The Penguin Guide to Plain English

The reporter used the w rong verb here: precludes restoration of the
hereditary principle to the Lords by a Prime Minister H ague.
exhausting / exhaustive
The verb to exhaust means to draw off, to drain o f resources, and
therefore to empty and to weary. The w ord exhausting is thus generally
used to mean tiring, but we speak of exhausting all possibilities in
trying to find something lost. The w ord exhaustive is a favourite w ord
to use o f investigations or books w hich thoroughly and comprehensively
finish the task they w ere intended to deal w ith ( This book is an exhaustive
account of the French Revolution).
expedient I expeditious
To expedite is to push quickly forward some action or project, clearing
away any obstacles. The w ord expeditious is used w ith emphasis on the
speed of such action (At this crisis the dem and for m ore troops called
for an expeditious response) . The w ord expedient is used w ith emphasis
on the appropriateness o f the action ( As his form er wife remained on
the same staff, he found it expedient to seek a new post elsewhere). The
emphasis on convenience produces an implicit contrast w ith action that
is inconvenient but is dictated by principle and propriety. Thus politicians
get accused of being motivated by expediency rather than by principle.
explicit I implicit
W hat is explicit is clearly and precisely expressed, leaving no room for
doubt (There was an explicit requirem ent that employees should wear
formal dress). W hat is im plicit is not directly stated in so many w ords
but implied. The notice Thank you for not sm oking in a restaurant is
an im plicit request that customers should not smoke. That request is
im plicit in the notice.
fallacious I fallible
Something w hich is fallacious contains a fallacy, an inaccuracy or a
deception. The forbidden apple w hich Adam and Eve eat in M iltons
Paradise Lost is described as the fallacious fruit. To say something w hich
is fallacious is not necessarily to lie, because the speaker may not know
that what is said is false; falsehood is assumed to be dishonest, w here a
fallacy may merely be a mistake. The w ord fallible means liable to be
deceived or to be erroneous. In Shakespeares Measure for Measure the Duke