The Elements Of Style - ChokseKU: Home

M I S U S E D W O R D S A N D E X P R E S S I O N S [ 5 7
She possessed great She had great courage
c o u r a g e . ( w a s v e r y b r a v e ) .
He was the fortunate He was lucky enough to
p o s s e s s o r o f o w n
Presently. Has two meanings: "in a short while" and
"currendy." Because of this ambiguity it is best restricted to
the first meaning: "She'll be here presendy" ("soon," or "in
a short time").
Prestigious. Often an adjective of last resort. It's in the
dictionary, but that doesn't mean you have to use it.
Refer. See allude.
Regretful. Sometimes carelessly used for regrettable:
"The mixup was due to a regretful breakdown in commu
nications."
Relate. Not to be used intransitively to suggest rap
port.
I relate well to Janet. Janet and I see tilings
the same way.
Janet and I have a lot in
common.
Respective. Respectively. These words may usually
be omitted with advantage.
Works of fiction are Works of fiction are
listed under the names of listed under the names of
their respective authors. their authors.
The mile run and the The mile run was won
two-mile run were won by by Jones, the two-mile run
Jones and Cummings by Cummings.
respectively.
Secondly, thirdly, etc. Unless you are prepared to
begin with firstly and defend it (which will be difficult), do
not prettify numbers with -ly. Modem usage prefers sec
ond, third, and so on.