So, I was at a networking event this morning and one of the attendees was a travel agent. She stood up and told us that she’s planning trips to Peru and Africa and that Africa is her specialty. She used to live there and, I quote,

“I know the language in Africa.”

…(clears throat) Now, I’m not a bad person and nor would I consider myself a snob, though I know a few people who would argue that, and I can’t help it if my right eye twitches involuntarily, just a little, every time someone says things like this. It doesn’t mean I’m judging them, but it does mean I’m mentally reconstructing their sentences into a form that is grammatically, socially, and literally correct.


Everyone in the room understood what she was trying to say, but that doesn’t make the statement any less inaccurate. Here’s a few things I’d like us all to review about Africa:


1) It is a continent
2) There are about 54 countries within it
3) An estimated 1500 languages are spoken on the continent that is Africa (According to Wikipedia.)


As a copywriter, these are the kinds of inconsistencies and falsities that I correct on a daily basis. Yes, it’s my job to correct such things when they are written, but I have no control over the way you speak. You’re on your own there, people.


So go forth, and for the love of all that is wonderful and wordy, speak good.