Glossary of Usage: F
Glossary of Usage: F
farther, further flowery language few for fiancé, fiancée fun find out
G1: write the rule. Do not just write "G" or "Glossary of usage" in your corrections. Find the appropriate section in the alphabetized list below, read it, write the rule (or a short version of the rule), and correct the error.
farther, further: the first refers literally to physical distances; the second is figurative.
She threw the discus farther than I.
My sneakers, I fear, are of no further use.
few: few refers to count nouns, less and little to mass nouns.
WRONG: I have less friends than you. RIGHT: I have fewer friends than you. RIGHT: He has the fewest friends of all.
fiancé, fiancée: words borrowed from French. The first is male, the second female.
find out: usually the out is unnecessary. Prefer find that, realize, or discover:
WRONG: I found out that the class is hard.
RIGHT: I found that the class is hard.
WRONG: We found out the truth too late.
RIGHT: We realized the truth too late.
flowery language: a phrase to avoid in writing about literature. At best, it shows that the writer lacks the vocabulary to discuss diction. At worst, it implies a condescending attitude toward the literary work. If the style of a story or poem seems adorned or ornate (as opposed to plain), analyze it more precisely and try to explain what the writer is doing:
VAGUE: Juliet uses a lot of flowery language to talk about Romeo.
BETTER: Carried away with passion, Juliet describes Romeo using extravagant hyperboles.
for: for can start a sentence only as a preposition, not as a conjunction:
WRONG (FRAGMENT): For he gave the wrong answer.
RIGHT: For a few trinkets, native Americans sold Manhattan.
For is underused as a conjunction meaning "because":
RIGHT: He changed careers, for he was tired of sitting in an office.
fun: not an adjective. Substitute a word like enjoyable.
WRONG: Geometry is a fun class.