February 2024 – BJ Sikes, author

If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?

I have an irrational hatred for the word “utilize” for REASONS.

Okay maybe just one. It means practically the same thing as “use” but sounds more, I don’t know, fancy? Educated? And people just drop it in here and there for no good reason. Just say use, folks! Really. You don’t sound more intelligent when you say utilize.

I dug around looking to see when it’s the right word. Basically, if you’re using something for an unintended purpose. So if you are hammering something with your shoe, you are utilizing your shoe. You can still say use and it’s correct though.

That’s it. So I am in favor of banning “utilize.” Please?

Aerial view of a Bahamian island and the ocean around it. — Photo by Symeon Ekizoglou on Pexels.com

1908, the height of the British Empire. Clara’s autonomy is shattered when her long-absent husband summons her to join him at his eerie sect’s headquarters, insulated on a sparsely inhabited island in the Bahamas.

After a harrowing sea voyage, Clara and her children disembark into an unfamiliar landscape and climate. The children explore the marvels and mysteries of Andros Island and develop friendships with a Bahamian family, while Clara struggles to find her place as a woman within the cult.

But what seems at first to be a spiritual haven for Clara reveals itself to be a monster-worshiping cult intent on draining her family of more than their fortune.

Clara realizes that her quest for independence must mesh with her need to protect her children from the cult’s depraved attempts to consume their life essence.

Month: February 2024

Ban the word “utilize”

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