Editorial Tip of the Week: Troublesome Expressions, Summer Edition

While blogging or twittering your latest summer adventure, don't let your narration be stymied by a misused word. Here is some vocabulary you may encounter, as defined and differentiated by the Chicago Manual of Style. I’ve customized the examples when inspired.

Edible; eatable. What is edible is fit for human consumption {edible flowers}. What is eatable is at least minimally palatable {the hot dog was slightly burned but still eatable}.

Luxuriant; luxurious. The two terms are fairly often confused. What is luxuriant is lush and grows abundantly {a luxuriant field of wildflowers}. What is luxurious is lavish and extravagant {a luxurious resort}.

Restive; restful. Restive has two senses: “impatient, stubborn” and “restless, agitated.” Restful means “conducive to rest.”

Seasonal; seasonable. Seasonal means either “dependent on a season” {fishing is a seasonal hobby} or “relating to the seasons or a season” {seasonal ales are at a premium in the Pacific Northwest}. Seasonable means “timely” {considering the aphid infestation, the arrival of ladybugs was seasonable} or “fitting the season” {it was unseasonably cold for July}.

Slew; slough; slue. Slew is an informal word equivalent to many or lots {we were swept along in a slew of concert goers}. It is sometimes misspelled slough (a legitimate noun meaning "a grimy swamp") {when hiking, beware the slew} or slue (a legitimate verb meaning "to swing around") {she slued the thirty-pound pack onto her back as if it hardly weighed a thing}.

Attention international travelers: stay healthy and keep an ear out for correct usage. Those prefixes make all the difference!

Epidemic; endemic; pandemic. An epidemic disease breaks out, spreads through a limited area (such as a state), and then subsides {an epidemic outbreak of measles}. (The word is frequently used as a noun {a measles epidemic}. An endemic disease is perennially present within a region or population {malaria is endemic in parts of Africa}. (Note that endemic describes a disease and not a region: it is incorrect to say this region is endemic for [a disease].) A pandemic disease is prevalent over a large area, such as a nation or continent, or the entire world {the 2009 swine flu pandemic}

Visit bartleby.com for alternative explanations and further examples for any of the vocabulary.

Editorial Tip of the Week: Troublesome Expressions

In writing, it is always important to consult your handy Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary for any issues with word choice, but be sure to keep in mind that the presence of a word in the dictionary does not mean it is fir for your particular story. Some words, such as “archeology” are sometimes seen in some works as “archaeology” because that is the preference of the author belonging to that particular field. Be sure to take such preferences into consideration as well as closely read the definition of the questionable word. Sometimes the word you want is not the word you thought!

With that in mind, here are some words and their definitions that need a little clearing up as defined in The Chicago Manual of Style:

ability; capability; capacity. “Ability” refers to a person’s physical/mental skill in achieving something, like “the ability to ride a bicycle.” “Capability” refers more generally to power or ability, “she has the capability to play soccer professionally.” “Capacity” refers especially to a vessel’s ability to hold or contain something which, when used figuratively, can refer to a person’s power to learn, “an astounding capacity for mathematics.”

allude; elude; illude. To “allude” is to refer to something indirectly, “allude to a problem.” To “elude” is to avoid capture, “elude the police.” To “illude,” which is quite rare, is to deceive, “your imagination might illude you.”

lay; lie. “Lay” is a transitive verb—it demands a direct object, “lay your pencils down.” It is inflected “lay”-“laid”-“laid.” For example, “I laid the book there yesterday” and “these rumors have been laid to rest.” “Lie” is an intransitive verb—it never takes a direct object, “lie down and rest.” It is inflected “lie”-“lay”-“lain.” For example, “she lay down and rested” and “he hasn’t yet lain down.”

These are only a few of the hundreds that are mixed up all the time. Be sure to consult your dictionary and check out The Chicago Manual of Style at www.chicagomanualofstyle.org for more information on word usage.