English Usage FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about English language usage
This FAQ about English
was compiled and written by Mark Israel misrael@scripps.edu w
with numerous contributions by others.
01 Welcome to alt.usage.english!- alt.usage.english is a newsgroup where we discuss the ...
- 02 Guidelines for posting (alt.usage.english)
- 03 Related newsgroups (alt.usage.english)
- 04 Dictionaries (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 05 Online dictionaries (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 06 General reference (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 07 Books on linguistics (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 08 Grammars (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 09 Books on usage (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 10 Online usage guides (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 11 Online language columns (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 12 Books that discriminate synonyms (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 13 Style manuals (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 14 Book on mathematical exposition (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 15 Books on phrasal verbs (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 16 Books on Britishisms, Canadianisms, etc. (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 17 Books on phrase origins (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 18 Books on "bias-free"/"politically correct" language (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 19 Books on group names (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 20 Books on rhyming slang (Recommended books - alt.usage.english)
- 21 Basic English (Artificial dialects - alt.usage.english)
- 22 E-prime (Artificial dialects - alt.usage.english)
- 23 How to represent pronunciation in ASCII
- 24 How do Americans pronounce "dog"? (Pronunciation - alt.usage.english)
- 25 Words pronounced differently according to context (Pronunciation - alt.usage.english)
- 26 Words whose spelling has influenced their pronunciation (Pronunciation - alt.usage.english)
- 27 "acronym" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 28 "all ... not" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 29 "alot" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 30 "alright" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 31 "between you and I" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 32 "company is" vs "company are" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 33 "could care less" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 34 "could of" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 35 "different to", "different than" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 36 "done"="finished" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 37 double "is" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 38 "due to" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 39 "functionality" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 40 Gender-neutral pronouns (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 41 "God rest you merry, gentlemen" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 42 "hopefully", "thankfully" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 43 "if I was" vs "if I were" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 44 "impact"="to affect" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 45 "It needs cleaned" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 46 "It's me" vs "It is I" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- (freely adapted from an article by Roger Lustig)...
- 47 "less" vs "fewer" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 48 "like" vs "as" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 49 "like" vs "such as" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 50 "more/most/very unique" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 51 "mouses" vs "mice" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 52 "near miss" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 53 "none is" vs "none are" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 54 Plurals of Latin/Greek words (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 55 Foreign plurals => English singulars (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 56 "Bona fides", "kudos", and "minutia" are singulars in Latin or Greek. (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- Graffiti (plural in Italian) is disputed in English. ...
- 57 Preposition at end (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 58 "quality" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 59 Repeated words after abbreviations (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 60 "Scotch" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 61 "shall" vs "will", "should" vs "would" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 62 split infinitive (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 63 "that" vs "which" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 64 "that kind of a thing" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 65 the the "hoi polloi" debate (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 66 "true fact" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 67 "try and", "be sure and", "go" + verb (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 68 "whom" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 69 "you saying" vs "your saying" (Usage disputes - alt.usage.english)
- 70 "." after abbreviations (Punctuation - alt.usage.english)
- 71 spaces between sentences (Punctuation - alt.usage.english)
- 72 ", vs ," (Punctuation - alt.usage.english)
- 73 "A, B and C" vs "A, B, and C" (Punctuation - alt.usage.english)
- 74 Foreigners' FAQs (alt.usage.english)
- Non-native speakers are often unnecessarily cautious in their ...
- 75 "a"/"an" before abbreviations (Foreigners' FAQs - alt.usage.english)
- 76 "A number of..." (Foreigners' FAQs - alt.usage.english)
- 77 When to use "the" (Foreigners' FAQs - alt.usage.english)
- 78 Subjunctive (Foreigners' FAQs - alt.usage.english)
- 79 "A.D." (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 80 "alumin(i)um" (notes by Keith Ivey) (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 81 "bloody" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 82 "bug"="defect" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 83 "Caesarean section" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 84 "canola" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 85 "catch-22" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 86 "cop" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 87 "copacetic" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 88 "crap" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 89 "ebonics" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 90 "eighty-six"="nix" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 91 "Eskimo" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 92 "flammable" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 93 "freeway" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 94 "fuck" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 95 "golf" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 96 "hooker" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 97 "ISO" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- by Mark
- 98 "jerry-built"/"jury-rigged" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 99 "kangaroo" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 100 "limerence"/"limerent" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 101 "loo" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 102 "love"="zero" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 103 "merkin" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- (notes by Michael B. Quinion and Ruth Bygrave)...
- 104 "nimrod" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 105 "O.K." (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 106 "outrage" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 107 "paparazzo" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 108 "pie-shaped" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 109 "portmanteau word" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 110 "posh" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 111 "quiz" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 112 "Santa Ana" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 113 "scot-free" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 114 "sincere" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 115 "sirloin"/"baron of beef" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 116 "SOS" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 117 "spoonerism" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 118 "suck"="be very unsatisfying" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- by John
- 119 "till"/"until" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 120 "tip" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 121 "titsling"/"brassiere" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 122 troll (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 123 typo (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 124 Wicca (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 125 "widget" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- (notes by William C. Waterhouse)...
- 126 "wog" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 127 "wonk" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- (notes by Fred Shapiro)...
- 128 "wop" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 129 "ye"="the" (Word origins - alt.usage.english)
- 130 "the bee's knees" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 131 "beg the question" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 132 "billions and billions" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 133 "blue moon" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- (notes by Philip Hiscock)...
- 134 "Bob's your uncle" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 135 "Break a leg!" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 136 "to call a spade a spade" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 137 "cut the mustard" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 138 "cut to the chase" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 139 "The die is cast." (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 140 "dressed to the nines" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 141 "Elementary, my dear Watson!" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 142 "Enquiring minds want to know." (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- (notes by James Kiso)...
- 143 "The exception proves the rule." (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 144 "face the music" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 145 "fall off a turnip truck" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 146 "full monty" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 147 "Get the lead out" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 148 "Go figure" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 149 "Go placidly amid the noise and the haste" (Desiderata) (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 150 "go to hell in a handbasket" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 151 "hell for leather" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 152 "hoist with his own petard" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 153 "by hook or by crook" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 154 "Illegitimis non carborundum" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 155 "in like Flynn" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 156 "Jingle Bells" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 157 "Let them eat cake!" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 158 "mind your p's and q's" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 159 "more honoured in the breach than the observance" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 160 "more than you can shake a stick at" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 161 "ollie ollie oxen free" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 162 "peter out" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 163 "politically correct" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 164 "push the envelope" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 165 "put in one's two cents' worth" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 166 "rule of thumb" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 167 "shouting fire in a crowded theater" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 168 "son of a gun" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 169 "spit and image"/"spitting image" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 170 "to all intents and purposes" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 171 "wait for the other shoe to drop" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 172 "Wherefore art thou Romeo?" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 173 "whole cloth" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- (notes by Ellen Rosen)...
- 174 "the whole nine yards" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 175 "You have another think coming" (Phrase origins - alt.usage.english)
- 176 words ending in "-gry" (Words frequently sought - alt.usage.english)
- 177 words without vowels (Words frequently sought - alt.usage.english)
- 178 What is the language term for...? (Words frequently sought - alt.usage.english)
- 179 "I won't mention..." (Words frequently sought - alt.usage.english)
- 180 names of "&", "@", and "#" (Words frequently sought - alt.usage.english)
- 181 "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." (Words frequently sought - alt.usage.english)
- 182 What is the opposite of "to exceed"? (Words frequently sought - alt.usage.english)
- 183 What is the opposite of "distaff side"? (Words frequently sought - alt.usage.english)
- 184 What do you call the grass strip between the road and the sidewalk? (Words frequently sought - alt.usage.english)
- 185 What is a suggested format for citing online sources? (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 186 Does the next millennium begin in 2000 or 2001? (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 187 What will we call the next decade? (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 188 Fumblerules ("Don't use no double negatives", etc.) (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 189 English is Tough Stuff (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 190 What is the phone number of the Grammar Hotline? (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 191 Do publishers put false info in dictionaries to catch plagiarists? (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 192 How reliable are dictionaries? (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 193 etymologies of personal names (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 194 How did "Truly" become a personal name? (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- by Truly Donovan (truly@lunemere.com)...
- 195 trademarks (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 196 Commonest words (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 197 What words are their own antonym? (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 198 Why do we say "30 years old", but "a 30-year-old man"? (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- by Rich
- 199 sentences grammatical in both Old English and Modern English (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 200 radio alphabets (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 201 distribution of English-speakers (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 202 provenance of English vocabulary (notes by Lucia Engkent) (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 203 "billion": a U.K. view (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 204 Publications consulted: (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- OED, Editions 1 and 2....
- 205 Biblical sense of "to know" (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 206 Postfix "not" (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 207 Origin of the dollar sign (notes by Mark Brader) (Miscellany - alt.usage.english)
- 208 Spelling reform (Spelling - alt.usage.english)
- 209 Joke about step-by-step spelling reform (Spelling - alt.usage.english)
- 210 What is "ghoti"? (Spelling - alt.usage.english)
- (notes by Jim Scobbie)...
- 211 How do you spell "e-mail"? (Spelling - alt.usage.english)
- 212 Why is "I" capitalized? (Spelling - alt.usage.english)
- 213 Diacritics (Spelling - alt.usage.english)
- 214 "-er" vs "-re" (Spelling - alt.usage.english)
- 215 "-ize" vs "-ise" (Spelling - alt.usage.english)
- 216 doubling of final consonants before suffixes (Spelling - alt.usage.english)
- 217 Where to put apostrophes in possessive forms: Pronouns
- 218 Where to put apostrophes in possessive forms: Nouns
- 1. The standard rule: Use 's for the singular possessive, and ...
- 219 Where to put apostrophes in possessive forms: History
- For those who want to know where the apostrophe came from, ...
- 220 Where to put apostrophes in possessive forms: Note For Non-English-Speakers
- The apostrophe in these cases normally has no effect ...
