Webster's New Explorer Guide to English Usage 189285967X, 9781892859679

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• 1,500 entries cover most common usage problems • • Thousands of examples expand understanding • • Glossary of grammatical terms clarifies meanings •

Created in Cooperation with the Editors of

MERR1AM-WEBSTER

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS MEMORIAL LIBR*Ry

31184 01678 9542

NOV 0 8 2004

Arlington Heights Memorial Library

500 N. Diinton Ave. Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004

#64122 Highsmith® Inc. 2003

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WEBSTER’S New Explorer Guide to English Usage

WEBSTER’S

New Explorer Guide to English Usage Created in Cooperation with the Editors of Merriam-Webster

MEMORIAL LIBRARY 500 N. DUNTON .INGTON HEIGHTS. IL 60004 FEDERAL STREET PRESS

Copyright © by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated Federal Street Press is a trademark of Federal Street Press, a division of Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. All rights reserved. No part of this book covered by the copyrights hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems—without written permission of the publisher. This 2004 edition published by Federal Street Press, a Division of Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. PO. Box 281 Springfield, MA 01102 Federal Street Press books are available for bulk purchase for sales promotion and premium use. For details write the manager of special sales, Federal Street Press, P.O. Box 281 Springfield, MA 01102 ISBN 1-892859-67-X Printed in the United States of America 04

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Contents Preface Pronunciation Symbols Guide to English Usage

vii xi 1

Glossary

348

Punctuation Guide

382

Preface f':s book presents apportioned responsibility between the

higher and lower courts>.

apprehensive Of is the most frequently used prepo¬ sition with apprehensive , but about is also quite common and regarding is sometimes cho¬ sen . Appraise, which means “evaluate,” is used with inanimate or abstract objects and sometimes people .

approve Approve, when used as an intransitive verb with the meaning “to take a favorable view,” takes of . The singular kin is not new (it was being used in the 13th century), but it is uncommon enough to draw attention to itself. See also kith and kin. kind 1. These (or those) kind (or sort) of. Most of the standard handbooks and usage books state the follow¬ ing rule: Use this or that with singular kind or sort and follow of with a singular noun . In the other, it takes a multiple object (usually a list of names), means essentially “such people as” or “such things as,” and carries no disparaging connota¬ tions creads the likes of Jane Austen and Robert Browningx The like of is also sometimes used, and it is probably a better choice when the reference is to a single object and no disparagement is intended . like to, liked to Both of these phrases mean “came near (to), almost” (as in “I liked to die!”). Though they have had a long and distinguished literary career, since the first part of the 20th century they have been pri¬ marily used in speech rather than writing. In the United States in particular, they are associated with uneducated or old-fashioned speech, and you will not need them in ordinary prose. lit See

LIGHTED, LIT.

literally Literally means “in a literal sense or man¬ ner” ctook the remark literally> or “actually” for centuries, and you can use it safely either way. See also good; feel bad, feel badly.

well-nigh The adverb well-nigh has been called oldfashioned, but in fact it is a fairly common and per¬ fectly good synonym for nearly cwas well-nigh impossible:^

when, where Many critics balk at the use of when or where, preceded by is, in informal definitions such as “word processing is where you use a computer to type.” These were used as standard defining patterns in reference works for many centuries, but in modem use they are mostly confined to informal defining, such as in glossaries published in newspapers, and to speech.

when and if See whence See

if and when.

from whence.

.

where 1 A number of critics worry about the use of where in the sense “that” after the verbs see and read

339

whether or not

. This use appears to be more common in speech than in writing, but it is not fare in writing by any means. Similar uses are those in which where introduces a clause that mod¬ ifies a noun, serving as an approximate equivalent to in which , and in which it introduces a clause that is the object of a preposition . All of these uses, though standard, are typically found in less formal writing. 2. For other senses and constructions, see when, where; where ... at.

whereas See

while.

where ... at The use of at following where is routinely criticized, though it has been a part of American speech for well over 100 years. It was relatively rare in writing until the 1960s, when the phrases “where it’s at” and “where you’re [I’m, he’s, etc.] at” came into widespread use. These phrases con¬ tinue to be used today cthat’s where we’re at now>, although they have some of the quality of dated slang. See also at.

whether See

if 1.

whether or not Critics often point out that or not usually isn’t necessary after whether . However, or not has gone with whether for more than 300 years and is

340

which

good idiomatic English. In many instances the or not cannot be idiomatically omitted .

.

which 1 For a discussion of which in restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses and of what it may refer to, see that 1, 2.

2. The use of which to refer to a whole sentence or clause is often called a mistake by writing handbooks. The argument is that which should refer to a specific antecedent cthis treatment, which has proven effec¬ tives But the argument ignores the fact that the clause or sentence is clearly the antecedent. The handbooks also warn against the potential ambiguity of the use, but genuinely ambiguous examples are nearly impossible to find. This use is standard. See also this 1. while The earliest meanings of while are related to time: “during the time that” ctake a nap while I’m out> and “as long as” . Critics continue to object to this use, but it is a common and handy way to create an adverb for the occasion , and is sometimes used even in serious writing. Almost none of these coinages survive long enough to be recorded in dictionaries. Use of the hyphen before the suffix is optional.

wish Wish is commonly used as a transitive verb meaning “to want” or “to desire,” often with an infini¬ tive as its object . In another typical construction, the object is a proper name or personal pronoun followed by an infinitive . These uses of wish are not controversial, although some people find them some¬ what affected and prefer the use of want in such con¬ texts. One point of dispute regarding wish is whether it should be used with a simple noun object cthey wished a speedy resolution to the matter>. Although wish is certainly less common than want or desire in such constructions, it is nevertheless long-established and standard.

with a view, with the view See

view.

with disregard for, with disregard of See

disre¬

gard.

without hardly See

hardly.

with regard to See

regard.

with respect to See

in respect to, with respect to.

with the exception of See

exception.

with the hope(s) of, with the hope that See

hope.

344

wont

wont As an adjective, wont means “accustomed” or “inclined.” It occurs only as a predicate adjective, almost always followed by an infinitive . As a noun meaning “habitual way of doing,” wont occurs most often in phrases beginning with “as is” or “as was” .

won’t Won’t is one of the most irregular-looking of the negative contractions (others include don’t and shan’t), being a shortening of the earlier wonnot, which in turn was formed from woll (or wol), a variant form of will, and not. It is entirely acceptable in all varieties of writing , but is also used with other verbs. It usually follows imme¬ diately after the verb, often at the end of a sentence or clause cshe guessed wrong>. Wrongly, on the other hand, most often precedes the verb or partici¬ ple being modified cwas wrongly accused> chas

Xmas

346

wrongly been criticized>, though it can also follow . In general, the one that sounds correct is correct. If both sound right,

either may be used. (This observation also holds true for the analogous adverbs right and rightly.)

XYZ Xmas Xmas has been used as a short form of Christ¬ mas since the 16th century. The X is derived from the

Greek letter chi (X), which is the first letter in the Greek word for “Christ.” Xmas is limited in current usage to advertisements, headlines, banners, and casual correspondence; in other contexts you will undoubtedly want to spell out Christmas.

yearn People who yearn usually yearn for some¬ thing. Less commonly, the preposition following yearn may be after, toward {or towards), or over.

yet The use of yet with a verb in the plain past tense with did (as in “Did he leave yet?) is common and unobjectionable in ordinary speech, but in writing the present perfect is used .

you 1. You is often used in addressing the reader directly . One may be used instead of you for a more formal, distant, and impersonal tone , but try not to mix the two. See also ONE.

347

zeal

2. Indefinite you. Related to the use of you to address the reader directly is the use of you to address no one in particular—in indefinite reference . While some critics used to prefer the substitution of one , or a passive construction , most writers nowadays find indefinite you perfectly accept¬ able, if a bit informal.

your, you’re 1. The possessive pronoun is your . 9. indicates the omission of a word or words, and espe¬ cially a word or words used earlier in the sentence cCommon stocks are preferred by some investors; bonds, by othersx 10. is used to avoid ambiguity . 11. sets off geographical names (such as state or country),

items in dates, and addresses from the rest of a text

. 12. follows the salutation in informal correspondence and

follows the closing line of a formal or informal letter .

DASH

—

1. usually marks an abrupt change or break in the conti¬ nuity of a sentence . 2. introduces a summary statement after a series .

3. is used in some compounds, especially those containing prepositions . 4. is often used between elements of a unit modifier in attributive position in order to avoid ambiguity .

5. suspends the first part of a hyphenated compound when used with another hyphenated compound .

parentheses

386

6. is used in writing out compound numbers between 21 and 99 cone hundred twenty-eight>. 7. is used between the numerator and the denominator in writing out fractions, especially when they are used as modifiers . 8. serves instead of the phrase “(up) to and including” between numbers and dates cpages 40-98> cthe decade 1990-99>.

PARENTHESES

( )

1. set off supplementary, parenthetic, or explanatory material when the interruption is more marked than that usually indicated by commas cThree old destroyers (all now out of commission) will be scrapped> .

2. enclose numerals which confirm a written number in a text cDelivery will be made in thirty (30) days>. 3. enclose numbers or letters in a series .

2. follows some abbreviations and contractions ccont.x

QUESTION MARK

?

1. terminates a direct question .

quotation marks

QUOTATION MARKS, DOUBLE

“

”

1. enclose direct quotations . 2. enclose words or phrases borrowed from others, words used in a special way, and often slang when it is intro¬ duced into formal writing .

3. enclose titles of short poems, short stories, articles, lec¬ tures, chapters of books, songs, short musical composi¬ tions, and radio and TV programs