A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English. 1996.
Page 88
induction you observe a number of specific instances and from them infer a general principle or law.
1
Some philosophers deny that induction truly has the force of logic, since observations of past instances may never be sufficient to give us certainty about what will happen in the future. Observing 100,000 white swans, for instance, does not give you the right to conclude that all swans are white. Observing as many car collisions gives you no right to predict that one will happen under similar conditions in the future. Think about this the next time you slam on the brakes.
2
definite / definitive
Definite and definitive both apply to what is precisely defined or explicitly set forth. But definitive most often refers specifically to a judgment or description that serves as a standard or reference point for others, as in the definitive decision of the court (which sets forth a final resolution of a judicial matter) or the definitive biography of Nelson (i.e., the biography that sets the standard against which all other accounts of Nelson’s life must be measured).
3
denote / connote
Note the difference between this pair. Connote means “to signify indirectly” or “to suggest or convey what is not explicit.” Denote has three meanings: first, “to mark, indicate,” as in Her frown denoted her increasing impatience; second, “to serve as a symbol or name for,” as in A yellow light denotes caution; and third, “to signify directly,” as in The word river denotes a moving body of water. The confusion lies in these signifying senses, for denote describes the relation between the expression and the thing it conventionally names, whereas connote describes the relation between the word and the images or associations it evokes: The word river connotes the relentlessness of time and the changing nature of life.
4
depend
In writing, depend is followed by on or upon when indicating condition or contingency, as in It depends on who is in charge. Leaving out the preposition is typical of casual speech.
5
deprecate / depreciate
The first and fully accepted meaning of deprecate is “to express disapproval of.” But the word has steadily encroached on the meaning of depreciate. It is now used, almost to the exclusion of depreciate, in the sense “to belittle or mildly disparage,” as in He deprecated his own contribution. In an earlier survey, this newer sense was approved by a majority of the Usage Panel.
6
dialogue
In recent years the verb sense of dialogue meaning “to engage in an informal exchange of views” has been revived, particularly with reference to communication between parties in institutional or political contexts. Although Shakespeare, Coleridge, and Carlyle used it, this usage today is widely regarded as jargon or bureaucratese. Ninety-eight percent of the Usage Panel rejects the sentence Critics have charged that the department was remiss in not trying to dialogue with representatives of the community before hiring the new officers.
