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word choice - When can a redundant "respectively" be dropped?


Over the years I've stuck fast to a possibly self-invented rule that enumerating pairs of things in an out-of-order fashion requires a "respectively":



…where x, y, and z are "ecks", "why", and "zed", respectively.



But I begin to tire of this redundant usage where it's clearly obvious (or is it?) that the pairs match up n-to-n in the lists.


Is this rule I follow a real rule? Can I drop it in what seem to me, the writer, to be patently obvious cases?



Answer



I don't think it's clearly obvious in all situations that the pairs match up. I guess the main purpose of respectively is precisely to remove any potential ambiguity. Observe:




  • Jane and Joe are beautiful and smart.

  • Jane and Joe are beautiful and smart, respectively.

  • Japanese, Italians, and Russians are good at making sake, grappa, and vodka.

  • Japanese, Italians, and Russians are good at making sake, grappa, and vodka, respectively.



So I suppose you should always double-check whether you would still be saying the same thing if you dropped respectively (or any word, for that matter).


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