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"Two rhinos got into a heated argument that became physical and proceeded to level the barn. Hopefully, the farmer can rebuild it." No, NO, NO! I would say "I hope the farmer can rebuild it." The active voice is always better.
The improper use of this word has become widespread and mainstream, but what is really irksome to me is hearing people who should know better use it. For example, journalists. I hear it several times a week on NPR not from people being interviewed, but by the journalists! Who, presumably, took a few English classes!
Or should I just slump into a corner with my Elements of Style and weep silently?
This is one that I use even though I know it's wrong, because nothing else works so well there. "Hopefully you can suggest an alternative" sounds less snarky to me than "I hope you can suggest an alternative." Using hopefully also has the nice effect of putting the emphasis on the farmer in your example, rather than on the speaker. This is one of the few times that I wouldn't mind one of these misuses become standard. Hopefully it won't cause you to weep to much!
This use of hopefully is called a disjunct. Merriam-Webster defines it like this:
2 : an adverb or adverbial (as luckily in “Luckily we had an extra set†or in short in “In short, there is nothing we can doâ€) that is loosely connected to a sentence and conveys the speaker's or writer's comment on its content, truth, or manner
Other common examples are:
Thankfully, …
Regretfully, …
Frankly, …
Seriously, …
Happily, …
Apparently, …
Certainly, …
Curiously, …
Ironically, …
Naturally, …
Personally, …
Strangely, …
Clearly, …
Fortunately, each of these adverbial forms can be used freely either as adverbs modifying the verb, or as disjuncts, which comment on the sentence as a whole.
Thankfully, … (e.g. Thankfully, Sandra put him in his place. Madison thankfully accepted the scholarship.)
Regretfully, … (e.g. Regretfully, there were no more tickets for the concert. Jan shuffled regretfully out the door.)
Frankly, … (see below)
Seriously, … (see below)
Happily, … (see below)
Apparently, … (e.g. Apparently, two were not enough. His color changed quickly and apparently.)
Certainly, … (e.g. Certainly, dogs can be great companions. The expert testified clearly and certainly on the evidence. N.B. Clearly is also often used as a disjunct.)
Curiously, … (e.g. Curiously, his friends had vanished. The manager searched curiously through the files.)
Ironically, … (e.g. Ironically, they were the very pants he was about to return. He commented ironically on his day.)
Naturally, … (e.g. Naturally, she slapped him. Ellen walked across the stage confidently and naturally.)
Personally, … (e.g. Personally, newspapers cannot be trusted. Sam replied to the inquiry personally.)
Strangely, … (e.g. Strangely, nobody noticed the gorilla. David read the words strangely, as if seeing them for the first time.
Clearly, … (also see example above. Clearly, there was a misunderstanding. Barbara clearly enunciated every word.)
Seriously, if you seriously object to the use of hopefully as a disjunct, it must be very difficult for you. Happily, you can happily read the wonderful book A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Thankfully, in it Toole freely uses the word hopefully many times as an adverb, and never once as a disjunct.
The lovely girl smiled hopefully at Dr. Talc and breathed, “I just love your course. I mean, it's grand.â€
This was a constant worry, and always after Miss Trixie's arrival he watched the door hopefully, especially now that the factory was supposed to begin shipment of its spring and summer line.
Mr. Gonzolez looked at Ignatius hopefully, but he received no repl.
“Yeah, I told him that,†Patrolman Mancuso said, sitting erectly in his chair and looking hopefully at the kitchen table covered with oilcloth.
“Am I retired?†Miss Trixie asked hopefully.
George's mother, vacuuming on the other side of the living room, hopefully watched her son work on his school scrapbook.
(… and others.)
Frankly, if you frankly hate the use of any adverbials as disjuncts, you will, regretfully, regretfully find one or two.
Rising to my full height – a spectacle in itself – I looked down upon the offending policeman and crushed him with a comment which, fortunately, he failed to understand.
Hopefully this helps. (Merriam-Webster usage note on hopefully)
I, like cs above, am guilty of using this even though I know it's wrong. Modal auxiliaries like "hopefully" are often misused; the problem with those that are misused is that they fail to modify any elements of the sentence (if the farmer was, in fact, hopeful while rebuilding his fence, then, fine; if he is not feeling particularly hopeful while rebuilding, then what action in the sentence is hopeful?). However, I believe it makes sense for journalists to use it. Beginning a sentence with "I hope" would inject the reporter into the story, which is something that most straight journalists avoid. Using a phrase like "one would hope" is not only unwieldy, but has issues of its own. Hence, "hopefully" is succinct, useful, and, above all, understood and accepted by most users of English. That last point may be most important for you, Billie Dawn, because, while it is great to insist upon your own proper usage, you will be swimming upstream against the popular shifting current of use.
I stand with Merriam-Webster in its assertion that this use of hopefully is correct. It has been in use for hundreds of years, and perfectly fits the grammatical and semantic pattern of countless other adverbs. Read Merriam-Webster on hopefully (or my post above)
The objection to hopefully is based on unsound scholarship.
So now we can all use it with impunity. Hopefully, this will put everyone's mind at ease. Clearly, it should. Fortunately, the authority of sound scholarship is at our fingertips.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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