April 17, 2003: issue 56
SIM STYLE: Word List Spotlight: D
Do you know SIM style on these 10 common terms?
• daybed (one word)
• deadheading (one word)
• design-build firm For more information, see Issue 45.
• designer-builder
• DIYer (OK on second reference)
• double duty (noun); double-duty (adj.)
• double take (two words)
• douppioni silk (note spelling)
• draperies (not “drapes”)
• dryer (appliance)
GRAMMAR: What’s wrong with saying something is “most unique”?
“Unique” means “one-of-a-kind.” Something is either unique or it isn’t. When we see the phrase “most unique,” the writer usually means something akin to “most unusual.”
incorrect: The designer says the table is the most unique she has ever seen.
correct: The designer says the table is the most unusual she has ever seen.
correct: The designer says the table is unique. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” she says.
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