Tag Archives: usage
Usage: Farther Vs. Further
Historically, farther and further have been used interchangeably when referring to distance, but their definitions are diverging. Most usage guides, including Chicago and AP, distinguish between the two, reserving farther when referring to physical distances and further for figurative distances, … Continue reading
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Usage: Beg the Question
You can beg for forgiveness. You can beg for mercy. You can beg for money, especially in these tough economic times. But whatever you do, don’t beg the question. And don’t use “beg the question” incorrectly in your writing, either. … Continue reading
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Usage Thursday: Top Nine Misused Words
One of my oldest, dearest friends uses the word irregardless. She is smart and highly educated, yet insists on using this non-word. Should I correct her? Cracked.com says yes and lists eight other words that don’t mean what we think … Continue reading
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Usage Thursday: E.G. and I.E.
The abbreviated Latin terms e.g. and i.e. are often confused and used incorrectly. E.g. stands for exempli gratia, which means “for example.” I.e. stands for id est, which means “that is” or, put another way, “in other words.” The two … Continue reading
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Usage Thursday: Complement Vs. Compliment
Always on the hunt for new opportunities, I had a job interview yesterday that included a pretty rigorous, three-part editing test. The first part was timed: I had thirty minutes to rewrite thirteen sentences that had been rejected from real … Continue reading
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Usage Thursday: Loose Vs. Lose
I see loose confused with lose all the time, although more often in student papers and working drafts than in published material. It’s worth discussing here, as often when the mistake is corrected, the writer doesn’t understand what error he … Continue reading
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Usage Thursday: Lightening Vs. Lightning
I saw this common usage error again just the other day in a published book. Often, writers will use the word “lightening” when they really mean “lightning.” The word “lightening,” pronounced with three syllables, is the present participle form of … Continue reading
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Book Review: Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
Launched two years ago in the summer of 2006, Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing currently ranks thirty-second among iTunes’ top podcasts. Capitalizing on this success, creator Mignon Fogarty has authored a book that explains grammar, punctuation, … Continue reading
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Usage Thursday: Nauseated Vs. Nauseous
I’m not going to commit any of us to a standing appointment to discuss language usage on Thursdays, particularly with Monday and Tuesday already dedicated to the nuts and bolts of grammar and punctuation, but if such a question does … Continue reading
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