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 [ 6 1
Substitute the second person for the third person.
The writer must address As a writer, you must
his readers' concerns. address your readers'
concerns.
No one need fear to use he if common sense supports it.
If you think she is a handy substitute for he, try it and see
what happens. Alternatively, put all controversial nouns in
the plural and avoid the choice of sex altogether, although
you may find your prose sounding general and diffuse as a
result.
This. The pronoun this, referring to the complete
sense of a preceding sentence or clause, can't always carry
the load and so may produce an imprecise statement.
Visiting dignitaries Visiting dignitaries
watched yesterday as watched yesterday as
ground was broken for the ground was broken for the
new high-energy physics new high-energy physics
laboratory with a blowout laboratory with a blowout
safety wall. This is the first safety wall. The ceremony
visible evidence of the uni- afforded the first visible
versitys plans for modem- evidence of the university's
ization and expansion. plans for modernization
and expansion.
In the lefthand example above, this does not immediately
make clear what the first visible evidence is.
Thrust. This showy noun, suggestive of power, hinting
of sex, is the darling of executives, politicos, and speechwriters.
Use it sparingly. Save it for specific application.
Our reorganization plan The piston has a fivehas
a tremendous thrust. inch thrust.
The thrust of his letter The point he made in
was that he was working his letter was that he was
more hours than he'd bar- working more hours than
g a i n e d f o r. h e ' d b a r g a i n e d f o r.