| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| formulate, assemble, compose, concoct (vv.) |
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| These are more studied, more formal verbs than are make, make up, put together, or form, and their lower frequency gives them certain semantic distinctions not available in the plainer words: just as you compose music or poetry with your brain and imagination, so you assemble the parts of something, perhaps with your hands. And you formulate a plan or a compound, just as you might concoct a new elixir. (Concoct also adds a touch of showmanship and perhaps even of charlatanism not in any of the others.) These words are not automatically pretentious or windy: they are just different, and they represent only the tiniest fraction of the rich resources English has to offer for the expression not merely of substance, but of nuance as well. Fit them to your purposes and your style, and be grateful. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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