The abuse of English

Madam, - At this moment in time, or presently, I share Angela Long's angst about the abuse of the English language (March 5th…

Madam, - At this moment in time, or presently, I share Angela Long's angst about the abuse of the English language (March 5th), especially the annoying tendency to use nouns as verbs. We hear about a film "premiering" and a new member of a team "debuting".

Equally grating is that a person, e.g. a footballer, used to have a talent, but now he is a talent. And I am slightly puzzled by the Automobile Association's recent offer of "€20 cash back when you join a friend".

When I come across this sort of abuse of language in print, or the sprinkling of apostrophes like salt on chips, I tend to bin the offending journal. - Yours, etc.,

EDDIE HAUGHEY, Muff, Co Donegal.