The Elements Of Style - ChokseKU: Home

4 6 ] T H E E L E M E N T S O F S T Y L E
At the end of a list introduced by such as, for example, or
any similar expression, etc. is incorrect. In formal writing,
etc. is a misfit. An item important enough to call for etc. is
probably important enough to be named.
Fact. Use this word only of matters capable of direct
verification, not of matters of judgment. That a particular
event happened on a given date and that lead melts at a cer
tain temperature are facts. But such conclusions as that
Napoleon was the greatest of modem generals or that the
climate of California is delightful, however defensible they
may be, are not properly called facts.
Facility. Why must jails, hospitals, and schools sud
denly become "facilities"?
Parents complained bit- Parents complained bit
terly about the fire hazard terly about the fire hazard
in the wooden facility. in the wooden schoolhouse.
He has been appointed He has been appointed
warden of the new facility. warden of the new prison.
Factor. A hackneyed word; the expressions of which it
is a part can usually be replaced by something more direct
and idiomatic.
Her superior training She won the match by
was the great factor in her being better trained,
winning the match.
Air power is becoming Air power is playing a
an increasingly important larger and larger part in
factor in deciding battles. deciding battles.
Farther. Further. The two words are commonly inter
changed, but there is a distinction worth observing: farther
serves best as a distance word,further as a time or quantity
word. You chase a ball farther than the other fellow; you
pursue a sutyectjurther.