Today, we’ll talk about words you should never use and words you should always avoid — or something like that.
As many of you know, before I was Grammar Girl, I was a science and technology writer. Even as an undergrad, my instructors said I was especially good at that kind of writing. And my secret was that I hedged everything I wrote. I wouldn’t write anything as definitive as “Scientists found life on Mars.” I would write “Scientists appear to have found life on Mars,” or “Scientists report that they have found signs of life on Mars.”
In scientific writing, those kinds of distinctions are important because knowledge changes as new data comes in. What looks like life on Mars today, could turn out to be an instrument malfunction tomorrow. Coffee seems good for you in one study, but bad for you in the next study that looked at different populations or at different parameters. But keeping absolute statements under control can also keep your everyday writing honest.
Using ‘Always’ and ‘Never’
Some of the most dangerous words you can throw around are “always” and “never.” They almost beg people to ask, “Really? Never? Not even if aliens take over the world and change the laws of physics with their super-advanced technology?”
If I were to write, “Always use quotation marks around dialogue,” I’m sure that within 12 hours someone would remind me that some literary writers, like Cormac McCarthy, don’t use them. If I said, “Never start a sentence with a lowercase letter,” someone would remind me that the “p” in “pH” must be lowercase when referring to the acidity or alkalinity of a solution whether it’s at the beginning of a sentence or not, and that the Chicago Manual of Style says to keep the I in “iPhone” lowercase even if the word is at the beginning of a sentence.
If you go out on a limb and use “always” or “never,” you should be darn certain there aren’t any exceptions.
When Should You Use ‘Usually’ and ‘Often’?
So what about fudgy words such as “usually” and “often”? They aren’t horrible. When you’re tempted to write “always,” “usually” can be a safer choice: In English, we usually capitalize the word at the beginning of a sentence.
The problem is that sometimes people use these words without any real knowledge of whether something happens often or usually.
I could have said, “People often use these words without any real knowledge,” but really? Is it often? I know I see it done, but when I think about it carefully, I’m not willing to commit to “often.” “Sometimes” is more accurate.
What Is the Difference Between ‘Many’ and ‘Most’?
And people have asked about the difference between “most” and “many.” OK, it was only one person, so it wasn’t really “people”; it should have been “someone.”
Both “many” and “most” indicate a large, indefinite amount. Technically, “most” is more than “many.” “Most” is a superlative that means “in the greatest degree” or “in the majority of instances.” You could argue that it’s technically correct to use “most” if you’re talking about more than half of something, but in practice, I suspect most people [get it?] don’t strictly adhere to that definition. And if I hear someone say “most,” I’m imagining far more than 51% of something.
When Should You Use ‘Most’ and ‘Many’?
My advice is to avoid using “most” and “many” unless you have evidence that what you’re talking about is a lot — a lot of people or far more than half the time, for example. It shouldn’t just be your opinion. And if you can, cite actual numbers. The thought, “I believe snails are adorable and make great mascots,” floating through your head shouldn’t lead you to write, “Many people believe snails are adorable and make great mascots.”
Going back to my opening paragraph, how did I know that many of you know that I used to be a science writer? I didn’t. Although I’ve mentioned it in a bunch of interviews, I have no idea how many of you already knew that I was a science writer. So I shouldn’t have started out with “as many of you know.” It’s pure speculation (and unnecessarily wordy).
As an aside, you can learn more about “more” and “most” in episode 930 in which we talk about using “more” to compare two things (this painting is more spectacular than the last) and “most” when something is the best of more than two things (this painting is the most spectacular painting we’ve seen all day).