[Editors] Utilize this!

[Charles Jennings]

Thanks for making us cognizant of this.

 

-------------------------------------------------------

Charles Jennings, Ph.D.

Director, Neurotechnology Program

McGovern Institute for Brain Research

MIT 46-3160

Cambridge, MA 02139

(617) 324 3977

charlesj at mit.edu

From: editors-bounces at MIT.EDU [mailto:editors-bounces at MIT.EDU] On Behalf Of
Marilyn C Wilson
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 10:30 AM
To: editors at MIT.EDU
Subject: [Editors] Utilize this!

 

Dear Editors,

 

For your Friday morning mild amusement --

 

I just had yet another annoying encounter with the word "utilize" which
seems more and more commonly used in sentences where the word  "use" is the
better choice.  

 

So I went to the Internet to see if others share my reaction, and of course
there is quite a bit written about it!  In case you are interested, here's
one example, from the blog of a man named Bob Sutor:
http://www.sutor.com/newsite/blog-open/?p=4227 

 

 

"Use" vs. "Utilize"

This entry is one in a series that tackles issues of proper word use and
grammar in English.

The incorrect yet increasingly common use of "utilize" instead of the
simpler "use" is well documented in several places around the web. See, for
example,

Indeed, utilize can often be no more than a pretentious substitute for use,
and this should be avoided. However, utilize does have its own meaning: 'to
turn to profitable use; to make a practical use for'. This is not the same
sense as 'to bring into service', which is what use fundamentally means.

at Random House <http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19980828>
.

When words such as these are used incorrectly, the people to whom you are
speaking may think:

*	you are ignorant of the definition of the word, so what else is
wrong in what you are saying? 
*	you are using a pretentious "big word" to sound more sophisticated
than you are 
*	you are slipping into jargon and can't explain something in simple
terms 

None of these reflect well on you as a speaker, a writer, or as a
communicator in general.

Here's some guidance:

*	If you are about to say "utilize" but "use" would work just as well,
then say "use." 
*	If you previously thought something was useless, but you got clever
and now it isn't, you are utilizing it. 

Note that outside the United States, "utilize" will likely be spelled
"utilise."

 

 

Have a great weekend all!

Marilyn 

 

 

 

Marilyn C. Wilson, PhD

Sr. Career Development Specialist

Career Development Center

MIT ~ GECDC

 617-258-9149

Twitter: mcwillow

 <mailto:mcwilson at mit.edu> mcwilson at mit.edu

 

 

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