Hopeful

I hope I get my point across with this one. Got that? I HOPE. Not HOPEFULLY. That is the most misused word in sports interviews. When someone says, "Hopefully, we will win the game," they are actually saying, "We will win the game, and while we are winning, we will be hopeful." It is putting an adverb where a verb should be. What they mean to say is, "I hope we will win the game." Equally correct would be , "I am hopeful that we will win the game." Also correct would be "We are going into the game hopefully." As a test to see if you are using the word correctly, substitute the words "full of hope" for "hopefully" and ask if the sentence makes sense.

I know, the incorrect use of the word is listed in the dictionary as an option, but it is considered non-standard English. A word of advice to all athletes and coaches: Keep it simple. Don't use the word hopefully at all. It is rarely correct and just makes you sound like you never cracked a book in school. Just say "I hope."

I hope you all will get the message. :)