Idioms can present special challenges to the uninitiated. Even seasoned writers who are worth their seasoning commit mistakes. The difference between them and the uninitiated is that they make those mistakes much less often.
Take, for example, the idiom construction in the example sentence shown in the graphic.
The use of between here is inappropriate because by definition between links two separate items. A more appropriate word is among, as its definition includes connections between more than two items. The writer should rewrite the example sentence to appear thus:
Take, for example, the idiom construction in the example sentence shown in the graphic.
The use of between here is inappropriate because by definition between links two separate items. A more appropriate word is among, as its definition includes connections between more than two items. The writer should rewrite the example sentence to appear thus:
Among corrosion, fretting, and fatigue as possible root cause failure mechanisms, corrosion appears to match best the evidence and circumstances surrounding the failure event.
Note the addition of the words root cause since these three failure modes typically work in tandem and this sentence likely appears in a report written to communicate the root cause of a failure event.
The big writing mistake here is likely the one I have discussed the most — a failure to distinguish between spoken English and written English. When writing, go between two items but among three or more items. Your writing will improve along with the professional image you project through your writing.
The big writing mistake here is likely the one I have discussed the most — a failure to distinguish between spoken English and written English. When writing, go between two items but among three or more items. Your writing will improve along with the professional image you project through your writing.
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