Topic
"Activate" vs "Use" and other verbs
Dear Verb People,
There I was, with my brand new Play Cube, afraid to play with it because the verb was "Activate." My experience with that verb is that if you activate something, it disappears. Spinach, upgrade card tickets, race tickets -- these are the things I associate with "activating."
The "Use" verb, meanwhile (which I'm guessing is the default verb for any verbable item), seems to go with things that will still exist when you're done with them, like tools.
But this isn't totally consistent -- I'm looking at you, Gameshow Tickets -- and it should be. We should "Activate" Gameshow Tickets and "Play with" or "Use" Play Cubes, and only things that go poof should have the "Activate" verb.
This is a good idea because it will prevent people like me from angsting over grammatical minutiae.
Oh, all right, it's also a good idea because it's one of those subliminal consistency things. Which is totally the technical term.
Love,
Siren
Replies
- +1 and +1 more!
- OH! Turns out you also "Activate" a Bubble Tuner! The plot thickens.
- +1! It sounds weird to say this about a simple verb change, but that is a super cool idea. Like a little shorthand for Glitchen.
- +1 This would make it less confusing.