Secondly, thirdly, etc. Unless you are prepared to begin with firstly and defend it (which will be difficult), do not prettify number with-ly Modern usage prefers second, third, and so on.
Shall. Will. In formal writing, the future tense requires shall for the first person, will for the second and third. The formula to express the speaker’s belief regarding a future action or state is I shall; I will expresses determination or consent. A swimmer in distress cries, “I shall drown; no one will save me!” A suicide puts it the other way: “I will drown; no one shall save me!” In relaxed speech, however, the words shall and will are seldom used precisely; our ear guides us or fails to guide us, as the case may be, and we are quite likely to drown when we want to survive and survive when we want to drown.
So. Avoid, in writing, the use of so as an intensifier: “so good”; “so warm”; “so delightful.”
Sort of. See kind of Split infinitive. There is precedent from the fourteenth century down for interposing an adverb between to and the infinitive it governs, but the construction should be avoided unless the writer wishes to place unusual stress on the adverb
| to diligently inquire | To inquire diligently |
For another side to the split infinitive, see Chapter V, Reminder 14.
State. Not to be used as a mere substitute for say, remark. Restrict it to the sense of “express fully or clearly”:
“He refused to state his objections.”
Student body. Nine times out of ten a needless and awkward expression, meaning no more than the simple word students.
| a member of the student body | a student |
| popular with the student body | liked by the students |
