| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| particular (adj.) |
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| After this or that, particular is often judged redundant. But to distinguish that particular hat from several others much like it is not wasteful but helpful, and without particular the meaning is not the same. Overuse of particular occurs most frequently in Conversational and Informal language. | 1 |
| Particular also has other meanings, one of which is “especially or excessively interested in the correctness of details and the niceties of procedure, fussy”: She’s very particular about her speech and her dress. This sense too is Standard. | 2 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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