Glossary of Usage: S
Glossary of Usage: S
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.
sarcasm, sarcastic: not specifically literary terms. When you are writing about literature, prefer terms like irony. Use sarcasm in other contexts:
WRONG: The scene is sarcastic.
RIGHT: The scene is ironic.
RIGHT: My mother made a sarcastic remark about my eating habits.
satire, satirize: satirization is an error for satire. The verb is satirize. Satire can refer to a writing technique (the use of ridicule to criticize something) or to a particular work:
Jonathan Swift uses satire in Gulliver's Travels.
Gulliver's Travels is a satire.
self-confidence: a redundancy for confidence; the self- is almost never necessary unless you are making a distinction ("He has confidence in the team but lacks self-confidence").
sensual, sensuous: both mean "appealing to the senses," but sensual is used to mean "sexy"; sensuous usually applies to the arts ("the poet uses sensuous imagery to describe the feast").
shall, will: shall, which seems to be passing from common usage, is most often used today in questions to add an idea of obligation to the simple future tense: "Will it rain?" but "Shall I go with you?" Shall is not an elegant substitute for will.
simple, simplistic: not the same. Simplistic usually has unfavorable connotations; it means "simple-minded," and it is used to describe things (ideas, beliefs, movies), not people:
WRONG: In his private life, the famous actor is a simplistic man who enjoys gardening.
It is clear that the writer intends "a simple man."
RIGHT: The Governor's simplistic plan does not address the real causes of the problem.
site, cite, sight: site is a noun meaning "location"; cite is a verb meaning "to quote" or "to annotate"; sight is usually a noun meaning "something observed" ("a strange sight to see") or "the ability to see."
snob, snub: snob is a noun, never a verb; snub is a verb meaning "to treat with contempt or neglect." "After he became a snob, he snubbed his former friends."
snobbish, snobby: snobby is nonstandard. Use snobbish or a similar word, such as haughty.
so: beware of three common errors:
1. Do not use so (or worse, so as to) as a vague conjunction meaning "therefore" or "in order that." We use so in this way in conversation, but in formal writing it often produces flabby sentence structure. Find more precise ways to express the relation of your ideas:
FLABBY: He behaves badly so he can attract attention.
BETTER: He behaves badly, hoping to attract attention.
BETTER: He behaves badly in order to attract attention.
FLABBY: His parents ignored him, so he began seeking attention in harmful ways.
BETTER: Ignored by his parents, he began seeking attention in harmful ways.
BETTER: Because his parents ignored him, he sought attention in harmful ways.
BETTER: Due to parental neglect, he began seeking attention in harmful ways.
BETTER: Parental neglect drove him to seek attention in harmful ways.
2. Do not use so at the start of sentences as a vague substitute for "therefore."
WRONG: The fruit smelled overripe. So I didn't eat any.
If it is used correctly, so can start sentences: "So powerful is Wonderhair that it can restore hair in a month." "So the advertisements claim, but I don't believe them."
3. Do not use so as a vague intensifier; it must be followed by a specific that clause:
WRONG: The movie was so sad.
RIGHT: The movie was so sad that I cried.
societal: a needless inflation of social, which means "of or pertaining to society."
society (in today's society): self-evident and trite, especially as an essay starter. Making it even more redundant ("in our modern-day society of today") does not improve it. The word is nearly meaningless in a phrase like "attitudes in society." As opposed to what? Attitudes out of society? Attitudes in the jungle?
somebody: the more formal anyone is preferred. The same is true for everyone, no one and someone. Do not mix forms: "Someone told me nobody is home."
someone, some one (and similar compounds): everyday is an adjective; it only precedes nouns. Every day is an adverbial phrase which means "daily."
She puts it to everyday use. Every day I jog. Everyday occurrences occur every day.
Everyone in the class had read every one of her novels.
sort of: avoid the informal use to mean "somewhat" or "slightly."
speak to: two trendy misuses have spread. One, common in panel discussions and press conferences, is a mistake for "respond to," "address," or "speak about":
WRONG: Let me speak to that question.
Advertisers promoting the arts misuse the expression to mean "examine" or "affect":
WRONG: The movie speaks to the problem of homelessness.
WRONG: Not available in stores, these timeless recordings speak to the heart.
Bureaucrats and salespersons who speak to questions and problems should remember a simple rule: if it doesn't have ears, don't speak to it.
special: overused as a word expressing vague praise. If he is "a special person," what are the rest of us? Generic? The person who says "Kittens are special" should say cute.
stationary, stationery: the first is an adjective meaning "not moving"; the second, a noun meaning "paper." Remember: a stationer's store sells paper products and office supplies.
supportive: use supports, not is supportive of. If "She supports me" would wrongly imply "She pays my way," find another phrase: "encourages me" or "supports my wishes."
suppose, supposed: suppose is a verb ("I suppose so"); do not mistake it for a participle. If a linking verb comes before it, the word should be supposed:
WRONG: We were suppose to work.
RIGHT: We were supposed to work.
symbol, symbolism, symbolize: important terms for literature students to master. Symbol can be plural but symbolism cannot. Symbolism refers to the use of symbols ("Shakespeare's symbolism"), or to the collective function of symbols ("the symbolism of the novel").
The subject of symbolize must be a symbol (not an author or a work), and its object must be the meaning of the symbol. Symbolize should not be followed by a that clause. The correct preposition to follow symbol is of.
WRONG: The faded grave marker symbolizes that fame is fleeting.
RIGHT: The faded grave marker symbolizes the fleeting existence of fame.
WRONG: The faded grave marker is a symbol to the fleeting existence of fame.
RIGHT: The faded grave marker is a symbol of the fleeting existence of fame.
WRONG FORMS OF THE WORD: symbolisms (plural), symbolization, symbolistic.