The Language Perfectionist: It's Personal!

By Don Hauptman

Can you spot anything wrong with the following three sentences, all found via online search?

· "I personally can't see us not doing any more shows again."

· "Personally, I prefer to write about literature, but, yes, I recognize that these sorts of entries are the bread and butter of this blog."

· "I will cherish the personally autographed book forever...."

In each case, the word personally is superfluous. After all, how else could the first individual perceive the situation, or the second prefer to write? And how would one autograph a book without doing so personally?

In his new usage guide The Accidents of Style, Charles Harrington Elster advises:

"Personally is almost always a redundant filler word that cries out to be deleted." And most sentences "would be stronger without the useless adverb personally."

Elster adds that the adjective personal is equally redundant and dispensable in such well-worn expressions as personal friend, personal history, and personal opinion.

Word of the Day-Erstwhile

Today's Words Of The Day: Erstwhile

Erstwhile (URST-wile) - from the Middle English for "earliest" + "while" - means former.

Example (as used by Edna St. Vincent Millay in her poem "Passer Mortuus Est"): "After all, my erstwhile dear, / My no longer cherished, / Need we say it was not love, / Just because it perished?"

Area C2: International Speech and Table Topics Contest

Area C2 contest was held in IEM Toastmasters Club on 24 February at 7.45pm. In the evening, prior to the contest it rained in KL and I heard that there was a flash flood in front of the National Library. For that, my drive to IEM Club was horible, it was all jammed up from Bukit Jalil to the turn off at Taman Desa Water Park to PJ. In reality the distance is short but because of the rain all traffic jammed up, as many commuters were heading toward Sungei Besi and to the Smart Tunnel. This is the cause of the massive jam because the Smart Tunnel isn't just so smart!!!

On normal clear day it would take me about 45 minutes to IEM Club from Nilai but yesterday was 1 hour 20 minutes, could have been longer had I not drove on the emergency lane during the jam!

I reached IEM Club in the nick of time with contest chair TM Chai Meng Yee about to call the first contentant. Our Club champion Robert Tan represented PD Toastmasters Club and he did well. He did not win but his speech did bring the audience to laughter and invoke some fellings.

Robert Tan reign as the Champion on the Table Topics Contest: Title - Diamonds are a ladies' best friend and he would be representing PD Toastmasters Club in the Division C Contest on 26 March 2011 in UMW Shah Alam.

Robert receiving his Champion Trophy from C2 Governor Robert Ram.

Everyone in the contest commented that PD Toastmasters Club members are very supportive when it comes to supporting our contestant.... needless to say.... we are the supportive type throught distance, rain and traffic jams.

The members who came to support Robert: Left to right: Rosa, Indra, Robert holding his trophy, Kala and President Tan Soo Guan and we did clapped very very loud.

Readers, if you are wandering who won the International Speech Contest...... is Stephen Fernando from MIHRM Club with his speech title: Lessons from my barber.

The champion Stephen Fernando with C2 Governor Robert Ram.

After the contest we adjourne for a cup of teh tarik ..... a treat from Robert Tan .... because he is a CHAMPION.

Club's International Speech and Tabletopics Contest on 11th January 2011

The club's annual International Speech and Tabletopics contests 2010/2011 is underway!
All the contest committee and participants busy preparing the venue and readying themselves
As the audiences prepares to settle down.....
Meanwhile outside the room, the contestants are given a final briefing on the rules and regulations for the contests by the Contest Chair, CC Harold
Our Sargent At Arms, ACB GT Singam reminded the audiences to sit down and switch off their handphones
Everyone settled down and waited for the Organizing Chair to start
The Organizing Chair, CC Vallie brief the audiences on the contests' procedures
She then introduced the Contest Chair, CC Harold Gomez, to read out the rules of the contests
CC Harold, explaining the dos and don'ts
Is our Time Keepers, CC Kay and ACB Donna ready?........
Since no photographs are allowed during competitions, let us entertained you with some lion dances while they are fighting in the room
While waiting for the official results, Contest Chair interviews CC Indra on why she choose her speech topic
ACS Rosa Phua giving her reasons for choosing her topic
The Chief Judge, Area Governor Robert Ram is all smiles as he review the results...
The PD Toastmasters Club Champion for International Speech, DTM Robert Tan
The 1st Runnersup for International Speech, ACG Capt Khalid
The Club Champion for Tabletopics goes to DTM Robert Tan

1st Runnersup for Tabletopics goes to CC Tan Soo Guan


The President thanking the Chief Judge and all the other 6 anonymous judges with a small token of appreciation each
The President with his closing address.
Congratulations to all the winners and participants

Meeting on the 28th December 2010

Port Dickson Toastmasters Club wishes all members and guests A Merry Christmas and A Happy 2011! Cheers! Cheers!

The President, CC Tan Soo Guan, proposing a toast for a better and more prosperous year in 2011!
Our Toastmaster of the Evening, ACG Lee Kah Tor, looking serious in this joyous occasion.
L-R CTM Kala, TM Shahrin, ACS Steven Francis, CC Tan Soo Guan and guest Jaya having some light moments.
L-R CC Vallie, AG Robert Ram, ACB Amy Siew and TM Chandran sharing some private jokes in this joyous occassion.
L-R ACB Donna Kat, ATMB Dr Subhassh, TM Dharma, and CTM Kala listening attentively to the Table Topics Master.
L-R Guest Margarete, CC Valentine and CC Indra
Break time! Look at the yummy chicken wings!
Everyone enjoying their end year celebration
Santa Tan with his gifts for all members............fruit cakes
Our Area Governor, ACG Robert Ram, giving his talk on Parlimentary Procedures
Our first speaker for the night, TM Chandran on his talk on protocol
Our second speaker, CC Harold, talks on how our mind works
And our final speaker TM Kenneth on road safety
Our General Evaluator, ACB Amy introducing her team of Evaluators for the night
ACB GT Singam giving his evaluation for our first speaker TM Chandran
CC Indra giving her evaluation on CC Harold speech
CTM Kala giving her evaluation on CC Kenneth speech
ACB Donna Kat giving us feedback on our timing
Our language expect, TM Dharma
Our best table topics speaker for 2010 (final meeting) goes toATMB Dr Subhassh
Our best evaluator award for 2010 (final meeting) goes to CC Indra
Our best prepared speaker for 2010 (final meeting) goes to CC Harold
Santa Tan wrapping up the last meeting for the year. May 2011 brings greater achievements for the club
A special 'The Most Glamorous Award' goes to ACB Donna Kat given personally by Santa himself

A very close second for CC Vallie

Toastmasters "just for fun" makan on 23rd January 2011

A few PD Toastmasters members got together to have "just for fun' makan. It was a small affair. 8 Toastmasters went and two former members namely P K Koh and Koh Seow Pen joined us. Our makan at the Regent in Seremban coincided with a wedding dinner that nite and instead of letting it affect us, we joined in the wedding fun. We "yam seng" and make a lot of noise too. Below are four photos to capture those moments and record it here in the blog forever.