I get your point—but do you get mine? - Reminders about redundancies

Booher's Rules of Business Grammar - Dianna Booher 2009

I get your point—but do you get mine?
Reminders about redundancies

ET CETERA AND SO FORTH

Tossing out an et cetera is not the same as flashing someone a Wal-Mart gift card. With a gift card in hand, you can buy anything in the store—lettuce, lipstick, or luggage. Et cetera, on the other hand, means “in the same pattern, class, or category” or “in like manner.”

Incorrect:

When you attend the trade show, be sure to come prepared with everything you might need: brochures, surveys, vacuum, etc.

What’s the clear pattern in the last sentence? Would you think to bring tennis shoes? How about paper clips? Drapery? A hole punch? An easel? A paintbrush? Bubble wrap? Only if you’ve worked a trade show booth previously when Murphy showed up and everything went wrong!

Correct:

Please group these mock-ups into layouts of five items for the catalog; the even-numbered items 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 will go on a single page, et cetera.

It’s as if some people want to make sure you think hard about what goes in the sentence blank. They play pile-on: “If the new Realtor takes you to court, the lawyers are going to ask you about when you sold the land, how much you paid for it, why hadn’t you looked for a buyer earlier, et cetera, et cetera, and so forth.”

If you want other people to do the thinking for you, that’s okay with me. Just give them a clear signal with “and so forth” or the slang “yada-yada.” Those phrases say, “You fill in the blank with anything that comes to mind, and I’m happy.” In any case, you don’t need to pile on. One et cetera, and so forth, or yada-yada will do the trick.

Memory tip

Et cetera is like a discount coupon on a certain product the manufacturer wants you to buy: “$50 off any Sony TV from Best Buy before December 31.” The manufacturer establishes a specific deal; you either participate or you don’t—but you can’t create your own details.

And so forth lets you cut your own deal.