Choose Wording to Fit Meaning

It is always a good idea to go back and proofread something you have written. Sometimes we just don't make the right word choices to express our meaning. Here is a good example from Saturday's The Birmingham News:

"We believe it has been in operation as long as 2005."

Because this was an exact quote from a sheriff's spokesman (about the hydroponic warehouse marijuana operation in Kingston), the goof is not the fault of the reporter, but it still makes a good point about wording.

AS LONG AS is a phrase used to express time up to some specific point or in relationship to some qualification, as in "As long as the store remained open..." or "He is in charge as long as we let him be."

The sentence that is quoted above expresses time in relationship to another time and should use the word SINCE to show that relationship:

We believe it has been in operation SINCE 2005.

Perhaps it is a small distinction, but good writing should read smoothly. The reader should not be thinking, "What was that again?" and rereading what you wrote to be sure of the meaning.

AS LONG AS you write clearly, your readers will get your meaning without scratching their heads.