
From a piece I did three years ago.
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When something like this happens, I'll accept a newspaper story using the verb "impact." Until then, however, STFU!
A search of Google News shows that in the last 24 hours there have been almost 800 articles with the phrase “impacted on.” That means that in one day alone, almost 800 news stories have gone out of their way to irritate me.
That’s a lot of irritation. And it doesn’t even count “will impact” (almost 5,000) and “have impacted” (almost 800).
I know, I know. There is nothing grammatically wrong with using “impact” as a verb. The American Heritage Dictionary takes great pains to point this out, noting that “[i]mpact has been used as a verb since 1601, when it meant ‘to fix or pack in,’ and its modern, figurative use dates from 1935.” Of course, the 1601 use had a very distinct meaning — and should any of these news reports be talking about dentistry or meteor strikes I’ll let it go. But they’re not.
Here are a few examples:
- “… and also impacted on the work of Otis Redding”
- “Sustainability also impacted on shoppers’ choices…”
- “This in turn has impacted on the spending power, …”
- “The results are also impacted on translation into euros at a significantly weaker rand rate”
This is nothing but bad writing by over-inflated egos. Consider the same phrases with the word “affected” rather than its bombastic cousin, “impact”:
- “… and also affected the work of Otis Redding”
- “Sustainability also affected shoppers’ choices…”
- “This in turn has affected the spending power, …”
- “The results affect translation into euros at a significantly weaker rand rate”
While it may not improve the writing, it at least strips away the insufferable pretentiousness.
Even better, however, is to use verbs that actually help articulate the idea being put forth:
- “… and also shaped the work of Otis Redding”
- “Sustainability also dictates shoppers’ choices…”
- “This in turn has undermined the spending power, …”
You will note that the fourth example isn’t included here. That’s because it doesn’t need either “affect” or “impact”:
- Original: “The results are also impacted on translation into euros at a significantly weaker rand rate”
- Improved: “The results also translate into euros at a significantly weaker rand rate”
- Even better: “This results in euros at a significantly weaker rand rate.”
The American Heritage Dictionary writers seem puzzled, almost insulted, by the fact that so many of us find this usage of “impact” objectionable. “It is unclear,” they whine, “why this usage provokes such a strong response, but it cannot be because of novelty.”
Fine — so the verb form of impact has been around since the 17th century, and it’s figurative form since 1935. But it’s only recently that it’s become a mandatory part of almost every utterance!
Happily, despite their attempt to legitimize its usage, the AHD is forced to admit that even their own Usage Panel detests it. “Eighty-four percent of the Usage Panel,” it says, “disapproves of the construction ‘to impact on,’ as in the phrase ‘social pathologies, common to the inner city, that impact heavily on such a community;’ fully 95 percent disapproves of the use of impact as a transitive verb in the sentence, ‘Companies have used disposable techniques that have a potential for impacting our health.’”
Despite this near-unanimous condemnation by its own panel, the dictionary still predicts that because “the verbal use of impact has become so common in the working language of corporations and institutions” that “the verb will eventually become as unobjectionable as ‘contact’ is now, since it will no longer betray any particular pretentiousness on the part of those who use it.”
Well, they may be right. But a growing number of seminars, tutorials, books and websites are urging speakers and writers to drop the use of the verbal “impact” in order to make their communications clearer and more understandable. And to stop the speaker from looking like a twat.
A couple of decades ago it looked like the word “irregardless” was going to become an accepted part of English, but a million voices raised in condemnation relegated the bastard word to its rightful place as a marker of ignorance and illiteracy. Although “impact” may technically be a verb, its common (and unbearably constant) use can similarly be stopped if enough of us follow two simple rules.
- Stop using it ourselves, and
- Throw rotten vegetables at anyone else who uses it.
I’d suggest three-week-old tomatoes. They impact nicely.
Related articles
- Should nouns become verbs? Let’s workshop that (michcommunication.wordpress.com)
murr brewster
February 7, 2012
I use it only in reference to wisdom teeth. And did you really mean “twat?”
I love rants like this. They remind me of my father, and that’s a good thing. But Lawsy, how he suffered.
Frank Lee MeiDere
February 7, 2012
Yes, I did. This stuff annoys me so much I become vulgar.
Laura
February 7, 2012
I’ll back you up on “impact” if you’ll help me with a trend I hate: using “reach out” to mean “contact for purely business purposes”.
Frank Lee MeiDere
February 7, 2012
Oh, I’ll back you on that. What with “reaching out,” “sharing,” “life partners,” and the like, our language for the most personal aspects of our existence have become bloodless corporate-speak.
Jia Li
February 7, 2012
Hear, hear! I’m all for throwing this baby out with the bath water. While you’re at it, please toss out “here, here” and “team player.” Here, here is simply wrong, and team player is so overused, it has become a meaningless tool of manipulation used by the forces of evil to instill fear and ensure conformity. Run away! Run away!
Frank Lee MeiDere
February 7, 2012
But I love team players. They’re so tasty with a dash of Worcestershire sauce.
Ziva
February 7, 2012
Wow, Frank. This great article will definitely impact on how I use the word “impact” from now on. Thank you!
Frank Lee MeiDere
February 7, 2012
My ears! They bleed!
countsneakysjournal
February 7, 2012
Frankly my dear, I am impacted by all the attention this word generates by its impact upon the writing community. Personally, the impactation (This sounds like it should be a word) of this word can be compared with the impacted use of “But Wait!” Impactfully yours, Count Sneaky.
Frank Lee MeiDere
February 7, 2012
You should check out Mitch Walkden’s blog (referenced under Related Articles at the end of the post above) in which she conjugates verbed nouns for fun and profit. Except for profit.
Count Sneaky
February 20, 2012
I have checked out her blog, and frankly. while I may be a word-slinger with an itchy verb finger, I really enjoyed her blog. After spending almost 50 years in the advertising business, I do believe I have seen and participated in every abuse known to the mother language.Forgive me… But, Oh, has it been fun! My best.
Nicky
February 8, 2012
Thank you, Frank, for this impactful post, I can’t even begin to tell you what an impact it had on me. See, I didn’t use it as a verb! :-)
Frank Lee MeiDere
February 8, 2012
Every time you use the word “impact,” whether as a verb or noun, Jesus kills a kitten.
Linda Medrano
February 8, 2012
The only “impacted” that I allow is for teeth or bowels. This one bothers me too. “On board”, as in hired on with us or became part of the project. Isn’t it “aboard”? On board is all the rage in tech companies. I also hate “I graduated high school”. Didn’t you graduate “from” high school? When did they start dropping the “from” and why?
Frank Lee MeiDere
February 8, 2012
I’d just like to have them go back to using plain English. Is that so hard?
Actually, of course it is. In plain English, the inanity of what they’re saying comes through much more clearly.
Barb
February 16, 2012
I’m truly interested in helping you, but I’m too busy trying to wipe out the “s” people place at the end of “toward.”
Frank Lee MeiDere
February 16, 2012
Ah…but it depends on whether you’re in America or Britain. Without the “s” is considered correct in America, but with the “s” is the English way.
MichWalkden
February 18, 2012
Impact – impactful – impactfulaction – impactfulactioning – de-impactfulactioning
Couldn’t help myself.
Frank Lee MeiDere
February 18, 2012
You have a cruel streak, did you know that? I never realised that about you before.
I like it.
MichWalkden
February 18, 2012
Bawhahaha