Usage note: In scientific writing, data is usually plural; in general prose it may be singular. Context: formal biology lab report. Which sentence best fits?

Reference note: Singular they is accepted for an unspecified person and takes plural verbs. Context: school policy. Which sentence best uses the note?

Usage note: Hopefully as “it is hoped” is common in edited prose, but some formal readers still object. Context: scholarship essay. Which opening avoids the possible distraction?

Usage note: Fewer is preferred for count plurals; less is used for mass nouns and singular amounts. Context: formal op-ed about ballots. Which sentence best fits?

Usage note: Like as a conjunction is informal; as if or as though is preferred in formal edited prose. Context: employee evaluation. Which revision best fits?

Usage note: None may be singular or plural; use plural when it clearly means “not any” of several countable items. Context: survey report. Which sentence best fits?

Usage note: Comprise means “include” or “contain”; a conservative guide rejects “is comprised of.” Context: style-manual copy. Which sentence uses comprise as recommended?

Entry: Nauseous now widely means “feeling sick”; nauseated remains the safer formal choice for that meaning. Context: medical-school application essay. Which judgment follows?

Entry: Disinterested traditionally means “impartial”; uninterested means “not curious.” Context: legal brief. Which conclusion best follows?

Entry: Literally is often an informal intensifier; in technical contexts readers expect the nonfigurative sense. Context: engineering failure report. Which judgment follows?

Dictionary note: Irregardless is listed because it is used, but it is widely labeled nonstandard. Context: college application essay. Which judgment follows?

Entry: All right is the standard spelling; alright is common but not accepted by all editors. Context: final college essay. Which conclusion best follows?

Entry: Decimate originally meant killing one in ten; modern prose often uses it for destroying a large part. Context: paper on Roman discipline. Which judgment follows?

Reference note: Kind of and sort of as qualifiers are conversational; somewhat is preferred in formal prose. Context: recommendation letter. Which wording best fits?

Usage note: After a preposition, object pronouns are standard; “between you and I” is common but stigmatized. Context: formal complaint letter. Which phrase best fits?

Reference note: Try and is common in speech before a base verb; try to is preferred in formal prose for the attempt meaning. Context: intern instructions. Which sentence best fits?

Usage note: Because can introduce clauses; because plus a noun or adjective is informal. Context: lab report. Which sentence best fits formal prose?

Reference note: Impact as a verb is accepted, but some formal readers find it vague; affect is preferred unless collision is meant. Context: grant proposal. Which verb best fits?

Source 1: Use whom as an object. Source 2: Who often replaces whom in conversation, but whom remains expected after prepositions in formal prose. Context: award citation. Which wording fits?

Source 1: Prefer different from. Source 2: Different than is common, especially before a clause; from is safest before a noun phrase. Context: formal research article. Which wording fits?

Source 1: Legal tradition uses shall for duties. Source 2: Plain-language legal guides warn shall is ambiguous; use must for obligations. Context: tenant contract. Which clause is clearest?

Source 1: Avoid split infinitives. Source 2: Modern guides allow them when they improve clarity or emphasis. Context: science article valuing clarity. Which judgment resolves the conflict?

Usage note: In logic, begs the question means assumes what it should prove; many readers object when it means raises the question. Context: formal analysis. Which revision preserves the intended meaning?

Usage note: Some guides accept due to after a linking verb but prefer because of for adverbial cause. Context: formal report. Which revision avoids disputed adverbial due to?

Usage note: Strict guides treat unique as absolute; very unique is common informally. If degree is meant in formal prose, use distinctive or unusual. Which revision preserves the degree claim?