Both center around and center on are correct.
Center on vs. center around
Writing center on is logical, and no-one will object if you use this expression. But if you use center around, some may think your writing is illogical or sloppy.
For example, language expert Bryan Garner writes in Garner’s Modern English Usage:
“Something can center on (avoid upon) or revolve around something else, but it cannot center around because the center is technically a single point.”
And here is the opinion of a Washington State University professor:
“When a speaker says his address will ‘center around the topic of’ whatever, my interest level plummets.”
Though illogical, center around is an idiom. And “idioms have their own logic”, according to Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.
Center around is not a new expression; it’s been a popular idiom since the 19th century.
According to the Chicago Manual of Style, “although this illogical phrasing [center around] does have apologists, stylists tend to use either center on or revolve around”.
Many professional editors follow the Chicago Manual of Style. So, they will suggest replacing center around with center on in most contexts. Or, they will suggest using revolve around or orbit around instead of center around.
This freelance editor’s advice
To play it safe, use center on rather than center around in dissertations, papers for peer-reviewed journals, scientific texts, and technical documents. In other contexts, especially in informal writing, center around may be just as suitable as center on.
In short, the center on vs. center around dispute has no clear winner. Center on is the logical, and safe, option. Center around is a popular alternative that works in some contexts.
Do you need a freelance editor? Send me a message at editor@languageediting.com.
Related posts:
- When to use scare quotes in formal writing
- Impact vs. effect in academic writing: Which one should you use?
- Placement of only: What’s the correct way of using only in a sentence?
Last revised on 18 July 2022
