The Penguin Guide to Plain English

Health Service. The report found that the wealthy do better in this respect
than the poor. The announcer spoke o f the report as a catalogue of
injustices that will have to be addressed. The w ord addressed is not
happily used here o f dealing w ith a catalogue. There are m ail-order
firms that regularly address catalogues to potential customers. The usage
has to be handled w ith care because there are contexts w here it m ight
easily lead to ambiguity.
While the voluntary code of practice has been welcomed by park officials and
rangers, Maryl Carr feels that it does not adequately address the increasing
number of participants or their impact on other mountain users.
To speak o f not adequately addressing participants inevitably suggests a
public address from a platform. The mistake here needs to be analysed.
To address a problem is one thing, and to address a crow d of participants is
another thing. W hat the w riter means is that the problem of the increasing
num ber of participants has to be addressed. If the verb to address is used,
there can be no way o f avoiding some such w ord as problem .
alternate / alternative
Basically the verb alternate defines m ovem ent this way and that way, as
o f a pendulum. Thus day alternates w ith night. The w ord can be used
only o f such balanced couples.
This may be more so now that the Game Fair alternates between only four
central sites . . .
If there are m ore than two variants, as here, then the w ord alternate
will not do. One m ust write: now that the location o f the Game Fair
varies between only four central sites.
The w ord alternative is even m ore frequently abused. Alternatives
are two mutually exclusive possibilities. W hen we choose between tw o
possibilities, say going to the theatre or staying at home, w e choose
between two alternatives. There can never be m ore than two alternatives.
If a third possibility is presented to us, then the three possibilities become
options. More often than not the w ord alternative is now being used
as though it meant optio n. This development has led to usages such as
the following:
ContiFlug is a relatively small airline. It offers a highly cost-effective alterna
tive for commuter travel to Berlin.