The Penguin Guide to Plain English

There the w ord should be few er. Less people w ould be people of
smaller stature. It w ould be correct to say If public transport were better,
there w ould be far less use of cars.
However, it is sad, to many of us who remember it, that the passing of time
has caused less and less converted lifeboats and pontoons to be seen being
boated by those less concerned with what their boat looked like, but more
where they could take it.
The first two uses o f less are wrong: the passing o f time has caused
fewer and fewer converted lifeboats to be seen.
fictional I fictitious
Both words derive from the w ord fiction, used to classify imaginative
works o f literature, m ore especially in prose. Thus Jane Eyre is a fictional
character, not a person from real life. The expression fact or fiction
highlights the contrast between w hat is true and w hat is invented. So the
w ord fictitious carries the connotation not only of the invented, but
also o f the false as opposed to the genuine (He carried on a correspon
dence w ith his mistress from a fictitious address).
flammable I inflammable
These two w ords both mean susceptible to being inflamed or easily set
on fire. Confusion can arise because in so many cases adding the prefix
in - to an adjective turns it into a negative. Thus the positive soluble
becomes the negative insoluble. But the prefix in - serves the same
positive purpose in inflame as it does in inspire.
flaunt I flout
These two words are confused in spite o f the fact that their meanings are
totally unrelated. To flaunt something is to display it proudly and
ostentatiously. Thus a rich man may be said to flaunt his wealth, a
glamorous actress may be said to flaunt her charms. To flout is to
reject scornfully and arrogantly some authority, some regulation, or
some code w hich one ought officially to accept and observe (He flouted
the firm s rules by smoking in the office).
gourmand I gourmet
Both words refer to a person w ho is devoted to eating and drinking. But
whereas gourm and is used pejoratively o f a gluttonous person w ho