The Penguin Dictionary of American English Usage and Style : A ...

8 admission
overlook the effect of the adverb on the
second verb, in this manner: “Skillfully
he concluded the difficult operation but
collapsed from exhaustion.” Make it
“He skillfully concluded” to avoid saying,
literally, that he skillfully collapsed.
As a rule, an adverb should not separate
a verb from its object. “Liza solved
quickly the puzzle” should be “Liza
quickly solved the puzzle.”
See also Infinitive, 4; Verbs, 4.
ADMISSION. 1. Acknowledgment.
2. ADMISSION and ADMITTANCE.
1. Acknowledgment
When it does not have anything to do
with entry, admission is acknowledgment
that a statement is true, a statement
that reflects more or less
unfavorably on the one making the acknowledgment.
Admission can range in seriousness
from a trivial concession for the sake of
argument to a confession of a crime. It
can be used in a general sense (“Taking
the Fifth Amendment is not admission of
guilt”) or specifically, applying to something
acknowledged (“His admission
that he took an illegal drug did not prevent
his election”).
Your acknowledgment of a fact that
does not reflect upon you, except perhaps
favorably, is not an admission. The
word does not fit this sentence, from an
article by a news service:
A new 13-city survey finds Philadelphia
diners, by their own admissions,
to be the most generous tippers
of the lot. . . .
The finding may be based on their own
accounts, figures, numbers, reports, responses,
statements, statistics, or words.
But it is not based on their own “admissions,”
because being a generous tipper
is not usually considered something to
be ashamed of, at least in American society.
2. ADMISSION and ADMITTANCE
Now for the kind of admission that
does have to do with entry: it is the act
or fact of being allowed to enter, the
right to enter, or, loosely, a charge for entering.
In the sense of entry, admittance is
similar. It too means the act or fact of being
allowed to enter or the right to enter.
However, admittance usually is limited
to literal entry into a specific place. (“A
locked gate prevented our admittance to
the garden.” / “Admittance to the
kitchen is restricted to employees.”)
Admission often has the added implication
of a privileged entry, as into a
group, a profession, or a place of entertainment.
(“Your admission to the society
has been approved.” / “What is the
cost of admission to the show?”) Moreover,
admission may be used figuratively.
(“The judge permitted the admission of
her testimony.”)
For both nouns, the usual adjective is
admissible, meaning able to be accepted
or admitted. (“Hearsay generally is not
admissible evidence.” / “Only those with
tickets are admissible.”) Admittable is
rare.
See also ADMIT.
ADMIT. 1. “ADMIT TO.” 2. Handled
without care.
1. “ADMIT TO”
A main headline in a California newspaper
identifies a politician who “Quits
Senate, Admits to Corruption.” And an
Oregon newspaper reports on a broker
in trouble: “. . . he denied today ever admitting
to the $18,619 in missing
funds.”
Admit, when used in the sense of acknowledge
or confess, should not be followed
by “to.” English idiom allows
admits wrongdoing or admitting a mistake
but not “admits to” or “admitting
to” an action. (Just omitting the “to”
will not rescue the second sample. He
denied admitting, not “the $18,619,”