The exact same… You know you have heard this used, probably many times. The odds are good that you have probably used this phrasing yourself a time or two. And, as most of us probably remember from years of angry English teachers berating us, the use of that phrase is wrong. Today, in two separate incidents, I heard it used in college related materials. The first was on the radio- an advertisement for Arizona State University. Apparently their online classes offer the exact same curriculum and benefits as their on campus experience. The second was in this article, where a representative of Bard college notes that criminals that attend their school are held to the exact same standards…
Irony tastes sweet in the morning.
To be honest, however, I am fairly certain that exact same has firmly entrenched itself into colloquial English. We all know what is meant, and many of us will continue to use it as a matter of habit. Still, there is a part of me that is haunted by the ghosts of English teachers past.