Q: A word I want to use isn’t listed in the dictionary. Can I use it anyway? A: Yes, as long as your reader will understand you. Contrary to popular belief, dictionaries are not prescriptive manuals that tell you what words you may or may not use. They are descriptive …
Tag: Dictionaries
Establish Your Authority by Defining Terms in Your Own Words
I’ve seen a lot of books, both published and unpublished, in which authors use what I call the “Webster cliché.” This is the bit where the author brings up some aspect of his topic, and then, assuming the element is unfamiliar to the reader, writes something like this: Webster’s defines …