Word Usage

above

Words do not appear above other words on paper. Words and statements precede each other. Remember websites are printed by some readers. The above section applies only to screenwriting. Edited: The preceding section applies only to screenwriting.

angry at / angry with

You are angry at someone unless you are angry with another person at someone else.

cannon / canon

A cannon is a weapon used to launch a projectile. The canon is a set of rules, guidelines, or a collection of standards.

canvas / canvass

A canvas is any heavy cloth, usually undyed. When you actively survey a group, you canvass the population.

carat / caret / carrot / karat

A carat is a metric measure equal to 200 milligrams and diamonds are weighed in carats. Proofreaders use a caret (^) to indicate insertion points. Bunnies eat carrots, the orange root vegetable. The percentage of gold in any solid alloy is expressed in karats.

breakthrough

A cliché. Avoid when possible and remember — not every "discovery" is a breakthrough.

a lot

A lot is always two words. Never write it as alot.

accept / except

Accept is a verb meaning "consent to receive" or "to recognize." Except is a preposition that means "not including" or a verb meaning "to exclude."

backward / backwards

According to Bryan A. Garner, in American English, backward is preferred. In British English, backwards is preferred. The same rule holds true all directional words: upward, downward, forward, toward.

capital / capitol

According to the OED, capital pertains "to the head or top," whether it is "standing at the head" as in a capital letter at the head of a sentence or the loss of a head (and life) as in "capital offense." Capital may also mean important or first class, hence the use of a "capital" city or head town of a region or state. A capitol is the building occupied by the legislature.

adverse / averse

Adverse is harmful or unfavorable, as in the adverse effects of some medications. Averse means "opposed, against, or having a strong dislike."

advice / advise

Advice is a noun, whereas advise is a verb. One advises someone by offering them advice or an opinion.

adviser / advisor

Advisor is standard in American English. Most dictionaries list both as acceptable. The AP insists that adviser is the preferred form, but most government and educational organizations use advisor in titles. We suggest using whatever your organization prefers and ignoring the AP rule in this case. Choose one spelling and stick with it.

affect / effect

Affect is the verb and effect is generally the result. The moon affects lovers, and the effects can be deadly.

aid / aide

Aide applies to the military, diplomacy, and nursing. Aid refers to medical attention or any personal assistant. The Associated Press uses aide for all people. The general's aide needed first aid after tripping.

all ready / already

All ready means completely prepared and already means previously. He was all ready to wait for his date. She was already dressed when he arrived.

all together / altogether

All together means in a group. The phrase can be removed in most instances. Altogether means either entirely, or mentally stable. The writers met all together. Only one was altogether.

allusion / elusion / illusion

Allusion is a suggestion without a specific reference to a concept or thing. Elusion is to avoid or escape. Illusion is deception.

alternate / alternative

Alternate means by turns, first one then another. An alternative is a choice. The writers alternated writing alternative scenarios.

A.C.E.

Alternative Common Era or After Common Era (among other phrases, used to add the "A" to the notation), is used in some texts and periodicals. Most texts use C.E. for "Common Era" for our current calendar years.

break / broke

An action results in a break. According to some editors, few people would intentionally break a limb The writer broke his leg. (Why would one intentionally break a bone? Or did a writer break another person's arm?) Edited: The fall broke the writer's arm. The break required a cast

A.D.

Anno Domini, or Year of he Lord, is preferred for calendar years in popular writing, including most newspapers and magazines. The suggested standard for technical and non-fiction writing is C.E., "Common Era," which was adopted by some scientific journals and universities to respect non-Christian readers.

anyone / any one

Anyone is an indefinate pronoun meaning "any person or people." Any one may refer to a particular person or thing in a group. Anyone may borrow any one of the books on that shelf.

assure / ensure / insure

Assure is give confidence to someone or assurances that something is true. Ensure is to make certain something will occur. Insure is is to make a financial guarantee.

believe / know / think

Avoid all three in essays and non-fiction unless quoting or explaining what other people believed, knew, or thought. The words are weak and sound defensive in rhetoric. I believe there are three reasons his script failed. Edited: There are three reasons his script failed. As you know, stories have character-driven or plot-driven structures. Edited: Stories have character-driven or plot-driven structures. I think his story lacked structure. Edited: His story lacked structure.

although / though

Avoid both when possible. Although is a concession, though can replace however in English. We would avoid though and however. Use although to mean "in spite of the fact that." See whereas, while. Although the manuscript was handwritten, the publisher accepted it. Though, later he realized his mistake.

alive and well

Avoid unless the person was previously not well or, worse, was not alive.

about/approximately

Avoid when approximating measures. Use approximately when citing one number, otherwise use a range. There were about 130 people at the concert. Edited: The manager said there were approximately 130 people at the concert. There were 120 to 150 people at the concert.

also

Avoid when possible and never use as a conjunction in place of and.

almost

Avoid when possible due to its vague nature. Almost lacks precision. He almost won the election Edited: He lost the election by five votes.

as

Avoid when possible, using alternatives. In most cases, we recommend using because. In the sample below, as can either mean because or when. Because as and since have temporal implications, avoid using when it might create ambiguity. As is a subordinating conjuction that introduces a subordinate clause. As no one could stop him, we ran. Edited: Because no one could stop him, we ran.

both

Avoid when possible. John and Mary are both writers. Edited: John and Mary are writers.

close to

Avoid when possible. Use near or next.

by

Avoid when possible. Use synonyms for clarity, since by has many definitions. When used with a verb phrase, change the sentence to an active form to remove by. As we drove by the store, we saw him standing by a mysterious woman. Edited: As we drove past the store, we saw him standing next to a mysterious woman. The essay was written by Gretchen Edited: Gretchen wrote the essay.

another

Avoid when superfluous. Another does not mean additional, it clarifies the original group. Harry is one student and Ralph is another. Edited: Harry and Ralph are students. Five people accepted invitations, while another four declined. Five people accepted invitations within the week; an additional four accepted later.

amount

Avoid when superfluous. Otherwise, use amount for quantities that cannot be counted and use number for quantities that can be counted. The amount of sugar in the recipe was three cups. Edited: The recipe contained three cups of sugar.

awhile / a while

Awhile is an adverb for time. A while is synonymous for a moment and should be replaced when possible. If a preposition appears before a while, the usage is correct. The writer stared at the blank page awhile. We watched him for a while.

bad / badly

Bad is an adjective or noun, meaning undesirable or ill-prepared. Badly is an adverb of manner implying sloppy, incomplete, improper, or extreme. He is a bad golfer who hates to practice. No wonder he played badly today.

because / since

Because clauses should introduce new information and should end the sentence, not begin it. Since clauses repeat information the reader should already know; they should begin the sentence. Some grammar books insist that since must only be used in its temporal sense, but there is a causal meaning that has been in use for more than a thousand years, according to Garner's Modern American Usage. In its causal use, since implies a milder relationship than because. Looking at the example above, our edits become: Because of the war, many went hungry. Edited: Many went hungry because of the war.

beside / besides

Beside is a preposition meaning "at the side of or next to." Besides is a preposition meaning "in addition to or apart from." Besides may also act as an adverb meaning "in addition" or "as well."

blame

Blame on is considered incorrect while blame...for is proper. We blame him for the accident.

blond / blonde

Blonde refers to a woman, blond refers to a man. Some object to the gender distinction and use "blond" exclusively.

author

Books are written, not authored. Use author as a noun.

being as / being that

Both are considered nonstandard usage. Use because instead when there is no temporal intended and since or when when there is a temporal meaning intended.

can / may

Can means a possibility or an ability, may indicates permission granted or a polite request. She can write the story, and the editor may let her.

cement / concrete

Cement is an ingredient of concrete. Cement is a stone powder used with sand, gravel, and water to create concrete. Cement is also synonymous with glue. We cemented our friendship by writing our names in the wet concrete.

censor / censure

Censor is a verb meaning "to officially suppress objectionable parts." A censor is also a noun referring to the official who does the suppressing. To censure is to express disapproval.

adequate / enough

Choose one; they are synonymous.

coarse / course

Coarse is an adjective meaning "loose or rough in texture," or "rude, crude, or vulgar when describing a person." A course is the path or route followed by something or a series of lessons or lectures in a particular subject.

C.E.

Common Era has replaced A.D. in scientific texts.

bimonthly / semimonthly

Commonly confused, bimonthly is every other month (six times a year). Semimonthly is twice a month.

biweekly / semiweekly

Commonly confused, biweekly is every other week. Semiweekly is twice a week.

compared to / compared with

Compared to is used to assert a claim of similarity without elaboration. Items are compared with each other. John's swing was compared to Babe Ruth's. His batting average was .321 compared with a team average of .270.

complement / compliment

Complement as a verb means "to add to something in a way that improves it." As a noun, a complement is a thing that completes something. A compliment (noun) is a "polite expression of flattery, praise, or admiration." As a verb, compliment is the "act of flattering, praising, or congratulating someone."

and/or

Diana Hacker's A Pocket Style Manual suggests writers avoid using and/or as a word unless they are writing technical or legal documentation. Bryan Garner advises avoiding ambiguity by not using and/or at all and suggests in most cases using or. We recommending erring on the side of caution by avoiding ambiguity.

admit

Do not use admit to, use admit or admitted. He will admit nothing. She admitted borrowing the love scene from his novel.

all

Do not use all of. All of the writers had carpal-tunnel syndrome. Edited: All the writers had carpal-tunnel syndrome.

accustomed to

Do not use with in place of to. A common mistake is using accustomed with in place of familiar with. We were accustomed to small paychecks. We were familiar with cheap publishers.

any and all

Do not use.

aught

Do not use. Aught is an antiquated pronoun, not a synonym for ought.

because of / due to

Due to is an adjective phrase traditionally used as a subject complement and usually follows a form of to be (Diana Hacker). Because of is a prepositional phrase meaning owing to or caused by. Bryan Garner suggests avoiding the use of due to entirely and many writers view it to be graceless even when used correctly. Many went hungry due to the war. Edited: Many went hungry because of the war.

confessed to

Eliminate to. There must be an object of the confession. He confessed an interest in romance novels.

amoral / immoral

Immoral means "contrary to accepted standards or morally wrong." Amoral and unmoral mean "without regard to moral standards, neither moral nor immoral." See immoral.

among / amongst

In American English use among to mean within a group. Amongst is antiquated for in the middle of a situation or gathering.

all-time record

It is a record, which implies "all-time" best.

all-around /all-round

Most common in sports stories, all-round is preferred.

anxious

Never use in place of eager. Anxiety is nervousness and foreboding. One is eager to and anxious about. He was anxious about seeing the doctor; he was eager to be done with it.

anyways / anywheres

Nonstandard versions of anyway and anywhere. Never use in speech or in writing.

bureaucrat

Now considered an insult by most American English dictionaries. (As if civil servant is better?)

awful

Now overused with the misuse approaching accepted use, awful properly means awe-inspiring yet dangerous, not merely dreadful. In casual, and incorrect, use, awful is sometimes used to mean very. In writing, do not use awful or awfully in place of very. The tornado was an awful sight.

air

Often ambiguous, air has more than a dozen accepted definitions. Use air for the atmospheric mix of gasses. Replacements for the expression ("airing") of an idea: expose, discuss, explore, broadcast, express, and others.

but

Often redundant, avoid when possible.

B.C.

Preferred for years preceding the current era in popular writing. The new standard is B.C.E., "Before Common Era," to respect non-Christian readers. From the Columbia University Guide to Standard American English, 1993: Recently B.C.E., meaning either "before the Christian era" or more frequently "before the common era," has had some champions, but Edited English seems only rarely to have adopted it thus far. (A.)C.E., "(after the) common (or Christian) era," seems to have prospered even less, perhaps because some regard it as slighting Christianity (which is ironic, given that both alternatives were proposed to avoid the possible disrespect implied by the more popular terms).

brunet / brunette

Similar to blond, brunette refers to a woman, a brunet is a man. Many publications and editors prefer brown-haired as gender neutral.

add an additional

Simplify, replace with add when possible. Use another or more when needed. Add an additional three cups of flour to the mixture. Edited: Add another three cups of flour to the mixture. Edited: Add three cups of flour to the mixture.

all that

Superfluous. Remove all that unless writing dialogue. It wasn't all that bad. Edited: It wasn't bad.

alumnus / alumni

The masculine singular is alumnus. Alumni is the plural. In Latin, alumna is the feminine singular, but has fallen from usage.

compose / comprise

The whole comprises the parts; is comprised of is incorrect. Composed of is considered proper for a list of parts. The book comprises four chapters. Or: The book is composed of four chapters.

adapt / adopt

To adapt is "to adjust or become accustomed to something, to use for a new purpose or modify." One usually "adapts to" a situation or object. To adopt is "to take as one's own, take up, or start to use," such as adopting a new habit.

aggravate

To add to. When you mean to bother, use annoy or irritate.

allude / elude

To allude is to hint or suggest. To elude is to escape.

allude / refer

To allude is to suggest without naming. To refer is to name the object.

angry / mad

To be angry is to be displeased while to be mad is to be insane.

amused / bemused

To be bemused is to be slightly confused or muddled. Someone who is amused is entertained and finds something to be humorous.

borrow / loan / lend

To borrow an object is to take and use something that belongs to someone else, with the intention of returning it. You borrow an item from someone, you do not borrow it to them. A loan is the thing that is borrowed, usually money. To lend someone an object is to grant someone the use of an object that belongs to you, with the intention that the borrower will be returning the object back to you. Though it is not a common mistake, it may be a regional mistake. We have heard people confuse borrow and lend. John needs to borrow my screwdriver. I will lend John my toolbox.

cite / site

To cite is to quote a source, typically a written document, as evidence to support your argument. A site is a noun referring to a specific place.

a / an

Use a before consonant sounds and an before vowel sounds. Examples: a historic, an honorable.

all right /alright

Use all right in American English.

among / between

Use among when comparing three or more objects. Use between to compare two objects.

all the farther

Use as far as. This is as far as I can walk.

back up / backup

Use back up as the verb and backup as the noun or adjective. He is so paranoid, he will back up his backup copy.

back of / in back of

Use behind instead of in back of. Use on [the] back of to refer to a physical location. Indicate locations for effective writing. The writer stared at the blank page awhile. We watched him for a while. Edited: Standing behind him, we could see the stain on the back of his shirt.

bring / take

Use bring when the object is moving toward you; use take when the object is moving away from you. Please bring me that glass of water. I will take this book back to the library.

anticipate

Use expect when appropriate. Anticipate expresses eagerness towards an unpredictable event, not a planned event.

aim to

Use intend to. I intend to correct my errors.

a.m.

Use lower case and periods but do not duplicate a period at the end of a sentence. Avoid phrases such as 9 p.m. tonight.

at this point in time

Use now.

at

Use to refer to a specific location or time. You are at a city or building, not in, even though you are likely inside the building. Use in to refer to cities or places following an adverb While in San Francisco, we will be staying at the Hilton.

caused

Use with the preposition by, not from. Death was caused by drowning.

approximately

When using approximately, give readers a narrow range of values. The script is to be approximately 500 to 525 words long.