Bryan A. Garner

Today: Ambiguities. Occasionally an ambiguity arises with synesis — e.g.: “There is now a variety of antidepressant drugs that can help lift these people out of their black moods.” If the sense of “a variety of” is “several,” then “are” is the appropriate verb; if the sense of the phrase is “a type of,” then …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: Synesis (3). Read More »

Today: Nouns of Multitude. Among the common nouns of multitude are “bulk,” “bunch,” “flood,” “handful,” “host,” “majority,” “mass,” “minority,” “multitude,” “percentage,” “proportion,” and “variety.” Each of these is frequently followed by “of” [+ plural noun] [+ plural verb]. Though singular in form, these nouns can justifiably take plural verbs — e.g.: o “Republicans in California …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: Synesis (2). Read More »

Today: Sense over Syntax. In some contexts, meaning — as opposed to the strict requirements of grammar or syntax — governs subject-verb agreement. Henry Sweet, the 19th-century English grammarian, used the term “antigrammatical constructions” for these triumphs of logic over grammar. (Expressions in which grammar triumphs over logic are termed “antilogical.”) Modern grammarians call the …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: Synesis (1). Read More »

Although these are synonyms (= the act or process of forming syllables, or of dividing words into syllables), prefer “syllabification,” since it corresponds to the more common verb “syllabify” (as opposed to *"syllabicate"). But the two nouns are almost equally common — e.g.: o “Other dictionaries use the same syllabification with a slightly different pronunciation: …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: syllabification; *syllabication. Read More »

As a verb, “swoon” means either (1) “to faint” or (2) “to be overjoyed or enraptured” — e.g.: “Like a latter-day St. Theresa swooning in ecstasy, her visage is simultaneously lost in a spiritual trance and abandoned in carnal reverie.” Christopher Knight, “Branching Out: Victor Estrada’s Work at Santa Monica Museum Is Both Inventive, Grim,” …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: swoon, vb. Read More »

So inflected. The dialectal *"swang" is fairly common — e.g.: o “One of [the boys] swang [read ‘swung’] erratically, topping his ball, which rattled a few yards along the grass and disappeared into a drainage ditch.” Don Gillmor, “Scot on the Rocks,” Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale), 27 Feb. 1994, at J1. o “As the youngster performed …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: swing/swung/swung. Read More »

symposium. The plural is :symposiums.” *"Symposia" is a pedantry. synagogue, n., is the standard spelling. *"Synagog" is a variant. synchronous; *synchronic; *synchronal. The second and third are needless variants. synonym for “pseudonym” (= a pen name) is a bizarre error — e.g.: “All of the contributors used synonyms [read ‘pseudonyms’]: Etienne George signed himself as …

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

“Swapping horses while crossing the stream” is H.W. Fowler’s term for vacillating between two constructions (Modern English Usage 589 [1st ed.]). Thus, someone writes that “the rate of divorce is almost as high in Continental Europe, other things being equal, than it is in the United States.” The first “as” needs a second one in …

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

“Sustained injuries” is officialese for “was injured” — e.g.: “Also since the series, parents have filed lawsuits alleging two area children sustained injuries [read ‘were injured’] at unsafe play areas.” Rosa Salter, “L.V. Dad Envisions Playground Safety Network,” Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.), 25 Nov. 1996, A.M. Mag. §, at D1. Why prefer an edit that …

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

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 become. Such …

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

swat (= to swing at [something] with a slapping movement) is the standard spelling. *”Swot” is a variant. sweetbrier, denoting a type of European rose, is so spelled — not *”sweetbriar.” swivel, vb., makes “swiveled” and “swiveling” in American English, “swivelled” and “swivelling” in British English. *sworn affidavit is a common redundancy. syllabus. The plural …

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

The surname (or “family name”) denotes (wholly or partly) one’s kinship. In many cases it was derived from physical characteristics, occupations, or locations and later transmitted to descendants (e.g., Smith); in other cases it indicated paternity (e.g., Davidson). Such names came to be called “surnames.” The modern custom is that a woman who marries may, …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: surname; Christian name; forename; given name. Read More »

Part A. Spelling: As noun and verb, the word is so spelled — not *”surmize.” E.g.: “Other officials even extended their optimism to surmize [read ‘surmise’] that ‘a new climate has begun.’” Ana Martinez-Soler, “Madrid Cheers as France Quashes ETA Terrorists,” Christian Science Monitor, 17 Jan. 1984, at 7. Part B: And *”surmisal.” The word …

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

“Supposed to” (= expected to) wrongly made *”suppose to” is an exceedingly common error — e.g.: o “We’re suppose [read ‘supposed’] to feel her greatest humiliation in this scene.” Avis L. Weathersbee, “Judging TV’s Black Images,” Chicago Sun-Times, 8 Apr. 2001, Showcase §, at 1. o “‘The Price of Milk’ is suppose [read ‘supposed’] to …

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

“Supposable” = capable of being supposed; presumable. E.g.: “He learns more about himself and the supposable dimension of man’s future.” Dick Richmond, “A Sequel to ‘The Celestine Prophecy,’” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 16 May 1996, at G7. “Suppositious” and “supposititious” sometimes cause confusion. Although some modern dictionaries list these as variants, some differentiation is both possible …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: supposable, suppositious, supposititious, suppositional, *suppositive Read More »

supplicant; *suppliant. “Supplicant” is the standard term meaning “one who earnestly beseeches; a humble petitioner” — e.g.: o “Upstairs in a darkened room of the Edina home in which he was staying, Sakya Trizin, supreme head of one of Tibetan Buddhism’s four branches, received a constant stream of supplicants.” Kay Miller, “Buddhism from Tibet Pursues …

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: supplicant, *suppliant Read More »