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ImageSMART TALK

by Dr. Thorn Schwa



MORE IMPORTANTLY: Adverb-Compulsive Syndrome (ACS) has spread like garlic mustard, and analogous to the weed, it chokes out proper language so thoroughly that a grammatical sentence such as, "More important, I feel bad for you" sounds out of place. 

At the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired, we treat ACS as thoroughly as we can, but the effort can feel as futile as organizing garlic mustard pulls.  At least garlic mustard is edible and extremely nutritious.  ACS simply spreads ignorance.

A moment's thought reveals that importantly means in an important, or better, self-important, way.  To feel badly is obviously to have trouble feeling. Therefore, a speaker of these two adverbs looks self-absorbed, conceited, and unfeeling.  Maybe we have true poetic justice at work here.



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