Versus vs. Verse – This One Makes My Head Explode!
Hearing someone say verse (words in poetry or song) when they mean versus (against) screws me into the ceiling… figuratively. (We’ll come to the use of figuratively in a later chapter.)
When someone commits the sin of saying verse instead of versus, their penance should be to read poetry (or song lyrics) until they get it, because that’s the only place they’ll find a f*cking verse! In fact, reading more of anything (other than your friends’ social media posts) would be a good cure for most maladies in this book.
I’m talkin’ to you!
The hosts of sports radio and TV shows – and their guests – are the biggest abusers of this one. Whenever they say verse instead of versus, I reflexively yell at the radio or TV. Yes, I’m talking to you ESPN, CBS Sports, NBC Sports, and FOX Sports. You’re all guilty!
Some sports broadcast personalities are smart enough to know the difference, and to them I say, “Thank you. Now please share this chapter with your co-workers!”
For those who don’t know the difference, THIS is a verse:
You can say “v.” for versus
Write “vs.” for versus, too,
But this is a fucking verse, so
Don’t ever confuse the two!
And verses simply means more than one verse. It’s still not the correct word, which is versus!
On the next page is a simple exercise I developed specifically for sports broadcasters. It has 10 ways to help you remember the correct word. Just read each line carefully and out loud, preferably on air (so you can help your listeners, too):
(Sorry, but I can’t publish that rant here.)
Excerpt from the book: Smarten the F*ck Up!
© Copyright 2023 Dave Bastien
Smarten the F*ck Up! uses plain English and humor to help people fix the common mistakes they’ve been making their entire lives.