Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day

stalactite; stalagmite. They're both deposits of calcium carbonate found in caves and caverns. The difference is that a "stalactite" hangs from the ceiling, while a "stalagmite" rises from the floor. Writers sometimes fall into error by using "stalagmite" for "stalactite" — e.g.: "The Dripstone Trail Tour is a leisurely hour-plus trek known for delicate sodastraw …

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squash; quash, vb. "Squash" (= to flatten or soften [something] by forceful crushing or squeezing) is not a substitute for "quash" (= to overturn or make legally invalid; to suppress, as a rebellion). Many writers err on this point — e.g.: o "The Alabama story ends for the moment with criminal indictments, and with Windom …

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stadium. Although several dictionaries seem to prefer *"stadia" as the plural, "stadiums" is the more natural and the more usual form. "Stadiums" is also 30 times as common — e.g.: o "Dozens of stadiums have sprouted up all over the country in recent years." Lisa Respers, "Funds Sought for Stadium in Aberdeen," Baltimore Sun, 28 …

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spring / sprang / sprung. So inflected. But "springed" is correct when the sense is "equipped with springs" {a springed mattress} {springed hinges} or "to spend the season of spring" {they springed in Europe}. (The latter usage will strike many readers as more than a little odd.) The real challenge with these words is to …

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sprightly. "Sprightly" (= [1] lively, airy; or [2] zesty, esp. spicy, in flavor) is subject to the mischievous misspelling *"spritely" — e.g.: o "Will she end up a bitter, washed-up star a la Baby Jane, psychologically torturing her spritely [read 'sprightly'] sis Jamie-Lynn? Let’s recap Britney's recent bizarre behavior." Tamara Ikenberg, "Not So 'Lucky," Courier-J. …

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Miscellaneous Entries. standby. The plural is "standbys" (not *"standbies"). stand in line; stand on line. While both phrases must be accepted as standard, "stand in line" predominates in most of American English. But the regionalism "stand on line" prevails in the New York City area and elsewhere in the Northeast, and it is heard (and …

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spread / spread / spread. So inflected. The weak form of the verb (*"spreaded") is erroneous — e.g.: o "According to Ms. Lucas, Deborah Isabelle's character and 'motivation' spreaded [read 'spread'] to other students." Antonio R. Harvey, "Bright Futures," Sacramento Observer, 21 June 1995, at A9. o "He spreaded [read 'spread'] the wealth around, throwing …

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sprain / sprained / sprained. So inflected. An erroneous "sprang" sometimes springs up — e.g.: o "A Web site has been created on the Internet for people to send quick get-well wishes to Kerri Strug, who sprang [read 'sprained'] her ankle Tuesday night." Times-Picayune (New Orleans), 25 July 1996, at A1 (photo caption). o "'I …

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spoliation; despoliation; *despoilment. A learned word, “spoliation” /spoh-lee-AY-shuhn/ means the act of ruining, destroying, or spoiling something. In the hands and mouths of the less-than-learned, it’s often misspelled and mispronounced *”spoilation” (an example of metathesis). The difference between the form of the verb and of the noun arises from different paths by which the words …

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spoil, n.; spoils. The plural form is preferred in set phrases {the spoils of war} {to the victor belong the spoils} and in similar uses when multiple objects are referred to {the looters carried off their spoils} — e.g.: o "The spoils of unmanned space exploration are clear — conveniences of modern life such as …

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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 …

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Miscellaneous Entries. spumoni; spumone. The Italian term for this ice-cream dessert is "spumone" (/spyoo-MOH-nee/). Although that used to be the preferred spelling in English as well, dictionaries are now almost equally divided. In English print sources, "spumoni" appears about 35 times as often as "spumone." spurt; spirt. Most American English dictionaries list "spirt" merely as …

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Split Infinitives (4). Today: Awkwardness Caused by Avoiding Splits. Occasionally, sticking to the old "rule" about split infinitives leads to gross phrasing. The following sentences illustrate clumsy attempts to avoid splitting the infinitive. In the first example, the adverb may be placed more naturally than it is without splitting the infinitive; in the second and …

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Split Infinitives (3). Today: Justified Splits. A number of infinitives are best split. Perhaps the most famous is from the 1960s television series Star Trek, in which the opening voice-over included this phrase: "to boldly go where no man [or, in the revival of the 1980s and 1990s, 'where no one'] has gone before." The …

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Split Infinitives (2). Today: Splits to Be Avoided. If a split is easily fixed by putting the adverb at the end of the phrase and the meaning remains the same, then avoiding the split is the best course. Split: "It is not necessary to here enlarge upon those points." Unsplit: "It is not necessary to …

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Split Infinitives (1). Today: Generally. H.W. Fowler divided the English-speaking world into five classes: (1) those who neither know nor care what a split infinitive is; (2) those who do not know, but care very much; (3) those who know and condemn; (4) those who know and approve; and (5) those who know and distinguish …

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Miscellaneous Entries. spoonfuls; *spoonsful. The former is preferred. sports car — not *"sport car" — is the standard term. But "sport coat" and "sport shirt" are more idiomatic than *"sports coat" and *"sports shirt." sport-utility vehicle; *sports-utility vehicle; *sports-utilities vehicle. The first is standard. The others are variant forms. spouse. Whenever you know that you're …

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spitting image (2). Today: And *"splitting image." This odd variant, another chip off the old "spit and image" block, usually appears as a pun. But occasionally (and sadly), a sober-sided writer will err with it — e.g.: o "He's the splitting image [read 'spitting image'] of his brother, Tampa Bay Buccaneers' cornerback Ronde Barber. And …

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spitting image (1). Today: Etymology. "Spitting image" (= the exact likeness; an identical duplicate) is actually a corruption of "spit and image," from the notion of God's using spit and dust to form the clay to make Adam in his image. As far back as the early 1800s, the phrase "the very spit of" was …

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spit. "Spit" (= to expectorate) is inflected in three possible ways: "spit / spat / spat," "spit / spat / spit," and "spit / spit / spit." Good authority can be found for the first two; the third finds less enthusiastic support. The recommendation here is to follow the first, as good writers generally do …

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