dairy farmer — Surely you’ve heard of Utter Udders — and he used to quiz us kids to sharpen our critical thinking. “Whole slew of ‘em?” he’d ask with an eyebrow up. “So how many are in half a slew?” His most devastating criticism of an acquaintance was to day “He’s farming with half a herd,” which didn’t and couldn’t describe the number of cows he milked; it meant that the man had a poor grasp on management and optimizing resources.
He also might send us to get half a piece of string. We soon learned to listen to what came out of our mouths and others’, and to think critically about our language. I’m not the only offspring to go on to study linguistics, and I thank my dad’s thoughtful influence for my being a therapist here at the Center today.
A lot, a pile, and a slew describe an indefinite large amount. To modify those words with whole, huge, and the like is truly gilding the lily.
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