In attendance

You have words - now what do you do with them?
Perry Lassiter
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In attendance

Postby Perry Lassiter » Wed Jul 18, 2012 12:03 pm

An otherwise very good sports writer for the local paper today wrote that a group of people "were in attendance" at an event. "Attend" is a perfectly good verb. I attended a party. Much stronger, vigorous, and shorter. Let's bury "in attendance," what do you say?
pl

Philip Hudson
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Postby Philip Hudson » Wed Jul 18, 2012 4:58 pm

One might have occasion to use "in attendance".
Suppose you were required to attend a boring meeting? What if you were there only because it was required? You might want to describe the experience in a weak, lethargic manner to convey the sheer boredom of it all. Don’t bury an expression just because it doesn’t fit your sunny disposition. It might come in handy some cloudy day.
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.


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