11.22.06
Posted in Incorrect, Unnecessary at 2:52 pm by Vishy
From The Age, an Australian newspaper:
Death is a mystery that hasn’t been resolved and never will be. It’s the only event in our lives that is certain and inevitable and ironically we have no control over it.
Is it really ironic that we have no control over something that is certain and inevitable? That would be like saying, “The green traffic light comes on after the red traffic light. This light change is certain and inevitable and ironically we have no control over it.”
The use of ironically here is unnecessary and incorrect. Instead of ‘and ironically’, a simple ‘but’ would have done.
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11.08.06
Posted in Correct at 10:02 pm by Vishy
From The Herald Tribune:
On Tuesday, Florida supported … [Amendment 3], which requires 60 percent of voters to approve an amendment for it to pass. Currently it takes a simple majority.
Ironically, Amendment 3 itself wouldn’t have passed under its rules: it received 58 percent support.
This is a correct use of the word ironically, because the measure would not have passed had it already been in effect.
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Posted in Incorrect at 9:25 pm by Vishy
Via The Boston Globe:
“Ironically, Bush himself is largely responsible for making the midterm elections a referendum on his policies.”
There is nothing ironic about this situation. A midterm election, especially in the 6th year of a president’s term, is almost by definition a referendum on the ruling party. Bush would be making it a referendum on his policies regardless. There is no mention in the surrounding context about his not wanting to make this election a referendum about his policies. If there was such a mention, the ‘ironically’ might have been a little more justified.
The writer was probably looking for interestingly instead.
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