Glossary

G.1: Write the phrase you misused and the rule.

Do not write just “G” or “Glossary.”

mad

In formal usage, “mad” means “insane,” not “angry.” Once a forceful figure of speech that implied a person had lost rational control and was acting like someone in an insane asylum, “mad” has been cheapened by overuse. Find a more precise word.

INFORMAL: My mom gets mad at me for my messy room.

BETTER: My messy room annoys [irks, peeves, infuriates] my mother.

manner, manners, mannerism, mannered

Distinguish the meanings:

1. “Manners” (always plural) means either (a) “habitual behavior,” whether polite or rude, or (b) “customary conduct of a place or time.”

My mother told me to mind my manners.

She was unaccusomed to the manners of the East Coast country-club set.

2. “Manner” (singular) means either (a) “a person’s bearing or style of conduct” (as in “the doctor’s bedside manner”) or (b) “sort,” “way” or “style” (as in the phrase “in a manner of speaking”). Used in phrases like "well-mannered" or “ill-mannered,” it describes the quality of a person’s manners.

Mr. Bingley’s easy-going manner contrasts with the aloof manner of Mr. Darcy.

Raised in the royal court, he grew up to be a well-mannered gentleman.

3. A “mannerism” is a peculiar habit.

Mr. Jaggers has eccentric mannerisms like biting his finger.

4. “Mannered” (without "well" or “ill”) does not mean “polite”; it means “stilted or artificial in manner,” and it usually does not describe people.

George Meredith’s novels have lost popularity due to their mannered prose style.

The two most common errors are using “manner” instead of “manners” and “mannered” instead of “well-mannered.”

material, materialistic

Not the same. Materialistic people value material things.

may, would, can

Two errors are common.

1. Do not say “May you” in questions. Use “may” when you are asking someone for permission.

INCORRECT: May you help me, please?

CORRECT: Would you help me, please?

CORRECT: May I enter?

If you say, “May you help me?” you are asking if the person has permission to help you.

2. Do not confuse “may” (indicating permission) with “can” (indicating ability):

INCORRECT: Can I have some of your popcorn?

CORRECT: May I have some of your popcorn?

mean

“Mean” is not a synonym for “cruel,” “unkind,” or “heartless.” It means “common” or “average.” In a social and moral sense, “mean” indicates “humble, lacking in dignity, worthy of contempt.” Poor people in ghettoes are said to live in “mean” dwellings or circumstances. A selfish or heartless act is called “mean” because it is below normal standards of moral decency. Cruelty, thus, is one kind of meanness, but “cruel” and “mean” are not synonyms. Stretch your vocabulary.

VAGUE: My parents are mean. They won’t let me go out with my friends.

BETTER: My parents are strict. They won’t let me go out with my friends.

message

Avoid using “message” in writing about literature. “Message” implies that a work of art is simple and heavy-handed, like a child’s fable—or like propaganda or advertising that exists only to tell readers to support a political cause or purchase a product.

INAPPROPRIATE: The poem’s message is that you should live for the moment.

moral, morale

As an adjective, “moral” means “ethical” or “pertaining to principles of right and wrong.” As a singular noun, it means “the lesson of a story.” As a plural noun, it means “principles of right and wrong”). “Morale” (pronounced to rhyme with “canal”) is only a noun and always singular; it means “spirits,” and it usually pertains to a group, not an individual.

She felt a moral obligation to be a blood donor.

No one could question his morals.

Disney movies have wholesome morals.

Team morale was low.

People sometimes become confused because “moral” can be used to mean “psychological, as opposed to physical or financial.”

The moral support of the fans boosted team morale.

more importantly

As a sentence-starting phrase, “more important” is better grammatically than “more importantly,” but both are loose, vague and trendy. Find better transitions.

more so

A redundancy for “more.”

much, many

Use “much” for mass nouns and “many” for count nouns:

WRONG: We saw much fish. RIGHT: We saw many fish.

WRONG: I don’t go there much. RIGHT: I don’t go there often.

myself

Two errors are common:

1. Do not use “myself” as the subject of a verb:

WRONG: She and myself are partners.

RIGHT: She and I are partners.

2. Do not use “myself” as the object of a verb or preposition unless the subject and object are the same:

WRONG: She phoned him and myself.

RIGHT: She phoned him and me.

RIGHT (same subject and object): I mistakenly addressed the letter to myself.

“Myself” is a reflexive pronoun; it avoids repetition when a subject and object are the same:

RIGHT (direct object of verb): Exhausted, I took myself out of the game.

RIGHT (object of preposition): I was only lying to myself.

It is also an intensive pronoun, adding emphasis to another pronoun:

RIGHT: I made the decision myself, with no influence from anyone else.