The Ledge Usage Guide

[David]

Grammar & usage questions crop up from time to time on our Ledge, so I thought we'd have a thread devoted to questions of usage. We have a bunch of students here, & others need some guidance at work, whether they're writing a paper or typing a memo for the boss. So we can use this thread to discuss usage issues or grammar bogglers--asking, answering, arguing, dissing, yelling, screaming & making up (in verbal terms, of course).

I'll start with the difference between masterful & masterly.

Masterful means domineering. It describes a powerful, even bullying, superior:
Stevie felt at times that Mick's bossy & bullying management style was masterful.

Masterly means skillful:
Lindsey's performances on the Tusk Tour were masterly.
The craftsmanship of a Christine McVie song is masterly.

See the difference? Masterful vs. masterly. When you think of masterful, think of the master-servant relationship.

However, when you need the adverb, use masterfully for both senses:
Mick masterfully demanded that Stevie drop Silver Springs from the album.
Lindsey masterfully played Red Rover at Soundstage.