CCE Word Usage and Diction Questions and Answers Flashcards

Which sentence correctly uses 'fewer' versus 'less'?

Answer: He has fewer mistakes than before.

'Fewer' is used with countable nouns (mistakes), while 'less' is used with uncountable or mass nouns.

A copyeditor encounters 'the data shows a trend.' What is the traditional editorial concern?

Answer: 'Data' is traditionally plural, so 'show' is preferred in formal contexts.

Traditionally, 'data' is the plural of 'datum,' so formal style often prefers 'the data show,' though singular usage is increasingly accepted.

Which of the following is the correct usage of 'that' versus 'which'?

Answer: Use 'that' for restrictive clauses and 'which' for nonrestrictive clauses.

In American editorial style, 'that' introduces restrictive (essential) clauses, while 'which' introduces nonrestrictive (parenthetical) clauses set off by commas.

The word 'enormity' is used in a manuscript to mean 'enormous size.' What should the copyeditor do?

Answer: Flag it, because 'enormity' traditionally means great wickedness or moral outrageousness, not large size.

Traditional usage reserves 'enormity' for extreme wickedness; using it to mean large size is considered an error in formal edited prose.

Which word choice is correct: 'The committee will comprise/compose the new board members'?

Answer: 'Compose': the members compose (make up) the committee.

'Comprise' means 'to include or contain,' so the whole comprises the parts (the committee comprises the members), not the reverse.

A manuscript uses 'hopefully' to mean 'it is hoped that.' What is the traditional editorial stance?

Answer: It is a disputed usage; formal style guides often restrict 'hopefully' to mean 'in a hopeful manner.'

Many style guides flag 'hopefully' as a sentence adverb (meaning 'it is to be hoped') as disputed, preferring 'in a hopeful manner' or rephrasing to 'I hope that.'