Chicago Style Workout 31:
Word Usage, Part 5

To the Finish!

This month’s workout, “Word Usage, Part 5,” centers on section 5.250 of CMOS 17. Today we focus on words beginning with the letters i through k. Writing and editing are more efficient when you never have to look up imply and infer or dither over “in regards to.”

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Note: Style guides and dictionaries sometimes disagree. These questions are designed to test knowledge of The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition.

Chicago Style Workout 31: Word Usage, Part 5 (CMOS 5.250)

1. I; me. {give John or I a call} {keep this between you and I}
2. immigrate; emigrate. {someone who moves from Ireland to the United States is an immigrant in the US and an emigrant from Ireland}
3. imply; infer. {the writer or speaker implies; the reader or listener infers}
4. important; importantly. {more importantly, the accountant confessed to forging the checks}
5. impractical; impracticable. {landing aircraft on that hole-ridden runway proved impractical}
6. incredible; incredulous. {it was an incredible trip} {people are incredulous about the rising gas costs}
7. in regard(s) to. {in regards to your query, I am sending six replacement pizzas}
8. it is I/me. {“Hello? Who is this?” “It’s me.”} {It was I who witnessed the signature.}
9. its; it’s. {it’s a sad dog that scratches its fleas}
10. kudos. {at her retirement party the kudos were overwhelming}

 

Photo: Service members at the Warrior Games, May 14, 2011, at the Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Griffin, courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

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