"you alone." But see 21.

*Or.*--When "or" is preceded by a negative, as "I do not want butter
_or_ honey," "or" ought not, strictly speaking, to be used like "and,"
nor like "nor." The strict use of "not ... or" would be as follows:--

"You say you don't want both butter _and_ honey--you want butter _or_
honey; I, on the contrary, _do not want butter or honey_--I want them
both."

Practically, however, this meaning is so rare, that "I don't want
butter _or_ honey" is regularly used for "I want neither butter nor
honey." But where there is the slightest danger of ambiguity, it is
desirable to use _nor_.

The same ambiguity attends "not ... and." "I do not see Thomas _and_
John" is commonly used for "I see neither Thomas nor John;" but it
might mean, "I do not see them both--I see only one of them."

*That.*--The different uses of "that" produce much ambiguity, _e.g._
"I am so much surprised by this statement _that_ I am desirous of
resigning, _that_ I scarcely know what reply to make." Here it is
impossible to tell, till one has read past "resigning," whether the
first "that" depends upon "so" or "statement." Write: "The statement
that I am desirous of resigning surprises me so much that I scarcely
know &c."

*4 a. Be careful in the use of ambiguous words, e.g. "certain."*

"Certain" is often used for "some," as in "Independently of his
earnings, he has a _certain_ property," where the meaning might be
"unfailing."

Under this head may be mentioned the double use of words, such as
"left" in the same form and sound, but different in meaning. Even
where there is no obscurity, the juxtaposition of the same word twice
used in two senses is inelegant, _e.g._ (Bain), "He turned to the
_left_ and _left_ the room."

I have known the following slovenly sentence misunderstood: "Our
object is that, with the aid of practice, we may sometime arrive at
the point where we think eloquence in its most praiseworthy form _to
lie_." "To lie" has been supposed to mean "to deceive."

*5. Be careful how you use "he," "it," "they," "these," &c.* (For
"which" see 8.) The ambiguity arising from the use of _he_ applying to
different persons is well known.

"He told his friend that if _he_ did not feel better in half an hour
he thought _he_ had better return." See (6) for remedy.

Much ambiguity is also caused by excessive use of such phrases as _in
this way_, _of this sort_, &c.

"God, foreseeing the disorders of human nature,