450 / Glossary
singular referring to only one.
slang coarse or highly informal language, avoided in formal speech and writing;
it consists of new words and existing words given new meanings, and is usually
fresh, colorful, or humorous for only a short time.
slant to write or speak so as to appeal to a particular point of view or to express a
particular bias.
spatial order an arrangement according to space, from left to right, right to left,
and so on.
specific detail supporting information that is concrete and non-general in nature.
[See Chapter 3, Revising, for examples of writing with and without specific detail.]
split infinitive the separation of the marker to from the verbal form of the infini-
tive by inserting modifiers, as in to boldly go instead of to go boldly. Generally,
good writers avoid split infinitives. [See infinitive.]
squinting modifier a modifier that could indifferently affect two or more refer-
ences. Example: He ran down the hall with poor light. (With poor light could
modify either hall or ran.) [See misplaced modifier.]
statistics numeric data arranged so as to show certain information.
subject 1. in a sentence, a noun, noun phrase, or noun clause about which some-
thing is said. Example: The building was vacant. 2. in a paragraph or multi-para-
graph paper, the main topic.
subject complement [See predicate adjective and predicate noun.]
subject-verb agreement agreement in number of a subject and verb. [See
Agreement of Subject and Verb in Chapter 43, Usage.]
subjunctive mood the mood of a verb used to express supposition, desire, possi-
bility, and so on, as opposed to actual fact. Example: If I were you, I’d go home.
subordinate clause a clause that cannot stand alone and depends on a main
clause for its meaning; also called dependent clause. Example: The man who
came to dinner is Dad’s boss. [See Chapter 44, Phrases and Clauses.]
summary a brief report covering the main points. [See Chapter 32, Paraphrase;
Chapter 39, Synopsis; and Chapter 33, Précis.]
superlative degree a form of adjective or adverb that shows the greatest degree
in meaning; the superlative degree is usually shown by the suffix -–est or by
the use of most (most beautiful). Compare with comparative form. [See Parts of
Speech in Chapter 42, Classification of Words.]
syllabify to form or divide into syllables, as in syl-lab-i-fy.
symbol a thing that stands for another thing; especially, an object that stands for
an idea, quality, and so on.
synopsis a short outline or review of the main points, as of a story; summary. [See
Chapter 39, Synopsis.]