The Words to be Used

The question arises: alternative to what? If there w ere only one other
means o f com m uter travel to Berlin, the w ord m ight be appropriate. But
often now, especially in advertising, the w ord is used too vaguely o f a
possibility w hich the advertiser wishes to recom m end.
The purpose of the advertising campaign is to present self-catering holidays
as an attractive and economic alternative.
Clearly w hat we are really being offered here is again an option. But the
most satisfactory correction w ould be to use neither alternative nor
option: The purpose o f the advertising campaign is to present selfcatering holidays as attractive and econom ic. After all, a self-catering
holiday m ight be an attractive alternative to staying at home, but it w ould
not be an economic alternative to staying at home.
There are usages w hich seem to remove from the w ord even the notion
of an option.
I wanted to create an alternative trading model.
There the w ord simply means fresh or n ew . And now we have to
allow too for the fact that, in recent decades, novel movements w hich
questioned the status quo and prevailing climates o f opinion began
to define their innovative life-styles as alternative, and the w ord has
stuck.
answer
Shortly before she died Gertrude Stein is said to have m uttered W hats
the answer? and shortly afterwards to have added W hats the question?
The partnership o f the tw o nouns is such that to use the w ord answ er
w hen there is no notion o f a question, or even a problem in the
background, is lax. Yet that is what happens.
The real answer is periodically to have a thorough clean . . .
The recom m endation that it may be a good idea to clean vehicles ought
to be able to be made w ithout turning it into an answer.
approach
W e know well enough w hen this w ord is exactly the right one, w hether
used o f coming nearer to a physical position or making advances towards
influencing someone. Too often neither notion is involved.