Booher's Rules of Business Grammar - Dianna Booher 2009

“It’s the most unique gift i’ve ever received!”
Adjective and adverb attitudes

UNIQUE, ROUND, SQUARE, SURROUNDED, PERFECT—OR NOT?

Either something is unique or it isn’t. Either something is round, or it’s squashed, deflated, oval, or some other oddity—but not round. Either something is square—or it was built by the guy who built my last house. Either it’s perfect, flat, surrounded—or not. There’s no “in between” state. To insist that something is more unique, more perfect, almost surrounded, or the most square of the group shows a misunderstanding of the original word.

Memory tip

Think in terms of black or white, not shades of gray. With the words round, square, flat, unique, perfect, and surrounded, consider the old song lyrics: “There’s No Mr. In-Between.”