Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day

*where it’s at. This phrase and its variants have long set up parents’ and teachers’ classic grammatical correction: “Where’s my lunchbox at?” “Between the a and the t.” Besides the “sin” (to many early-educators) of ending a sentence with a preposition, the “at” is redundant, adding nothing to “where it is” or “where is it?” […]

where. Part A: For “in which.” In formal prose, “where” should not be used as a relative pronoun instead of as a locative — thus, not *”case where” but “case in which.” But if you want a relaxed tone, “where” may be more suitable. In the following example, the contraction “I’ve” might not comfortably fit

Miscellaneous Entries. waiting in line; waiting on line. The former is the standard American English expression. The latter is a regionalism in the Northeast, especially in New York. Although some might think that it’s the product of the computer age (i.e., being “online”), in fact it dates back to the 19th century. wake; awake; awaken.

what with. This phrase — meaning “in view of,” “in consequence of,” or “considering (one or more specified things)” — dates back to Old English. It begins an adverbial phrase — e.g.: o “This is a city in perpetual health crisis, what with drugs, AIDS, and teenage pregnancy, not to mention the occasional appearance of

what it is is. Sentences with this ungainly construction seem much on the rise, although examples can be found in older sources: o “What the O’Rourke study really is is simply a glorified set of examinations in grammar.” Janet Rankin Aiken, Commonsense Grammar 244 (1936). o “What it is is a judicious mixing of standard

whatever; whatsoever. Part A: Intensive Use. As an intensive (meaning “at all”), “whatsoever” is an established idiom in American English {he had no reason whatsoever}, though it is obsolescent in British English. Still, many American stylists prefer the shorter word, “whatever” — e.g.: “OPIC provides no grants or free benefits of any kind to any

Miscellaneous Entries. voyage; passage. A slight differentiation is possible. “Voyage” denotes a journey, especially by sea. “Passage” is almost synonymous with “voyage” in that sense, but it does not have as much connotation of returning. That is, “passage” usually denotes some sort of one-way change, such as (1) a progression from one place or state

what (3). Today: Plural “what” Uses. Part A: In a Noun Clause Followed by a Plural Predicate. In this construction, “what” means “the things that” — e.g.: “What the judge principally wants to hear are the relevant cases.” Glanville Williams, Learning the Law 163 (11th ed. 1982). Although some would say that the following sentence

what (2). Today: Singular “what” Uses. Part A: In a Noun Clause Followed by a Singular Predicate Noun. This construction is the easiest: “what” means “the thing that” and takes a singular verb. E.g.: “Unfortunately, what is needed is a return to terms and manners now maybe almost lost to our society.” Elliott Brack, “Phone

what (1). Today: Singular or Plural? Eric Partridge opined that “what,” as the subject of a clause, generally takes a singular (third-person) verb regardless of what follows (not “what follow”) (Usage & Abusage at 362). Thus: o “What she wants is a new house.” o “What we need in this company is more type-A personalities.”

Miscellaneous Entries. volitional; *volitive. “Volitional” = of or belonging to volition (i.e., an act of willing or resolving); pertaining to the action of willing. E.g.: “Mary Ann Sandoval . . . testified that she believed Stuart’s memory loss and behavioral problems were self-serving and volitional.” Ginny McKibben, “Suspect Cleared for Slay Trial,” Denver Post, 29

wet / wet(ted) / wet(ted). This verb has both a regular and an irregular past and past participle form. In most contexts, “wet” is the predominant form — e.g.: o “She wet her whistle with a sip of water.” Warren Gerds, “Peters Pours on the Charm at Weidner Concert,” Green Bay Press-Gaz., 29 Sept. 2002,

welsher; welcher. “Welsher” is the usual form; the term means “one who shirks his or her responsibility” and most commonly refers to one who does not pay gambling debts. E.g.: “But I don’t suppose he had a fermenting punter after him shouting ‘Welsher!’ at the top of his voice.” P.G. Wodehouse, The Return of Jeeves

Wellerisms. A wellerism (after Sam Weller or his father, two noted characters in Charles Dickens’s Pickwick Papers [1836-1837]), is a statement, especially a proverbial or allusive one, in which the speaker puts the words in a new light or a surprising setting, often by means of punning. E.g.: o “‘That’s food for reflection,’ as the

Miscellaneous Entries. virtue of, by; *in virtue of. “By virtue of,” not *”in virtue of,” is now the idiomatic phrase. The latter is archaic. virtuoso. The plural is preferably “virtuosos” — not *”virtuosi” (a pedantic form that is less than half as common in modern print sources). virus. The plural is “viruses.” visor (= a

weep / wept / wept. So inflected. The erroneous form *”weeped” sometimes appears — e.g.: o “Players from both teams weeped [read ‘wept’] and prayed.” Jarrett Bell, “Terrifying Injury Ends Player’s NFL Career,” USA Today, 23 Dec. 1997, at A1. o “‘I can’t stand up. I can’t stand up,’ [Carolyn] Sims weeped [read ‘wept’] as

weave / wove / woven. “Weaved” is correct only in the sense “moved in a winding or zigzag way” — e.g.: “Like scores of Saturday shoppers, Potter found himself in the middle of a 40-minute foot chase that began near the Capitol, weaved in and out of State Street buildings, and ended with the arrest

Miscellaneous Entries. vindictive; vindicatory; *vindicative. “Vindictive” = given to or characterized by revenge or retribution. “Vindicatory” = (1) providing vindication {a vindicatory eyewitness account}; or (2) punitive, retributive {vindicatory actions against the company}. Because sense 2 verges closely on the domain of “vindictive,” “vindicatory” should be reserved for sense 1. *”Vindicative” is a needless variant