Wordie: Impacted: Comments

Comment by brtom, 9 months ago

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 22:14:56 +0000

Yes, thanks, I explain that to my students. I've usually got no problem with verbing a noun ... so, I explain to them, I'll assume that's what they're doing. But, I also explain, the unintended connotations of this particular one are especially disagreeable to, at least, their teacher.

Comment by seanahan, 9 months ago

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 15:40:36 +0000

The issue at hand is that the noun impact, as in "Have an impact" is being used as a verb, with impacted as the past tense. This is getting confused with impacted, the adjective, as in impacted bowel.

Comment by sionnach, 9 months ago

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:19:42 +0000

Hear! Hear! (note: not 'Here! Here!')

Comment by brtom, 9 months ago

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:08:52 +0000

A personal peeve: this word is an adjective meaning "wedged or packed in together" ... It calls to mind unpleasant business related to teeth and bowels ... For that reason, it shouldn't be used as a verb in statements like: "Voters in South Carolina will definitely be impacted by what happened at the Iowa caucuses Thursday." source

My heart goes out to those soon-to-be-miserable South Carolinians.