Oftentimes vs Often

[ProlificScribe]

I received a rejection right now for an article I submitted last Wednesday.

One of the editor notes mentioned not using "oftentimes" but rather "often"..

They're synonymous so I really don't understand why one would be better to use than another.

I can understand the wayward comma or odd punctuation, but when it comes to word usage/preference, where one word is just as appropriate as another, where does editor personal preference for one word enter into the equation?

Here is the sentence... perhaps it flows better with often rather than oftentimes.. I'm not sure, but either way, I'm under the impression that *oftentimes* or *ofttimes* are still just as correct as often. I understand punctuation issues and matters such as that, but choosing one word over another when they're synonymous...?

Are these editor *suggestions* or are these changes that must be made before an article is approved since it was mentioned in the notes? I already stress out about dubious punctuation, but now worrying about picking one word over another is too much.


"Many of us have childhood memories of nurturing mothers and wise grandmothers, ready at a moment’s notice to tackle illness at the first sign of a sniffle. Oftentimes armed with nothing more than something found in the kitchen or garden, they always made us feel better."

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I mean, I changed it to "often" just so it'll get approved. In reality, I see nothing wrong with the sentence as is... with the word *oftentimes* instead of often.

thanks..

-tara

By the way, my article wasn't rejected solely for that. I also had one of my famous wayward commas lol

But I am curious if my article could have been rejected solely for selecting one word over another.

[Celeste Stewart]

Oftentimes sounds a little old-fashioned in my opinion. "Often" is less fussy which may make it better suited to the Web. I'd be surprised if the article would be rejected solely on that word choice though. Since there was a comma issue, maybe that was just a helpful suggestion? It would be nice to hear the reasoning from Ed though.

[ProlificScribe]

To an extent, I tend to write the way I speak. Unless of course it's a situation where it calls for a different *voice*.. but I use oftentimes or ofttimes in everyday conversation. Then again, I'm told I speak as if I'm 90 years old at times LOL... Considering the nature of the article (home remedies) my attempt was to hearken back to times when more people used home remedies for ailments. So I supposed in that instance, oftentimes would fit into the spirit of the article well enough.

But yes, I too am curious to see if it was a suggestion, or an actual editor note that was meant to be heeded-- which I did.

[jadedragon]

I think the famous and often (not oftentimes) correct anonymous posting here http://www.englishforums.com/English/Is ... b/post.htm gives a good explanation.

"oftentimes" is not a word. In terms of English grammar rules, it is impossible for "oftentimes" to be a real word. "Often" is an adverb. "Times" is a noun. Adverbs do not modify nouns. "Sometimes" works, however, because "some" is an adjective, while "times" is a noun. Adjectives modify nouns. Just because people use "oftentimes" does not make it correct. The correct terms to use in its place are "often" and "frequently."

[ProlificScribe]

How is it not a word, when both ofttimes and oftentimes can be found in any dictionary... unabridged or not? It may not be colloquially commonplace, but it's still a word.

Call me crazy, if it's in a dictionary, it's a word. Although, 'ain't' is in newer dictionaries now and I remember in Catholic school I had to write 500 standards stating that "ain't" is not a word.

The debate here isn't whether or not oftentimes is a word... because it clearly is, my question was whether or not its removal was an editor *suggestion* or mandatory.

It may not be something most people use daily, but it's still a word. Sort of like "irregardless".. that is technically a word, it's just that its usage is considered incorrect by most people today, although it is a word. Personally, I say regardless, but someone would not be incorrect were they to say "irregardless". It's one of those words that just *sounds* wrong.

[4rumid]

This doesn't help answer your question at all, but one of my favorite words to make fun of is "disirregardless." They don't get much sillier than that.

[ProlificScribe]

I haven't heard of disirregardless (that just makes my brain hurt).. but I have heard of disregardless. Which, to my knowledge, it's not a word, but I do hear it used every now and then. That word confuses me in the same sort of manner as when people explain their relation to another person and it's like "my cousin's, sister's aunt twice removed on her grandmother's side"... I just sorta gloss over lol.