This post describes various usage pitfalls that can interfere with clarity when numbers are involved. Take care when using the word over before a sequence of numbers that might be confused for a figure, as in “The Ohio city will settle a lawsuit over 911 calls,” which might mistakenly suggest to readers that one or … Read more
A movie about Julian Assange, the man who founded a website devoted to leaking information that governments wish to keep secret, is called The Fifth Estate. Most modern speakers associate the word estate with various types of property, for example, a grand house with extensive grounds the assets left by a deceased person a housing … Read more
In the chaos of spelling of the English language, some rules provide comfort — until you realize that the number of exceptions renders a rule nearly useless as a memory aid. Such is the case with the rule that in vowel pairs, i comes before e except when the pairing follows c. The pairing ie … Read more
Using pronouns seems simple enough, but they cause confusion because it’s easy to mix up nominative, or subject, pronouns and object pronouns. Here’s a review of the difference between the two categories of pronoun: A nominative pronoun is one that takes the place of a noun phrase used as a sentence’s subject. Instead of writing, … Read more
What’s the difference between purposely and purposefully? The meanings are similar, both referring to intention, but they have distinct connotations. Purposely means “deliberately,” as in, “I purposely broke the vase Aunt Hermione gave me because it’s ugly, and now I don’t have to use it.” Purposefully, by contrast, means “with determination, intention, or meaning,” as … Read more
Here are several questions from DailyWritingTips.com readers about the wording of various phrases, followed by my responses. 1. In a book I just read, the author twice uses the expression “least worse.” I understand what he means, but this strikes me as a lousy neologism, and I sense that it is unjustifiable under “the rules” … Read more
Dave Frohnmayer, President Emeritus of the University of Oregon, defines the New Tribalism as, the growth of a politics based upon narrow concerns, rooted in the exploitation of divisions of class, cash, gender, region, religion, ethnicity, morality and ideology, ‘a give-no-quarter and take-no-prisoners’ activism that demands satisfaction and accepts no compromise. I believe that much … Read more
How should you treat references to states? The form depends on which style guide you adhere to and why the state is being referenced. Details about how to refer to states follow. The Chicago Manual of Style and The Associated Press Stylebook agree on one thing: When referring to a state on its own, spell … Read more
A Google search for “lay lie” brings up 482,000,000 hits, most of them links to articles that explain the difference between these two verbs. You’ll find two of my own attempts at enlightenment in the DWT archives (here and here). One of the most astonishing things about this pair of verbs is how long they … Read more