"Especial Issues"?

[Mehrgan]

Hi,
Is this collocation of the two words correct? Is "Especial" used for this purpose? (Or just 'special'?




Thanks

[5jj]

The adjective 'especial' is rarely used, and then only formally. Use 'special'.

[TheParser]

Hi,
Is this collocation of the two words correct? Is "Especial" used for this purpose? (Or just 'special'?




Thanks

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Mehrgan,


(1) As Teacher Fivejedjon reminded us, especial is rather rare.

(2) As Mr. Bryan A. Garner states in his A Dictionary of Modern

American Usage:

"[S]pecial is driving out especial."

(3) Nevertheless, it does sound elegant, doesn't it?

(a) For example, an author might write:

I wish to thank all those persons who helped me, with especial

thanks to John Doe. (That is only my poor example!!!) Mr. Garner

tells us that especial = distinctive, significant, peculiar.

(b) You did not use "especial issues" in context. I googled

"Especial issues." When the results came up, I clicked on "more"

in the menu on the left side of the page; then I clicked on "books."

Dozens of book excerpts appeared -- a few with the collocation

"especial issues":

The clergy ... rang nobly true upon that especial issue. (1904)

That is an especial issue of concern. (1989, the House of Lords)

Especial issues affect children and society at large. (2008)

(4) The bottom line: Probably few Americans ever use the adjective

especial. But if you want your writing to stand out, you should consider

using it when appropriate.

(5) I found your question of especial interest. I believe that I have used

especial correctly. I was copying Mr. Garner's example. He writes that

instead of saying "especially powerful," we can change it to "especial

power." So instead of writing "especially interesting," I wrote ....


***** NOT A TEACHER *****