Bryan A. Garner

tortuous; torturous; tortious. “Tortuous” (/TOR-choo-uhs/) = full of twists and turns {a tortuous path through the woods}. “Torturous” (/TOR-chuhr-uhs/) = of, characterized by, or pertaining to torture {torturous abuse}. “Tortious” (/TOR-shuhs/) = (1) of or relating to a civil wrong (i.e., a tort) for which a person can sue {tortious liability}; or (2) constituting a …

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too. Part A: Beginning Sentences with. It is poor style to begin a sentence with “too” (= also), although there is a tendency in facile journalism to use the word this way. Instead of *”Too, we shouldn’t forget,” write “Also, we shouldn’t forget” or, better, “And we shouldn’t forget.” Words such as “moreover,” “further,” and …

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Miscellaneous Entries. tolerance; toleration. The former is the quality, the latter the act or practice. tome refers not to any book, but only to one that is imposingly or forbiddingly large. tornadic (= of or relating to a tornado or tornadoes) is often a pomposity because “tornado” generally serves as its own adjective {tornado activity}. …

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Titular Tomfoolery. Nowadays almost any appositive is likely to be treated as if it were a title. This trend is primarily the fault of newspapers and magazines, which create descriptive titles for people on the fly. So instead of “Timothy McVeigh, the convicted bomber,” journalists want to say “convicted bomber Timothy McVeigh.” Worse yet, some …

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tithe. “Tithe” (= a donation of 10% of one’s income to support charitable or religious activities) derives from Middle and Old English words for “tenth.” That percentage is commonly understood — e.g.: “After her conversion, it took her three years to start giving the 10 percent, or tithe. Now she would never consider not giving …

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tipster; tipper. tipster; tipper. Both mean “a person who gives a critical piece of information (i.e., a ‘tip’).” “Tipster” often refers to one who gives tips to police in criminal investigations or sells tips relating to speculative or gambling subjects {an anonymous tipster called the police and implicated Mr. Kryder}. “Tipper” shares with “tipster” the …

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Miscellaneous Entries. tinsel, vb., makes “tinseled” and “tinseling” in American English, “tinselled” and “tinselling” in British English. tintinnabulum (= a small tinkling bell) forms the plural “tintinnabula.” The corresponding adjective, “tintinnabulary,” is more common than the noun; it means “of or relating to bells or their sounds.” E.g.: “Tunes like ‘The Ukrainian Bell Carol’ and …

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timpani. Part A: Spelling Dilemma: “timpani” vs. *”tympani.” In modern print sources, the spelling “timpani” is more common than *”tympani” by a 5-to-1 ratio. The latter ought to be rejected as a variant spelling (though the medical term for “eardrum” is “tympanic membrane,” so spelled). Of course, British English writers solve the problem by using …

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*time period. “Time period” is a common redundancy. The word “period” is almost always sufficient — e.g.: o “And the average low drops from 70 to 62 for the same time period [read ‘period’].” Bill Bair, “September a Wet Month, but It Wasn’t a Soggy One,” Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.), 1 Oct. 1996, at B3. o …

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till; until. “Till” is, like “until,” a bona fide preposition and conjunction. Though less formal than “until,” “till” is neither colloquial nor substandard. As Anthony Burgess put it, “In nonpoetic English we use ’till’ and ‘until’ indifferently.” A Mouthful of Air 158 (1992). It’s especially common in British English — e.g.: “He works from dawn …

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Miscellaneous Entries. timorous; temerarious. These similar-sounding words are antonyms. “Timorous” (/TiM-uh-ruhs/) = timid; fearful. Temerarious (tem-uh-RAIR-ee-uhs/) = foolhardily daring; rash and reckless. tine (= a prong on a fork, pitchfork, or antlers) is the standard spelling. *”Tyne” is a variant. tinge, vb., makes the present participle “tingeing.” tinker’s damn (= something valueless) is the standard …

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tie. “Tie” makes, in the present participle, “tying.” *”Tieing,” though common, is incorrect — e.g.: o “Cam Neely scored the tieing [read ‘tying’] and winning goals as Boston improved to 8-0-2 in its last 10 games against the Islanders.” Doug Chapman, “Islanders Marooned by Bruins, Who Can’t Be Beaten,” Providence J.-Bull., 19 Mar. 1995, at …

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thus. “Thus” has four meanings: (1) in this or that manner {one does it thus}; (2) so {thus far}; (3) hence, consequently; and (4) as an example. In senses 3 and 4, “thus,” when it begins a clause, should usually have a comma after it. “Thus” itself being an adverb, it needs no “-ly.” Although …

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thrust / thrust / thrust. So inflected. *”Thrusted” is a quite common error — e.g.: o “They thrusted [read ‘thrust’] pens, paper, footballs and jerseys over the fence top for Young to sign.” Gary Swan, “Young Already Trying to Run 49ers’ Camp,” S.F. Chron., 20 July 1998, at C1. o “Kournikova thrusted [read ‘thrust’] her …

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throes of, in the. In this phrase, meaning “struggling in the process of (something very painful or difficult)” {in the throes of childbirth}, “throes” is sometimes mistakenly spelled “throws” — e.g.: “‘I turned on the light and observed my much-loved pet in the throws [read ‘throes’] of a grand mal seizure.’” Liz Quinlan, “A Painful …

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Miscellaneous Entries. throw / threw / thrown. So inflected. *”Throwed” is dialectal, appearing mostly in reported speech of nonstandard speakers — e.g.: “‘He just changed direction on me real fast and throwed me,’ he [a cowboy] said.” Dan R. Barber, “Hell on Hooves,” Dallas Morning News, 17 May 2001, at S1. *thru, a variant spelling …

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