Avail

How to use the verb and noun "avail" correctly

This is an entry on my list of Common Errors in English Usage. Visit the main page for direct links to additional entries.

“To no avail” means “without success”:

tried to resuscitate her, to no avail

“To avail oneself of [something]” means “to take advantage of [something]”:

availed herself of the opportunity to observe a veterinarian at work

These are standard idioms for which no other formula is acceptable.

Related Resources

Common Errors in English Usage: Errors in diction and idiom commonly made by native speakers of English

List of Common Errors in English Usage (PDF): Printable version of the complete list

Common Grammar Errors: A list of common errors in grammar (topics like subject-verb agreement and parallelism) as distinct from usage

List of Common Errors in English Usage: PDF version

© 2006, 2008, and 2019 C. Brantley Collins, Jr.