Bryan A. Garner

via. “Via” = (1) by way of (a place); passing through {they flew to Amarillo via Dallas}; or (2) by means of, through the agency of {we sent the letter via fax}. Sense 2, a casualism, is questionable whenever a simple preposition would suffice. Ernest Gowers called it a vulgarism in Modern English Usage (2d …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: via. Read More »

veteran. Once a veteran, always a veteran. Hence *”former veteran” is redundant — e.g.: o “Many former veterans [read ‘veterans’] now work in the private sector and would have good reason to fear any disclosure of their possible exposure to Agent Orange.” Shira A. Scheindlin, “Discovering the Discoverable: A Bird’s Eye View of Discovery in …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: veteran. Read More »

Miscellaneous Entries. unsupportable; insupportable. Both forms are standard and have been since they were first recorded in English in the 16th century. “Unsupportable is about twice as common as “insupportable” in American print sources — e.g.: “Adding $212 a month for health insurance to food, transportation, and housing costs in this high-cost state might well …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: Miscellaneous Entries. Read More »

very. Part A: As a weasel word. This intensifier, which functions as both an adjective and an adverb, surfaces repeatedly in flabby writing. In almost every context in which it appears, its omission would result in at most a negligible loss. And in many contexts the idea would be more powerfully expressed without it — …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: very. Read More »

verses; versus. “Verses” (/VUHR-siz/) are lines of a poem or song, sections of a song separated by the chorus, or subsections of chapters in books of the Bible. “Versus” (/VUHR-suhs/) is a preposition from the Latin, meaning “facing,” especially in law and sports. Writers sometimes misspell it “verses” — e.g.: o “‘Many rooms are semi-private …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: verses; versus. Read More »

Language-Change Index. The third edition of Garner’s Modern American Usage reflects several new practices. Invariably inferior forms, for example, are now marked with asterisks preceding the term or phrase, a marking common in linguistics. The most interesting new feature is the Language-Change Index. Its purpose is to measure how widely accepted various linguistic innovations have …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: Language-Change Index. Read More »

Miscellaneous Entries. unknown quantity (= a person or thing whose characteristics haven’t been assessed) was originally a mathematical phrase. It became popular in the mid-20th century. Since then, some people have misunderstood the phrase as “unknown quality” — e.g.: “‘She is an unknown quality [read ‘quantity’] as a legislator, but you don’t come in here …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: Miscellaneous Entries. Read More »

verbiage. This term has long had negative connotations, referring to language that is prolix or redundant. E.g.: “Fanatics sloughing through Stone’s pseudo-Joycean jungle of verbiage might note . . . his overuse of sentence fragments and quick, cheap imagery.” James Hannaham, “Hollywood Babble,” Village Voice, 21 Oct. 1997, at 65. Still, the Shorter Oxford English …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: verbiage. Read More »

Verbal Awareness. To keep from making unconscious gaffes or miscues — as by referring to a “virgin field pregnant with possibilities” — writers must be aware of all the meanings of a word because its potential meanings can sabotage the intention. Careful users of language don’t let a sign such as “Ears Pierced While You …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: Verbal Awareness. Read More »

verbal; oral. “Verbal” = (1) of, relating to, or expressed in words, whether written or oral; or (2) of, relating to, or expressed through the spoken word. “Oral” = (1) of or relating to the mouth; or (2) of, relating to, or expressed through the spoken word. Many regard sense 2 as the exclusive province …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: verbal; oral. Read More »

Miscellaneous Entries. uneconomical; *uneconomic; noneconomic. The correct words are “uneconomical” (= not cost-effective) and “noneconomic” (= not relating to economics). The most common error is to use *”uneconomic” for “uneconomical” — e.g.: “Manifestly uneconomic [read ‘uneconomical’] projects have been pursued . . . . Lavish spending on the new federal capital, Abuja, is at odds …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: Miscellaneous Entries. Read More »

venue. “Venue” = (1) the proper or a possible place for the trial of a lawsuit; or (2) the place where an event is held {the venue will be Madison Square Garden}. In sense 2, it’s a vogue word — e.g.: o “While large-market teams covet fancy venues [read ‘locations’] to boost revenues, small-market team …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: venue. Read More »

venal; venial. “Venal” = purchasable; highly mercenary; amenable to bribes; corruptible. E.g.: “As the world rushes to congratulate Kabila for overthrowing Mobutu, the continent’s most spectacularly venal dictator, terrible things are happening in the deep bush of this ruined country.” “Genocide Stalks Tribal Rivalry,” Pitt. Post-Gaz., 2 June 1997, at A1. “Venial” = slight (used …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: venal; venial. Read More »

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day vehicular. Part A: Vehicular homicide. “Vehicular” (/vee-HiK-yuh-luhr/), an adjective dating from about 1900, is not objectionable per se. Several states have “vehicular-homicide statutes,” in which there is no ready substitute for “vehicular.” Part B: Vehicular accident. The phrase is pompous police jargon for “traffic accident,” “car accident,” or (in …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: vehicular. Read More »

Miscellaneous Entries. underlay, n.; underlayment. The first, denoting material placed under a structure, as for support, is much older (14th century) than the second (1949). But today, “underlayment” is the more common name for the building substance. undersigned, n. Eric Partridge said that this attributive noun {the undersigned agrees to the following terms and conditions} …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: Miscellaneous Entries. Read More »

*various of (the). This phrasing has traditionally been disapproved because “various” shifts from being used as an adjective to a pronoun. Although the phrasing is roughly analogous to “several of” or “many of,” it cannot be considered good usage. Some improvement, including “various” alone, is always available — e.g.: o “Even the most casual of …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: *various of (the). Read More »