Some common solecisms Acronym: this is a word, like radar or NATO, not a set of initials, like the BBC

or the IMF. Aetiology is the science of causation, or an inquiry into something's origins. Etiolate is to make or become pale for lack of light. Aggression is an unattractive quality, so do not call a keen sales an an a!!ressive one "unless his foot is in the door or #eyond$. Agony column: when %herlock &ol es 'erused this, it was a personal column, not letters to an agony aunt. Agree: thin!s are a!reed on, to or about, not (ust a!reed. Aggravate eans make worse, not irritate or annoy.

Alibi: an alibi is the 'roven fact of #ein! elsewhere, not a false e)'lanation. Alternate, as an ad(ective, eans every other. ore "which ay #e

Alternative: strictly, this is one of two, not one of three, four, five or options$.

Among and between. %o e sticklers insist that, where division is involved, among should #e used where three or ore are concerned, between where only two are concerned. "%o The plum jobs were shared among the Socialists the !iberals and the "hristian #emocrats while the president and the vice$president divided the cash between themselves%$ This distinction is unnecessary. But take care with between. To fall between two stools, however 'ainful, is !ra atically acce'ta#le* to fall between the cracks is to challen!e the laws of 'hysics. Anarchy chaotic. eans the complete absence of law or government . It ay #e har onious or

Anticipate does not ean e&pect. +ack and +ill e)'ected to arria!e, only +ill i!ht find herself e)'ectant.

arry* if they antici'ated

Apostasy and heresy. If you a#andon your reli!ion, you co it apostasy. If that reli!ion is the 'revailin! one in your co unity, and your #eliefs are contrary to its orthodo)y you co it heresy. Appeal is intransitive nowadays "e)ce't in A erica$, so a''eal against decisions. Appraise eans set a price on. Apprise eans inform.

Assassinate is, 'ro'erly, the ter used not (ust for any old killin!, #ut for the 'ro inent 'erson, usually for a 'olitical 'ur'ose. Autarchy eans a#solute soverei!nty. Autarky eans self,sufficiency.

urder of a

'eg the question eans neither raise the question, invite the question nor evade the answer. To beg the question is to ado't an ar!u ent whose conclusion de'ends u'on assu in! the truth of the very conclusion the ar!u ent is desi!ned to 'roduce. All governments should promote free trade because otherwise protectionism will increase% This begs the question. 'ellwether. This is the leadin! shee' of a flock, on whose neck a #ell is hun!. It is nothin! to do with cli ate, 'revailin! winds or the like. 'etween: see Among and between. 'looded eans pedigreed or initiated. 'loodied eans wounded.

'on vivant, not bon viveur. 'oth%%%and: a 're'osition 'laced after both should #e re'eated after and. Thus, both to right and to left* #ut to both right and left is all ri!ht. 'rokerage is what a stock#rokin! fir does, not what it is.

"anute's e)ercise on the seashore was desi!ned to 'ersuade his courtiers of what he knew to #e true #ut they dou#ted, ie, that he was not o ni'otent. -on.t i 'ly he was sur'rised to !et his feet wet. "artel% A cartel is a !rou' that restricts su''ly in order to drive u' 'rices. -o not use it to descri#e any old syndicate or association of 'roducers/es'ecially of dru!s. "assandra.s 'redictions were correct #ut not #elieved. "atalyst: this is so ethin! that s'eeds u' a che ical reaction while itself re ainin! unchan!ed. -o not confuse it with one of the a!ents. "entred on, not around or in. "harge: if you charge intransitively, do so as a #ull, cavalry officer or so esuch, not as an accuser "so avoid The standard of writing was abysmal he charged$. "ircumstances stand around a thin!, so it is in, not under, the . "oiffed, not coiffured

"ollapse is not transitive. 0ou

ay colla'se, #ut you

ay not colla'se so ethin!.

"ompare: A is co 'ared with B when you draw attention to the difference. A is co 'ared to B only when you want to stress their si ilarity. " (Shall ) compare thee to a summer's day*+$ "ompound does not ean make worse. It ay ean combine or, intransitively, it ean to agree or come to terms. To compound a felony eans to agree for a consideration not to prosecute. "omprise eans is composed of% The #emocratic coalition comprises women workers blacks and ,ews% -omen make up "not co 'rise$ three$fifths of the #emocratic coalition. Alternatively, Three$fifths of the #emocratic coalition is composed of women. "onfectionary: a sweet. "onfectionery: sweets in !eneral. "ontemporary: see "urrent. "ontinuous descri#es so ethin! uninterru'ted. "ontinual ad its of a #reak. If your nei!h#ours 'lay loud usic every ni!ht, it is a continual nuisance* it is not a continuous one unless the usic is never turned off. "ontract: see Subcontract. "onvince. -on.t convince 'eo'le to do so ethin!. In that conte)t the word you want is persuade. The prime minister was persuaded to call a ,une election. he was convinced of the wisdom of doing so only after he had won . "rescendo. This is not an ac e, a'o!ee, 'eak, su it or 1enith #ut a passage of increasing loudness. 0ou cannot therefore build to a crescendo. "risis. This is a decisive event or turnin!,'oint. Many of the econo ic and 'olitical trou#les wron!ly descri#ed as crises are really persistent difficulties sagas or affairs. "ritique is a noun. If you want a ver#, try criticise. "urrent and contemporary ean at that time, not necessarily at this time. %o a series of current 'rices fro 2345 to 2365 will not #e in today's prices, (ust as contemporary art in 2755 was not modern art. "ontemporary history is a contradiction in ter s. "usp. This is a 'ointed end or a horn of, e!, the oon, or the 'oint at which two #rances of a curve eet. %o it is odd to write, say, 8+a'an is on the cus' of a recovery,9 unless you think that recovery is a#out to end. #eal. Transitively, this eans distri#ute: 8&e was dealt two aces, two kin!s and a si).9 ay

Intransitively, deal deal in the .

eans engage in business. -o not deal horses, wea'ons, dru!s, etc*

#ecimate eans to destroy a 'ro'ortion "ori!inally a tenth$ of a !rou' of 'eo'le or thin!s, not to destroy the all or nearly all. #eliver is transitive. %o if so eone is to deliver, he goods/whether groceries or what he promised. #emographics: no, the word is demography. #ifferent from, not to or than. #ilemma% This is not (ust any old awkwardness, it is one with horns, #ein!, 'ro'erly, a for of ar!u ent "the horned syllo!is $ in which you find yourself co itted to acce't one of two 'ro'ositions each of which contradicts your ori!inal contention. Thus a dile a offers the choice #etween two alternatives, each with equally nasty consequences. #iscreet eans circumspect or prudent. discrete eans separate or distinct. ;e e #er that (/uestions are never indiscreet% Answers sometimes are%+ "Oscar <ilde$ #isinterested eans impartial* uninterested eans bored. " (#isinterested curiosity is the lifeblood of civilisation.9=.M. Trevelyan$ #ue to: when used to ean caused by, it ust follow a noun, as in The cancellation due to rain of%%% -o not write )t was cancelled due to rain. If you ean because of and for so e reason are reluctant to say it, you 'ro#a#ly want owing to. )t was cancelled owing to rain is all ri!ht. Earnings: do not write earnings when you gross pre$ta& or net$. ean profits "try to say if they are operating ust deliver letters babies or the

Effectively eans with effect* if you ean in effect, say it.The matter was effectively dealt with on 0riday eans it was done well on Friday. The matter was in effect dealt with on 0riday eans it was more or less attended to on Friday. Effectively leaderless would do as a descri'tion of the de onstrators in >ast =er any in 2373 #ut not those in Tianan en %quare. The devaluation of the %lovak currency in 233?, descri#ed #y so e as an effective 12, turned out to #e a rather ineffective 7@. Either%%%or. %ee 3one. Enormity eans a crime, sin or monstrous wickedness. It does not ean immensity.

Epicentre eans that 'oint on the earth.s surface a#ove the centre of an earthquake. To say that 4r 5utin was at the epicentre of the dispute su!!ests that the ar!u ent took

'lace under!round. E&$ "and former$: #e careful. A "ommunist e&$member has lost his seat* an e&$ "ommunist member has lost his 'arty. E&ecute eans put to death by law. -o not use it as a synony judicial e&ecution is a contradiction in ter s. 0actoid: so ethin! that sounds like a fact, is thou!ht #y #ecause it is re'eated so often$, #ut is not in fact a fact. for murder. An e&tra$

any to #e a fact "'erha's

0ellow: often unnecessary, es'ecially #efore countrymen "(0riends 6omans fellow$ countrymen+*$. 0ewer "not less$ than seven speeches fewer than seven samurai. Ase fewer, not less, with nu #ers of individual ite s or 'eo'le. !ess than 7899 less than :99 tonnes of oil less than a third, #ecause these are easured quantities or 'ro'ortions, not individual ite s. 0ief, not fiefdom. 0inally: do not use finally when you ean at last. 6ichard 'urton finally marries !i; Taylor would have #een all ri!ht second ti e round #ut not first. 0irm. Accountants., consultants., lawyers. and other 'artnershi's are firms, not co 'anies. &u!e enter'rises, like =>, =M, Ford, Microsoft and so on, should, #y contrast, nor ally, #e called companies, thou!h such outfits can so eti es #e called firms for variety. 0launt eans display* flout your i!norance. eans disdain. If you flout this distinction, you will flaunt

0orgo eans do without* it for!oes the e. 0orego eans go before. A foregone conclusion is one that is 'redeter ined* a forgone conclusion is non,e)istent. 0ormer: see E&$. 0rankenstein was not a onster, #ut its creator.

0ree is an ad(ective or an adver#, so you cannot have or do anythin! for free. >ither you have it free or you have it for nothing. 0und is a technical ter , eanin! to convert floatin! de#t into ore or less 'er anent de#t at fi)ed interest. -o not use it if you ean to finance or to pay for. <arner eans store, not gather.

<ender is a word to #e a''lied to !ra ar, not 'eo'le. If so eone is fe ale, that is her se&, not her gender. "The !ender of Mdchen, the =er an word for !irl, is neuter, as is Weib, a wife or wo an.$ <eneration: take care. 0ou can #e a second,!eneration French an, #ut if you are a second,!eneration i i!rant that eans you have left the country your 'arents ca e to. <et: an ada'ta#le ver#, #ut it has its li its. A sacked or 'ro oted. an does not get sacked or 'ro oted, he is

<ood in parts is what the curate said a#out an e!! that was wholly #ad. &e was tryin! to #e 'olite. <ourmet eans epicure* gourmand eans greedy$guts. ust be halved or

=alve is a transitive ver#, so deficits can dou#le #ut not halve. They fall by half. =aver eans to talk nonsense, not dither, swither or waver.

=ealthy: if you think so ethin! is desirable or good, say so. -o not call it healthy. =eresy: see Apostasy. =oards: few secreted treasures "hoards$ are ultitudes on the ove "hordes$.

=obson's choice is not the lesser of two evils* it is no choice at all. =omogeneous eans of the same kind or nature. =omogenous because of common descent. eans similar

=omose&ual: since this word co es fro the =reek word homos "sa e$, not the Batin word homo " an$, it a''lies as uch to wo en as to en. It is therefore as daft to write homose&uals and lesbians as to write people and women. =opefully: #y all eans #e!in an article ho'efully, #ut never write =opefully it will be finished by -ednesday. Try -ith luck if all goes well it is hoped that%%% =ypothermia is what kills old folk in winter. If you say it is hyperthermia, that they have #een carried off #y heat stroke. )lk eans same, so of that ilk not of that kind. Best avoided. )mmolate eans

eans of the place of the same name as the family,

eans to sacrifice, not to burn.

)nchoate

eans not fully developed or at an early stage, not incoherent or chaotic.

)nvestigations of, not into. >ey: keys ay #e major or minor, #ut not low. Few of the decisions, 'eo'le, industries descri#ed as key are truly indispensable, and fewer still open locks. !ag. If you lag transitively, you la! a 'i'e or a loft. Anythin! failin! to kee' u' with a front, runner, rate of !rowth, fourth,quarter 'rofit or whatever is lagging behind it. !ike !overns nouns and 'ronouns, not ver#s and clauses. %o as in America not like in America. But authorities like 0owler and <owers is a 'erfectly acce'ta#le alternative to authorities such as 0owler and <owers. 4asterful eans imperious. 4asterly eans skilled.

4ay and might are not always interchan!ea#le, and you ay want may ore often than you think. If in dou#t, try may first. 0ou need might in the 'ast tense. ) may go to !eeds later #eco es, in the 'ast, ) might have gone to !eeds later. And in indirect 'ast s'eech it #eco es ) said ) might go to !eeds later. Conditional sentences usin! the su#(unctive also need might. Thus )f ) were to go to !eeds ) might have to stand all the way. This could #e re'hrased )f ) go to !eeds ) may have to stand all the way. Conditional sentences statin! so ethin! contrary to fact, however, need might: )f pigs had wings birds might raise their eyebrows. -o not write <eorge 'ush might believe in education but he thinks the people of <reece are <recians. It should #e <eorge 'ush may believe in education but he thinks the people of <reece are <recians% Only if you are 'uttin! forward a hy'othesis that ay or ay not #e true are may and might interchan!ea#le. Thus )f <eorge 'ush studies hard he may "or might$ learn the difference between <reek and <recian% 4edia: 'refer press and television or, if the conte)t allows it, (ust press. If you have to use the media, re e #er it is 'lural. 4ete: you 4itigates ay mete out 'unish ent, #ut if it is to fit the cri e it is meet. ollifies* militates does the o''osite.

4onopoly. A monopolist is the sole seller* a sole #uyer is a monopsonist. 3either%%%nor. %ee 3one. 3one usually takes a sin!ular ver#. %o does neither "or either$ A nor "or$ ', unless B is 'lural, as in 3either the #utchman nor the #anes have done it, where the ver# a!rees with the ele ent closest to it. %i ilarly,

CC("ome live with me and be my love CCAnd we will all the pleasures prove CCThat hills and valleys dales and fields CC?r woods or steepy mountain yields%+ "Christo'her Marlowe$ 3or eans and not, so should not #e 'receded #y and.

?nly. Dut only as close as you can to the words it qualifies. Thus, These animals mate only in ,une. To say They only mate in ,une i 'lies that in +une they do nothin! else. ?verwhelm eans submerge utterly, crush, bring to sudden ruin. Ma(ority votes, for e)a 'le, seldo do any of these thin!s. As for the ethnic Al#anians in Eosovo, althou!h 35@ of the 'o'ulation, they turned out to #e an overwhelmed majority, not an overwhelming one, until NATO ste''ed in. ?&ymoron: an o&ymoron is not an unintentional contradiction in ter s #ut a figure of speech in which contradictory terms are deliberately combined , as in #itter,sweet, cruel kindness, sweet sorrow, etc. Per caput is the Batin for 'er head. Per capita is the Batin for #y heads* it is a ter used #y lawyers when distri#utin! an inheritance a on! individuals, rather than a on! fa ilies "per stirpes$. Anless the conte)t de ands this technical e)'ression, never use either per capita or per caput #ut per person. 5er cent is not the sa e as a percentage point. Nothin! can fall, or #e devalued, #y ore than 255@. If so ethin! tre#les, it increases #y F55@. If a !rowth rate increases fro G@ to 4@, the rate is two 'ercenta!e 'oints or H5@ faster, not F@. 5ercolate eans to 'ass through, not up or down. for the common people, not a synony for the population.

5opulace. This is a ter

5ositive eans definitely laid down, beyond possibility of doubt, absolute, fully convinced or greater than ;ero. It does not ean good. )t was a positive meeting 'ro#a#ly eans )t was a good, or fruitful, meeting. 5racticable eans feasible. 5ractical eans useful.

5resently eans soon, not at present. "(5resently >ep opened the door of the shed and let out ,emima 5uddle$#uck%+ Beatri) Dotter$

5ressurise. This is what you want in an aircraft, #ut not in an ar!u ent or encounter where 'ersuasion is #ein! e 'loyed. The ver# you want there is press "use pressure only as a noun$. 5revaricate eans evade the truth* procrastinate eans delay. "(5rocrastination@ or punctuality if you are ?scar -ilde@is the thief of time%+$ 5ristine eans original or former* it does not ean clean.

5ropaganda "which is sin!ular$ eans a systematic effort to spread doctrine or opinions. It is not a synony for lies. 5rotagonist eans the chief actor or combatant. If you are referrin! to several 'eo'le, they cannot all #e 'rota!onists. 5rotest. By all eans protest your innocence, or your intention to write good English, if you are akin! a declaration. But if you are akin! a co 'laint or o#(ection, you ust protest at or against it. 6eal. Is it really necessaryI <hen used to ean after taking inflation into account, it is le!iti ate. In other conte)ts ")nvestors are showing real interest in the country but 'olivians wonder if real prosperity will ever arrive$ it is often #etter left out. 6ebut eans repel or meet in argument. 6efute, which is stron!er, eans disprove. Neither should #e used as a synony for deny. "(Shakespeare never has si& lines together without a fault% 5erhaps you may find seven: but this does not refute my general assertion%+ %a uel +ohnson$ 6eport on, not into. 6eshuffle, resupply: shuffle and supply will do. Scotch: to scotch eans to disable, not to destroy. "(-e have scotched the snake not killed it%+$ The 'eo'le ay also #e Scotch, Scots or Scottish* choose as you like. Scot$free eans free fro 'ay ent of a fine "or 'unish ent$, not free from Scotsmen. Second$biggest "third$oldest fourth$wisest fifth$commonest etc$: think #efore you write. Apart from 3ew Aork a 'ramley is the second$biggest apple in the world% ?ther than home$making and parenting prostitution is the third$oldest profession% After Tom #ick and =arriet =enry ) was the fourth$wisest fool in "hristendom% 'esides justice prudence temperance and fortitude the fifth$commonest virtue of the <oths was punctuality% None of these sentences should contain the ordinal "second, , third, , fourth, , fifth, , etc$. Sensual eans carnal or voluptuous. Sensuous eans 'ertainin! to aesthetic a''reciation, without any i 'lication of lasciviousness.

Sequestered

eans secluded. Sequestrated

eans confiscated or made bankrupt.

Simon 5ure is the real 'erson "or thin!$, and has nothin! to do with Caesar.s wife or driven snow. Soft is an adver#, as well as an ad(ective and a noun. Softly is also an adver#. 0ou can s'eak softly and carry a #i! stick, #ut if you have a quiet voice you are soft/not softly/ spoken. Soi$disant eans self$styled, not so$called.

Specific: a specific is a medicine, not a detail. Stationary: still. Stationery: writin! 'a'er and so on. Straight eans direct or uncurved* strait tend to #e straight$faced. eans narrow or tight. The strait$laced

Subcontract. If you en!a!e so eone to do so ethin!, you are contracting the (o# to hi * only if he then asks so eone else to do it is the (o# subcontracted. Systemic eans relating to a system or body as a whole. Systematic according to system, methodical or intentional. eans

Target is a noun. If you are te 'ted to use it as a ver#, try aim or direct. Targeted eans provided with a shield. Testament is a will, testimony evidence. It is testimony to the poor teaching of English that journalists habitually write testament instead . Ticket platform manifesto. The ticket lists the na es of the candidates for a 'articular 'arty "so if you split your ticket you vote for, e!, a ;e'u#lican for 'resident and a -e ocrat for Con!ress$. The platform is the state ent of #asic 'rinci'les "planks$ 'ut forward #y an A erican 'arty, usually at its 're,election convention. It is thus akin to a British 'arty.s manifesto, which sets out its 'olicies. Times: take care. Three times more than B eans four times as much as B. ean the sa e as to try to end the

To or andI To try and end the killing does not killing. Transpire

eans e&hale, not happen, occur or turn out.

Cnderprivileged. %ince a 'rivile!e is a s'ecial favour or advanta!e, it is #y definition not so ethin! to which everyone is entitled. %o underprivileged, #y i 'lyin! the ri!ht to

'rivile!es for all, is not (ust u!ly (ar!on #ut also nonsense. Cnlike should not #e followed #y in. Bike like, unlike !overns nouns and 'ronouns, not ver#s and clauses. Cse and abuse: two words uch used and a#used. 0ou take dru!s, not use the "-oes he use su!arI$. And drug abuse is (ust drug taking, as is substance abuse, unless it is glue sniffing or bun throwing. Denerable eans worthy of reverence. It is not a synony for old. ean one

Derbal: every a!ree ent, e)ce't the nod,and,wink variety, is verbal. If you that was not written down, descri#e it as oral. Diable viable

eans capable of living. -o not a''ly it to thin!s like railway lines. Economically eans profitable. ust either give warning or warn somebody.

-arn is transitive, so you

-hich infor s, that defines. This is the house that ,ack built. But This house which ,ack built is now falling down. A ericans tend to #e fussy a#out akin! a distinction #etween which and that. =ood writers of British >n!lish are less fastidious. "(-e have left undone those things which we ought to have done%+ $ -hile is #est used te 'orally. -o not use it in 'lace of although or whereas. -rack is an old word eanin! vengeance, punishment or wreckage. It can also #e seaweed. It is not an instru ent of torture or a rece'tacle for toast: that is rack. &ence racked with pain by war drought etc. 6ack your #rains/unless they #e wracked.