Near the end of a short essay, “El Dorado,” published in 1881, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, “… to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive ….” (Hint: The essay is not about travel at all. It’s about life.)
The above Stevenson quote has oft been cited as an example of how properly to use a word that’s been at the center of a usage controversy for about 50 years. Hopefully, this column will shed some light on the controversy.
The battles have been ending right along, the result of the war far too predictable. Usage trumps all in the dictionary world, and, one by one, the tomes of definitions have recognized the “modern” usage of “hopefully.”
I confess that I myself have intentionally “misused” the word “hopefully” prior to doing so above. In fact, if memory serves, I’ve been doing it for nigh onto a decade. But now (alas!), the last bastion of defense has fallen.
Last month, no smaller a giant than the Associated Press caved to the pressure, announcing that its writers may now start a sentence with “Hopefully.” That is, they may use the word to mean “I am hopeful that …”. As in “Hopefully, the AP knows what it’s doing!”
In the Stevenson quote, “hopefully,” an adverb, modifies “travel,” a verb. Traveling hopefully is a good thing, right? Half a century ago, though, when English teachers like Nell Thomas in Greenville, Miss., were around to rant against such foolishness, people began to say, “Hopefully, we’ll travel this summer.”
Adverbs do modify verbs, but they can also modify other adverbs. And, in appropriate circumstances, an adverb may modify an independent clause, including an entire sentence. That’s always been the case.
So, various authoritative sources now agree that “hopefully” can be a “sentence adverb.” As such, it’s a kissing cousin to, among other words, “fortunately.” As in, “Fortunately, we got to travel last summer.”
Purists object to “fortunately” in the above context, the same as they’ve objected to “hopefully” for lo these many years. As recognized in many sources, though, the masses (at least those who didn’t have Nell Thomas for senior English) aren’t bothered by “sentence adverbs” of this ilk.
David Minthorn, the AP’s deputy standards editor, was quoted as saying, “There has been considerable feedback pro and con in the social media, and several newspapers, and Web publications have written about the change with some fervor.
“On balance, it appears that the weight of opinion accepts the modified definition of ‘hopefully,’ based on common usage and dictionary definitions allowing it. The traditional usage of ‘hopefully’ still has vocal advocates. However, we’re on solid ground in allowing the modern usage in AP news writing. …
“I’m pleased that people who care about words and usage are commenting about it.” I’m always pleased myself to please the likes of the AP. Aren’t you?
So, if you’re writing something for submission to the AP, you may now start sentences with “Hopefully.” But you’re not required to. And doing so will, hopefully, not annoy too many people.
Vic Fleming is a district court judge in Little Rock, Ark., where he also teaches at the William H. Bowen School of Law. Contact him at vicfleming@att.net.