sailor; sailer. A “sailor” is one who sails — always in reference to a person. A “sailer” is a vessel or vehicle that sails, or that moves by the use of a sail — e.g.: “The second part of the project is to launch an operational solar sailer with eight sails to be tested in …

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said, adj. Legal writers formerly used this word as a supposedly more precise equivalent of “the,” “this,” “that,” “these,” or “those.” But as lawyers have generally learned that it isn’t any more precise — and, indeed, that it can lead to various technical problems — the term has become much less frequent. Still, some writers …

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sacrilegious. “Sacrilegious” (= violative of something sacred; profane) is so spelled. *”Sacreligious,” under the influence of “religious,” is a common misspelling — e.g.: “An appointment book, yes, a desk, no. It’s sacreligious [read ‘sacrilegious’].” Nathan Cobb, “Drawers of Our Lives,” Boston Globe, 27 Aug. 1995, Mag. §, at 9. Still another misspelling is *”sacriligious” — …

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Run-On Sentences (2). Today: The Distinction. The distinction between a true run-on sentence and a comma splice can be helpful in differentiating between the wholly unacceptable (the former) and the usually-but-not-always unacceptable (the latter). That is, most usage authorities accept comma splices when (1) the clauses are short and closely related, (2) there is no …

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Run-On Sentences (1). Today: The Definitions. Run-on sentences do not stop where they should. The problem usually occurs when the writer is uncertain how to handle punctuation or how to handle such adverbs as “however” and “otherwise,” which are often mistakenly treated as conjunctions. Some grammarians distinguish between a “run-on sentence” (or “fused sentence”) and …

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RSVP. The abbreviation of the French phrase “répondez s’il vous plaît” (= respond if you please) is the standard request for responses to invitations. Because the phrase contains the polite idea of “please,” it’s redundant to say *”please RSVP.” Increasingly, American English is making the acronym a verb meaning either “to respond” {have you RSVP’d …

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Miscellaneous Entries. resurface, like “surface,” may be intransitive or transitive, though the meanings differ. “Resurface” = (1) to come to the top again {he resurfaced in the middle of the pond}; or (2) to put a new top on {the state resurfaced the road}. resuscitate. So spelled. retaliatory; retaliative. The two forms have undergone differentiation. …

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ruin, n.; ruination. “Ruin” is the ordinary term. “Ruination,” which is quite common, has traditionally been humorous and colloquial, but today often seems to convey a special earnestness or acknowledged hyperbole — e.g.: o “The increasing involvement of player agents is leading to the ruination of professional sports, claims columnist Tom Powers of the St. …

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row to hoe. “Row to hoe” is an agricultural or gardening metaphor meaning “a challenging and perhaps arduous project” {it’s going to be a tough row to hoe}. Sometimes it’s ludicrously written as the mondegreen *”road to hoe,” especially in sportswriting — e.g.: o “Though victories over Newcastle and Aston Villa showed Leicester how they …

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routinize. “Routinize” (= to develop into a regular schedule) is pronounced either /ROO-tuh-nIz/ or /roo-TEE-nIz/. Although this word (dating from the early 1920s) sometimes smacks of gobbledygook, it’s also difficult to replace — e.g.: o “The raunchiness that some, at least, admired in the earlier book has been replaced by routinized descriptions of the hydraulics …

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Miscellaneous Entries. resister; resistor. “Resister” = one who resists. “Resistor” is the electrical term. resolution; motion. These terms carry distinct meanings in parliamentary procedure. When a deliberative assembly passes a “resolution,” the assembly is formally expressing its opinion about something — but no official action is taken. But when an assembly member raises a “motion,” …

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root around. “Root around” (= to poke about) is preferably so spelled — not *”rout around” or *”route around.” But the illogical slips are fairly common — e.g.: o “Maybe he should rout [read ‘root’] around in the attic for that pirate flag.” “The Fall of an American Icon,” BusinessWeek, 5 Feb. 1996, at 34. …

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roofed. “Roofed,” not *”rooved,” is the correct form — e.g.: o “These new state farms and cooperatives — clusters of tin-rooved [read ‘tin-roofed’] huts nestling in valleys — have been attacked repeatedly by the rebels.” Peter Ford, “What War Means for Nicaragua’s Peasants,” Christian Science Monitor, 10 July 1987, Int’l §, at 1. o “Salt …

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roof, n. The plural is “roofs,” not *”rooves.” But the mistaken plural occurs with some frequency — e.g.: o “But the view from the classroom (which his son uses to run a cramming school) is of rooves [read ‘roofs’] and television aerials, so the farmers’ cause seems already lost.” “The Last of the Left,” Economist, …

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Miscellaneous Entries. reprise; reprisal. “Reprise” = (1) /ri-PRIYZ/ an annual deduction, duty, or payment out of a manor or estate, as an annuity or the like; or (2) /ri-PREEZ/ (in music) a repetition of a theme or (in the performing arts) a repetition of a performance or role. “Reprisal” /ri-PRIY-zuhl/ = an act of retaliation, …

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role; roll. These are sometimes confused. “Roll” has many senses, including breadstuff, but the only sense that causes problems is “a list or register; roster” {the teacher took roll}. “Role,” by contrast, means “a function or part, as in a drama.” E.g.: o “She has no children with names such as Johnny, John, Peter, Paul, …

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rock ‘n’ roll; rock-‘n’-roll; rock’n’roll; rock and roll; rock-and-roll; rock & roll. Each of these is listed in at least one major American dictionary. “Rock ‘n’ roll” is probably the most common; appropriately, it has a relaxed and colloquial look. “Rock and roll” and “rock-and-roll” are somewhat more formal than the others and therefore not …

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rite of passage; rite de passage. Because the English expression is synonymous with (and more recognizable than) the French one, the latter should be considered an unnecessary gallicism. Occasionally, “rite” is misspelled “right” in this phrase — e.g.: o “Many consider drinking a normal right-of-passage [read ‘rite of passage’] for college students and complain about …

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ring/rang/rung; ringed. Senses that relate to encircling take the regular “-ed” inflections in the past tense and past participle {the enemy ringed the encampment}. Senses that relate to sound — the more usual senses — take the irregular inflections “ring/rang/rung” {the telephone rang}. The past-participial “rung” is often misused as a simple-past verb — e.g.: …

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Miscellaneous Entries. repetitive; repetitious; *repetitional; *repetitionary. The first two terms are undergoing differentiation. “Repetitive” generally means “repeating; containing repetition” {repetitive cadences}. It is a largely colorless term. “Repetitious,” which has taken on pejorative connotations, means “full of tedious repetitions” {a highly repetitious essay in need of pruning}. *”Repetitional” and *”repetitionary” are needless variants of “repetitive.” …

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