More effective writers care about precision in language, because greater precision in language means greater effectiveness in communicating to an audience. A good example is the difference between the phrase all around and the hyphenated words all-around and all-round. That little hyphen makes a world of difference. It indicates the expression means comprehensive or versatile. This denotation differs from all around, which means surrounding entirely. All around literally means all around.
Consider the example sentence in the cropped graphic above. The untrained writer may not see a problem here. But there is a problem. The writer here used the hyphenated expression all-around, which as we just learned means comprehensive or versatile. That means we could replace the word the writer used with one of these synonyms and see if it makes sense.
Consider the example sentence in the cropped graphic above. The untrained writer may not see a problem here. But there is a problem. The writer here used the hyphenated expression all-around, which as we just learned means comprehensive or versatile. That means we could replace the word the writer used with one of these synonyms and see if it makes sense.
The molten metal then flows comprehensive the ceramic core.
The molten metal then flows versatile the ceramic core.
The molten metal then flows versatile the ceramic core.
Neither of these sentences sound right. That’s because in the expression all around, all is an adverb modifying the preposition around, but the hyphenated version is an adjective. Adjectives function differently than adverbs and prepositions, leading to the awkward sound of the modified sentences. Clearly the writer here intends to use a preposition, so the fix here is easy: Just remove the hyphen.
The molten metal then flows all around the ceramic core.
The writer could even make the sentence a bit tighter by omitting one word:
The molten metal then flows around the ceramic core.
Including the adverb all makes the text a bit more informal, whereas excluding it makes it a bit more formal. A more effective writer will consider the purpose of the document and the intended audience in choosing between these two options.
So get all around the hyphen in all-around, and be that more effective writer. Increasing your precision of language will help you communicate more effectively with your intended audience. And a more effective presentation means an improved image of your professional brand in the minds of your audience.
So get all around the hyphen in all-around, and be that more effective writer. Increasing your precision of language will help you communicate more effectively with your intended audience. And a more effective presentation means an improved image of your professional brand in the minds of your audience.
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