unique or it is not. Objections are based chiefly on the assumption that unique has but a single absolute sense, an assumption contradicted by information readily available in a dictionary." The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage is quite plain in its disagreement with the critics: Disputed usage: "As documented in depth by the Boston Globe, Massachusetts high schools feature some of the most uniquely oriented fields in all of baseball." "None of those may be more unique than the field that Braintree (Mass.) High calls home." "The setting has required some rather unique rule modifications to work in the town hall." "While French's Common may be the Bay State's most unique park, it certainly isn't alone." urgent – The primary meaning of urgent is as a description of a pressing need. Especially in journalistic contexts, it is sometimes used by transference to describe the thing needed, or to mean "happening very soon". Undisputed usage: There is an urgent need for talks Disputed usage: There is a need for urgent talks Disputed usage: The President promised that urgent talks would be held W whilst and while – Penguin Working Words recommends while only, and notes that whilst is old-fashioned. Cambridge Guide to English Usage and M-W's Webster's Guide to English Usage comment on its regional character, and note that it is rare in American usage. It is thus safer to use only while in international English. Both whilst and amongst are excrescent inflections of the more standard while and among, and could be classified as grammatically incorrect; however, other excrescent inflections are widely accepted in Modern English (against, midst, etc.), and some others are widely encountered in both forms (amid and amidst, among and amongst). Although against has no widely acceptable alternative, mid- or middle can be substituted for some uses of midst (the stock phrase in their/our midst remains common and has no widely accepted alternative using mid or middle). who – Some argue that who should be used only as a subject pronoun, the corresponding object pronoun being whom. Strictly speaking, using who instead of whom is substituting a subjective pronoun for an objective pronoun and hence is the same as using she instead of her (e.g., "I saw she today."). Most people never use whom in spoken English and instead use who for all cases. Those who use whom in everyday speech may recognize substitution of who as