Oct 29 2008
Around or About?
All but one of the following sentences are flawed. Which sentence is correct?
- Louie nailed a part in the movie as a prisoner of war, but had to lose around 30 pounds.
- Since he was given a promotion, he earns around $75,000 per year.
- The factory produces about 35,000 widgets in a typical year.
- They say the average person has around 40 dreams every night.
Which sentence would you say does not have a technical error?
The third sentence? Right.
Do you know what’s wrong with the others? It’s the use of the word “around” to mean “approximately.” Now, that’s not strictly forbidden, like, say, burping loudly in the middle of a wedding ceremony, but it’s not quite kosher.
If you want to write or say “approximately,” but that word seems too formal for the sentence (as it often is), use the word “about” instead.
