How To Eschew Weasel Words...

Gender-specific prose. Do not assume gender when making general statements, unless the group clearly consists of one gender. It is, for example, reasonable to write: "When a resident comes to the Susan B. Anthony Hotel for Women, she may expect to find a clean room." In most instances, however, assuming gender is sloppy, exclusionary, and unnecessary.It is acceptable, though cumbersome, to use "he or she" or "s/he" as pronouns. But you'll find it simpler and more graceful to avoid gender-specific pronouns altogether. "When a man opens a toy store, he can expect all of his friends with children to patronize him." Translates to:

• Anyone opening a toy store can expect the patronage of friends with children.

It also works to switch from singular to plural: "If a teacher is tough on writing, he can expect trouble." Becomes: "Teachers who are tough on writing can expect trouble."

A number of professional organizations and publishers, including the American Historical Association, have style sheets that provide guidelines for avoiding gender-specific language. Among the most recent is a publication by the Modern Language Association, by Francine Wattman Frank, et al., "Language, Gender, and Professional Writing: T heoretical Approaches and Guidelines for Nonsexist Usage."

Get. "Get" and its variants are becoming the verbs of choice for millions of Americans. most of the time, this represents a misuse of the language. "We've got to get together," according to a political leader, "to get this tax situation straightened out." More precise and elegant ways can be found to express these ideas.

• Marco Polo got pasta from the Chinese.

Should be translated to:

• "Marco Polo learned about pasta from the Chinese."

However. This is a fine and useful word. It, nonetheless, does not belong at the beginning of sentences. (Don't ask for a rule.) In most instances, the offending word easily moves into a later part of the sentence:

• However, there were some bad things about Genghis Khan.

• Painlessly becomes: There were, however, bad things about Genghis Khan.

Hyphenation. Aside from their great utility at the end of a line, hyphens also serve to link pairs of words. when forming compound words, hyphenate if common sense tells you the result will be more clear: "Picture perfect read eyed flies," for example, can be understood in several ways. Do not make the reader choose.

Adjectives usually take the hyphen, while nouns do not, as in the case of centuries:

• Nineteenth-century voters frequently thought they were electing "the best man." There are no such illusions in the twentieth century.

The unwritten rule is that two words start separated, are later linked by a hyphen, and ultimately join in dictionary matrimony. the progression is from "bed chamber" to "bed-chamber" to "bedchamber." Hyphens also indicate phrases such as "round-the-world" and "state-of- the-art." For current usage, consult contemporary dictionaries, "The Random House Dictionary of the English Language" (second edition, unabridged) is the most up-to-date reference. Also helpful is the American Heritage Dictionary.

It's and its. See "Apostrophes."

Jargon and slang. It is futile to construct a list of words to avoid in formal writing; aesthetics vary with each assignment, with professors(some of whom have less taste than others), and with the evolution of the language. Common sense is your best guide, caution the safest policy. Skip the colloquialisms that pepper contemporary English, and banish "business-speak." Bad examples are legion:

• Martin Luther had no input into the Catholic Church.
• Hiroshima was a real bummer.

Misplaced modifiers. Clauses are wonderful things, but introductory ones should always modify the subjects that follow them. Although many bad examples are long, complex, and subtle, one student was remarkably concise in producing a faulty modifier:

• As a woman, he admired her.