Sometimes, when it comes to deciding between using the word whether and employing the word if, the correct choice is obvious: “I don’t know if to turn the oven knob left or right” is obviously wrong, but the almost-identical statement “I don’t know if I should turn the oven knob left or right” is acceptable. … Read more
One of life’s great pleasures is the opportunity to criticize others, so it shouldn’t surprise you that the verb criticize has a rich repository of synonyms that offers so many options for expressing your low opinions of people or their words or deeds. I’ve divided the list below into four general categories. Generally, only the … Read more
Most but not all phrasal adjectives (two words that combine to modify a noun — hence the alternate name, compound modifiers) are hyphenated, which is confusing enough — though easily resolved: If a permanent compound is listed in the dictionary as open, no hyphen is necessary; otherwise, hyphenate. But that applies only before the noun. … Read more
Here’s an alphabetical tour of domestic vocabulary to help you avoid getting lost or walking through the wrong doorway, and to give you a choice in navigating your way: 1. Attic: Synonyms for this word (from the Latin Atticus, “of Attica”) for a room or area under the roof of a house include garret (the … Read more
What’s wrong with these sentences? They each have syntax that creates an obstacle to clear understanding of the relationships of words or phrases to others. Revise them, and then scroll down to see my annotated solutions. 1. “People do not go outside their homes after dark, saying they fear muggers and police looking for bribes.” … Read more
Some time ago, I pointed out the perils of dangling modifiers, presenting sample sentences and offering annotated revisions. Unfortunately, my stock of such specimens, discovered in the course of my editing work and in leisure reading alike, has grown rather than diminished. I therefore here inflict another set of them on you, one of as … Read more
You are not hereby forbidden to employ the following adjectives according to their casual connotations, but to strengthen your writing, try limiting usage to that which most closely reflects their literal meaning: 1. Absolute: The original sense of absolute is “ultimate,” but now it is weakly used as an intensifier (“It was an absolute riot!”). … Read more
Just as the many synonyms for beginner should be picked over with care to capture the correct connotation, the numerous alternatives available for referring to an expert have sometimes unique or specific senses appropriate for some contexts and unsuitable for others. Here’s a usage guide to such words: 1. Ace (ultimately derived from the Latin … Read more
Go to any bookstore — whether bricks and mortar or click-and-order — and you will, in the quest for a book about how to write, be subjected to a bewildering array of possibilities. Your budgets (financial and chronological) limit you to one volume, because you want to actually, you know, start writing in this lifetime, … Read more
The prefix be- has a variety of interesting roles in language: Causation The prefix is affixed to a verb to indicate a causative agent, as in belittle, meaning “to diminish by criticism or mockery.” Creation Become and begin, and the archaic-sounding beget, are words starting with the prefix that indicate something coming to be; the … Read more
What place, if any, does profanity have in writing? There are as many different answers as there are types of writing. Fiction Novels that purport to reflect real life must include profanity if the life they reflect includes use of profanity. This is difficult to accept for many people of a certain age, dismayed by … Read more
In English, many verbs adapt simply to the past tense with the attachment of either -d or -ed, as in walk/walked or brake/braked. These are called regular verbs. Many other verbs, however, undergo more significant alterations to transform from references to present-tense actions to those representing actions performed in the past. Such words are called … Read more