Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words - Bill Bryson [63]
proper nouns. Many writers stumble when confronted with finding a plural form for a proper noun, as in the two following examples, both from The Times of London and both wrong: “The Cox’s were said by neighbors to be . . . happily married”; “This is the first of a new series about the Rush’s.” The rule for making plurals of proper nouns is precisely the same as for any other nouns. If you have no trouble turning “one fox” into “two foxes” or “one church” into “two churches,” you should have no trouble making “the Rush family” into “the Rushes” and “the Cox couple” into “the Coxes.” In short, for names ending in s, sh, ch, or x, add es: Lewises, Lennoxes, Clemenses. For all others, simply add s: Smiths, Browns, Greens, the two Koreas. The rule is invariable for Anglo-Saxon names. For others, there are a few exceptions, among them Rockies, Ptolemies, Alleghenies, Mercuries, and (in some publications) Germanies. At all events, the addition of an apostrophe to make any noun plural is always wrong.
prophecy, prophesy. The first is the noun, the second the verb. Thus: “I prophesy war; that is my prophecy.”
protagonist. Literally the word means “first actor” (from the Greek protos and agonistes), and by extension it may be applied to the person who most drives the action in any affair. However, there cannot properly be more than one protagonist per affair, as was evidently thought here: “During the anomalous decade of the 1930s the three protagonists of this book each played out important . . . roles” (New York Times). The word is not the opposite of antagonist, of which there can be any number. Nor does it necessarily have anything to do with heroic or admirable behavior or bear any relationship to the Latin pro-, meaning “for” or “on behalf of.” A protagonist may champion a cause, and in practice often does, but that isn’t implicit in the word.
prototype is the word for an original that serves as a model for later products of its type. Thus first prototype, experimental prototype, model prototype, and most other qualifying descriptions are redundant.
proved, proven. In general, proved is the preferred past-tense form (“the accused was proved innocent”) and proven the preferred form for adjectival uses (“a proven formula”).
proverbial. “Cooper responded with the proverbial Bronx cheer” (USA Today). Unless there is some connection to an actual proverb, the word is wrongly used and better avoided.
provided, providing. Most authorities consider the first preferable to the second in constructions such as “He agreed to come, provided he could get the day off work,” but either would be correct. If is often better still.
purposely, purposefully. The first means intentionally. The second means with an objective in mind. “She purposely nudged me” means it was no accident. “She purposefully nudged me” means she did it to make a point or draw my attention to something.
put an end to is an expression to which one might usefully do just that. Make it stop or finish.
Pyrrhic victory is not, as is sometimes thought, a hollow triumph. It is one won at huge cost to the victor.
Q
Qantas. Although the full name is no longer used, for historical purposes it is worth noting that Qantas is short for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service. Not Air and not Services.
quadriplegia, not quadra-, for paralysis of all four limbs.
quadruped, not quadra-, quadri-, for a four-legged animal. The adjectival