Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day

unkempt (2). Today: And “unkept.” Beginning in the mid-20th century, some writers and speakers began using “unkept” for “unkempt.” Most commonly, “unkept” appears (quite appropriately) in phrases such as “unkept promises,” “unkept commitments,” and “unkept vows” — e.g.: “The unkept vow involves the company’s stated intent to make its wildly popular AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) […]

unkempt (1). Today: Sense and Use. “Unkempt” is a word with a “lost positive,” one of those interesting negatives without a corresponding positive word (cf. “discombobulate,” “disgruntled,” “nondescript”). That is, the word *”kempt” is obsolete while “unkempt” thrives. (Perhaps this says something about the state of the world.) “Unkempt” means “uncombed, disheveled” (another word with

Miscellaneous Entries. tubful. The plural is “tubfuls” — not *”tubsful.” Tucsonan; *Tucsonian; *Tucsonite. The first is standard; the others are needless variants. tunable. So spelled — not “tuneable.” tunnel, vb., makes “tunneled” and “tunneling” in American English, “tunnelled” and “tunnelling” in British English. turf. The plural is “turfs” — not *”turves” (which is archaic). Turkmen.

United States. Part A: Number. A century ago, in American English, this proper noun had “ceased to have any suggestion of plurality about it.” Harry T. Peck, What Is Good English? 3, 16 (1899). That represented a change, though, from just 50 years before, when states’-rights particularism was rampant. Thus, much earlier even than 1850,

unique. Strictly speaking, “unique” means “being one of a kind,” not “unusual.” Hence the phrases *”very unique,” *”quite unique,” *”how unique,” and the like are slovenly. The Oxford English Dictionary notes that this tendency to hyperbole — to use “unique” when all that is meant is “uncommon, unusual, remarkable” — began in the 19th century.

For information on Bryan Garner’s seminars, visit: www.lawprose.org. To send a message to Bryan Garner, email him at: bgarner@lawprose.org. For a profile of Bryan Garner, check out the Dallas Observer. View Garner’s Modern American Usage and Bryan Garner’s other works. For a guide to the Language-Change Index, click here. Never miss an Oxford sale. Subscribe

undue alarm. “Undue alarm” is not always an illogical phrase — e.g.: “Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), sponsor of the legislation, said the CFTC was reacting with ‘perhaps undue alarm.’” Mike Dorning, “Futures Overseer Fights Plan to Ease Regulation,” Chicago Trib., 12 Feb. 1997, Bus. §, at 1 (implying that some amount of alarm might

Miscellaneous Entries. triumphant; triumphal. People are “triumphant” (= celebrating a triumph), but events and actions are “triumphal” (= of, relating to, or constituting a triumph). triumvir (= one of three officers forming an administrative or rulemaking group, which is called a “triumvirate”) forms the plural “triumvirs” or (less good) *”triumviri.” The word is pronounced /tri-UHM-vuhr/.

underway; under way. Some dictionaries record the term as two words when used adverbially, one word when used as an adjective preceding the noun {underway refueling}. In the phrases “get underway” (= to get into motion) and “be underway” (= to be in progress), the term is increasingly made one word, and it would be

Understood Words. Understood words are common in English, and they usually aren’t very troublesome if we can mentally supply them. Often they occur at the outset of sentences. “More important” is short for “what is more important”; “as pointed out earlier” is short for “as was pointed out earlier.” In a compound sentence, parts of

Miscellaneous Entries. triceps. While the correct term for these three-anchored muscles (especially the back muscle of the upper arm, called the “triceps brachii” by anatomists) is “triceps” in both singular and plural forms, it is so common when writing of a single muscle to drop the “-s” that *”tricep” has become a variant form —

underestimate. “Underestimate” is often misused for “overestimate” when writers intend the phrase “impossible to overestimate.” The misuse renders the phrase illogical, even ludicrous — e.g.: o “Claiming ‘it’s impossible to underestimate [read ‘overestimate’] the timidity of professors,’ Mansfield [Harvey C. Mansfield Jr.] worries that too many scholars are studiously avoiding teaching the hot topics of

unconscious; subconscious. These words are most commonly adjectives. “Unconscious” = (1) lacking consciousness; senseless {the blow knocked him unconscious}; (2) unaware {she was unconscious of the danger}; (3) not perceived by oneself {an unconscious slip of the tongue}; or (4) not done on purpose; unintentional {an unconscious slight}. “Subconscious” = not fully or wholly conscious

uncharted. “Uncharted” (= unmapped), as in “uncharted territory,” is often wrongly written “unchartered” — e.g.: o “He believes this latest frontier in communications is an unchartered [read ‘uncharted’] territory bound to attract Wild West-type outlaws.” Stephen Rodrick, “Cyberstoned,” Star Trib. (Minneapolis), 22 May 1995, at A10. o “This was not the Africa of Tarzan lore,

*uncategorically. *”Uncategorically” is a silly but distressingly common malapropism for “categorically” (= unconditionally, without qualification). And it has gotten wide exposure. In 1991, Judge Clarence Thomas, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, “uncategorically” denied that he had discussed pornographic materials with Ms. Anita Hill: “Senator, I would like to start by saying unequivocally, uncategorically, that

Miscellaneous Entries. trauma, in pathology, means “a serious wound or shock to the body,” but in popular contexts it has been largely confined to figurative (emotional) senses. travel, vb., makes “traveled” and “traveling” in American English, “travelled” and “travelling” in British English. travelogue (= a lecture or film documentary about travel to a particular place)

unbeknown; unbeknownst. George P. Krapp suggested that both forms are humorous, colloquial, and dialectal (A Comprehensive Guide to Good English 602 [1927]). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English likewise suggests that both are colloquial. Eric Partridge and John Simon have written, in conformity with the Oxford English Dictionary, that “unbeknown” is preferred over the

unaware; unawares. Properly, “unaware” is the adjective {I am unaware of that book} and “unawares” the adverb {the rainstorm caught us unawares}. Thus, *”taken unaware” and *”caught unaware” are mistakes for the set phrases “taken unawares” and “caught unawares” — e.g.: o “And Denver was taken unaware [read ‘unawares’] when huge telephone boxes began appearing

tyrannical; tyrannous. Though the senses often seem to merge, “tyrannical” means “like a tyrant,” while “tyrannous” means “like a tyranny.” In the following example, it can be readily seen that a tyrant is being suggested: “Is Parks and Recreation Commissioner Harry Stern a tyrannical despot who deprives hobbyists of their natural right to troll for

type of. “Type of,” like “kind of,” “sort of,” and “variety of” — is often used unnecessarily and inelegantly. But when the word “type” does appear, it must have its “of” — which is unfortunately dropped in the following examples. They are typical of the modern American colloquial trend: o “The Cloister is exquisitely beautiful