As I sit here at my desk, the TV is on in the other room. Of course the commercials are louder, so I'll keep hearing them until I get up and turn the darned thing off.
One that keeps repeating begins "As a physician, my patients often experience..."
What? Are her patients physicians? If so, she should have said "As physicians," so
the singular and plural would match up.
Oh, but she means she is the physician, and she has patients who experience whatever it is.
But that's not what she says.
If she wanted to say what she meant, she should say "As a physician, I often have patients who experience..."
She's not the only one who makes that mistake.
In fact, I see it all over. People say "as a (whatever)" and then go on to talk about their clients, customers, patients, or even family members - who aren't whatever the speaker is.
They say things like "As a Mother, my children would prefer cookies and ice cream for dinner."
Clarity is the key to communication, so let's all try to remember whether we're talking about ourselves or someone else. 😃
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