Area Closed

Torrey Pines State Reserve, California

What does the sign say?

"AREA CLOSED 

To protect natural features and insure public safety

DO NOT ENTER"

What does the sign mean? Why is the woman sitting on this delicate sandstone formation totally ignoring the directions on the sign? Could she be illiterate, a non-native speaker of English, or a person who doesn't care about protecting the special features of Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve? 

Many of my students from Europe comment that what they don't like about San Diego is the number of rules or laws that we have. However, every major town or city I've ever been to has signs to warn people of danger and to protect valuable historic parks, art, and natural wonders from vandalism or normal daily wear-and-tear.

Signs are a way that we protect ourselves from lawsuits - in case this woman falls and injures herself - but also to communicate to visitors in the absence of police or park rangers. Personally, I prefer to read a sign than to have park guards tell me what to do. Unfortunately, some people don't pay any attention to signs. They are thoughtless and irresponsible, and their actions sometimes lead to complete closure of areas. Please follow the sign directions.

"I" is for Impact

What is an impact?  What impact is this sign referring to?  Do you get it?

Impact in this case is a noun and refers to the force with which something strikes or hits something else. In this case, the impact of an asteroid created this well-preserved crater, located in Arizona, off Highway 40. (You can also enjoy this five-minute video narrative about asteroid impacts and listen to how the word is pronounced and used in context.)

This visual way of understanding the word "impact" can help you to imagine other meanings and uses of the word. For example, in the newspaper, editors choose their photos very carefully so that they have an impact on the reader. They want the image of an event to be memorable. They want it to be impactful. 

Impactful is a relatively new adjective that has become quite common in reporting. It is quite controversial, however, and I am one who has never used the word. For a multi-page, thorough report on the origins of this word, you are invited to read this discussion. Also, please check out another fascinating blogpost regarding impactful by the linguist Anne Curzan. Then you can decide if you want to use it. As always, in building vocabulary, keep your eyes and ears open for the words you're trying to learn. Let me know if it's working for you.