Benjamin Dreyer is the VP Executive Managing Editor & Copy Chief of Random House Publishing Group. Below is his list of the common stumbling blocks for authors, from A to X.Β
One buysΒ antiquesΒ in anΒ antiques storeΒ from anΒ antiquesΒ dealer; anΒ antiqueΒ store is a very old store.
He stayedΒ awhile; he stayedΒ for a while.
BesidesΒ is other than;Β besideΒ is next to.
The singular ofΒ bicepsΒ is biceps; the singular ofΒ tricepsΒ is triceps. Thereβs no such thing as a bicep; thereβs no such thing as a tricep.
AΒ blondΒ man, aΒ blondΒ woman; heβs aΒ blond, sheβs aΒ blonde.
AΒ capitalΒ is a city (or a letter, or part of a column); aΒ capitolΒ is a building.
SomethingΒ centres onΒ something else, not around it.
If youβre talking about a thrilling plot point, the word isΒ climactic; if youβre discussing the weather, the word isΒ climatic.
AΒ cornetΒ is an instrument; aΒ coronetΒ is a crown.
OneΒ emigratesΒ from a place; oneΒ immigratesΒ to a place.
The word isΒ enmity, not emnity.
One goes to workΒ every day, or nearly, but eating lunch is anΒ everydayΒ occurrence.
AΒ flairΒ is a talent; aΒ flareΒ is an emergency signal.
AΒ flierΒ is someone who flies planes; aΒ flyerΒ is a piece of paper.
Flower bed, not flowerbed.
Free rein, not free reign.
ToΒ garnerΒ is to accumulate, as a waiter garners tips; toΒ garnishΒ (in the non-parsley meaning) is to take away, as the government garnishes oneβs wages; aΒ garnisheeΒ is a person served with a garnishment;Β to garnisheeΒ is also to serve with a garnishment (that is, itβs a synonym for βto garnishβ).
AΒ gelΒ is a jelly; itβs also a transparent sheet used in stage lighting. When Jell-O sets, or when oneβs master plan takes final form, it eitherΒ jellsΒ orΒ gelsΒ (though I think the former is preferable).
Bears areΒ grizzly; crimes areΒ grisly. Cheap meat, of course, isΒ gristly.
Coats go onΒ hangers; planes go inΒ hangars.
Oneβs sweetheart is βhon,β not βhun,β unless oneβs sweetheart is Attila (not, by the way, Atilla) or perhapsΒ Winnie-the-PoohΒ (note hyphens).
OneΒ insuresΒ cars; oneΒ ensuresΒ success; oneΒ assuresΒ people.
Lawn mower, not lawnmower.
The past tense of lead isΒ led, not lead.
OneΒ loathesΒ someone else but isΒ loathΒ to admit oneβs distaste.
If youβreΒ leeching, youβre either bleeding a patient with a leech or otherwise sucking someoneβs or somethingβs lifeblood. If youβreΒ leaching, youβre removing one substance from another by means of a percolating liquid (I have virtually no idea what that means; I trust that you do).
You wear aΒ mantle; your fireplace has aΒ mantel.
MasseursΒ are men;Β masseusesΒ are women. Many otherwise extremely well educated people donβt seem to know this; I have no idea why. (These days theyβre all called massage therapists anyway.)
The short version ofΒ microphoneΒ is still, so far as RH is concerned,Β mike. Not, ick, βmic.β [2009 update: I seem to be losing this battle. Badly. 2010 update: Iβve lost. Follow the authorβs lead.]
Thereβs no such word asΒ moreso.
MucusΒ is a noun;Β mucousΒ is an adjective.
Nerve-racking, not -wracking;Β racked with guilt, not wracked with guilt.
One buys a newspaper at aΒ newsstand, not a newstand.
AnΒ ordinanceΒ is a law;Β ordnanceΒ is ammo.
PaletteΒ has to do with colour;Β palateΒ has to do with taste; aΒ palletΒ is, among other things, something you sleep on.Β Eugene PalletteΒ was a character actor; heβs particularly good in the 1943 filmΒ Heaven Can Wait.
Noun wise, aΒ premierΒ is a diplomat; aΒ premiereΒ is something one attends. βPremierβ is also, of course, an adjective denoting quality.
That which the English callΒ paraffinΒ (as in βparaffin stoveβ), we Americans callΒ kerosene. Copy editors should keep an eye open for this in mss. by British authors and query it. The term paraffin should generally be reserved for the waxy, oily stuff we associate with candles.
ProphecyΒ is a noun;Β prophesyΒ is a verb.
Per Web 11, itβsΒ restroom.
TheΒ SibylΒ is a seeress;Β SybilΒ is Basil Fawltyβs wife.
Please donβt mixΒ somewhatΒ andΒ somethingΒ into one murky modifier. A thing is somewhat rare, or itβs something of a rarity.
AΒ tickΒ bites; aΒ ticΒ is a twitch.
TortuousΒ is twisty, circuitous, or tricky;Β torturousΒ is painful, or painfully slow.
Transsexual, not transexual.
TroopsΒ are military;Β troupesΒ are theatrical.
AΒ viceΒ is depraved; aΒ viseΒ squeezes.
Vocal cords; strikes aΒ chord.
A smart aleck is aΒ wise guy; a mobster is aΒ wiseguy.
X rayΒ is a noun;Β X-rayΒ is a verb or adjective.
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