Looking for a different way to say “different”? Here are forty more or less distinct synonyms, along with their sometimes similar, sometimes disparate meanings. 1. Alternate: arranged or occurring in turns, or see alternative; also, every other (also a verb) 2. Alternative: referring to a choice; also, apart from the conventional or usual 3. Assorted: … Read more
I’m inured to ineptly expressed messages on parking signs, but the signage reproduced here prompts a ticketing spree by the spelling police. What, exactly, is a low-emmiting, fuel-efficent vehicle — can it park there if it’s magn-efficent? — and how do you know whether you have one? This sign should read “Low-Emitting, Fuel-Efficient Vehicle Parking … Read more
You probably know what a euphemism is: putting lipstick on a pig, as in using the expression “pass away” in place of the word die, or “enhanced interrogation” instead of torture. Is dysphemism — essentially, the opposite concept — any more problematic? Just as a euphemism cloaks a disagreeable or offensive concept with an innocuous … Read more
How do you decide which form of a pronoun to use, as in the choices of the wording in “John is as fast as him” and “John is as fast as he”? Knowing the varieties of pronouns will help you choose the correct form. A subject pronoun is one used as the subject of a … Read more
Here are a few questions from readers about the use of various forms of punctuation, followed by my responses. 1. In the following sentence, how do you separate the statement from the description, “A system of aligned chambers supports anaerobic digestion, a biological process that happens naturally when bacteria breaks down organic matter,” or “A … Read more
What’s the visual difference between an adjective and an adverb? Well, all adverbs end in -ly, and no adjectives do, right? Wrong on both counts. Some adverbs, called flat adverbs, lack the -ly suffix. The words in this category, like straight, can be used both as adverbs (“Drive straight through the intersection”) and adjectives (“He … Read more
I was painfully amused to find in a recent job listing the perpetuation of the absurd notion that a degree in English — or literature, for God’s sake — is the ideal preparation for work as a writer or editor. The listing required candidates to have a degree in English or literature. Now, there can … Read more
Writers often confuse a sentence that contains a parenthetical phrase starting with a conjunction with one that consists of two independent clauses divided by a conjunction, resulting in improper placement of punctuation. Here are a few examples, with discussion and revisions. 1. “The substance starts off in a higher energy state, and by combining with … Read more
When are letters of the alphabet, appearing in isolation rather than as part of a word, capitalized, and when are they lowercased? When should they be italicized, and when is the normal type, called roman, employed? Here’s a general guide to styling letters. Letters as Letters When referring to a letter as an alphabetical character … Read more
Headlines that can be read more than one way, or that contain a confusing or erroneous element, have been a source of amusement for journalists and newshounds–and of consternation for the perpetrators–since the dawn of written mass communication, but anyone who writes or edits should be aware of the dangers of careless headline writing. Here … Read more
What’s an expletive, and is it bad? There are several types of expletives, and though some may be considered offensive, others merely signal passive sentence construction or a perhaps desirable vagueness. Readers of a certain age may recall, during the Watergate scandal, references to “expletive deleted” in discussions of audiotape recordings of conversations between Richard … Read more
The rules about references to age, and the proper use of hyphens in such references, are simple yet easily misunderstood. Here are a few explanations in response to readers’ questions about the topic. 1. Could you help me understand the correct way to write ages? For example, “My three-year-old was too young for the movie” … Read more