LawProse Lessons

Titular Tomfoolery. Nowadays almost any appositive is likely to be treated as if it were a title. This trend is primarily the fault of newspapers and magazines, which create descriptive titles for people on the fly. So instead of “Timothy McVeigh, the convicted bomber,” journalists want to say “convicted bomber Timothy McVeigh.” Worse yet, some […]

tithe. “Tithe” (= a donation of 10% of one’s income to support charitable or religious activities) derives from Middle and Old English words for “tenth.” That percentage is commonly understood — e.g.: “After her conversion, it took her three years to start giving the 10 percent, or tithe. Now she would never consider not giving

tipster; tipper. tipster; tipper. Both mean “a person who gives a critical piece of information (i.e., a ‘tip’).” “Tipster” often refers to one who gives tips to police in criminal investigations or sells tips relating to speculative or gambling subjects {an anonymous tipster called the police and implicated Mr. Kryder}. “Tipper” shares with “tipster” the

Miscellaneous Entries. tinsel, vb., makes “tinseled” and “tinseling” in American English, “tinselled” and “tinselling” in British English. tintinnabulum (= a small tinkling bell) forms the plural “tintinnabula.” The corresponding adjective, “tintinnabulary,” is more common than the noun; it means “of or relating to bells or their sounds.” E.g.: “Tunes like ‘The Ukrainian Bell Carol’ and

timpani. Part A: Spelling Dilemma: “timpani” vs. *”tympani.” In modern print sources, the spelling “timpani” is more common than *”tympani” by a 5-to-1 ratio. The latter ought to be rejected as a variant spelling (though the medical term for “eardrum” is “tympanic membrane,” so spelled). Of course, British English writers solve the problem by using

*time period. “Time period” is a common redundancy. The word “period” is almost always sufficient — e.g.: o “And the average low drops from 70 to 62 for the same time period [read ‘period’].” Bill Bair, “September a Wet Month, but It Wasn’t a Soggy One,” Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.), 1 Oct. 1996, at B3. o

till; until. “Till” is, like “until,” a bona fide preposition and conjunction. Though less formal than “until,” “till” is neither colloquial nor substandard. As Anthony Burgess put it, “In nonpoetic English we use ’till’ and ‘until’ indifferently.” A Mouthful of Air 158 (1992). It’s especially common in British English — e.g.: “He works from dawn

Miscellaneous Entries. timorous; temerarious. These similar-sounding words are antonyms. “Timorous” (/TiM-uh-ruhs/) = timid; fearful. Temerarious (tem-uh-RAIR-ee-uhs/) = foolhardily daring; rash and reckless. tine (= a prong on a fork, pitchfork, or antlers) is the standard spelling. *”Tyne” is a variant. tinge, vb., makes the present participle “tingeing.” tinker’s damn (= something valueless) is the standard

tie. “Tie” makes, in the present participle, “tying.” *”Tieing,” though common, is incorrect — e.g.: o “Cam Neely scored the tieing [read ‘tying’] and winning goals as Boston improved to 8-0-2 in its last 10 games against the Islanders.” Doug Chapman, “Islanders Marooned by Bruins, Who Can’t Be Beaten,” Providence J.-Bull., 19 Mar. 1995, at

thus. “Thus” has four meanings: (1) in this or that manner {one does it thus}; (2) so {thus far}; (3) hence, consequently; and (4) as an example. In senses 3 and 4, “thus,” when it begins a clause, should usually have a comma after it. “Thus” itself being an adverb, it needs no “-ly.” Although

thrust / thrust / thrust. So inflected. *”Thrusted” is a quite common error — e.g.: o “They thrusted [read ‘thrust’] pens, paper, footballs and jerseys over the fence top for Young to sign.” Gary Swan, “Young Already Trying to Run 49ers’ Camp,” S.F. Chron., 20 July 1998, at C1. o “Kournikova thrusted [read ‘thrust’] her

throes of, in the. In this phrase, meaning “struggling in the process of (something very painful or difficult)” {in the throes of childbirth}, “throes” is sometimes mistakenly spelled “throws” — e.g.: “‘I turned on the light and observed my much-loved pet in the throws [read ‘throes’] of a grand mal seizure.’” Liz Quinlan, “A Painful

Miscellaneous Entries. throw / threw / thrown. So inflected. *”Throwed” is dialectal, appearing mostly in reported speech of nonstandard speakers — e.g.: “‘He just changed direction on me real fast and throwed me,’ he [a cowboy] said.” Dan R. Barber, “Hell on Hooves,” Dallas Morning News, 17 May 2001, at S1. *thru, a variant spelling

thought leader. “Thought leader” (= a person or company with a reputation for innovation and success in a field) is a vogue word that has been around since the 1970s — e.g.: “To get the message across, Monsanto will aim its television advertising at people who write letters to editors and speak out on public

thoroughgoing. “Thoroughgoing” (a solid word) means “thorough,” but it connotes zeal or ardor. It is not, therefore, merely a needless variant of “thorough” — e.g.: o “There is no question the charter needs a thoroughgoing review and rewrite.” “L.A. City Elections,” L.A. Times, 16 Mar. 1997, at M4. o “[The governor] hasn’t risked one iota

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day Third World. Originally, this term denoted the group of underdeveloped nations (especially in Africa and Asia) not aligned with either Western democracies (i.e., the “First World” — or “Free World”) or Communist countries (i.e., the “Second World”) during the Cold War. But as the world turns, so does the

*these kind of; *these type of; *these sort of. These are illogical forms that, in a bolder day, would have been termed illiteracies. Today they merely brand the speaker or writer as slovenly. They appear most commonly in reported speech, but sometimes not — e.g.: o “What’s disheartening about this, from the Lebanon point of