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by
D. Michelle Adkerson
varying;
various
The first means "changing" or "altering." The second
means "of different kinds." Use varying before a singular
noun and various before a plural noun.
"Various
friends have told me at various times over the years to change my
color, to change my shape, but never to change my hairdresser (who
is, after all, my wife)," Sam said indignantly.
Francie
sped down the winding blacktop at varying speed to give the illusion
of escape while allowing the keystone carload behind her to keep up.
The
varying weather suits me.
verbal
See oral.
very
Avoid whenever possible. Rather than strengthen a statement, this overused
adjective usually weakens it.
viable
Viable means "capable of living." Avoid using it for
feasible or practicable.
Washington
state; Washington State
Either is correct. Journalists traditionally lowercase the second word.
Ordinary use though, uppercases it (as in New York State). Whichever
way you go, be sure to be consistent throughout your document
whenever
Use when.
where
This word should be used only to refer to "place." It should
not be used as a substitute for that, when, or in which.
Michael,
having decided that weather affected his daily life and temperament
more than many other influences, wanted to move with his daughter
Emma to a place where the sun shone little and the humidity
was low.
When
[not where] the choice was among Portland, Maine; Portland,
Oregon; and Seattle, Washington, he chose Seattle for its cultural
amenities, especially its abundance of unique movie houses.
He
noticed in his local paper that [not where] a rental
company was offering crosscountry discounts and decided to make his
move.
He
devised a plan in which [not where] he and Emma
would arrive at Margaret's house in time to see her to the airport
for her two-month European tour; the housesitting stint would then
give him time to plan his next move.
whether
or not
Usually delete or not.
which
See that.
who;
whom
When choosing between who and whom, use who if
you can substitute the following:
he
she they
I we
Use
whom if you can substitute:
him
her them
me us
"Who
did it?"
"She did it."
"To
whom was it done?"
"It was done to us. We decided to follow the direction
of whoever had the courage to choose. She had the courage."
"So
she was the one whom you permitted to make the decision."
"Yes. We permitted her to make the decision. We needed
someone whom we could trust. We thought we could trust her."
"Did
you just go along with whoever you thought knew best — and
you thought she knew best?"
"Yes. She was the one whom we chose. We chose her."
whose;
of which
The possessive whose is sometimes used to refer to things as
well as persons, but the possessive form of which is of
which.
The team edited the employee manual, whose pages number 54.
I
established a new schedule, the upshot of which is that I always work
weekends.
-wise
Avoid this vogue suffix as much as possible (cost-wise, clothes-wise).
But established English words (clockwise, lengthwise, likewise)
are fine.
would
When would precedes a verb, it questions the absoluteness of
the verb and makes the verb conditional.
Not:
I would agree that the color is suitable.
But:
I agree that the color is suitable.
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