You can probably lay my following remarks at the feet of William Strunk Jr. and his ageless work, “The Elements of Style.” It’s an exhortation to “Write what you mean!”
On Jan. 17, the Sentinel and KJ carried a short piece with photos, and the headline, “Somerset County Sheriff’s officials investigate crash into Madison church.” Amy Calder wrote that chief deputy Michael Mitchell reported a 2011 Toyota Prius, driven by Terry Post, 57, of Anson, struck the church at 161 Main St. No one was reportedly in the church at the time.
The news item continued, “Mitchell said it is not clear why the car crashed into the church, bursting through the front doors.” But we know why the car crashed into the church. The 2011 Toyota Prius was driven by Terry Post, and chief deputy Mitchell even offers that in the last paragraph: ” … he drove through the entryway of the church.”
What we don’t know is why Mr. Post crashed the car into the church.
All this gave me a smile, a nod to Professor Strunk, and a quiet plea for precision.
F. Gerard Nault
Windsor
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