Bryan A. Garner Archives — Page 4 of 44

Dec 29 2014

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: least worst.

least worst. This phrase, like its kissing cousin “least worse,” doesn’t make literal sense: it should be “least bad.” If you have several undesirable options with varying levels of undesirability, only one can be the worst. All the others are less bad, and the least undesirable is the least bad. With a superlative adverb such …

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Dec 29 2014

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: Miscellaneous Entries.

Bryan A. Garner / By Bryan A. Garner

Miscellaneous Entries. jetsam (= goods abandoned at sea and submerged indefinitely) is so spelled — not “jetsom.” E.g.: “A box contains the flotsam and jetsom [read ‘jetsam’] she collects to make impressions in the sand.” Larry Maddry, “Artist Finds a Home for Her Creative Spirit via the Sand of Virginia,” Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk), 25 Oct. 1995, …

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Dec 24 2014

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: lease, vb.; let.

Bryan A. Garner / By Bryan A. Garner

lease, vb.; let. “Let” (10th c.) is 300 years older than “lease” (13th c.) in the sense “to grant the temporary possession and use of (land, buildings, rooms, movable property) to another in return for rent or other consideration.” But both are well established, and they are equally good. As used by real estate agents …

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Dec 22 2014

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: lay waste.

Bryan A. Garner / By Bryan A. Garner

lay waste. The traditional idiom is an unusual one: either “they laid waste the city” or (a variant form) “they laid the city waste.” “Lay” is the verb; “city” is the object; and “waste” is an adjective serving as an objective complement. The structure of “they laid waste the city” is like that of the …

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Dec 19 2014

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: Miscellaneous Entries.

Bryan A. Garner / By Bryan A. Garner

Miscellaneous Entries. jail; gaol. The first is the American spelling; the second is the British variant. Both words, of course, are pronounced /jayl/. janissary (= a loyal, subservient follower) is the standard spelling. It is capitalized only when used to mean “a Turkish infantry soldier in the sultan’s guard.” “Janisary” and “janizary” are variant forms. …

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Dec 18 2014

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: layman; layperson; lay person.

Bryan A. Garner / By Bryan A. Garner

layman; layperson; lay person. “Layman” is the most common among these terms and is commonly regarded as unexceptionable — in reference to members of both sexes, of course. E.g.: o “James Wilkinson, the 55-year-old layman who carried the cross at the head of Princess Diana’s funeral procession, said he had never experienced anything like Saturday’s …

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Dec 17 2014

Adopt-a-Bobble-Bryan program 2015

Bryan A. Garner / By Bryan A. Garner

On January 13, 2015, 20 Bobble Bryans will be looking for good homes. (Yes, for the first time ever, we’re selling the already-legendary Bryan Garner bobblehead for $500 each.) All profits will go to the Campaign for Equal Access to Justice for the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program. Submit your request by e-mail to kcheng@lawprose.org beginning …

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Dec 17 2014

LawProse Lesson #192: Client confidences.

Bryan A. Garner, LawProse Lessons / By Bryan A. Garner

Ethical communications for lawyers: Client confidences. Trustworthy. That’s how every client should describe you. Keep all client confidences—and make it a habit to keep all confidences in everyday life. The law doesn’t make an exception for spouses or friends, so don’t talk to them about your client’s confidential matters. No matter what. Your …

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Dec 17 2014

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: lay; lie (3).

Bryan A. Garner, LawProse Lessons / By Bryan A. Garner

lay; lie (3). Part C: “laid” for Past-Tense “lay.” The “lay”-for-“lie” error also occurs with the past-tense forms — e.g.: “He laid [read ‘lay’] down flat on the ground and looked around for an object or landmark he might have missed from a higher angle.” “Pumpkin Place,” Amarillo Daily News, 4 Mar. 1996, at C1. …

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Dec 16 2014

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: lay; lie (2).

Bryan A. Garner / By Bryan A. Garner

lay; lie (2). Today: “lay” for “lie.” This is one of the most widely known of all usage errors — e.g.: o “If you’ve got an extra $79,800 laying [read ‘lying’] around you could become the proud owner of two vacant buildings on the southeast corner of the Canyon square.” Bill Rogers, “Buildings Priced at …

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Dec 15 2014

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: lay; lie (1).

Bryan A. Garner / By Bryan A. Garner

lay; lie (1). Today: The Distinction. Very simply, “lie” (= to recline, be situated) is intransitive — it can’t take a direct object {he lies on his bed}. But “lay” (= to put down, arrange) is always transitive — it needs a direct object {please lay the book on my desk}. The verbs are inflected …

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Dec 11 2014

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: lawyer; attorney; counsel; counselor.

Bryan A. Garner / By Bryan A. Garner

lawyer; attorney; counsel; counselor. The two most common among these, “lawyer” and “attorney,” are not generally distinguished even by members of the legal profession — except perhaps that “lawyer” is often viewed as having negative connotations. Thus one frequently hears about “lawyer-bashing,” but only the tone-deaf write “attorney-bashing” — e.g.: “Attorney-bashing [read ‘Lawyer-bashing’] always will …

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Dec 10 2014

Happy 25th Anniversary to LawProse!

1 Comment / Bryan A. Garner, LawProse Lessons / By Bryan A. Garner

At LawProse, we’re celebrating our 25th Anniversary! Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of LawProse—the 1990 brainchild of Bryan A. Garner. To commemorate this important milestone, look for special events every month. We’ll start off in January with our Adopt-a-Bobble-Bryan program. On January 13th, 20 Bobble Bryans will be looking for good homes. (Yes, …

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Dec 10 2014

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: lawsuit.

Bryan A. Garner / By Bryan A. Garner

lawsuit. Journalists often misuse “lawsuit” (one word) for “complaint” (= the paper that is filed to start a lawsuit) — e.g.: o “In its 18-page lawsuit [read ‘complaint’], Viacom-owned CBS alleged: ‘”Celebrity” was consciously designed to mimic “Survivor” and unfairly trade on its success.’” Meg James, “CBS Sues to Block New ABC Program,” L.A. Times, …

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Dec 9 2014

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: lavish, vb.

1 Comment / Bryan A. Garner / By Bryan A. Garner

lavish, vb. As a transitive verb, “lavish” takes a direct object, but it is traditionally a thing, not a person. That is, you lavish gifts on a person, not a person with gifts. But writers have begun to engage in object-shuffling with this verb — e.g.: “Mayor Willie Brown welcomed Philippine President Joseph Estrada with …

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Dec 5 2014

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: Miscellaneous Entries.

Bryan A. Garner, LawProse Lessons / By Bryan A. Garner

Miscellaneous Entries. irrelevance; irrelevancy. The former is generally preferred. The only plural form, however, is “irrelevancies.” irreligious; unreligious. Both words essentially mean “not religious.” But “irreligious” often suggests conscious indifference or even hostility toward religion. “Unreligious” is the more neutral term. irreparable is pronounced /i-REP-uh-ruh-buhl/. irresistible. So spelled — not “irresistable.” irrespective of = regardless …

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Dec 4 2014

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: launch.

Bryan A. Garner / By Bryan A. Garner

launch. “Launch” has become a vogue word when used in the sense “to begin, initiate” — e.g.: o “USAir Chairman Seth Schofield . . . is visiting Pittsburgh to launch a new service to Mexico City today.” Steve Creedy, “Travel Agents Slap Airlines over Fee Caps,” Pitt. Post-Gaz., 15 Feb. 1995, at F1. o “DuPage …

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Dec 3 2014

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: laudatory; laudative; laudable.

Bryan A. Garner / By Bryan A. Garner

laudatory; laudative; laudable. The adjectives “laudatory” and “laudative” both mean “expressing praise.” But “laudative” is a needless variant of “laudatory,” the much more common word. “Laudable,” in contrast, means “deserving praise.” The distinction is the same as that between “praiseworthy” (= laudable) and “praiseful” (= laudatory). The misuse of “laudatory” for “laudable” is lamentably common …

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Dec 3 2014

LawProse Lesson #190: Ethical communications. Never tell a lie.

Bryan A. Garner, LawProse Lessons / By Bryan A. Garner

Ethical communications for lawyers: Never tell a lie. “He’s not in the office right now.” (Actually, he is.) “I’m not authorized to offer one penny more.” (Actually, she has authority to settle for quite a bit more than she’s saying.) Advice about lying is tricky. But it’s possible to carry on your professional life without …

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Dec 1 2014

Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: Latinisms.

Bryan A. Garner / By Bryan A. Garner

Latinisms. In the English language, Latin words and phrases typically fall into one of six categories: (1) the ones that are now so common that they’re barely recognizable as Latin (“bonus,” “data,” “vice versa”); (2) the ones that are reduced to abbreviations in scholarly contexts (“e.g.,” “i.e.,” “ibid.,” “id.”); (3) the ones used in the …

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