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

Miscellaneous Entries. stick with; stick to. Both phrases are acceptable in figurative senses {stick with it!} {stick to it!}. “Stick with” predominates in American English, “stick to” in British English. stiletto. The plural is “stilettos.” still life. Although the usual plural of “life” is “lives,” the phrase “still life” makes the plural “still lifes.” stock; shares. “Stock” = (1) the capital or principal fund raised by a corporation through subscribers’ contributions or the sale of shares; (2) the proportional part of this capital credited to an individual shareholder and represented by the number of units owned; or (3) the goods that a merchant has on hand. Whereas “stock” is a mass noun, “shares” is a count noun closely related to sense 2 of “stock.” “Shares” = the units of capital that represent an ownership interest in a corporation or in its equity. stogie (= a long, thin cigar) is the standard spelling. *”Stogy” and *”stogey” are variants. *Invariably inferior forms.

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Quotation of the Day: “Don’t forget that the last paragraph of your letter is your parting shot. In fact, next to the first five words, the most important part of your letter is the last five words.” Walter Lubars & Albert J. Sullivan, Guidelines for Effective Writing: Qualities and Formats 128 (1978).