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Grammar And Style Guide - F

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Facet.
The metaphor is often abused. Don't use a facet, the hard polished side of a gem, to stand in for the more general "aspect" unless it's really appropriate.
The Fact That.
Usually unnecessary. You can often simply drop the fact and go with that alone: instead of "I'm surprised by the fact that the report is incomplete," write "I'm surprised that the report is incomplete." And don't be afraid to rewrite the sentence altogether.
Farther versus Further.
Though very few people bother with the difference these days, there is a traditional distinction: farther applies to physical distance, further to metaphorical distance. You travel farther, but pursue a topic further. Don't get upset if you can't keep it straight; no one will notice.
Feel.
The use of feel for words like think, believe, and argue is becoming unsettlingly common. It's a cliché, and a touchy-feely one at that, reducing all cognition to sensation and emotion. When I see sentences beginning "Wittgenstein feels that . . ." or "Socrates feels he is . .&nbsp." I start to feel queasy. Avoid it. [Entry added 14 Sept. 2004.]
Fewer versus Less.
See Less versus Fewer.
Finalize.
An ugly, jargony word.
First, Second, Third.
The jury is still out on whether to use first or firstly, second or secondly, &c. Traditional usage had first, secondly, thirdly, but this is too inconsistent for modern taste. Most guides prefer just plain old first, second, third, and so forth, without the -ly ending.
First Person.
Grammarians have divided references to people into three categories, to refer to I, you, and he or she. The first person is I, me, my, we, our, and so on. The second person is you and your. The third person is he, she, they, their, his, hers, him, her, and so on. While you need to pay close attention to these when you study a foreign language, most issues of person are instinctive to native English speakers. For the few times when you should pay attention, see Shall versus Will and Sexist Language and the Indefinite Third Person.
The Following.
See The Above.
Fonts.
Don't play with fonts: leave desktop publishing to the desktop publishers. Publishers and professors don't want fancy fonts; they want your writing to look as if it had been typed on a manual typewriter, circa 1958. Don't count on having readers who judge your work based on the typeface. Spend your time writing. And please don't insult your professors' intelligence with gigantic typefaces, narrow margins, and wide line-spacing to make short papers seem longer; despite all appearances to the contrary, we're really not that dumb. See also Justification. [Revised 14 July 2000]
Footnotes.
See Citation.
Foreign Words and Phrases.
Foreign words and phrases shouldn't become a bête noire, but, ceteris paribus, English sentences should be in English. Clarity is the sine qua non of good writing, and the overuse of such words just confuses your readers — satis, superque. Remember, Allzuviel ist nicht genug. Besides, there's nothing worse than trying to impress and getting it wrong. When it comes to foreign phrases, chi non fa, non falla. (Das versteht sich von selbst.)
Formal Writing.
Many — most? — of the rules in this guide are concerned with written rather than spoken English, and, what's more, with written language of a certain degree of formality. That's to say, I'm trying to describe the kind of prose that's appropriate for a college English paper. Many no-no's in a college English paper, though, are perfectly acceptable in other contexts; don't get dogmatic on me. See Audience, Prescriptive versus Descriptive Grammars, and Rules.
Fortuitous.
Fortuitous means "happening by chance," and not necessarily a lucky chance. Don't use it interchangeably with fortunate. [Entry added 14 August 1999]
Fragments.
See Sentence Fragments.
Functionality.
Functionality is too often a twisted way of saying function. See also Methodology.




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