Writing Tip

Using Difficult and Ambiguous Words: Part 2 of 3 (G to M)

Difficulty Level: Basic

Recommendation: Pay special attention to difficult and ambiguous terms.

Gauge, Gage

Gage has multiple meanings that are irrelevant to technical contexts (one of which is a variant spelling of gauge). Gauge, on the other hand, is unambiguous. When gauge is used technical contexts, it is used as both a noun (an instrument used for measuring or testing) and a verb (to measure). Stick with gauge.

If, Whether

If is used to indicate that one action depends on another (an action is conditional), as in, “If you build it, they will come.” Whether is reserved for a choice between two or more items, such as, “Let me know whether you liked the song [or not].” If you say, “Let me know if you liked the song,” then you are communicating that you want the person to contact you only if you liked the song.

If . . . Then

If . . . then is a pattern that readers readily recognize. In general, readers are happy when they recognize patterns, and authors are largely in the business of making their readers happy on a molecular level. When you set up a conditional statement at the beginning of a sentence with if, it is often effective to frame the subsequent action with then. The bookmarks If . . . then are used to indicate two things: First, a condition must be met, as in, “If the voltage drops below 65%.” Second, an action must follow: “the machine will shut down.” Using the word then after the conditional expression fortifies the relationship between the condition and the consequence of the condition being true. In addition to having a sequential feel to it, If . . . then can also indicate a logical relationship: If a condition is true, then execute an action or behavior or thought. No computer program lives without If . . . then. For example, consider this code snippet written in BASIC:

IF myTruck > yourTruck THEN

Celebrate!!!

ELSE

Pout

END IF

This indispensible word, then, plainly imparts to the reader, “We have shifted from the conditional part of the sentence and have arrived at the main clause—this is where the action is!”

If as Logic

If is a small but powerful conjunction. Implicit in this word is “if and only if.” Although it may be placed at the end of a sentence, it typically introduces the main clause as the result of the “if” clause being true. That is, if the conditions of the “if” clause are met, then the main clause is also true. So what is the problem with this basic framework? Sometimes, the logic expressed by the sentence is not the logic intended by the author. This can result in erosion of the author’s credibility (another nibble at the edge). What may be one person’s chuckle over a malformed thought may be the source of annoyance for someone else.

Consider:

My number is 865-555-0109 if you have any questions.

This is the number ONLY if you have questions. If you don’t have any questions, then the number will be something else. Here is a properly formed sentence that expresses what the author means:

If you have any questions, please call me at 865-555-0109.

There are three main types of conditional expressions:

Type 1: The condition framed by the “if” clause is possible to fulfill. Use the simple present or future tense of the verbs in both clauses:

If Acme Industries posts record growth, then the stock market will skyrocket.

Type 2: The condition framed by the “if” clause is possible to fulfill in theory (but is highly unlikely). Use the past tense in the “if” clause and “would” plus the present tense in the main clause:

If Acme Industries posted record growth, then the stock market would skyrocket.

Type 3: It is too late for the condition to be met. For this impossible condition, use the past perfect (“had” plus the past tense in the “if” clause) and “would have” plus the present tense in the main clause:

If Acme Industries had posted record growth, then the stock market would have skyrocketed.

Note: If the condition is simply contrary to fact, it can also be cast as a subjunctive sentence (not discussed in this tip), such as:

If Acme Industries were to post record growth, then the stock market would skyrocket.

Insure, Ensure, Assure

Insure means to guarantee against harm or loss, as in, “This policy insures your car against theft, collision, and damage caused by creatures.” Ensure is to pledge, a guarantee that something will happen or to make certain that it does happen, as in, “This pill will ensure your happiness.” Assure means to instill confidence or reassure, as in, “I assure you that this pill will ensure your happiness.”

It’s/Its, Your/You’re

These are so easy to confuse. It took hundreds of years for “hit is,” which is Old English or Saxon, to contract into “its,” but the pronoun still gets confused with what is called a mechanical contraction (a contraction formed by a punctuation mark, like an apostrophe). Your is the same thing. It evolved from Saxon and today enjoys an apostrophe-free existence. So, the test is this: If you can split the one word into two words (such as “it is” or “you are”), then you need the version with the apostrophe. The version without the apostrophe indicates possession (as in, “its fur is red” or “your car is green”).

Lay, Lie

Lay takes an object, as in, “I will lay the keys on the counter.” Lie does not take an object, as in, “I will lie down when I get tired.” The past tense of these verbs creates a confusion. The past tense of lay is laid and the past tense of lie is lay So, the present tense of lay is also the past tense of lie One has to make a conscious effort to distinguish these two words.

Less, Fewer

Use fewer if you can count the noun being modified (such nouns are called countable). For example, you would say, “We need fewer apples in this world” instead of “less apples” because you can count apples. Use less for nouns that are abstract or conceptual (such nouns are called uncountable). For example, you would say, “We need fewer junk yards and less clutter.”

Lighting, Lightning

Lighting, which is a thing that sheds light, is an “n” away from lightning, which really sheds light. If you are writing a report that includes a good deal about lightning, then search for instances of lighting. The converse is also good spelling practice for reports about lighting.

Lose, Loose

These are one “o” away from each other. Lose is the verb, and loose is the adjective. The one that has lost its “o” is the loser.

Malfunction/Misoperation

Really, why use misoperation (note that it is not in Microsoft Word’s dictionary)? It is clumsy and indelicate, with one hard initial accent followed by four clunky staccato syllables. Malfunction, on the other hand, bears a musical cadence: unstressed STRESSED unstressed, rise and fall, like the tides. So, prefer the one with fewer syllables (five versus three). I forgot to use the word “polysyllabic.” Sorry.

Manufacture, Manufacturer

Like lighting and lightning, these look very similar. Being aware of this confusion will help you to avoid misspelling one or the other.

Method, Methodology

A method is a way of doing something. A methodology is a set or system of methods. In most cases, method is the word that you want, even though methodology sounds cooler and has more moving parts.

Myself

This word is called an intensive/reflexive pronoun. All pronouns have antecedents—that is, they refer back to something in the same text. Like many complex grammar terms, antecedent is a Latin term: ante, meaning “before,” and cēdere, meaning “to go” (literally, “to go before”). For example, the pronoun teacher is the antecedent of the pronoun her in the sentence, “The teacher encouraged her class to study.” Myself can be used to intensify your role in a sentence, such as, “I myself will defend the fort.” It can also be used to reflect back to you, such as, “I treated myself to a vacation.” In both cases, you—the author, as indicated by the personal pronoun I—have to be in the sentence. You can’t say, “He gave the science book to myself” or “Myself and Dan sag-tested the PLC” or “She stood between myself and Zeus.” In the first and third cases, the pronoun should be me, and in the second case, it should be I (but, according to convention, the order should be “Dan and I”). So, a good rule of thumb is don’t use the intensive/reflexive pronoun myself unless I is in the sentence serving as the antecedent (the same holds true for herself/himself/itself/themselves).