The Elements of Style Part 10

I have always wanted to visit Spain.

=Help.= See under =But=.

=However.= In the meaning _nevertheless_, not to come first in its sentence or clause.

The roads were almost impa.s.sable. However, we at last succeeded in reaching camp.

The roads were almost impa.s.sable. At last, however, we succeeded in reaching camp.

When _however_ comes first, it means _in whatever way_ or _to whatever extent_.

However you advise him, he will probably do as he thinks best.

However discouraging the prospect, he never lost heart.

=Interesting.= Avoid this word as a perfunctory means of introduction.

Instead of announcing that what you are about to tell is interesting, make it so.

An interesting story is told of

(Tell the story without preamble.)

In connection with the antic.i.p.ated visit of Mr. B. to America, it is interesting to recall that he

Mr. B., who it is expected will soon visit America

=Kind of.= Not to be used as a subst.i.tute for _rather_ (before adjectives and verbs), or except in familiar style, for _something like_ (before nouns). Restrict it to its literal sense: "Amber is a kind of fossil resin;" "I dislike that kind of notoriety." The same holds true of _sort of_.

=Less.= Should not be misused for _fewer_.

He had less men than in the previous campaign

He had fewer men than in the previous campaign

_Less_ refers to quant.i.ty, _fewer_ to number. "His troubles are less than mine" means "His troubles are not so great as mine." "His troubles are fewer than mine" means "His troubles are not so numerous as mine."

It is, however, correct to say, "The signers of the pet.i.tion were less than a hundred," where the round number _a hundred_ is something like a collective noun, and _less_ is thought of as meaning a less quant.i.ty or amount.

=Like.= Not to be misused for _as_. _Like_ governs nouns and p.r.o.nouns; before phrases and clauses the equivalent word is _as_.

We spent the evening like in the old days.

We spent the evening as in the old days.

He thought like I did.

He thought as I did (like me).

=Line, along these lines.= _Line_ in the sense of _course of procedure_, _conduct_, _thought_, is allowable, but has been so much overworked, particularly in the phrase _along these lines_, that a writer who aims at freshness or originality had better discard it entirely.

Mr. B. also spoke along the same lines.

Mr. B. also spoke, to the same effect.

He is studying along the line of French literature.

He is studying French literature.

=Literal, literally.= Often incorrectly used in support of exaggeration or violent metaphor.

A literal flood of abuse.

A flood of abuse.

Literally dead with fatigue

Almost dead with fatigue (dead tired)

=Lose out.= Meant to be more emphatic than _lose_, but actually less so, because of its commonness. The same holds true of _try out_, _win out_, _sign up_, _register up_. With a number of verbs, _out_ and _up_ form idiomatic combinations: _find out_, _run out_, _turn out_, _cheer up_, _dry up_, _make up_, and others, each distinguishable in meaning from the simple verb. _Lose out_ is not.

=Most.= Not to be used for _almost_.

Most everybody

Almost everybody

Most all the time

Almost all the time

=Nature.= Often simply redundant, used like _character_.

Acts of a hostile nature

Hostile acts

Often vaguely used in such expressions as a "lover of nature;" "poems about nature." Unless more specific statements follow, the reader cannot tell whether the poems have to do with natural scenery, rural life, the sunset, the untracked wilderness, or the habits of squirrels.

=Near by.= Adverbial phrase, not yet fully accepted as good English, though the a.n.a.logy of _close by_ and _hard by_ seems to justify it.

_Near_, or _near at hand_, is as good, if not better.

Not to be used as an adjective; use _neighboring_.

=Oftentimes, ofttimes.= Archaic forms, no longer in good use. The modern word is _often_.

=One hundred and one.= Retain the _and_ in this and similar expressions, in accordance with the unvarying usage of English prose from Old English times.

=One of the most.= Avoid beginning essays or paragraphs with this formula, as, "One of the most interesting developments of modern science is, etc.;" "Switzerland is one of the most interesting countries of Europe." There is nothing wrong in this; it is simply threadbare and forcible-feeble.