Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [63]
impostor. Not -er.
impractical, impracticable, unpractical. If a thing could be done but isn’t worth doing, it is impractical or unpractical (the words mean the same). If it can’t be done at all, it’s impracticable (the word means “incapable of being put into practice”).
impresario.
impressible.
imprimatur. Official authorization.
improvable.
improvvisata. (It.) In music, improvisation. Note -vv-.
impugn, impunity. The first is to criticize or attack; the second means to enjoy freedom from punishment.
in, into, in to. Generally, in indicates a fixed position (“He was in the house”) while into indicates movement toward a fixed position (“He went into the house”). There are, however, many exceptions (e.g., “He put the money in his pocket”). As so often with idiom, there is no describable pattern to these exceptions; it is just the way it is.
Whether to write into as one word or two also sometimes causes problems. The simple rule is that in to is correct when in is an adverb, but the distinction can perhaps best be seen in paired examples: “He turned himself into [one word] an accomplished artist” but “The criminal turned himself in to [two words] the police.”
in absentia. (Lat.) “While absent.”
inadmissible. Not -able.
inadvertent.
inadvisable.
innamorata (fem.), innamorato (masc.). Lover; pl. innamorati.
inasmuch.
in camera. Behind closed doors, not in open court.
incessant.
inchoate. Undeveloped, just starting out.
incidentally.
incisor.
include indicates that what is to follow is only part of a greater whole. To use it when you are describing a totality (as in “The 350 layoffs include 200 in Michigan and 150 in Indiana”) is sloppy and possibly misleading.
incognito.
incombustible. Cannot be burned.
incommodious.
incommunicado. Unable or unwilling to communicate.
incomparable.
incompatible.
incomprehensible. Not -able.
incongruous, incongruity.
incorrigible.
incubus. An evil spirit that has intercourse with sleeping women; a nightmare or something that oppresses like a nightmare. See also SUCCUBUS.
inculcate means to persistently impress a habit upon or belief into another person. You inculcate an idea, not a person. “My father inculcated me with a belief in democracy” should be “My father inculcated in me a belief in democracy.”
incunabulum. A book printed at an early date, especially before 1501, and by extension, the early stages of development of something; pl. incunabula.
in curia. (Lat.) “In open court.”
indefatigable. Tireless.
indefeasible. Permanent, cannot be made void.
indefensible.
indefinitely means only “without prescribed limits,” not “lasting forever.” To say that a process will last indefinitely doesn’t necessarily mean that it will last for a very long time, but simply that its durability is unknown.
indelible.
indescribable.
indestructible.
indexes/indices. Either is acceptable, depending on how much of an air of formality you wish to convey.
Index Librorum Prohibitorum. Catalogue of books forbidden to Roman Catholics by their church. Not to be confused with Index Expurgatorius, a catalogue of books in which only certain passages are forbidden.
india ink. (Not cap.)
indices/indexes. Either is acceptable, though some dictionaries favor indices for technical applications.
indict, indite. The first means to accuse formally of a crime; the second means to set down in writing, but in fact is rare almost to the point of obsolescence.
indigenous.
indigent.
indigestible.
indiscreet, indiscrete. The first means lacking discretion; the second means not composed of separate parts.
indispensable. Not -ible.
individual is unexceptionable when you are contrasting one person with an organization or body of people (“How can one individual hope to rectify the evils of society?”). But as a simple synonym for person (“Do you see that individual standing over there?”), it is still frowned upon by many authorities as casual and inelegant.
indivisible.
indomitable.