The April 8-14, 2011 “PBS Previews Newsletter” included this teaser for a biography on Alexander Hamilton. It’s a terse example of junk English:
Perhaps the PBS editors were too concerned about budget cuts to concentrate on optimizing their English.
The first error they should have spotted is the spelling. It’s “reenactments” not “reinactments”. But, there’s another way to optimize the English in that teaser. The way it’s written, one could be led to believe that Alexander Hamilton was great at performing in reenactments.
Unless Hamilton had a penchant for emulating Louis XIV of France, the PBS promoters meant that their documentary features reenactments. So, one way to optimize their English is:
Author and journalist Richard Brookhiser explores the legacy of Alexander Hamilton and examines what made him a great man with reinactments.
Perhaps the PBS editors were too concerned about budget cuts to concentrate on optimizing their English.
The first error they should have spotted is the spelling. It’s “reenactments” not “reinactments”. But, there’s another way to optimize the English in that teaser. The way it’s written, one could be led to believe that Alexander Hamilton was great at performing in reenactments.
Unless Hamilton had a penchant for emulating Louis XIV of France, the PBS promoters meant that their documentary features reenactments. So, one way to optimize their English is:
Employing reenactments, author and journalist Richard Brookhister explores the legacy of Alexander Hamilton and examines what made him a great man.
