The 9 words you might be using incorrectly

Summary of "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk Jr.

📚 The Elements of Style is a classic book on writing.

🕒 Save time by reading my summary.

✍️ You'll discover the keys to crafting clear, concise, and compelling prose.

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My summary is broken into four posts:

Part 1: What is “good” writing?

Part 2: How to write clearly

Part 3: The 9 words you might be using incorrectly

Part 4: How to find your writing style

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Here is Part 3:

A section of The Elements of Style lists commonly misused words and expressions.

William Strunk Jr. also notes the general rule for making corrections:

The proper correction of misused words is likely to be not the replacement of one word by another but the replacement of vague generality by definite statement.

I’ve summarized the list into those that seem to be misused most frequently.

Here are 9 words you might be using incorrectly:

1. Anybody:

In the sense of “any person,” write as one word.

Any body means “any corpse” or “any group.”

The rules holds equally for everybody, nobody, and somebody.

2. Care less:

“I couldn’t care less” is correct.

“I could care less” is incorrect.

The error destroys the meaning of the sentence.

3. Farther // Further:

Farther serves best as a distance word.

Further serves best as a time or quantity word.

You chase a ball farther than the other fellow; you pursue a subject further.

4. Less // Fewer:

Less refers to quantity.

Fewer refers to number.

They had less workers than in the previous campaign.

They had fewer workers than in the previous campaign.

5. Personally:

Often unnecessary.

Personally, I thought it was a good book.

I thought it was a good book.

6. Respective // Respectively:

These words may usually be omitted with advantage.

Works of fiction are listed under the names of their respective authors.

Works of fiction are listed under the names of their authors.

The mile run and the two-mile run were won by Jones and Cummings respectively.

The mile run was won by Jones, the two-mile run by Cummings.

7. Student body:

Nine times out of ten a needless and awkward expression, meaning no more than the simple word students.

a member of the student body

a student

popular with the student body

like by the students

8. Unique:

Means “without like or equal.”

Hence, there can be no degrees of uniqueness.

It was the most unique coffee maker on the market.

It was a unique coffee maker.

The balancing act was very unique.

The balancing act was unique.

Of all the spiders, the one that lives in a bubble under water is the most unique.

Among spiders, the one that lives in a bubble under water is unique.

9. Would:

When the idea of habit or repetition is expressed (in such phrases as once a year, everyday, each Sunday), the past tense, without would, is usually sufficient.

Once a year he would visit the old mansion.

Once a year he visited the old mansion.

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Continue reading the other parts of The Elements of Style summary:

Part 1: What is “good” writing?

Part 2: How to write clearly

Part 3: The 9 words you might be using incorrectly

Part 4: How to find your writing style

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