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TIPS FOR JULY 2000

• Recently I saw the phrase "desperate systems" several times in the text of a sales document about computer software. At first I couldn't figure out what it meant, but then it dawned on me: it was supposed to be "disparate [unlike] systems." I'm surprised I hadn't seen this error before, because the two words do look and sound very much alike.
  
  

• People commonly confuse "most" and "almost." Instead of saying "Most everyone is here," say "almost everyone." ("Almost" means "nearly.") Use "most" in sentences like "Most of the cars were new" and "Most batteries die before their expiration date." ("Most" means "the majority of.")
  
  

• A recent letter to the editor in my local newspaper contained the phrase "ice flows," referring to floating ice in Alaska. The writer evidently had no idea that the term is "ice floes." I've heard the word "floe" used only in conjunction with "ice." A "floe" is a layer or an expanse—in other words, a chunk of ice adrift on the ocean or a fjord and evidently smaller than an iceberg.
  
  

• Deciding when to use "who" rather than "whom" can be tricky. First you have to understand that "who" is a subject pronoun and "whom" is an object pronoun. Then you have to determine how "who" or "whom" is used in its own clause. For example: "Whom will the court choose as its spokesperson?" "Whom" is correct because it's the object of the verb in its clause. For a question, it's best to change the clause to a statement ("The court will choose whom. . . .") and then insert "him," "her," or "them" to test your choice. If one of these works, "whom" is correct. Otherwise, use "who," as in "We know who is planning to retire." ("He" or "she" fits in this sentence.)
  
  

• A current radio ad touts a drug because it has "no drowsy symptoms." This is ludicrous. Symptoms can't be groggy, but people can be groggy—or not groggy. The idea could be stated this way: If you take xxx, you won't be groggy. What a relief!

TIPS FOR AUGUST 2000

• The debate continues on whether to capitalize "Web" in references to the World Wide Web (not to mention the decision about whether to write "Web site" or "Website"). Now a related problem rears its ugly head: are new terms like "webmaster" and "webcast" capitalized? The answer: we don't know yet. It may take several years to get everyone on the same page.
  
  

• Please do not use "plus" as a substitute for "and." Wrong: "You can find bargains galore at our Labor Day sale. Plus, there are extra reductions on selected items." Right: "You can find bargains galore at our Labor Day sale, and there are extra reductions on selected items."
  
  

• Avoid this sentence construction: "If she would've been more careful, she wouldn't have run that red light." The trick is to remember not to use "would" in an "if" clause. Rewrite: "If she'd been more careful, she wouldn't have run that red light."
  
  

• Distinguish between "emigrate" and "immigrate." "Emigrate" refers to moving out of a country. "Immigrate" refers to moving to a country. Examples: "The family emigrated FROM Sweden at the turn of the century" and "Known criminals are not usually allowed to immigrate TO the United States."
  
  

• Hyphenating measurements can be tricky. Try spotting the mistake in this description: "the 98-foot diameter, 58-foot-high precast concrete tank." Answer: the phrase "98-foot-diameter" is the measurement, like "58-foot-high," so each entire measurement should be hyphenated.

TIPS FOR SEPTEMBER 2000

• A former boss of mine pointed out to me that "on the other hand" shouldn't be used except after saying or writing "on the one hand." This makes sense, but I'd never thought about it before.
  
  

• Another point of English grammar is that "either" or "neither" may be used only when two items are involved. "Either" means one of two, and "neither" refers to zero of two possibilities.
  
  

• One of the new-fangled tricks we can do with our computer keyboards is the "automatic" superscripts after dates—"th," "st," and "nd." I think these superscripts look ridiculous and shouldn't be used as all (except as discussed below). If you use them, use forms with the same font size and no superscripts: e.g., "1st," "2nd," "3rd."
  
  These forms are unnecessary when the month and day are used, as in "June 23" and "October 7." If we speak these, the "st," "nd," and "rd" are pronounced, but they aren't necessary in writing. The endings are acceptable in expressions such as "23rd of June" and "7th of October."
  
  

• Do not use question marks to end statements with implied questions, as in this sentence: "I wonder whether this will be a bad hurricane season." (The implied question: "Will this be a bad hurricane season?")
  
  

• There is a growing trend not to use adverbs after verbs of action. Apple Computer made this mistake deliberately in its ad "Think different" (instead of the correct "differently").
  
  But what about a sentence like "Think positive"? We hear and say this all the time. Is it wrong? Or is "positive" an adjective in this sentence—and after this specific verb? Although I'd like to think so, I believe we should say, "Think positively." If anyone wants to chime in on this sentence, feel free.

TIPS FOR OCTOBER 2000

• Not too many years ago I was laboring under the delusion that the word "transfer" always followed the rule about the addition of suffixes. The general rule is that multisyllable words ending in one consonant preceded by one vowel, and accented on the last syllable of the root, double the final consonant when a suffix beginning with a vowel is added.
  
  One problem with "transfer" is that we're supposed to accent the second syllable, but we don't. Another problem is that the rule is followed for all endings except "-ence" and "-able." These are the correct spellings: "transferring," "transferred," "transferral," and the exceptions, "transference" and "transferable."
  
  

• Though some experts will disagree, it's still technically correct to say "different from" rather than "different than." The reason? "From" is a preposition; "than" is a conjunction and will thus be followed by a subject and verb (sometimes the verb and its completing words are understood). Saying "This child is very different from his twin" is correct, because all that follows is the object of the preposition.
  
  Sometimes, writing "different from" requires a rewrite of part of the sentence. For example, if you say, "This outcome was different than expected," the rewrite would have to be, "This outcome was different from what was expected."
  
  

• Another issue regarding "than" is the common (but incorrect) practice of using an object pronoun after it. Saying "This person is much older than me" is incorrect because "than" is a conjunction that introduces a new clause, and the subject of a clause can't be "me." The problem is that part of the clause is understood. If it were all written out or spoken, every native speaker would get it right: "This person is much older than I [am old]."
  
  

• If you're writing a complex series with commas, you generally need to separate the items by using semicolons instead of commas. But if you use numbers or letters with parentheses to begin each item, then commas will still work, because you've clearly distinguished where each item begins. Example: (1) four calling birds, some of them sickly, (2) three French hens, none of which produce eggs, (3) two turtle doves, and (4) a partridge in a pear tree.
  
  

• If you want your writing to be lean and mean, you have to cut the fat. One example: Instead of saying "If that's the case," you can say "If so," saving two words. Over the long haul, such pruning pays off.

TIPS FOR NOVEMBER 2000

• Pairs of single quotation marks should be used only within double quotation marks. For example: He replied, "We have instituted a 'no dogs and cats' policy effective January 1, 2001."
  
  

• There are two ways of writing "dos" and "don'ts," both of which look wrong. The first way is the way I have chosen to write them. The alternate is "do's and "don't's." Obviously you have to retain the contractive apostrophe in "don'ts." You may be aware that the plurals of words are now formed just like any other plurals (not with apostrophes, as was the previous style). That's why the latter pair is technically incorrect. And you certainly can't use the mixture "do's" and "don'ts."
  
  

• More and more frequently, writers are incorrectly putting two periods at the end of a sentence if the last word is an abbreviation. In such cases, a single period does double duty. Example: The game was over about 10:30 p.m. (not 10:30 p.m..).
  
  

• People whose last name ends in "s" (and "z" and "x") must form the plural by adding "es." We have no trouble with this rule in an idiom such as "keeping up with the Joneses." However, "The Richardses (or Gonzalezes or Lomaxes) will be coming for dinner" doesn't look right. By the way, this is the way you're supposed to sign Christmas cards or other cards.
  
  

• The word "supersede" is the only word in the English language that ends in "sede." Similar-ending words are spelled either "cede" or "ceed." Someone called me recently asking how to spell "supersede." She and her lawyer were arguing about it. I asked her why they didn't just look it up in the dictionary!

TIPS FOR DECEMBER 2000

• I recently saw "two cents' worth" written "two-cents worth." Here's how to get this one right. First, think of a similar phrase, "a dollar's worth." You wouldn't ever be tempted to write "a-dollar's worth." In both phrases, the first word modifies the second, but the two words together aren't a single unit like "battery-operated," so no hyphen is needed. The apostrophe is needed because the money unit is a possessive adjective modifying the noun "worth." This truth is more obvious in "a dollar's worth" because the "s" can't be part of a plural. Thus it can only be functioning as a possessive "s."
  
  

• If you use an abbreviation for a term or group of words, do not fall into the trap of thinking the words must have initial caps, even though the abbreviation must. Here's an example: "GOSRTs" is the abbreviation for goals, objectives, strategies, resources, and tactics. The same principle works for CEO, CFO, COO, CIO, etc.
  
  

• My preference is to write out the word "percent" in sentences and to use the % symbol in charts, graphs, etc. Why? I just think it looks better—more formal.
  
  

• Generally speaking, use a comma to separate the two parts of expressions that follow the "the . . . the" pattern. For example, write, "The more we can save, the lower our costs." In very short examples like "the more the merrier" and "the bigger the better," the comma may be omitted, but I confess that these are the only ones of this type that I can think of.
  
  

• It may be news to you that "salespeople" is now written as one word (but "road kill" isn't). "Airbag" is one word, but "seat belt" isn't. Don't ask me to explain why. There is no logical explanation.