Glossary
G
G.1: Write the phrase you misused and the rule.
Do not write just “G” or “Glossary.”
get
Much overused. The person who writes “If I get good enough grades to get into a good college, my parents will get me a car” needs to “locate,” “purchase,” “acquire” or “obtain” a thesaurus.
USAGE TIP: Get
Winter Getaway
I get which guy has got this wood;
He’s got a place in the neighborhood.
He won’t get mad if I get near
While winter gets his forest good.
My horse has got a look of fear
When I get off my buggy here,
For we’ve got snowflakes all around—
The darkest evening of the year.
His bells have got a curious sound:
Why did we get so far from town?
No other noise can our ears get
But feathery snowflakes getting down.
The woods get lovely, white and wet,
But Duty’s got me deep in debt,
And I’ve got places still to get,
And I’ve got places still to get.
gift, give
The Keables Guide recommends avoiding the use of “gift” as a verb in formal writing, due to its air of informality and the possibilities for confusion.
INFORMAL: Grandma gifted me a quilt.
RECOMMENDED: Grandma gave me a quilt.
Some people consider the usage incorrect. Its rise in popularity came from an episode of the TV sitcom Seinfeld that jokingly coined the word “regift.” Defenders of “gift” as a verb say it lets us distinguish the presentation of a gift (“Grandma gifted me a quilt”) from other acts of giving (“a police officer gave me directions”), and that it is like saying, “When her dog was hungry, she fooded him.” According to its detractors, the context usually makes the distinction clear, and if it does not, then the context, not the verb, needs rephrasing. “Gifted” has long been used to mean “talented” (“a gifted child”), but it implies a metaphor of God or nature as the giver; applying it in other contexts, however kind the gesture, may seem absurd.
ACCEPTABLE: Mozart was gifted with precocious musical talent.
UNINTENTIONALLY COMIC: I was gifted with a McDonald’s coupon.
guilt
Although the use of “guilt” as a verb has become popular in recent years, it still sounds informal. For formal writing, the Keables Guide recommends using it as a noun and rephrasing to avoid using it as a verb.
INFORMAL (verb): The beggar tried to guilt people into giving him money.
FORMAL: The beggar tried to make people feel guilty for not giving him money.
FORMAL: The beggar tried to shame people into giving him money.
The use as a verb may have derived from the slang expression “guilt trip,” which first appeared in print as a noun in 1970 and as a verb in 1974. “Guilt trip” originated as a metaphor based on “trip” as slang for the use of LSD. “Shame” began as a noun, but its use as a verb has been established since the thirteenth century.