CommonErrorsinEnglishbyPaulBrians

paulbrians@gmail.com
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/

(Browniepointstoanyonewhocatchesinconsistenciesbetweenthemain
siteandthisversion.)
Notethatitalicsaredeliberatelyomittedonthispage.
WhatisanerrorinEnglish?
Theconceptoflanguageerrorsisafuzzyone.I'llleavetolinguists
thetechnicaldefinitions.Herewe'reconcernedonlywithdeviations
fromthestandarduseofEnglishasjudgedbysophisticateduserssuch
asprofessionalwriters,editors,teachers,andliterateexecutivesand
personnelofficers.Theaimofthissiteistohelpyouavoidlow
grades,lostemploymentopportunities,lostbusiness,andtittersof
amusementatthewayyouwriteorspeak.
Butisn'toneperson'smistakeanother'sstandardusage?
Oftenenough,butifyourstandardusagecausesotherpeopletoconsider
youstupidorignorant,youmaywanttoconsiderchangingit.Youhave
therighttoexpressyourselfinanymanneryouplease,butifyouwish
tocommunicateeffectivelyyoushouldusenonstandardEnglishonlywhen
youintendto,ratherthanfallintoitbecauseyoudon'tknowany
better.
I'mlearningEnglishasasecondlanguage.Willthissitehelpme
improvemyEnglish?
Verylikely,thoughit'sreallyaimedatthemostcommonerrorsof
nativespeakers.TheerrorsothersmakeinEnglishdifferaccordingto
thecharacteristicsoftheirfirstlanguages.Speakersofother
languagestendtomakesomespecificerrorsthatareuncommonamong
nativespeakers,soyoumayalsowanttoconsultsitesdealing
specificallywithEnglishasasecondlanguage(see
http://www.cln.org/subjects/esl_cur.htmland
http://esl.about.com/education/adulted/esl/).ThereisalsoaHelpDesk
forESLstudentsatWashingtonStateUniversityat
http://www.wsu.edu/~gordonl/ESL/.Anoutstandingbookyoumaywantto
orderisAnnRaimes'KeysforWriters.Thisisnota
questionandanswersiteforESL.
Aren'tsomeofthesepointsawfullypicky?
Thisisarelativematter.Oneperson'sgaffeisanother'speccadillo.
Somecommoncomplaintsaboutusagestrikemeastoopersnickety,butI'm
justcoveringmistakesinEnglishthathappentobotherme.Feelfreeto
createyourownpagelistingyourownpetpeeves,butIwelcome
suggestionsforadditionstothesepages.

WhatgivesyoutherighttosaywhatanerrorinEnglishis?
IcouldtaketheeasywayoutandsayI'maprofessorofEnglishanddo
thissortofthingforaliving.True,butmyPh.D.isincomparative
literature,notcompositionorlinguistics,andIteachcoursesinthe
historyofideasratherthanlanguageassuch.ButIadmiregoodwriting
andtrytoencourageitinmystudents.
Ifoundawordyoucriticizedinthedictionary!
Youwillfindcertainwordsorphrasescriticizedherelistedin
dictionaries.Notecarefullylabelslike"dial."(dialectical),
"nonstandard,"and"obsolete"beforeassumingthatthedictionaryis
endorsingthem.Theprimaryjobofadictionaryistotrackhowpeople
actuallyuselanguage.Dictionariesdifferamongthemselvesonhowmuch
guidancetousagetheyprovide;butthegoalofausageguidelikethis
issubstantiallydifferent:toprotectyouagainstpatternswhichare
regardedbysubstantialnumbersofwelleducatedpeopleasnonstandard.
WhydoyoudiscussmainlyAmericanusage?
BecauseI'manAmerican,mystudentsaremostlyAmerican,most
EnglishspeakingWebusersareAmericans,andAmericanEnglishis
quicklybecominganinternationalstandard.Iamslowlyreworkingthe
sitetotakenoteofAmericandeviationsfromstandardBritishpractice.
However,thejobiscomplicatedbythefactthatCanadians,Australians,
andmanyothersoftenfollowpatternssomewherebetweenthetwo.Ifthe
standardusagewhereyouarediffersfromwhatisdescribedhere,tell
meaboutit,andifIthinkit'simportanttodoso,I'llnotethat
fact.Meanwhile,justassumethatthissiteisprimarilyaboutAmerican
English.
Isn'titoppressiveofimmigrantsandsubjugatedminoritiestoinsiston
theuseofstandardEnglish?
Languagestandardscancertainlybeusedforoppressivepurposes,but
mostspeakersandwritersofallracesandclasseswanttouselanguage
inawaythatwillimpressothers.Thefactisthattheworldisfullof
teachers,employers,andotherauthoritieswhomaypenalizeyouforyour
nonstandarduseoftheEnglishlanguage.Feelfreetodenouncethese
peopleifyouwish;butifyouneedtheirgoodopiniontogetahead,
you'dbewisetolearnstandardEnglish.NotethatIoftensuggest
differingusagesasappropriatedependingonthesetting:spokenvs.
written,informalvs.formal;slangisoftenhighlyappropriate.In
fact,mostoftheerrorsdiscussedonthissitearecommoninthe
writingofprivilegedmiddleclassAmericans,andsomeare
characteristicofpeoplewithadvanceddegreesandconsiderable
intellectualattainments.Howeveryoucomedownonthisissue,notethat
thegreatadvantageofanopenWebbasededucationalsitelikethisis
thatit'svoluntary:takewhatyouwantandleavetherest.It's
interestingthatIhavereceivedhundredsofmessagesfromnonnative
speakersthankingmeforthesepagesandnonefromsuchpeople
complainingthatmypagesdiscriminateagainstthem.

Butyoumadeamistakeyourself!
Wealldo,fromtimetotime.Dropmealineifyouthinkyou'vefound
anerrorinmyownwriting.IfIthinkyou'reright,I'llcorrectit;
butbepreparedtobedisagreedwith.Ifyouwriteme,pleasedon'tcall
me"Brian."MygivennameisPaul.
Forinstructionsonhowtowriteme,seethebottomofthispage.
ThisresourceiscopyrightedbyPaulBrians.Permissionisgrantedto
reprintorphotocopysmallnumbersofitinitsentiretyorinpartfor
alllocalnonprofit,educationalpurposesprovidedthattheauthoris
citedandtheURLhttp://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/isincluded.Asa
courtesy,pleasenotifytheauthorifyoucopyorlinktothismaterial.
Becausethecontentchangesfrequently,andIneedtomaintaincontrol
overthesite,requeststocreateWebmirrorsofthesiteareusually
declined.
Recommendedin"YahooInternetLifeMagazine,"July,1997,pp.8283and
citedasaYahoo"SiteoftheWeek."Ithasalsobeenrecommendedinthe
pagesof"TheWeekendAustralian,""TheBangkokPost,"the"LosAngeles
Times,"the"SeattleTimes,"the"IndianapolisStarTribune,"the
"HalifaxChronicleHerald,"ZiffDavis'"InsidetheInternet"
newsletter,"NetsurferDigest,"and"TheWeb"magazine.
100s/hundreds
Itlookscheesytospell"hundreds"as"100's";anditisn'treally
logicalbecause"100"doesn'tmean"hundred"itmeansspecifically"one
hundred."
360DEGREES/180DEGREES
Whenyouturn360degreesyou'vecompletedacircleandarebackwhere
youstarted.Soifyouwanttodescribeapositionthat'sdiametrically
opposedtoanother,theexpressionyouwantisnot"360degreesaway"
but"180degreesaway."
A/AN
Ifthewordfollowingbeginswithavowelsound,thewordyouwantis
"an":"Haveanapple,Adam."Ifthewordfollowingbeginswitha
consonant,butbeginswithavowelsound,youstillneed"an":"AnXray
willshowwhetherthere'saworminit."Itisnonstandardandoften
consideredsloppyspeechtoutteran"uh"soundinsuchcases.
Whenthefollowingworddefinitelybeginswithaconsonantsound,you
need"a":"Asnaketoldmeapplesenhancementalabilities."
Seealso"anhistoric."
A.D.

"A.D."doesnotmean"afterdeath,"asmanypeoplesuppose."B.C."
standsfortheEnglishphrase"beforeChrist,"but"A.D."stands
confusinglyforaLatinphrase:annodomini("intheyearofthe
Lord"theyearJesuswasborn).Ifthecalendaractuallychangedwith
Jesus'death,thenwhatwouldwedowiththeyearsduringwhichhe
lived?SinceJesuswasprobablyactuallybornaround6B.C.orso,the
connectionofthecalendarwithhimcanbemisleading.
ManyBiblicalscholarsandhistorians,andarcheologistsprefertheless
sectariandesignations"beforetheCommonEra"(B.C.E.)and"theCommon
Era"(C.E.).
Alloftheseabbreviationscanalsobespelledwithouttheirperiods.
AM/PM
"AM"standsfortheLatinphrase"AnteMeridiem"whichmeans"before
noon"and"PM"standsfor"PostMeridiem":"afternoon."Although
digitalclocksroutinelylabelnoon"12:00PM"youshouldavoidthis
expressionnotonlybecauseitisincorrect,butbecausemanypeople
willimagineyouaretalkingaboutmidnightinstead.Thesamegoesfor
"12:00AM."Justsayorwrite"noon"or"midnight"whenyoumeanthose
precisetimes.
Itisnowraretoseeperiodsplacedaftertheseabbreviations:"A.M.",
butinformalwritingitisstillpreferabletocapitalizethem,though
thelowercase"am"and"pm"arenowsopopulartheyarenotlikelyto
getyouintotrouble.
Occasionallycomputerprogramsencourageyoutowrite"AM"and"PM"
withoutaspacebeforethem,butotherswillmisreadyourdataifyou
omitthespace.Thenonstandardpatternofomittingthespaceis
spreadingrapidly,andshouldbeavoidedinformalwriting.
ABJECT
"Abject"isalwaysnegative,meaning"lowly"or"hopeless."Youcan't
experience"abjectjoy"unlessyou'rebeingdeliberatelyparadoxical.
ABLETO
Peopleareabletodothings,butthingsarenotabletobedone:you
shouldnotsay,"thebudgetshortfallwasabletobesolvedbyselling
brownies."
ABOUT
"Thisisn'taboutyou."Whatagreatrebuke!Butconservativessniffat
thissortofabstractuseof"about,"asin"I'mallaboutgoodtaste"
or"successfultrufflemakingisabouttemperaturecontrol";soit's
bettertoavoiditinveryformalEnglish.

ABSORBTION/ABSORPTION
Althoughit's"absorbed"and"absorbing"thecorrectspellingofthe
nounis"absorption."
Butnotethatscientistsdistinguishbetween"absorption"astheprocess
ofswallowinguporsuckinginsomethingand"adsorption"astheprocess
bywhichsomethingadherestothesurfaceofsomethingelsewithout
beingassimilatedintoit.Eventechnicalwritersoftenconfusethese
two.
ABSTRUSE/OBTUSE
Mostpeoplefirstencounter"obtuse"ingeometryclass,whereitlabels
anangleofmorethan90degrees.Imaginewhatsortofbluntarrowhead
thatkindofanglewouldmakeandyouwillunderstandwhyitalsohasa
figurativemeaningof"dull,stupid."Butpeopleoftenmixthewordup
with"abstruse,"whichmeans"difficulttounderstand."
Whenyoumeantocriticizesomethingforbeingneedlesslycomplexor
baffling,thewordyouneedisnot"obtuse,"but"abstruse."
ACADEMIA
Althoughsomeacademicsareundoubtedlynuts,theusualEnglishlanguage
pronunciationof"academia"doesnotrhymewith"macadamia."Thethird
syllableispronounced"deem."Justsay"academe"andadd"eeyuh."
However,there'saninterestingpossibilityifyougowith
"ackuhDAMEeeyuh:althoughsomepeoplewillsneeratyourlackof
sophistication,otherswillassumeyou'reusingtheLatinpronunciation
andbeinglearned.
ACCEDE/EXCEED
Ifyoudrivetoofast,youexceedthespeedlimit."Accede"isamuch
rarerwordmeaning"givein,""agree."
ACCENTMARKS
Inwhatfollows,"accentmark"willbeusedinaloosesensetoinclude
alldiacriticalmarksthatguidepronunciation.Operatingsystemsand
programsdifferinhowtheyproduceaccentmarks,butit'sworth
learninghowyoursworks.Writingtheminbyhandafterwardslooks
amateurish.
Wordsadoptedfromforeignlanguagessometimescarrytheiraccentmarks
withthem,asin"fiance""protege,"and"cliche."Aswordsbecomemore
athomeinEnglish,theytendtoshedthemarks:"Cafe"isoftenspelled
"cafe."Unfortunately,"resume"seemstobelosingitsmarksoneata
time(seeunder"vita/vitae").
Manycomputerusershavenotlearnedtheirsystemswellenoughto
understandhowtoproducethedesiredaccentandofteninsertan

apostrophe(curled)orfootmark(straight)aftertheaccentedletter
instead:"cafe'."Thisisbothuglyandincorrect.Thesameerroris
commonlyseenonstorefrontsigns.
Sofarwe'veusedexamplescontainingacute(rightleaning)accent
marks.FrenchandItalian(butnotSpanish)wordsoftencontaingrave
(leftleaning)accents;inItalianit'sacaffe.Itisimportantnotto
substituteonekindofaccentfortheother.
Thediaeresisoveralettersignifiesthatitistobepronouncedasa
separatesyllable:"noel"and"naive"aresometimesspelledwitha
diaeresis,forinstance.Theumlaut,whichlooksidentical,modifiesthe
soundofavowel,asinGermanFraulein(girl),wheretheaccentmark
changesthe"frow"soundofFrau(woman)to"froy."Rockgroupslike
"BlueOysterCult"scatteredumlautsaboutnonsensicallytocreatean
exoticlook.
SpanishwordsnotcompletelyassimilatedintoEnglishlikepinataand
ninoretainthetilde,whichtellsyouthatan"N"istobepronounced
witha"Y"soundafterit.InEnglishlanguagepublicationsaccentmarks
areoftendiscarded,buttheacuteandgraveaccentsaretheonesmost
oftenretained.
[Note:theaccentmarksinthisentrymaynotdisplayproperlyonall
operatingsystems.Consultthepageonaccentmarkstoseethem
properly.]
ACCEPT/EXCEPT
IfyouoffermeGodivachocolatesIwillgladlyacceptthemexceptfor
thecandiedvioletones.Justrememberthatthe"X"in"except"excludes
thingstheytendtostandout,bedifferent.Incontrast,justlookat
thosetwocozy"Cs"snugglinguptogether.Veryaccepting.Andbe
careful;whentyping"except"itoftencomesout"expect."
ACCESS/GETACCESSTO
"Access"isoneofmanynounsthat'sbeenturnedintoaverbinrecent
years.Conservativesobjecttophraseslike"youcanaccessyouraccount
online."Substitute"use,""reach,"or"getaccessto"ifyouwantto
pleasethem.
ACCESSORY
There'san"ack"soundatthebeginningofthisword,thoughsome
mispronounceitasifthetwo"C's"weretobesoundedthesameasthe
two"SS's."
ACCIDENTLY/ACCIDENTALLY
Youcanrememberthisonebyrememberinghowtospell"accidental."
Therearequiteafewwordswithallysuffixes(like"incidentally")
whicharenottobeconfusedwithwordsthathave"ly"suffixes(like
"independently")."Incidental"isaword,but"independental"isnot.

ACCURATE/PRECISE
Inordinaryusage,"accurate"and"precise"areoftenusedasrough
synonyms,butscientistsliketodistinguishbetweenthem.Someonecould
saythatasnakeisoverameterlongandbeaccurate(thesnakereally
doesexceedonemeterinlength),butthatisnotaprecisemeasurement.
Tobeprecise,themeasurementwouldhavetobemoreexact:thesnakeis
1.23meterslong.Thesamedistinctionappliesinscientificcontextsto
therelatedwords"accuracy"and"precision."
ACRONYMSANDAPOSTROPHES
Oneunusualmodernuseoftheapostropheisinpluralacronyms,like
"ICBM's""NGO's"and"CD's".Sincethispatternviolatestherulethat
apostrophesarenotusedbeforeanSindicatingaplural,manypeople
objecttoit.Itisalsoperfectlylegitimatetowrite"CDs,"etc.See
also"50's."Buttheuseofapostropheswithinitialismslike"learn
yourABC'sand"mindyourP'sandQ's"isnowsouniversalastobe
acceptableinalmostanycontext.
Notethat"acronym"wasusedoriginallyonlytolabelpronounceable
abbreviationslike"NATO,"butisnowgenerallyappliedtoallsortsof
initialisms.Beawarethatsomepeopleconsiderthisextendeddefinition
of"acronym"tobeanerror.
ACROSSED/ACROSS
Thechickenmayhavecrossedtheroad,butdidsobywalkingacrossit.
ACTIONABLE/DOABLE
"Actionable"isatechnicaltermreferringtosomethingthatprovides
groundsforalegalactionorlawsuit.Peopleinthebusinessworldhave
begunusingitasafancysynonymfor"doable"or"feasible."Thisis
bothpretentiousandconfusing.
ACTUALFACT/ACTUALLY
"Inactualfact"isanunnecessarilycomplicatedwayofsaying
"actually."
ADNAUSEUM/ADNAUSEAM
Seeinghowoften"adnauseam"ismisspelledmakessomepeoplewantto
throwup.
ADD/AD
"Advertisement"isabbreviated"ad,"not"add."
ADAPT/ADOPT
Youcanadoptachildoracustomoralaw;inallofthesecasesyou

aremakingtheobjectoftheadoptionyourown,acceptingit.Ifyou
adaptsomething,however,youarechangingit.
ADDICTING/ADDICTIVE
Doyoufindbeernuts"addicting"or"addictive"?"Addicting"isa
perfectlylegitimateword,butmuchlesscommonthan"addictive,"and
somepeoplewillscowlatyouifyouuseit.
ADMINISTER/MINISTER
Youcanministertosomeonebyadministeringfirstaid.Notehowthe
"ad"in"administerresembles"aid"inordertorememberthecorrect
formofthelatterphrase."Minister"asaverbalwaysrequires"to"
followingit.
ADMINISTRATE/ADMINISTER
Althoughitisverypopularwithadministratorsandothers,manypeople
scorn"administrate"asanunnecessarysubstituteforthemorecommon
verbform"administer."
ADULTRY/ADULTERY
"Adultery"isoftenmisspelled"adultry,"asifitweresomethingevery
adultshouldtry.Thisspellingerrorislikelytogetyousnickeredat.
Thetermdoesnotrefertoallsortsofillicitsex:atleastoneofthe
partnersinvolvedhastobemarriedfortherelationshiptobe
adulterous.
ADVANCE/ADVANCED
Whenyouhearaboutsomethinginadvance,earlierthanotherpeople,you
getadvancenoticeorinformation."Advanced"means"complex,
sophisticated"anddoesn'tnecessarilyhaveanythingtodowiththe
revealingofsecrets.
ADVERSE/AVERSE
Theword"adverse"turnsupmostfrequentlyinthephrase"adverse
circumstances,"meaningdifficultcircumstances,circumstanceswhichact
asanadversary;butpeopleoftenconfusethiswordwith"averse,"a
muchrarerword,meaninghavingastrongfeelingagainst,oraversion
toward.
ADVICE/ADVISE
"Advice"isthenoun,"advise"theverb.WhenAnnLandersadvises
people,shegivesthemadvice.
ADVISER/ADVISOR
"Adviser"and"advisor"areequallyfinespellings.Thereisno
distinctionbetweenthem.

ADVOCATEFOR/ADVOCATE
Whentheyareactingasadvocatesforacause,peopleoftensaytheyare
"advocatingfor"saytrafficsafety.Thisisnotaswidelyacceptedas
"campaigningfor"or"workingtoward."Sayingyouare"advocatingfor
theblind"leavesalotoflistenerswonderingwhatitisyouadvocate
forthem.Ifyoucansubstitute"advocate"for"advocatefor,"you
shoulddoso:"Iadvocateforhigherpayforteachers"becomes"I
advocatehigherpayforteachers."
AESTHETIC/ASCETIC
Peopleoftenencounterthesetwowordsfirstincollege,andmayconfuse
onewiththeotheralthoughtheyhavealmostoppositeconnotations.
"Aesthetic"(alsospelled"esthetic")hastodowithbeauty,whereas
"ascetic"hastodowithavoidingpleasure,includingpresumablythe
pleasureoflookingatbeautifulthings.
St.Francishadanasceticattitudetowardlife,whereasOscarWildehad
anestheticattitudetowardlife.
AFFECT/EFFECT
Therearefivedistinctwordshere.When"affect"isaccentedonthe
finalsyllable(aFECT),itisusuallyaverbmeaning"haveaninfluence
on":"Themilliondollardonationfromtheindustrialistdidnotaffect
myvoteagainsttheCleanAirAct."
Occasionallyapretentiouspersonissaidtoaffectanartificialairof
sophistication.SpeakingwithaborrowedFrenchaccentorostentatiously
wearingalargediamondearstudmightbeanaffectation.Inthissort
ofcontext,"affect"means"tomakeadisplayofordeliberately
cultivate."
Anotherunusualmeaningisindicatedwhenthewordisaccentedonthe
firstsyllable(AFFect),meaning"emotion."Inthiscasethewordis
usedmostlybypsychiatristsandsocialscientistspeoplewhonormally
knowhowtospellit.
Therealproblemariseswhenpeopleconfusethefirstspellingwiththe
second:"effect."Thistoocanbetwodifferentwords.Themorecommon
oneisanoun:"WhenIleftthestoveon,theeffectwasthatthehouse
filledwithsmoke."Whenyouaffectasituation,youhaveaneffecton
it.
Thelesscommonisaverbmeaning"tocreate":"I'mtryingtoeffecta
changeinthewaywepurchasewidgets."Nowonderpeopleareconfused.
Noteespeciallythattheproperexpressionisnot"takeaffect"but
"takeeffect"becomeeffective.Hey,nobodyeversaidEnglishwas
logical:justmemorizeitandgetonwithyourlife.
Thestuffinyourpurse?Yourpersonaleffects.

AFFLUENCE/EFFLUENCE
Wealthbringsaffluence;sewageiseffluence.
AFRICANAMERICAN
AFRICANAMERICAN
TherehavebeenseveralpolitetermsusedintheUStoreferto
personsofAfricandescent:"colored,""negro,""Black,"
"AfroAmerican,"and"AfricanAmerican.""Colored"isdefinitelydated,
though"peopleofcolor"isnowwidelyusedwithabroadermeaning,
includinganyonewithnonEuropeanancestry,sometimesevenwhentheir
skinisnotdiscerniblydarkerthanthatofatypicalEuropean.Afew
contemporarywritersliketodefyconventionbyreferringtothemselves
as"negro.""Black,"formerlyaproudlyassertivelabelclaimedbyyoung
radicalsinthe1960s,isnowseenbysomepeopleasaracistinsult.
Somepeopleinsistoncapitalizing"Black,"butothersprefer"black."
Thesafestandmostcommonneutraltermis"AfricanAmerican,"but
AmericanssometimesmisuseittolabelpeopleofAfricandescentliving
inothercountriesorevenactualAfricans.Toqualifyasan"African
American"youhavetobeanAmerican.
Althoughitistraditionaltohyphenate"AfricanAmerican,"
"IrishAmerican,""CubanAmerican,"etc.,thereisarecenttrendtoward
omittingthehyphen,possiblyinreactiontothebelittlingphrase
"hyphenatedAmericans."However,somestylesstillcallforthehyphen
whenthephraseisusedadjectivally,sothatyoumightbeanAfrican
AmericanwhoenjoysAfricanAmericanwriters.Omittingthehyphenmay
puzzlesomereaders,butit'snotlikelytooffendanyone.
AFTERALL/AFTERALL
"Afterall"isalwaystwowords.
AFTERWARDS/AFTERWORDS
Like"towards,""forwards,"and"homewards,""afterwards"endswith
wards.
"Afterwords,"aresometimestheexplanatoryessaysattheendsofbooks,
orspeechesutteredattheendofplaysorotherworks.Theyaremadeup
ofwords.
AGNOSTIC/ATHEIST
Bothagnosticsandatheistsareregularlycriticizedasillogicalby
peoplewhodon'tunderstandthemeaningoftheseterms.Anagnosticisa
personwhobelievesthattheexistenceofagodorgodscannotbeproven
orknown.Agnosticismisastatementaboutthelimitsofhuman
knowledge.Itisanerrortosupposethatagnosticsperpetuallyhesitate
betweenfaithanddoubt:theyareconfidenttheycannotknowthe
ultimatetruth.Similarly,atheistsbelievetherearenogods.Atheists
neednotbeabletodisprovetheexistenceofgodstobeconsistentjust

asbelieversdonotneedtobeabletoprovethatgodsdoexistinorder
toberegardedasreligious.Bothattitudeshavetodowithbeliefs,not
knowledge.
"Agnostic"isoftenusedmetaphoricallyofanyrefusaltomakea
judgment,usuallyonthebasisofalackofevidence;peoplecanbe
agnosticaboutacupuncture,forinstance,iftheybelievethereisnot
enoughevidenceonewayoranothertodecideitseffectiveness.
AGREEANCE/AGREEMENT
Whenyouagreewithsomeoneyouareinagreement.
AHOLD/HOLD
InstandardEnglishyoujust"gethold"ofsomethingorsomebody.
AIN'T
"Ain't"hasalongandvitalhistoryasasubstitutefor"isn't,"
"aren't"andsoon.Itwasoriginallyformedfromacontractionof"am
not"andisstillcommonlyusedinthatsense.Eventhoughithasbeen
universallycondemnedastheclassic"mistake"inEnglish,everyoneuses
itoccasionallyaspartofajokingphraseortoconveyadowntoearth
quality.Butifyoualwaysuseitinsteadofthemore"proper"
contractionsyou'resuretobebrandedasuneducated.
AISLE/ISLE
Anaisleisanarrowpassageway,especiallyinachurchorstore;an
isleisanisland.Proposetothepersonyou'restrandedonadesert
islewithandmaybeyou'llmarchdowntheaisletogetherafteryou're
rescued.
ALLBEIT/ALBEIT
"Albeit"isasinglewordmeaning"although":"Rani'srecipecalledfor
atablespoonofsaffron,whichmadeitverytasty,albeitrather
expensive."Itshouldnotbebrokenupintothreeseparatewordsas"all
beit,"justas"although"isnotbrokenupinto"allthough."
ALL
Putthiswordwhereitbelongsinthesentence.Innegativestatements,
don'twrite"Allthepicturesdidn'tshowherdimples"whenyoumean
"Thepicturesdidn'tallshowherdimples."
ALLANDALL/ALLINALL
"Thedoggotintothefriedchicken,weforgotthesunscreen,andthe
kidsstartedwhiningattheend,butallinallthepicnicwasa
success.""Allinall"isatraditionalphrasewhichcanmean"all
thingsconsidered,""afterall,"or"nevertheless."Peopleunfamiliar
withthetraditionalwordingoftenchangeitto"allandall,"butthis

isnonstandard.
ALLFORNOT/ALLFORNAUGHT
"Naught"means"nothing,"andthephrase"allfornaught"means"allfor
nothing."Thisisoftenmisspelled"allfornot"andoccasionally"all
forknot."
ALLGOESWELL/AUGURSWELL
Somefolkswhodon'tunderstandtheword"augur"(toforetellbasedon
omens)trytomakesenseofthecommonphrase"augurswell"bymangling
itinto"allgoeswell.""Augurswell"issynonymouswith"bodeswell."
ALLOFTHESUDDEN/ALLOFASUDDEN
Anunexpectedeventhappensnot"allofthesudden"but"allofa
sudden."
ALLREADY/ALREADY
"Allready"isaphrasemeaning"completelyprepared,"asin"Assoonas
Iputmycoaton,I'llbeallready.""Already,"however,isanadverb
usedtodescribesomethingthathashappenedbeforeacertaintime,as
in"Whatdoyoumeanyou'dratherstayhome?I'vealreadygotmycoat
on."
ALLEGED,ALLEGEDLY
Seekingtoavoidprejudgingthefactsinacrimeandprotecttherights
oftheaccused,reporterssometimesoveruse"alleged"and"allegedly."
Ifitisclearthatsomeonehasbeenrobbedatgunpoint,it'snot
necessarytodescribeitasanallegedrobberynorthevictimasan
allegedvictim.Thispracticeinsultinglycastsdoubtonthehonestyof
thevictimandprotectsnoone.Anaccusedperpetratorisonewhose
guiltisnotyetestablished,soitisredundanttospeakofan"alleged
accused."Iftheperpetratorhasnotyetbeenidentified,it'spointless
tospeakofthesearchforan"allegedperpetrator."
ALLITERATE/ILLITERATE
Pairsofwordswhichbeginwiththesamesoundaresaidtoalliterate,
like"wildandwooly."Thosewhocan'treadareilliterate.
ALLS/ALL
"AllsIknowis..."mayresultfromanticipatingthe"S"in"is,"but
thestandardexpressionis"AllIknowis...."
ALLUDE/ELUDE
Youcanallude(refer)toyourdaughter'smembershipinthehonor
societywhenboastingabouther,butacriminaltriestoelude(escape)

captivity.Thereisnosuchwordas"illude."
ALLUDE/REFER
Toalludetosomethingistorefertoitindirectly,bysuggestion.If
youarebeingdirectandunambiguous,yourefertothesubjectrather
thanalludingtoit.
ALLUSION/ILLUSION
Anallusionisareference,somethingyoualludeto:"Herallusionto
flowersremindedmethatValentine'sDaywascoming."InthatEnglish
paper,don'twrite"literaryillusions"whenyoumean"allusions."A
mirage,hallucination,oramagictrickisanillusion.(Doesn'tbeing
fooledjustmakeyouill?)
ALLUSIVE/ELUSIVE/ILLUSIVE
Whenalawyeralludestohisclient'spoormother,heisbeingallusive.
Whenthemolekeepseludingthetrapsyou'vesetinthegarden,it's
beingelusive.Wealsospeakofmattersthataredifficultto
understand,identify,orrememberaselusive.Illusionscanbeillusive,
butwemoreoftenrefertothemasillusory.
ALMOST
Like"only,""almost"mustcomeimmediatelybeforethewordorphraseit
modifies:"Shealmostgaveamilliondollarstothemuseum"means
somethingquitedifferentfrom"Shegavealmostamilliondollarstothe
museum."Right?Soyoushouldn'twrite,"Therewasalmostariotous
reactionwhenthewillwasread"whenwhatyoumeanis"Therewasan
almostriotousreaction."
ALONGTHESAMEVEIN/INTHESAMEVEIN,ALONGTHESAMELINE
Theexpressions"inthesamevein"and"alongthesameline"meanthe
samething(onthesamesubject),butthosewhocrosspollinatethemto
createthehybrid"alongthesamevein"soundalittleoddtothosewho
areusedtothestandardexpressions.
ALOT/ALOT
Perhapsthiscommonspellingerrorbeganbecausetheredoesexistin
Englishawordspelled"allot"whichisaverbmeaningtoapportionor
grant.Thecorrectform,with"a"and"lot"separatedbyaspaceis
perhapsnotoftenencounteredinprintbecauseformalwritersusually
useotherexpressionssuchas"agreatdeal,""often,"etc.
Youshouldn'twrite"alittle"either.It's"alittle."
ALOUD/ALLOWED
IfyouthinkGrandmaallowedthekidstoeattoomuchicecream,you'd

betternotsaysoaloud,orherfeelingswillbehurt."Aloud"means
"outloud"andreferstosounds(mostoftenspeech)thatcanbeheardby
others.Butthiswordisoftenmisusedwhenpeoplemean"allowed,"
meaning"permitted."
ALRIGHT/ALLRIGHT
Thecorrectformofthisphrasehasbecomesorareinthepopularpress
thatmanyreadershaveprobablynevernoticedthatitisactuallytwo
words.Butifyouwanttoavoidirritatingtraditionalistsyou'dbetter
tellthemthatyoufeel"allright"ratherthan"alright."
ALTAR/ALTER
Analtaristhatplatformatthefrontofachurchorinatemple;to
altersomethingistochangeit.
ALTERIOR/ULTERIOR
Whenyouhaveaconcealedreasonfordoingsomething,it'sanulterior
motive.
ALTERNATE/ALTERNATIVE
AlthoughUKauthoritiesdisapprove,inUSusage,"alternate"is
frequentlyanadjective,substitutedfortheolder"alternative":"an
alternateroute.""Alternate"canalsobeanoun;asubstitutedelegate
is,forinstance,calledan"alternate."Butwhenyou'respeakingof
"everyother"asin"ourclubmeetsonalternateTuesdays,"youcan't
substitute"alternative."
ALTOGETHER/ALLTOGETHER
"Altogether"isanadverbmeaning"completely,""entirely."Forexample:
"Whenhefirstsawtheexaminationquestions,hewasaltogether
baffled.""Alltogether,"incontrast,isaphrasemeaning"inagroup."
Forexample:"Theweddingguestsweregatheredalltogetherinthe
garden."Undressedpeoplearesaidininformalspeechtobe"inthe
altogether"(perhapsashorteningofthephrase"altogethernaked").
ALUMNUS/ALUMNI
Weusedtohave"alumnus"(malesingular),"alumni"(maleplural),
"alumna"(femalesingular)and"alumnae"(femaleplural);butthelatter
twoarenowpopularonlyamongolderfemalegraduates,withthefirst
twotermsbecomingunisex.However,itisstillimportanttodistinguish
betweenonealumnusandastadiumfullofalumni.Neversay,"Iaman
alumni"ifyoudon'twanttocastdiscreditonyourschool.Manyavoid
thewholeproblembyresortingtotheinformalabbreviation"alum."
AMATURE/AMATEUR
Mostofthewordswe'veborrowedfromtheFrenchthathaveretained
their"eur"endingsareprettysophisticated,like"restaurateur"

(notice,no"N")and"auteur"(infilmcriticism),but"amateur"
attractsamateurishspelling.
AMBIGUOUS/AMBIVALENT
Eventhoughtheprefix"ambi"means"both,""ambiguous"hascometo
mean"unclear,""undefined,"while"ambivalent"means"tornbetweentwo
opposingfeelingsorviews."Ifyourattitudecannotbedefinedintotwo
polarizedalternatives,thenyou'reambiguous,notambivalent.
AMBIVALENT/INDIFFERENT
Ifyoufeelpulledintwodirectionsaboutsomeissue,you'reambivalent
aboutit;butifyouhavenoparticularfeelingsaboutit,you're
indifferent.
AMERICAN
SomeCanadiansandmanyLatinAmericansareunderstandablyirritated
whenUScitizensrefertothemselvessimplyas"Americans."Canadians
(andonlyCanadians)usetheterm"NorthAmerican"toincludethemselves
inatwomembergroupwiththeirneighbortothesouth,though
geographersusuallyincludeMexicoinNorthAmerica.Whenaddressingan
internationalaudiencecomposedlargelyofpeoplefromtheAmericas,it
iswisetoconsidertheirsensitivities.
However,itispointlesstotrytobanthisusageinallcontexts.
OutsideoftheAmericas,"American"isuniversallyunderstoodtorefer
tothingsrelatingtotheUS.Thereisnogoodsubstitute.Brazilians,
Argentineans,andCanadiansallhaveuniquetermstoreferto
themselves.Noneofthemreferroutinelytothemselvesas"Americans"
outsideofcontextslikethe"OrganizationofAmericanStates."Frank
LloydWrightpromoted"Usonian,"butitnevercaughton.Forbetteror
worse,"American"isstandardEnglishfor"citizenorresidentofthe
UnitedStatesofAmerica."
AMONGST/AMONG
AlthoughinAmerica"amongst"hasnotdatednearlyasbadlyas"whilst,"
itisstilllesscommoninstandardspeechthan"among."Thestforms
arestillwidelyusedintheUK.
AMORAL/IMMORAL
"Amoral"isarathertechnicalwordmeaning"unrelatedtomorality."
Whenyoumeantodenouncesomeone'sbehavior,callit"immoral."
AMOUNT/NUMBER
Thisisavastsubject.IwilltrytolimitthenumberofwordsIexpend
onitsoasnottouseuptoogreatanamountofspace.Theconfusion
betweenthetwocategoriesofwordsrelatingtoamountandnumberisso
pervasivethatthoseofuswhostilldistinguishbetweenthemconstitute
anendangeredspecies;butifyouwanttoavoidourire,learnthe

difference.Amountwordsrelatetoquantitiesofthingsthatare
measuredinbulk;numberwordstothingsthatcanbecounted.
Inthesecondsentenceabove,itwouldhavebeenimpropertowrite"the
amountofwords"becausewordsarediscreteentitieswhichcanbe
counted,ornumbered.
Hereisahandycharttodistinguishthetwocategoriesofwords:
amountvs.numberquantityvs.numberlittlevs.fewlessvs.fewermuch
vs.many
Youcaneatfewercookies,butyoudrinklessmilk.Ifyoueattoomany
cookies,peoplewillprobablythinkyou'vehadtoomuchdessert.Ifthe
thingbeingmeasuredisbeingconsideredincountableunits,thenuse
numberwords.Evenasubstancewhichisconsideredinbulkcanalsobe
measuredbynumberofunits.Forinstance,youshouldn'tdrinktoomuch
wine,butyoushouldalsoavoiddrinkingtoomanyglassesofwine.Note
thathereyouarecountingglasses.Theycanbenumbered.
Themostcommonmistakeofthiskindistorefertoan"amount"of
peopleinsteadofa"number"ofpeople.
Justtoconfusethings,"more"canbeusedeitherway:youcaneatmore
cookiesanddrinkmoremilk.
Exceptionstotheless/fewerpatternarereferencestounitsoftimeand
money,whichareusuallytreatedasamounts:lessthananhour,less
thanfivedollars.Onlywhenyouarereferringtospecificcoinsor
billswouldyouusefewer:"Ihavefewerthanfivestatequarterstogo
tomakemycollectioncomplete."
AMPITHEATER/AMPHITHEATER
Theclassywaytopronouncethefirstsyllableofthiswordis"amf,"
butifyouchoosethemorepopular"amp"rememberthatyoustillhave
toincludetheHafterthePwhenspellingit.UKstandardwriters
spellit"amphitheatre,"ofcourse.
ANHISTORIC/AHISTORIC
Youshoulduse"an"beforeawordbeginningwithan"H"onlyifthe"H"
isnotpronounced:"Anhonesteffort";it'sproperly"ahistoricevent"
thoughmanysophisticatedspeakerssomehowpreferthesoundof"an
historic,"sothatversionisnotlikelytogetyouintoanyreal
trouble.
ANCESTOR/DESCENDANT
WhenAlbusDumbledoresaidthatLordVoldemortwas"thelastremaining
ancestorofSalazarSlytherin,"morethanonepersonnotedthathehad
madeaseriousverbalbumble;andinlaterprintingsofHarryPotterand
theChamberofSecretsauthorJ.K.Rowlingcorrectedthatto"last
remainingdescendant."Peoplesurprisinglyoftenconfusethesetwoterms

witheachother.Yourgreatgrandmotherisyourancestor;youareher
descendant.
ANECDOTE/ANTIDOTE
Ahumoristrelates"anecdotes."Thedoctorprescribes"antidotes"for
childrenwhohaveswallowedpoison.Laughtermaybethebestmedicine,
butthat'snoreasontoconfusethesetwowitheachother.
ANDALSO/AND,ALSO
"Andalso"isredundant;sayjust"and"or"also."
AND/OR
Thelegalphrase"and/or,"indicatingthatyoucaneitherchoosebetween
twoalternativesorchoosebothofthem,hasprovedirresistiblein
othercontextsandisnowwidelyacceptablethoughitirritatessome
readersasjargon.However,youcanlogicallyuseitonlywhenyouare
discussingchoiceswhichmayormaynotbothbedone:"Bringchips
and/orbeer."It'sverymuchoverusedwheresimple"or"woulddo,andit
wouldbewrongtosay,"youcangettothecampusforthismorning's
meetingonabikeand/orinacar."Choosingoneeliminatesthe
possibilityoftheother,sothisisn'tanand/orsituation.
ANGEL/ANGLE
PeoplewhowanttowriteaboutwingedbeingsfromHeavenoftenmiscall
them"angles."Atrianglehasthreeangles.TheHeavenlyHostismadeof
angels.Justremembertheadjectivalform:"angelic."Ifyoupronounce
italoudyou'llberemindedthattheEcomesbeforetheL.
ANOTHERWORDS/INOTHERWORDS
Whenyourewordastatement,youcanprefaceitbysaying"inother
words."Thephraseisnot"anotherwords."
ANTIHERO
Inliterature,theater,andfilm,anantiheroisacentralcharacterwho
isnotveryadmirable:weak,lazy,incompetent,ormeanspirited.
However,antiheroesarerarelyactuallyevil,andyoushouldnotuse
thiswordasasynonymfor"villain"ifyouwanttogetagoodgradeon
yourEnglishlitpaper.
ANXIOUS/EAGER
Mostpeopleuse"anxious"interchangeablywith"eager,"butitsoriginal
meaninghadtodowithworrying,beingfullofanxiety.Perfectly
correctphraseslike,"anxioustoplease"obscurethenervoustension
implicitinthiswordandleadpeopletosaylesscorrectthingslike
"I'manxiousforChristmasmorningtocomesoIcanopenmypresents."
Traditionalistsfrownonanxietyfreeanxiousness.Sayinsteadyouare
eagerfororlookingforwardtoahappyevent.

ANY
Insteadofsaying"hewastheworstofanyofthedancers,"say"hewas
theworstofthedancers."
ANYWHERE/ANYWHERE
"Anywhere,"like"somewhere"and"nowhere,"isalwaysoneword.
ANYMORE/ANYMORE
Inthefirstplace,thetraditional(thoughnowuncommon)spellingisas
twowords:"anymore"asin"Wedonotsellbananasanymore."Inthe
secondplace,itshouldnotbeusedatthebeginningofasentenceasa
synonymfor"nowadays."IncertaindialectsofEnglishitiscommonto
utterphraseslike"anymoreyouhavetogrowyourownifyouwantreally
ripetomatoes,"butthisisguaranteedtojoltlistenerswhoaren'tused
toit.Eveniftheycan'tquitefigureoutwhat'swrong,they'llfeel
thatyourspeechisvaguelyclunkyandawkward."Anymore"alwaysneeds
tobeusedaspartofanexpressionofnegationexceptinquestionslike
"Doyouhaveanymorebananas?"Nowyouwon'tmakethatmistakeany
more,willyou?
ANYTIME/ANYTIME
Thoughitisoftencompressedintoasinglewordbyanalogywith
"anywhere"andsimilarwords,"anytime"istraditionallyatwoword
phrase.
ANYWAYS/ANYWAY
"Anyways"atthebeginningofasentenceusuallyindicatesthatthe
speakerhasresumedanarrativethread:"Anyways,ItoldMatildathat
guywasalazybumbeforesheevermarriedhim."Italsooccursatthe
endofphrasesandsentences,meaning"inanycase":"Hewasn'tallthat
goodlookinganyways."Aslightlylessrusticqualitycanbeimpartedto
thesesentencesbysubstitutingthemoreformal"anyway."Neither
expressionisagoodideainformalwrittenEnglish.Thetwowordphrase
"anyway"hasmanylegitimateuses,however:"Isthereanywayto
preventtheimpendingdisaster?"
APART/APART
Paradoxically,theonewordformimpliesseparationwhilethetwoword
formimpliesunion.Feudingroommatesdecidetoliveapart.Theirtime
togethermaybeapartoftheirlifetheywillrememberwithsome
bitterness.
APIECE/APIECE
Whenyoumean"each"theexpressionis"apiece":thesepizzasarereally
cheaponlytendollarsapiece."Butwhen"piece"actuallyreferstoa
pieceofsomething,therequiredtwowordexpressionis"apiece":

"Thispizzaisreallyexpensivetheysellitbythesliceforten
dollarsapiece."
Despitemisspellingsinpopularmusic,theexpressionisnot"downthe
roadapiece";it's"downtheroadapiece."
APPAULED/APPALLED
ThoseofusnamedPaulareappalledatthemisspellingofthisword.No
U,twoL'splease.Andit'scertainlynot"uphauled"!
APOSTROPHES
Firstlet'salljoininaheartycurseofthegrammarianswhoinserted
thewretchedapostropheintopossessivesinthefirstplace.Itwasall
amistake.Ourancestorsusedtowrite"Johnshat"meaning"thehatof
John"withouttheslightestambiguity.However,sometimeinthe
Renaissancecertainscholarsdecidedthatthesimple"s"ofpossession
musthavebeenformedoutofacontractionofthemore"proper""John
hishat."SinceinEnglishwemarkcontractionswithanapostrophe,they
didso,andwewerestuckwiththestupid"John'shat."Theirerrorcan
beahandyreminderthough:ifyou'renotsurewhetheranounendingin
"s"shouldbefollowedbyanapostrophe,askyourselfwhetheryoucould
plausiblysubstitute"his"or"her"fortheS.
Theexceptiontothispatterninvolvespersonalpronounsindicating
possessionlike"his,""hers,"and"its."Formoreonthispoint,see
"its/it's."
Getthisstraightonceandforall:whentheSisaddedtoawordsimply
tomakeitaplural,noapostropheisused(exceptinexpressionswhere
lettersornumeralsaretreatedlikewords,like"mindyourP'sandQ's"
and"learnyourABC's").
Apostrophesarealsousedtoindicateomittedlettersinreal
contractions:"donot"becomes"don't."
Whycan'tweallagreetodoawaywiththewretchedapostrophe?Because
itstwousescontractionandpossessionhavepeoplesothoroughly
confusedthattheyarealwaysputtinginapostropheswheretheydon't
belong,insimpleplurals("cucumber'sforsale")andfamilynameswhen
theyarereferredtocollectively("theSmith's").
Thepracticeofputtingimproperapostrophesinfamilynamesonsignsin
frontyardsisanendlesssourceofconfusion."TheBrown's"isjust
plainwrong.(Ifyouwantedtosuggest"theresidenceoftheBrowns"you
wouldhavetowrite"Browns',"withtheapostropheaftertheS,whichis
theretoindicateapluralnumber,notasanindicationofpossession.)
IfyousimplywanttoindicatethatafamilynamedBrownliveshere,the
signoutfrontshouldreadsimply"TheBrowns."WhenanameendsinanS
youneedtoaddanEStomakeitplural:"theAdamses."
NoapostrophesforsimplepluralnamesornamesendinginSOK?Iget
irritatedwhenpeopleaddressmeas"Mr.Brian's."Whataboutwhen

pluralnamesareusedtoindicatepossession?"TheBrowns'cat"is
standard(thesecondSis"understood"),thoughsomeprefer"the
Browns'scat."ThepatternisthesamewithnamesendinginS:"the
Adamses'cat"ortheoretically"theAdamses'scat,"thoughthatwouldbe
mightyawkward.
Apostrophesarealsomisplacedincommonpluralnounsonsigns:
"Restroomsareforcustomer'suseonly."Whoisthisprivilegedcustomer
todeserveaprivatebathroom?Thesignshouldread"forcustomers'
use."
Forordinarynouns,thepatternforaddinganapostrophetoexpress
possessionisstraightforward.Forsingularnouns,addanapostrophe
plusanS:"theduck'sbill."Ifthesingularnounhappenstoendinone
Soreventwo,youstilljustaddanapostropheandanS:"theboss's
desk."
ForpluralnounswhichendinS,however,addonlytheapostrophe:"the
ducks'bills."ButifapluralnoundoesnotendinS,thenyoufollow
thesamepatternasforsingularnounsbyaddinganapostropheandanS:
"thechildren'smenu."
Itisnotuncommontoseethe"S"wronglyapostrophizedeveninverbs,
asinthemistaken"Hecomplain'salot."
Seealso"acronymsandapostrophes."
APPRAISE/APPRISE
Whenyouestimatethevalueofsomething,youappraiseit.Whenyou
informpeopleofasituation,youapprisethemofit.
APROPOS/APPROPRIATE
"Apropos,"(anglicizedfromtheFrenchphrase"apropos")means
relevant,connectedwithwhathasgonebefore;itshouldnotbeusedas
anallpurposesubstitutefor"appropriate."Itwouldbeinappropriate,
forexample,tosay"Yourtuxedowasperfectlyaproposfortheopera
gala."Eventhoughit'snotpronounced,becarefulnottoomitthefinal
"S"inspelling"apropos."
AROUND/ABOUT
Lotsofpeoplethinkit'sjustniftytosaythingslike"We'rehaving
ongoingdiscussionsaroundtheproposedmerger."Thisstrikessomeofus
asirritatingandpointlessjargon.Wefeelitshouldbe"discussions
about"ratherthan"around."
ARTHURITIS/ARTHRITIS
Ifthereweresuchawordas"arthuritis"itmightmeantheoverwhelming
desiretopullswordsoutofstones;butthatacheinyourjointsis
causedby"arthritis."

ARTIC/ARCTIC
Althoughsomebrandnameshaveincorporatedthispopularerror,remember
thattheArcticCircleisanarc.Bytheway,RalphVaughanWilliams
calledhissuitedrawnfromthescoreofthefilm"Scottofthe
Antarctic,"the"SinfoniaAntartica,"butthat'sItalian,notEnglish.
ARTISANAL/ARTESIAN
Forthepasthalfcenturyfoodieshavereferredtofoodsanddrinksmade
insmallbatchesbyhandusingtraditionalmethodsasartisanalmadeby
artisans:workersinhandicrafts.Ithasalsobeenextendedtoawide
varietyofotherhandmadeproducts.Dictionariesagreethattheword
shouldbepronounced"ARRtizzuhnul"withtheaccentonthefirst
syllableandthesecondsyllablerhymingwith"fizz."Justsay"artisan"
andadd"ul."
Dinersandrestaurantworkersalikecommonlyconfusethepronunciation
ofitsfirstthreesyllableswiththatof
"artesian""arrTEEzhun"whichisanadjectivetodescribewater
whichspurtsoutoftheearthundernaturalpressure.Inthiswordthe
accentfallsonthesecondsyllable,pronouncedlike"tea."Aspring
suchasthisiscalledon"artesianspring"or"artesianwell."
IfyouhandbottlewaterfromanaturalspringinyourbackyardI
supposeyoucouldlabeltheresultartisanalartesianwater.
ASBESTAS/ASBEST
Youcantrytobeasgoodasyoucanbe,butit'snotstandardtosay
thatyoudosomething"asbestasyoucan."Youneedtoeliminatethe
second"as"when"good"changesto"best."Youcantrytodosomething
asbestyoucan.Youcanalsodothebestthatyoucan(orevenbetter,
thebestyoucan).
Unlikeasbestosremoval,"asbestas"removaliseasy,andyoudon't
havetowearahazmatsuit.
ASFARAS
Originallypeopleusedtosaythingslike"Asfarasmusicisconcerned,
IespeciallyloveBaroqueopera."Recentlytheyhavebeguntodropthe
"isconcerned"partofthephrase.Perhapsthisshiftwasinfluencedby
confusionwithasimilarphrase,"asfor.""Asformoney,Idon'thave
any,"isfine;"Asfarasmoney,Idon'thaveany,"isclumsy.
ASFOLLOW/ASFOLLOWS
"Mybirthdayrequestsareasfollows."Thisstandardphrasedoesn't
changenumberwhentheitemstofollowgrowfromonetomany.It'snever
correcttosay"asfollow."
ASOFYET/YET

"Asofyet"isawindyandpretentioussubstituteforplainoldEnglish
"yet"or"asyet,"anunjustifiedextensionofthepatterninsentences
like"asofFridaythe27thofMay."
ASPER/INACCORDANCEWITH
"Enclosedistheshipmentof#2toggleboltsasperyourorderofJune
14"writesthebusinessman,unawarethatnotonlyisthe"as"redundant,
heissoundingveryoldfashionedandpretentious.Themeaningis"in
accordancewith,"or"inresponsetotherequestmade;"butitisbetter
toavoidthesecumbersomesubstitutesaltogether:"Enclosedisthe
shipmentofboltsyouorderedJune14."
ASSUCH
Theexpression"assuch"hastorefertosomestatusmentionedearlier.
"TheCEOwasaformerdrillsergeant,andassuchexpectedeveryoneto
obeyhisordersinstantly."Inthiscase"such"refersbackto"former
drillsergeant."Butoftenpeopleonlyimplythatwhichisreferredto,
asin"TheCEOhadahighopinionofhimselfandassuchexpected
everyonetoobeyhisordersinstantly."Herethe"such"cannotlogically
referbackto"opinion."Replace"assuch"with"therefore."
ASCARED/SCARED
Themisspelling"ascared"isprobablyinfluencedbythespellingofthe
synonym"afraid,"butthestandardEnglishwordis"scared."
ASCRIBE/SUBSCRIBE
Ifyouagreewithatheoryorbelief,yousubscribetoit,justasyou
subscribetoamagazine.
Ascribeisaverydifferentword.Ifyouascribeabelieftosomeone,
youareattributingthebelieftothatperson,perhapswrongly.
ASOCIAL/ANTISOCIAL
Someonewhodoesn'tenjoysocializingatpartiesmightbedescribedas
either"asocial"or"antisocial";but"asocial"istoomildatermto
describesomeonewhocommitsanantisocialactlikeplantingabomb.
"Asocial"suggestsindifferencetoorseparationfromsociety,whereas
"antisocial"moreoftensuggestsactivehostilitytowardsociety.
ASPECT/RESPECT
Whenusedtorefertodifferentelementsoforperspectivesonathing
oridea,thesewordsarecloselyrelated,butnotinterchangeable.It's
"inallrespects,"not"inallaspects."Similarly,onecansay"insome
respects"butnot"insomeaspects."Onesays"inthisrespect,"not"in
thisaspect."Onelooksatall"aspects"ofanissue,notatall
"respects."
ASSURE/ENSURE/INSURE

To"assure"apersonofsomethingistomakehimorherconfidentofit.
AccordingtoAssociatedPressstyle,to"ensure"thatsomethinghappens
istomakecertainthatitdoes,andto"insure"istoissuean
insurancepolicy.Otherauthorities,however,consider"ensure"and
"insure"interchangeable.Topleaseconservatives,makethedistinction.
However,itisworthnotingthatinolderusagethesespellingswerenot
clearlydistinguished.
European"lifeassurance"companiestakethepositionthatall
policyholdersaremortalandsomeonewilldefinitelycollect,thus
assuringheirsofsomeincome.Americancompaniestendtogowith
"insurance"forcoverageoflifeaswellasoffire,theft,etc.
ASTERICK/ASTERISK
SomepeoplenotonlyspellthiswordwithoutthesecondS,theysayit
thatwaytoo.ItcomesfromGreekasteriskos:"littlestar."Tisk,tisk,
rememberthe"isk";"asterick"isicky.
IncountrieswheretheAsterixcomicsarepopular,thatspellinggets
wronglyusedfor"asterisk"aswell.
ASTROLOGY/ASTRONOMY
Modernastronomersconsiderastrologyanoutdatedsuperstition.You'll
embarrassyourselfifyouusetheterm"astrology"tolabelthe
scientificstudyofthecosmos.Inwritingabouthistory,however,you
mayhaveoccasiontonotethatancientastrologers,whosemaingoalwas
topeerintothefuture,incidentallydidsomesoundastronomyasthey
studiedthepositionsandmovementsofcelestialobjects.
ASWELL/ASWELL
Nomatterhowyouuseit,theexpression"aswell"isalwaystwowords,
despitethefactthatmanypeopleseemtothinkitshouldbespelled
"aswell."Examples:"Idon'tlikeplastictreesaswellasrealonesfor
Christmas.""Nowthatwe'veopenedourstockings,let'sopenourother
presentsaswell."
ATALL
Someofusareirritatedwhenagrocerycheckerasks"Doyouwantany
helpoutwiththatatall?""Atall"istraditionallyusedinnegative
contexts:"Can'tyougivemeanyhelpatall?"Thecurrentpatternof
usingthephraseinpositiveoffersofhelpunintentionallysuggestsaid
reluctantlygivenorminimalinextent.Asawayofmakingyourself
soundlesspolitethanyouintend,itranksrightuptherewith"no
problem"insteadof"you'rewelcome."
ATMmachine/ATM
"ATM"means"AutomatedTellerMachine,"soifyousay"ATMmachine"you
arereallysaying"AutomatedTellerMachinemachine."

ATHIEST/ATHEIST
Anatheististheoppositeofatheist."Theos"isGreekfor"god."Make
surethe"TH"isfollowedimmediatelybyan"E."
ATHLETE
Tiredofpeoplestereotypingyouasadummyjustbecauseyou'reajock?
Onewaytoimpressthemistopronounce"athlete"properly,withjust
twosyllables,as"ATHleet"insteadofusingthecommon
mispronunciation"ATHuhleet."
ATTAIN/OBTAIN
"Attain"means"reach"and"obtain"means"get."Youattaina
mountaintop,butobtainararebaseballcard."Attain"usuallyimpliesa
requiredamountoflaborordifficulty;nothingisnecessarilyimplied
aboutthedifficultyofobtainingthatcard.Maybeyoujustfounditin
yourbrother'sdresserdrawer.
Somethingsyouobtaincanalsobeattained.Ifyouwanttoemphasize
howhardyouworkedincollege,youmightsayyouattainedyourdegree;
butifyouwantemphasizethatyouhaveavaliddegreethatqualifies
youforacertainjob,youmightsayyouobtainedit.Ifyoujustbought
itfromadiplomamillforfiftybucks,youdefinitelyonlyobtainedit.
ATTRIBUTE/CONTRIBUTE
Whentryingtogivecredittosomeone,saythatyouattributeyour
successtotheirhelp,notcontribute.(Ofcourse,apoliticianmay
attributehissuccesstothosewhocontributetohiscampaignfund,but
probablyonlyinprivate.)
AUGUR/AUGER
AnaugurwasanancientRomanprophet,andasaverbthewordmeans
"foretell""theirloveaugurswellforasuccessfulmarriage."Don't
mixthiswordupwith"auger,"atoolforboringholes.Somepeople
mishearthephrase"augurswell"as"allgoeswell"andmistakenlyuse
thatinstead.
AURAL/ORAL
"Aural"hastodowiththingsyouhear,"oral"withthingsyousay,or
relatingtoyourmouth.
AVAIDABLE/AVAILABLE
Manypeoplemispronounceandmisspell"available"as"avaidable,"whose
peculiarspellingseemstobeinfluencedby"avoidable,"awordwhich
hasoppositeconnotations.
"Avaidable"isavoidable;avoidit.

AVENGE/REVENGE
Whenyoutrytogetvengeanceforpeoplewho'vebeenwronged,youwant
toavengethem.Youcanalsoavengeawrongitself:"Heavengedthe
murderbytakingvengeanceonthekiller."Substituting"revenge"for
"avenge"insuchcontextsisverycommon,butfrownedonbysomepeople.
Theyfeelthatifyouseekrevengeinthepursuitofjusticeyouwantto
avengewrongs;notrevengethem.
AVOCATION/VOCATION
Youravocationisjustyourhobby;don'tmixitupwithyourjob:your
vocation.
AWAY/AWAY
"JessicacommentedonmyhaircutinawaythatmademethinkmaybeI
shouldn'thaveletmylittlesisterdoitforme."Inthissortof
context,"away"shouldalwaysbetwodistinctwords,thoughmanypeople
usethesingleword"away"instead.Ifyou'reuncertain,try
substitutinganotherwordfor"way":"inamannerthat,""inastyle
that."Iftheresultmakessense,youneedthetwowordphrase.Thenyou
cantellJessicatojustgoaway.
AWE,SHUCKS/AW,SHUCKS
"Aw,shucks,"isatraditionalfolksyexpressionofmodesty.An
"awshucks"kindofpersondeclinestoacceptcompliments."Aw"isan
interjectionroughlysynonymouswith"oh.""Awe"isanounwhichmost
oftenmeans"amazedadmiration."Somanypeoplehavebeguntomisspell
thefamiliarphrase"awe,shucks,"thatsomewritersthinktheyare
beingcleverwhentheylinkittothecurrentexpression"shockand
awe."Instead,theyrevealtheirconfusion.
AWHILE/AWHILE
When"awhile"isspelledasasingleword,itisanadverbmeaning"for
atime"("stayawhile");butwhen"while"istheobjectofa
prepositionalphrase,like"Lendmeyourmonkeywrenchforawhile"the
"while"mustbeseparatedfromthe"a."(Butifthepreposition"for"
werelackinginthissentence,"awhile"couldbeusedinthisway:"Lend
meyourmonkeywrenchawhile.")
AX/ASK
Thedialecticalpronunciationof"ask"as"ax"isasuremarkerofa
substandardeducation.Youshouldavoiditinformalspeaking
situations.
AXEL/AXLE
Thecenterofawheelisitsaxle.Anaxelisatrickyjumpinfigure
skatingnamedafterAxelPaulsen.

BACK/FORWARD/UPINTIME
Formostpeopleyoumoveaneventforwardbyschedulingittohappen
sooner,butotherpeopleimaginetheeventbeingmovedforwardintothe
future,postponed.Thisiswhatmostbutnotallpeoplemeanbysaying
theywanttomoveaneventbacklater.Usageisalsosplitonwhether
movinganeventupmeansmakingithappensooner(mostcommon)orlater
(lesscommon).Theresultiswidespreadconfusion.Whenusingthese
expressionsmakeclearyourmeaningbythecontextinwhichyouuse
them."Weneedtomovethemeetingforward"isambiguous;"weneedto
movethemeetingforwardtoanearlierdate"isnot.
Justtoconfusethingsfurther,whenyoumovetheclockaheadinthe
springfordaylightsavingtime,youmakeitlater;butwhenyoumovea
meetingahead,youmakeitsooner.Isn'tEnglishwonderful?
BACKSLASH/SLASH
Thisisaslash:/.Becausethetopofitleansforward,itissometimes
calleda"forwardslash."
Thisisabackslash:\.Noticethewayitleansback,distinguishingit
fromtheregularslash.
Slashesareoftenusedtoindicatedirectoriesandsubdirectoriesin
computersystemssuchasUnixandinWorldWideWebaddresses.
Unfortunately,manypeople,assuming"backslash"issomesortof
technicaltermfortheregularslash,usethetermincorrectly,which
risksconfusingthosewhoknowenoughtodistinguishbetweenthetwobut
notenoughtorealizethatWebaddressesrarelycontainbackslashes.
BACKWARD/BACKWARDS
Asanadverb,eitherwordwilldo:"puttheshirtonbackward"or"put
theshirtonbackwards."However,asanadjective,only"backward"will
do:"abackwardglance."Whenindoubt,use"backward."
BAIL/BALE
Youbailtheboatandbalethehay.
Intheexpression"bailout"meaningtoabandonapositionorsituation,
itisnonstandardinAmericatouse"bale,"thoughthatspellingis
widelyacceptedintheUK.ThemetaphorintheUSistocompare
oneselfwhenjumpingoutofaplanetoabucketofwaterbeingtossed
outofaboat,thoughthatisprobablynottheoriginofthephrase.
BALDFACED,BOLDFACED/BAREFACED
TheonlyoneofthesespellingsrecognizedbytheOxfordEnglish
Dictionaryasmeaning"shameless"is"barefaced."Etymologiesoften
refertotheprevalenceofbeardsamongRenaissanceEnglishmen,but
beardswereprobablytoocommontobeconsideredasdeceptively

concealing.Itseemsmorelikelythatthetermderivedfromthe
widespreadcustomatthattimeamongtheupperclassesofwearingmasks
tosocialoccasionswhereonewouldrathernotberecognized.
BALL,BAWL
To"bawl"istocryoutloudly,sowhenyoubreakdownintearsyoubawl
likeababyandwhenyoureprimandpeopleseverelyyoubawlthemout.
Don'tuse"ball"inthesesortsofexpressions.Ithasnumberof
meanings,butnoneofthemhavetodowithshoutingandwailingunless
you'reshouting"playball!"
BARBWIRE,BOBWIRE/BARBEDWIRE
Insomepartsofthecountrythispricklystuffiscommonlycalled"barb
wire"oreven"bobwire."Whenwritingforageneralaudience,stick
withthestandard"barbedwire."
BARE/BEAR
Thereareactuallythreewordshere.Thesimpleoneisthebiggrowly
creature(unlessyouprefertheWinniethePoohtype).Hardlyanyone
pasttheageoftengetsthatonewrong.Theproblemistheothertwo.
Stevedoresbearburdensontheirbacksandmothersbearchildren.Both
mean"carry"(inthecaseofmothers,themeaninghasbeenextendedfrom
carryingthechildduringpregnancytoactuallygivingbirth).But
strippersbaretheirbodiessometimesbarenaked.Theconfusionbetween
thislatterverband"bear"createsmanyunintentionallyamusing
sentences;soifyouwanttoentertainyourreaderswhileconvincing
themthatyouareadolt,byallmeansmixthemup."Bearwithme,"the
standardexpression,isarequestforforbearanceorpatience."Bare
withme"wouldbeaninvitationtoundress."Bare"hasanadjectival
form:"Thepioneersstrippedtheforestbare."
BASEDAROUND,BASEDOFFOF/BASEDON
Youcanbuildastructurearoundacenter;butbasesgoonthebottomof
things,soyoucan'tbasesomethingaroundsomethingelse.
Similarly,youcanbuildsomethingoffofastartingpoint,butyou
can'tbaseanythingoffofanything.Somethingisalwaysbasedon
somethingelse.
BASICLY/BASICALLY
Thereare"ly"wordsand"ally"words,andyoubasicallyjusthaveto
memorizewhichiswhich.But"basically"isverymuchoverusedandis
oftenbetteravoidedinfavorofsuchexpressionsas"essentially,"
"fundamentally,"or"atheart."
BAITEDBREATH/BATEDBREATH
Althoughtheodorofthechocolatetruffleyoujustatemaybe

irresistiblebaittoyourbeloved,theproperexpressionis"bated
breath.""Bated"heremeans"held,abated."Youdosomethingwithbated
breathwhenyou'resotenseyou'reholdingyourbreath.
BARTER/HAGGLE
Whenyouoffertotradeyourvintagejeansforahandwovenshirtin
Guatemala,youareengagedinbarternomoneyisinvolved.Onething(or
service)istradedforanother.
Butwhenyouoffertobuythatshirtforlessmoneythanthevendoris
asking,youareengagedinhagglingorbargaining,notbartering.
BAZAAR/BIZARRE
A"bazaar"isamarketwheremiscellaneousgoodsaresold."Bizarre,"in
contrast,isanadjectivemeaning"strange,""weird."
BEAUROCRACY/BUREAUCRACY
TheFrenchbureaucratsfromwhomwegetthiswordworkedattheir
bureaus(desks,spelled"bureaux"inFrench)inwhatcametobeknownas
bureaucracies.
BEAT/BEAD
InAmericanEnglishwhenyoufocusnarrowlyonsomethingordefineit
carefullyyou"getabead"or"drawabead"onit.Inthisexpression
theterm"bead"comesfromtheformernameforthelittlemetalbumpon
theendofagunbarrelwhichhelpedtheshooteraimpreciselyata
target."Beat"isoftenmistakenlysubstitutedfor"bead"bypeoplewho
imaginethattheexpressionhassomethingtodowithmatchingthetiming
ofthepersonoractivitybeingobserved,catchingupwithit.
BECKONCALL/BECKANDCALL
Thisisafineexampleofwhatlinguistscall"popularetymology."
Peopledon'tunderstandtheoriginsofawordorexpressionandmakeone
upbasedonwhatseemslogicaltothem."Beck"isjustanoldshortened
versionof"beckon."Ifyouareatpeople'sbeckandcallitmeansthey
cansummonyouwhenevertheywant:eitherbygesture(beck)orspeech
(call).
FROMTHEBEGINNINGOFTIME
StephenHawkingwritesaboutthebeginningoftime,butfewotherpeople
do.Peoplewhowrite"fromthebeginningoftime"or"sincetimebegan"
areusuallybeinglazy.Theirgraspofhistoryisvague,sotheyresort
tothesebroad,sweepingphrases.Almostneveristhisusageliterally
accurate:peoplehavenotfalleninlovesincetimebegan,forinstance,
becausepeoplearrivedrelativelylateonthesceneinthecosmicscheme
ofthings.WhenIvisitedFerraraseveralyearsagoIwasinterestedto
seethatthewholepopulationoftheoldcityseemedtousebicyclesfor
transportation,carsbeingbannedfromthecentralarea.Iaskedhow

longthishadbeenthecustomandwastold"We'veriddenbicyclesfor
centuries."Sincethebicyclewasinventedonlyinthe1860s,I
stronglydoubtedthis(no,LeonardodaVincididnotinventthe
bicyclehejustdrewapictureofwhatonemightlooklikeandsome
peoplethinkthatpictureisamodernforgery).Ifyoureallydon'tknow
theappropriateperiodfromwhichyoursubjectdates,youcould
substitutealesssillybutstillvaguephrasesuchas"formanyyears,"
or"forcenturies";butit'sbettersimplytoavoidhistorical
statementsifyoudon'tknowyourhistory.
See"today'smodernsociety."
BEGSTHEQUESTION
Anargumentthatimproperlyassumesastruetheverypointthespeaker
istryingtoargueforissaidinformallogicto"begthequestion."
Hereisanexampleofaquestionbeggingargument:"Thispaintingis
trashbecauseitisobviouslyworthless."Thespeakerissimply
assertingtheworthlessnessofthework,notpresentinganyevidenceto
demonstratethatthisisinfactthecase.Sinceweneveruse"begs"
withthisoddmeaning("toimproperlytakeforgranted")inanyother
phrase,mostpeoplenowsupposethephraseimpliessomethingquite
different:thattheargumentdemandsthataquestionaboutitbe
askedraisesthequestion.Althoughusingtheexpressioninits
originalsenseisnowrare,usingitinthenewersensewillcause
irritationamongtraditionaalists.
BEHAVIORS
"Behavior"hasalwaysreferredtopatternsofaction,includingmultiple
actions,anddidnothaveaseparatepluralformuntilsocialscientists
createdit.Unlessyouarewritinginpsychology,sociology,
anthropology,orarelatedfield,itisbettertoavoidtheuseof
"behaviors"inyourwriting.
Seealso"peoples."
BEINGTHAT/BECAUSE
Using"beingthat"tomean"because"isnonstandard,asin"Beingthat
thebankrobberwasfairlyexperienced,itwassurprisingthatheshowed
thetellerhisIDcardwhensheaskedforit.""Beingashow"iseven
worse.If"because"or"since"aretoosimpleforyourtaste,youcould
use"giventhat"or"inthat"instead.
BELIEF/BELIEVE
Peoplecan'thavereligious"believes";theyhavereligiousbeliefs.If
youhaveit,it'sabelief;ifyoudoit,youbelieve.
BELIEFTOWARD/BELIEFIN
Youmayhaveapositiveattitudetowardanidea,butyouhaveabelief
init.

BELOWTABLE/TABLEBELOW
Whencallingyourreaders'attentiontoanillustrationortablefurther
oninatext,theproperwordorderisnot"thebelowtable"but"the
tablebelow."
BEMUSE/AMUSE
Whenyoubemusesomeone,youconfusethem,andnotnecessarilyinan
entertainingway.Don'tconfusethiswordwith"amuse."
BENEFACTOR/BENEFICIARY
Benefactorsgivebenefits;beneficiariesreceivethem.Weexpecttohear
ofgenerousbenefactorsandgratefulbeneficiaries.
BESIDE/BESIDES
"Besides"canmean"inadditionto"asin"besidesthepuppychow,Spot
scarfedupthefiletmignonIwasgoingtoservefordinner.""Beside,"
incontrast,usuallymeans"nextto.""IsatbesideCherylallevening,
butshekepttalkingtoJerryinstead."Using"beside"for"besides,"
won'tusuallygetyouintrouble;butusing"besides"whenyoumean
"nextto"will.
BETTER
WhenChucksays"Ibettergetmyresearchstarted;thepaper'sdue
tomorrow,"hemeans"Ihadbetter,"abbreviatedinspeechto"I'd
better."Thesamepatternisfollowedfor"he'dbetter,""she'dbetter,"
and"they'dbetter."
BETWEEN
"Between1939to1945"isobviouslyincorrecttomostpeopleitshould
be"between1939and1945"buttheerrorisnotsoobviouswhenitis
writtenthus:"between19391949."Inthiscase,the"between"shouldbe
droppedaltogether.Alsoincorrectareexpressionslike"therewere
between15to20peopleattheparty."Thisshouldread"between15and
20people."
BETWEENYOUANDI/BETWEENYOUANDME
"Betweenyouandme"ispreferredinstandardEnglish.
See"I/me/myself."
BEYONDTHEPAIL/BEYONDTHEPALE
Apaleisoriginallyastakeofthekindwhichmightmakeupapalisade,
orenclosure.Theuncontrolledterritoryoutsidewasthen"beyondthe
pale."Theexpression"beyondthepale"cametomean"bizarre,beyond
properlimits";butpeoplewhodon'tunderstandthephraseoftenalter

thelastwordto"pail."
TheareaofIrelandcalled"thePale"insidetheDublinregionformerly
controlledbytheBritishisoftensaidtohavebeentheinspirationfor
thisexpression,butmanyauthoritieschallengethatexplanation.
BIAS/BIASED
Apersonwhoisinfluencedbyabiasisbiased.Theexpressionisnot
"they'rebias,"but"they'rebiased."Also,manypeoplesaysomeoneis
"biasedtoward"somethingorsomeonewhentheymeanbiasedagainst.To
haveabiastowardsomethingistobebiasedinitsfavor.
Seealso"prejudice/prejudiced."
BIBLE
WhetheryouarereferringtotheJewishBible(theTorahplusthe
ProphetsandtheWritings)ortheProtestantBible(theJewishBible
plustheNewTestament),ortheCatholicBible(whichcontains
everythingintheJewishandProtestantBiblesplusseveralotherbooks
andpassagesmostlywritteninGreekinitsOldTestament),theword
"Bible"mustbecapitalized.Rememberthatitisthetitleofabook,
andbooktitlesarenormallycapitalized.AnoddityinEnglishusageis,
however,that"Bible"andthenamesofthevariouspartsoftheBible
arenotitalicizedorplacedbetweenquotationmarks.
Evenwhenusedmetaphoricallyofothersacredbooks,asin"TheQur'an
istheBibleoftheMuslims,"thewordisusuallycapitalized;although
insecularcontextsitisnot:"Physicians'DeskReferenceisthe
pharmacists'bible.""Biblical"maybecapitalizedornot,asyouchoose
(orasyoureditorchooses).
ThosewhowishtobesensitivetotheJewishauthorshipoftheJewish
Biblemaywishtouse"HebrewBible"and"ChristianScriptures"instead
ofthetraditionallyChristiannomenclature:"OldTestament"and"New
Testament."ModernJewishscholarssometimesusetheHebrewacronym
"Tanakh"torefertotheirBible,butthistermisnotgenerally
understoodbyothers.
BICEP/BICEPS
Abicepsisasinglemusclewithtwoattachingtendonsatoneend.
Although"bicep"withouttheSisoftenusedincasualspeech,this
spellingisfrownedoninmedicalandanatomicalcontexts.
BITTHEBULLET/BITTHEDUST
Someoneofwhomitissaid"hebitthebullet"hasmadeatoughdecision
anddecidedtoactonit.Theexpressionisderivedfromtheold
practiceofhavingawoundedsoldierbitedownonabullettobrace
himselfagainstthepainofundergoinganamputationorotherpainful
operation.Somepeopleconfusethiswith"bitthedust,"whichmeans
simply"died"(ormoreoften,"waskilled").

BIWEEKLY/SEMIWEEKLY
Technically,abiweeklymeetingoccurseverytwoweeksandasemiweekly
oneoccurstwiceaweek;butsofewpeoplegetthisstraightthatyour
clubisliabletodisintegrateunlessyouavoidthesewordsinthe
newsletterandstickwith"everyotherweek"or"twiceweekly."Thesame
istrueof"bimonthly"and"semimonthly,"though"biennial"and
"semiannual"arelessoftenconfusedwitheachother.
BLATANT
Theclassicmeaningof"blatant"is"noisilyconspicuous,"butithas
longbeenextendedtoanyobjectionableobviousness.Apersonengaging
inblatantbehaviorisusuallybehavinginahighlyobjectionable
manner,beingbrazen.Unfortunately,manypeoplenowadaysthinkthat
"blatant"simplymeans"obvious"anduseitinapositivesense,asin
"Kimwroteablatantlybrilliantpaper."Use"blatant"or"blatantly"
onlywhenyouthinkthepeopleyouaretalkingaboutshouldbeashamed
ofthemselves.
BOARDERS/BORDERS
Boardersareresidentsinaboardinghouseorschoolpayingfortheir
roomandboard(food),fighterswhoboardships,ormorerecently,
peoplewhogosnowboardingalot.Youcanalsoboardanimals,though
usuallyonlypeoplearecalled"boarders."Allofthesehavesome
connectionwithboards:hunksofwood(theplanksofatable,thedeck
ofaship,asnowboard).
Alluseshavingtodowithboundariesandedgesarespelled"border":
bordercollies,DoctorsWithoutBorders,borderlinedisorders,border
guard.
BONAFIED/BONAFIDE
"Bonafide"isaLatinphrasemeaning"ingoodfaith,"mostoftenused
tomean"genuine"today.Itisoftenmisspelledasifitwerethepast
tenseofanimaginaryverb:"bonafy."
BOREDOF/BOREDWITH
Whenyougettiredofsomethingyouareboredwithit(notofit).
BORN/BORNE
Thisdistinctionisabittricky.Whenbirthisbeingdiscussed,the
pasttenseof"bear"isusually"born":"Iwasborninatrailerbutit
wasanAirstream."Notethattheformusedhereispassive:youarethe
onesomebodyelseyourmotherbore.Butiftheformisactive,you
needan"E"ontheend,asin"Midnighthasborneanotherlitterof
kittensinDad'soldfishinghat"(Midnightdidthebearing).
Butinothermeaningsnothavingtodowithbirth,"borne"isalwaysthe

pasttenseof"bear":"Mybrother'sconstantteasingaboutmygreenhair
wasmorethancouldbeborne."
BORNOUTOF/BORNOF
Write"myloveofdancewasbornofmyviewingoldGingerRogersFred
Astairemovies,"not"bornoutof."Thelatterexpressionisprobably
substitutedbecauseofconfusionwiththeexpression"borneout"asin
"myconcernsabouthavinganotherofficepartywereborneoutwhenMr.
Peabodyspilledhisbeerintothefaxmachine."Theonlycorrect(if
antiquated)useof"bornoutof"isinthephrase"bornoutofwedlock."
BORROW/LOAN
Insomedialectsitiscommontosubstitute"borrow"for"loan"or
"lend,"asin"borrowmethathammerofyours,willyou,Jeb?"In
standardEnglishthepersonprovidinganitemcanloanit;butthe
personreceivingitborrowsit.
For"loan"vs."lend,see"NonErrors."
BORROWOFF/BORROWFROM
Insomedialectsyoucanborrowfivedollarsoffafriend;butin
standardEnglishyouborrowthemoneyfromafriend.
BOTH/EACH
Therearetimeswhenitisimportanttouse"each"insteadof"both."
Fewpeoplewillbeconfusedifyousay"Igavebothoftheboysa
baseballglove,"meaning"Igavebothoftheboysbaseballgloves"
becauseitisunlikelythattwoboyswouldbeexpectedtoshareone
glove;butyouriskconfusionifyousay"Igavebothoftheboys$50."
Itispossibletoconstruethissentenceasmeaningthattheboysshared
thesame$50gift."Igaveeachoftheboys$50"isclearer.
BOUGHTEN/BOUGHT
"Bought,"not"boughten"isthepasttenseof"buy.""Storebought,"a
colloquialexpressionfor"nothomemade,"isalreadynotformal
English;butitisnotimprovedbybeingturnedinto"storeboughten."
BOUNCE/BOUNDS
Aleakyballmaybeoutofbounce,butwhenitcrossestheboundaryline
offthebasketballcourtorfootballfielditgoesoutofbounds.
Similarly,anyactionorspeechthatgoesbeyondproperlimitscanbe
called"outofbounds":"Markthoughtthatitwasoutofboundsforhis
wifetogospelunkingwithTristan,heroldboyfriend."
BOURGEOIS
IntheoriginalFrench,abourgeoiswasoriginallymerelyafree
inhabitantofa"bourg,"ortown.Throughanaturalevolutionitbecame

thelabelformembersofthepropertyowningclass,thenofthemiddle
class.Asanadjectiveitisusedwithcontemptbybohemiansand
Marxiststolabelconservativeswhoseviewsarenotsufficiently
revolutionary.Theclassmadeupofbourgeois(whichisboththe
singularandthepluralform)isthebourgeoisie.Shakyspellersare
pronetoleaveoutthe"E"fromthemiddlebecause"eoi"isnota
naturalcombinationinEnglish;butthesewordshaveremarkablyenough
retainedtheirFrenchpronunciation:boorzhwahandboorzhwazee.The
feminineform,"bourgeoise,"israrelyencounteredinEnglish.
BOUYANT/BUOYANT
Buoysarebuoyant.Intheolderpronunciationof"buoyant"as"bwoyant"
thisunusualspellingmademoresense.Nowthatthepronunciationhas
shiftedto"boyant"wehavetokeepremindingourselvesthattheUcomes
beforetheO.Therootnoun,however,thoughoftenpronounced"boy"is
moretraditionallypronounced"BOOee."
BRAINCHILD
Somepeoplemisuse"brainchild,"asin"SteveJobsisthebrainchild
behindtheiPhone."Abrainchildisnotaperson,butthechild
(product)ofsomeone'sbrain.SotheiPhoneisthebrainchildofSteve
Jobs.
BRANDNAMES
Popularusagefrequentlyconvertsbrandnamesintogenericones,with
thegenericnamefallingintodisuse.Fewpeoplecallgelatindessert
mixanythingotherthan"JellO,"whichhelpstoexplainwhyit'shard
tofindNabisco'sRoyalGelatinonthegroceryshelves.Allfacial
tissuesare"Kleenex"tothemasses,allphotocopies"Xeroxes."Such
commercialfameis,however,atwoedgedsword:salesmaybelostas
wellasgainedfromsuchoverfamiliarity.Fewpeoplecarewhethertheir
"Frisbee"isthegenuineWhamObrandoriginaloranimitation.Someof
thesetermslackstayingpower:"Hoover"usedtobesynonymouswith
"vacuumcleaner,"andthebrandnamewaseventransmutedintoaverb:
"tohoover"(theseusesarestillcommonintheUK).Mostofthetime
thissortofthingisfairlyharmless,butifyouareamoteloperator
offeringadifferentbrandofwhirlpoolbathinyourrooms,betternot
callita"Jacuzzi."
BRANG,BRUNG/BROUGHT
Insomedialectsthepasttenseof"bring"is"brang"and"brung"isthe
pastparticiple;butinstandardEnglishbothare"brought."
BREACH/BREECH
SubstituteaKfortheCHin"breach"toremindyouthatthewordhasto
dowithbreakage:youcanbreach(breakthrough)adamorbreach
(violatethetermsof)acontract.Asanoun,abreachissomething
brokenofforopen,asinabreachinamilitarylineduringcombat.

"Breech"however,referstorearends,asin"breeches"(slangspelling
"britches").Thus"breechcloth,""breechbirth,"or"breechloading
gun."
"Oncemoreuntothebreach,dearfriends,"means"let'schargeintothe
gapintheenemy'sdefenses,"not"let'sreachintoourpantsagain."
BRAKE/BREAK
Youbraketoslowdown;ifyourbrakesfailandyoudrivethrougha
plateglasswindow,youwillbreakit.
BREATH/BREATHE
Whenyouneedtobreathe,youtakeabreath."Breathe"istheverb,
"breath"thenoun.
BRING/TAKE
Whenyouareviewingthemovementofsomethingfromthepointof
arrival,use"bring":"Whenyoucometothepotluck,pleasebringa
greensalad."Viewingthingsfromthepointofdeparture,youshoulduse
"take":"Whenyougotothepotluck,takeabottleofwine."
BRITAIN/BRITON
ABritishpersonisaBriton;onlythecountrycanbereferredtoas
"Britain."
BRITISH/ENGLISH
Americanstendtousetheterms"British"and"English"interchangeably,
butGreatBritainismadeupofEnglandplusScotlandandWales.Ifyou
arereferringtothislargerentity,thewordyouwantis"British."
BritonsnotfromEnglandresentbeingreferredtoas"English."
BROACH/BROOCH
Adecorativepinisa"brooch"eventhoughitsoundslike"broach"a
quitedifferentword.Althoughsomedictionariesnowacceptthelatter
spellingforjewelry,yourisklookingignoranttomanyreadersifyou
useit.
BROKE/BROKEN
Whenyoubreaksomething,it'sbroken,not"broke,"thoughapersonor
organizationwhichhasrunoutofmoneycanbesaidininformalspeech
tobe"broke."Otherwise,use"broke"onlyasthesimplepasttenseof
"break,"withoutahelpingverb:"Azfarbroketherecord,"but"The
recordwasbrokenbyAzfar."
BOUGHT/BROUGHT

Ifyoupayforsomething,you'veboughtit;ifyoubringsomething
you'vebroughtit.Thesetwowordsareprobablyinterchangedmostoften
outofmerecarelessness.Aspellingcheckerwon'tcatchtheswitch,so
watchoutforit.
BRUNT/BUTT
Apersonwhoisthetargetofjokersisthebuttoftheirhumor(froman
oldmeaningoftheword"butt":targetforshootingat).Buttheobject
ofthisjokinghastobearthebruntofthemockery(fromanoldword
meaningasharpbloworattack).Apersonisneverabrunt.Theperson
beingattackedreceivesthebruntofit.
BRUSSELSPROUT/BRUSSELSSPROUT
ThesetinycabbagelikevegetablesarenamedaftertheBelgiancityof
Brussels,whichhasan"S"ontheend.Thecorrectspellingis"Brussels
sprout."
BUILDOFFOF/BUILDON
Youbuild"on"yourearlierachievements,youdon'tbuild"offof"them.
BULLION/BOUILLON
Goldbricksarebullion.Boildownmeatstocktogetbouillon.It'san
expensivemistaketoconfusebullionwithbouilloninarecipe.
BULLYPULPIT
Weoccasionallystillusetheoldpositivemeaningoftheword"bully"
whencongratulatingsomebody(sincerelyorsarcastically)bysaying
"Bullyforyou!"Acenturyago"bully"meant"good,""great."
That'swhyTheodoreRooseveltcalledtheAmericanpresidencya"bully
pulpit,"meaningthatitprovidedhimanoutstandingplatformfromwhich
topreachhisideas.Theexpressionisoftenmisusedbywriterswho
mistakenlythinkithassomethingtodowithpreachingatpeopleina
bullyingway.
BUMRUSH/BUM'SRUSH
A1987recordingbytherapgroupPublicEnemypopularizedtheslang
term"bumrush"asaverbmeaning"tocrashintoashowhopingtoseeit
forfree,"evidentlybyanalogywithanearlierusageinwhichitmeant
"apoliceraid."Inthehiphopworldtobe"bumrushed"(alsospelled
astwowords)hasevolvedasecondarymeaning,"togetbeatenupbya
groupoflowlifes,or"bums."However,olderpeoplearelikelytotake
alloftheseasmistakesforthetraditionalexpression"bum'srush,"as
in"Givethatguythebum'srush,"i.e.throwhimoutunceremoniously,
treatinghimlikeanunwantedbum.Itwastraditionallythebumbeing
rushed,whereasinthenewerexpressionsthebumsaredoingtherushing.
It'sgoodtobeawareofyouraudiencewhenyouuseslangexpressions
likethis,toavoidbafflinglisteners.

Sidenote:BritonslaughedthemselvessillywhentheysawAmericans
wanderingaroundinsportswearwith"B.U.M."plasteredinhugeletters
acrosstheirchests."Bum"means"rearend"intheUK
BUTTNAKED/BUCKNAKED
Thestandardexpressionis"bucknaked,"andthecontemporary"butt
naked"isanerrorthatwillgetyoulaughedatinsomecircles.
However,itmightbejustaswellifthenewformweretotriumph.
Originallya"buck"wasadandy,apretentious,overdressedshowoffof
aman.CondescendinglyappliedintheUStoNativeAmericansandblack
slaves,itquicklyacquirednegativeconnotations.Tothehistorically
awarespeaker,"bucknaked"conjuresupstereotypicalimagesofnaked
"savages"orworseslaveslaboringnakedonplantations.Consider
usingthealternativeexpression"starknaked."
BUTTOX/BUTTOCKS
Thepopularphoneticspelling"buttox"ignoresthefactthat"buttocks"
(thetraditionalspelling)isaplural:onebuttock,twobuttocks.
BY/'BYE/BUY
Theseareprobablyconfusedwitheachothermoreoftenthroughhaste
thanthroughactualignorance,but"by"isthecommonprepositionin
phraseslike"youshouldknowbynow."Itcanalsoserveanumberof
otherfunctions,butthemainpointhereisnottoconfuse"by"withthe
othertwospellings:"'bye"isanabbreviatedformof"goodbye"
(preferablywithanapostrophebeforeittoindicatethemissing
syllable),and"buy"istheverbmeaning"purchase.""Buy"canalsobea
noun,asin"thatwasagreatbuy."Thetermforthepositionofa
competitorwhoadvancestothenextlevelofatournamentwithout
playingisa"bye."Allothersare"by."
BYFARANDAWAY/BYFAR,FARANDAWAY
YoucouldsaythatHalloweenisbyfaryourfavoriteholiday,oryoucan
saythatit'sfarandawayyourfavoriteholiday;butifyoucombinethe
twoexpressionsandsay"byfarandaway"you'llannoysomepeopleand
puzzleotherswhocan'tfigureoutwhyitdoesn'tsoundquiteright.
CACHE/CACHET
"Cache"comesfromtheFrenchverb"cacher,"meaning"tohide,"andin
Englishispronouncedexactlyliketheword"cash."Butreporters
speakingofacache(hiddenhoard)ofweaponsordrugsoften
mispronounceittosoundlikecachet"caSHAY"awordwithavery
differentmeaning:originallyasealaffixedtoadocument,nowa
qualityattributedtoanythingwithauthorityorprestige.Rolexwatches
havecachet.
CADDYCORNER/CATTYCORNER,CATERCORNER,KITTYCORNER

Thisexpression,meaning"diagonallyopposite,"wasformedfroma
mispellinginEnglishoftheFrenchwordquatre("four")prefixedto
"corner."Althoughthewordhasnothingtodowithcatsorkittens,in
variousdialectsallthreespellingsareacceptable:"catty,""cater"or
"kitty."
Butunlessyouhavesomebodyholdingyourgolfclubspermanently
stationedinthecornerofyourroom,youshouldn'tusethespelling
"caddycorner."
CALLTHEQUESTION
Thisismoreamatterofparliamentaryprocedurethanofcorrect
English,butpeoplearegenerallyconfusedaboutwhat"callingthe
question"means.Theyoftensupposethatitmeanssimply"let'svote!"
andsomeevenimaginethatitisnecessarytocallforthequestion
beforeavotemaybetaken.Youevenseedeferentialmeetingchairs
pleading,"Wouldsomeoneliketocallforthequestion?"
But"callingthequestion"whendoneproperlyshouldbearare
occurrence.Ifdebatehasdraggedonlongerthanyoufeelisreally
warranted,youcan"callthequestion,"atwhichtimethechairhasto
immediatelyaskthoseassembledtovotetodeterminewhetherornot
debateshouldbecutofforcontinue.Themotiontocallthequestionis
itselfnotdebatable.Iftwothirdsofthosevotingagreethatthe
discussionshouldhavediedsometimeago,theywillsupportthecall.
Then,andonlythen,willthevotebetakenonthequestionitself.
Potentiallythisparliamentarymaneuverwouldbeagreatwaytoshut
downwindyspeakerswhoinsistonprolongingadiscussionwhenaclear
consensushasalreadybeenarrivedat;butsincesofewpeople
understandwhatitmeans,itrarelyworksasintended.
Chairs:whensomeone"callsthequestion,"explainwhatthephrasemeans
andaskifthatiswhat'sintended.Otherfolks:you'llgetfurthermost
ofthetimejustsaying"Let'svote!"
CALLOUS/CALLUSED
Callingsomeonecallousisawayofmetaphoricallysuggestingalackof
feelingsimilartothatcausedbycallusesontheskin;butifyouare
speakingliterallyofthetoughbuilduponaperson'shandorfeet,the
wordyouneedis"callused."
CALLSFOR/PREDICTS
Glendower:Icancallspiritsfromthevastydeep.
Hotspur:Why,socanI,orsocananyman;Butwilltheycomewhenyou
docallforthem?
Shakespeare:HenryIV,Part1
Newspeopleconstantlyjokethattheweatherserviceistoblameforthe

weather,soweshouldn'tbesurprisedwhentheytellusthatthe
forecast"callsforrain"whenwhattheymeanisthatit"predicts"
rain.Remember,whereveryoulive,theweatherisuncalledfor.
CALM,COOL,ANDCOLLECTIVE/CALM,COOL,ANDCOLLECTED
Unlessyou'relivinginanunusuallytranquilcommune,youwouldn'tbe
"calm,cool,andcollective."Thelastwordinthistraditionalphrase
is"collected,"inthesenseofsuchphrasesas"letmesitdowna
minuteandcollectmythoughts."Ifyouleaveout"cool"thelastword
stillhastobe"collected."
CALVARY/CAVALRY
"Calvary,"alwayscapitalized,isthehillonwhichJesuswascrucified.
Itmeans"hillofskulls."Soldiersmountedonhorsebackarecavalry.
CANGOODS/CANNEDGOODS
Isthereasignatyourgrocerystorethatsays"cangoods"?Itshould
say"cannedgoods."
CANADIANGEESE/CANADAGEESE
"Canadiangeese"wouldbeanyoldgeesethathappentobeinCanada.
Whatpeopleusuallymeantorefertowhentheyusethisphraseisthe
specificspeciesproperlycalled"Canadageese."
CANON/CANNON
"Canon"usedtobesuchararewordthattherewasnotemptationto
confuseitwith"cannon":alargepieceofartillery.Thedebateover
theliterarycanon(alistofofficiallyapprovedworks)andthe
popularityofPachelbel'sCanon(animitativemusicalformrelatedto
thecommon"round")havechangedallthatconfusionisrampant.Just
rememberthatthebiggunisa"cannon."Alltherestare"canons."Note
thattherearemetaphoricalusesof"cannon"forobjectsshapedlike
largeguns,suchasahorse's"cannonbone."
CANNOT/CANNOT
Thesetwospellingsarelargelyinterchangeable,butbyfarthemost
commonis"cannot";andyoushouldprobablyuseitexceptwhenyouwant
tobeemphatic:"No,youcannotwashthedogintheMaytag."
Seealso"may/might."
CAPITAL/CAPITOL
A"capitol"isalmostalwaysabuilding.Citieswhichserveasseatsof
governmentarecapitalsspelledwithanAinthelastsyllable,as
aremostotherusesofthewordasacommonnoun.Theonlyexceptions
areplacenamesalludingtocapitolbuildingsinsomewayorother,like

"CapitolHill"inDC,Denver,orSeattle(thelattereithernamedafter
thehillinDenverorinhopesofattractingtheWashingtonState
capitolbuilding).WouldithelptorememberthatCongresswithanO
meetsintheCapitolwithanotherO?
CARAMEL/CARMEL
TakeHighway1southfromMontereytoreachthecharmingseasidetownof
Carmel,ofwhichClintEastwoodwasformerlymayor.Dissolvesugarina
littlewaterandcookitdownuntilthesugarturnsbrowntocreate
caramel.Anationwidechainusestheilliteratespelling
"Karmelkorn(TM),"whichhelpstoperpetuatetheconfusionbetweenthese
twowords.
CARAT/CARET/CARROT/KARAT
"Carrots"arethosecrunchyorangevegetablesBugsBunnyissofondof,
butthisspellinggetsmisusedforthelessfamiliarwordswhichare
pronouncedthesamebuthaveverydifferentmeanings.Preciousstones
likediamondsareweighedincarats.Thesamewordisusedtoexpress
theproportionofpuregoldinanalloy,thoughinthisusageitis
sometimesspelled"karat"(hencetheabbreviation"20Kgold").Acaret
isaproofreader'smarkshowingwheresomethingneedstobeinserted,
shapedlikeatinypitchedroof.ItlooksratherlikeaFrench
circumflex,butisusuallydistinctfromitonmoderncomputer
keyboards.Caretsareextensivelyusedincomputerprogramming.Just
remember,ifyoucan'teatit,it'snotacarrot.
CAREER/CAREEN
Atruckcareeningdowntheroadisswervingfromsidetosideasit
racesalong,whereasatruckcareeringdowntheroadmaybesimply
travelingveryfast.Butbecauseitisnotoftenclearwhichmeaninga
personintends,confusingthesetwowordsisnotlikelytogetyouinto
trouble.
CARING
Mostpeoplearecomfortablereferringto"caringparents,"butspeaking
ofa"caringenvironment"isjargon,notacceptableinformalEnglish.
Theenvironmentmaycontaincaringpeople,butitdoesnotitselfdothe
caring.
CASTINSTONE/CASTINCONCRETE,CARVEDINSTONE
Peopleexpressingflexibilitysaythattheirideasorrulesare"not
castinconcrete,"meaningtheyhavenothardenedintorigidity.You
castconcreteinamoldbypouringitinandlettingitset;sothe
expressioncanalsobe"notsetinconcrete."
Asimilarexpressionis"notcarvedinstone"(liketheTen
Commandments).
Peoplefrequentlymixthesetwoexpressionsupandsaythingslike"It's

notcastinstone."TheymaybeinfluencedbytheunrelatedChristian
saying,"Don'tcast[throw]thefirststone."
CASTDISPERSIONS/CASTASPERSIONS
"Aspersions"isanunusualwordwhosemainmeaningis"falseor
misleadingaccusations,"anditsonlycommonuseisinthephrase"cast
aspersions."Todisperseacrowdistobreakitupandscatterit,which
perhapsleadssomepeopletomistakenlyassociate"cast"("throw")with
"disperse"buttheexpressionis"castaspersions."
CATCH22/CATCH
PeoplefamiliarwithJosephHeller'snovelareirritatedwhentheysee
"Catch22"usedtolabelanysimplehitchorproblemratherthanthis
sortofcircularpredicament:youcan'tgetpublisheduntilyouhavean
agent,andyoucan'tgetanagentuntilyou'vebeenpublished."There's
acatch"willdofineformostothersituations.
CDROMdisk/CDROM
"CDROM"standsfor"compactdisc,readonlymemory,"soaddinganother
"disc"or"disk"isredundant.Thesamegoesfor"DVD"(fromDigital
VideoDisc"or"DigitalVersatileDisc"therearenonvideoversions).
Don'tsay"givemethatDVDdisk,"just"givemethatDVD."
CEASAR/CAESAR
DidyouknowthatGerman"Kaiser"isderivedfromtheLatin"Caesar"and
ispronouncedalotmorelikeitthantheEnglishversion?We'restuck
withourillogicalpronunciation,sowehavetomemorizethecorrect
spelling.(TheRussiansmessedupthepronunciationasthoroughlyasthe
English,withtheir"Czar.")Thousandsofmenusarelitteredwith
"Ceasarsalads"throughoutAmericawhichshouldbe"Caesar
salads"namedafterarestaurateur,nottheRomanruler(buttheyboth
spelledtheirnamesthesameway).
CELIBATE/CHASTE
Believeitornot,youcanbecelibatewithoutbeingchaste,andchaste
withoutbeingcelibate.Acelibatepersonismerelyunmarried,usually
(butnotalways)becauseofavowofcelibacy.Thetraditional
assumptionisthatsuchapersonisnothavingsexwithanyone,which
leadsmanytoconfusethewordwith"chaste,"denotingsomeonewhodoes
nothaveillicitsex.Awomancouldhavewildsextwiceadaywithher
lawfulhusbandandtechnicallystillbechaste,thoughthewordismore
oftenusedtoimplyageneralabstemiousnessfromsexandsexuality.You
canalwaysamuseyourreadersbymisspellingthelatterwordas
"chased."
CELTIC
BecausetheBostonCelticsbasketballteampronouncesitsnameasifit
beganwithanS,Americansarepronetousethispronunciationofthe

wordasitappliestotheBretons,Cornish,Welsh,IrishandScots;but
thedominantpronunciationamongsophisticatedUSspeakersis"keltik."
Justremember:"Celtsinkilts."
Interestingly,theScotsthemselvesoftenusethe"S"pronunciation,
notablyinreferringtotheGlasgowsoccerteam,the"CelticFootball
Club."
CEMENT/CONCRETE
Peopleinthebuildingtradesdistinguishcement(thegraypowderthat
comesinbags)fromconcrete(thecombinationofcement,water,sand,
andgravelwhichbecomeshardenoughinyourdrivewaytodriveyourcar
on).Incontextswheretechnicalprecisionmatters,it'sprobablybetter
tospeakofa"concretesidewalk"ratherthanofa"cementsidewalk."
CENTERAROUND/CENTERON,REVOLVEAROUND
Twoperfectlygoodexpressions"centeron"and"revolvearound"get
conflatedinthisnonsensicalneologism.Whenaspeakersayshisaddress
will"centeraroundthetopicof"whatever,myinterestlevelplummets.
CENTEROFATTRACTION/CENTEROFATTENTION
"Centerofattraction"makesperfectsense,butthestandardsayingis
"centerofattention."
CENTS
Onasigndisplayingacostoftwentyninecentsforsomethingtheprice
canbewrittenas".29,"as"$.29,"oras"29c,"butdon'tcombinethe
twoforms.".29c"makesnosense,and"$.29c"isworse.
CHAITEA/CHAI
"Chai"issimplythewordfor"tea"inHindiandseveralotherAsian
languages.Thespicy,milkyvarietyknowninIndiaas"masalachai"is
called"chai"intheUSSinceAmericanslikelytobeattractedbythe
word"chai"alreadyknowit'sateabaseddrink,it'sbothredundantand
pointlesstocalltheproduct"chaitea."
CHAISELONGUE
WhenEnglishspeakerswanttobeeleganttheycommonlyresorttoFrench,
oftenmanglingitintheprocess.Theentree[acuteaccentoverthe
secondE],thedishservedbeforetheplat,usurpedthelatter's
positionasmaindish.AndhowintheworlddidFrench"lingerie"
(originallymeaninglinengoodsofallsorts,laternarrowedto
underwearonly)pronouncedroughly"lanzheree"cometobeAmerican
"lawnzheray"?Quellehorreur!"Chaiselongue"(literally"longchair"),
pronouncedroughly"shezzlohng"withahardGontheendbecamein
English"shayzlong."Manyspeakers,however,confuseFrench"chaise"
withEnglish"chase"andFrenchlonguewithEnglish"lounge"
(understandablesincethearticleinquestionisasortofcouchor

lounge),resultinginthemispronunciation"chaselounge."Wemay
imaginetheFrenchaschasingeachotheraroundtheirlounges,buta
chaiseisjustachair.
CHALKFULL/CHOCKFULL,CHUCKFULL
Originallyapersonorthingstuffedtothepointofchokingwas
"chokefull."Inmodernspeechthisexpressionhasbecome"chockfull,"
orinlessformalAmericanEnglish,"chuckfull."Chalkhasnothingto
dowithit.
CHAMPAIGN/CHAMPAGNE
ChampaignisthenameofacityandcountyinIllinois.
ChampagneisaregionofFrancewhichproducesthesparklingwineof
thatname.
CHAUVINIST/MALECHAUVINIST,SEXIST
NicolasChauvinofRochefortbecamealaughingstockinNapoleon'sarmy
forhisexaggeratednationalism,andhisnamegaverisetotheterm
"chauvinism,"whichcharacterizespeoplewhowildlyoverestimatethe
excellenceandimportanceoftheirowncountrieswhiledenigrating
others.Thewordwasthenbroadenedtocoveranexaggeratedbeliefin
thesuperiorityofone'sownkindinotherrespects.Followingthis
pattern,feministsinthe1970sinventedtheterm"malechauvinist"to
labelpeoplewhoconsideredwomeninferiortomen.Unfortunately,this
wasthecontextinwhichmanypeoplefirstencountered"chauvinism"and
notunderstandingthatithadabroadermeaning,droppedthe"male,"
thinkingthat"chauvinist"wasasynonymfor"sexist."This
misunderstandingissowidespreadthatonlyoccasionallywillyou
encountersomeonewhoknowsbetter,butinformalwritingitiswiseto
avoidtheabbreviatedforminthisrestrictedmeaning.However,ifyou
dointendtheoldermeaningoftheword,it'salsoagoodideatomake
thatclearfromyourcontext,foragreatmanyofyourreaderswill
assumeyouaretalkingaboutsexism.
CHECK/CZECH
Pronouncethenameofthecountrywhichbrokeawayfromtheformer
CzechoslovakiatoformtheCzechRepublicas"check,"butdon'tspellit
thatway.ItscitizensareCzechs.
CHEESEQUESADILLA/QUESADILLA
"Queso"istheSpanishwordfor"cheese,"soit'sredundanttowrite
"cheesequesadilla"onamenu.Ifyouthinkyourcustomersneeda
definitionorifyouwanttodistinguishthepurelycheesefilledones
fromsaychickenquesadillas,youcanaddabriefexplanationsuchas
"cheesefilledfriedtortilla."
CHEMICALS

Marketsoffering"organic"produceclaimithasbeenraised"without
chemicals."Newsstoriesfretabout"chemicalsinourwatersupply."
Thiscommonerrorinusageindicatesquiteclearlythelamentablelevel
ofscientificliteracyinourpopulation.Everythingonearthsaveafew
straysubatomicparticlesandvariouskindsofenergy(andifyou
believeinitpurespirit)iscomposedofchemicals.Purewater
consistsofthechemicaldihydrogenoxide.Vitaminsandmineralsare
chemicals.Inthebroadestsense,evensimpleelementslikenitrogencan
becalledchemicals.Writerswhousethistermsloppilycontributeto
theobfuscationofpublicdebateoversuchseriousissuesaspollution
andmalnutrition.
CHICANO/LATINO/HISPANIC
"Chicano"means"MexicanAmerican,"andnotallthepeopledenotedby
thistermlikeit.WhenspeakingofpeoplelivingintheUSfrom
variousotherSpanishspeakingcountries,"Chicano"isanerrorfor
"Latino"or"Hispanic."Only"Hispanic"canincludepeoplewitha
SpanishaswellaswithaLatinAmericanheritage;andsomepeopleof
LatinAmericanheritageobjecttoitasignoringtheNativeAmerican
elementinthatpopulation.Only"Latino"couldlogicallyinclude
PortuguesespeakingBrazilians,thoughthatisrarelydone.
CHOOSE/CHOSE
Youchosetequilalastnight;youchooseaspirinthismorning."Chose"
isthepasttense,"choose"thepresent.
CHRISPY/CRISPY
Therearealotofmenus,signs,andrecipesouttherefeaturing
"chrispychicken."Isthismisspellinginfluencedbythe"CH"in
"chicken"orthepatterninothercommonwordslike"Christmas"?Atany
rate,theproperspellingis"crispy."
CHUNK/CHUCK
Incasualconversation,youmaygetbywithsaying"Chuck[throw]me
thatmonkeywrench,willyou?"Butyouwillmarkyourselfasilliterate
beyondmerecasualnessbysayinginstead"Chunkmethatwrench."Thisis
afairlycommonsubstitutioninsomedialectsofAmericanEnglish.
CHURCH
CatholicsroutinelyrefertotheirchurchastheChurch,withacapital
"C."Thisirritatesthemembersofotherchurches,butisstandard
usage.When"Church"standsbyitself(thatis,notaspartofaname
like"FirstMethodistChurch")youshouldnormallycapitalizeitonlyto
mean"RomanCatholicChurch."Notethatprotestanttheologiansandother
specialistsinreligiondorefertothewholebodyofChristiansas"the
Church,"butthisprofessionalusageisnotcommoninordinarywriting.
CITE/SITE/SIGHT

Youcitetheauthorinanendnote;youvisitaWebsiteorthesiteof
thecrime,andyousightyourbelovedrunningtowardyouinslowmotion
onthebeach(asightforsoreeyes!).
CLASSIC/CLASSICAL
"Classical"usuallydescribesthingsfromancientGreeceorRome,or
thingsfromanalogousancientperiodslikeclassicalSanskritpoetry.
Theexceptionisclassicalmusic,whichinthenarrowsenseislate18th
and19thcenturymusicbythelikesofMozart,Haydn,andBeethoven,and
inthebroadersenseformalconcertmusicofanyperiodintheWestor
traditionalformalmusicfromothercultures,likeclassicalragas.
"Classic"hasamuchloosermeaning,describingthingsthatare
outstandingexamplesoftheirkind,likeaclassiccarorevenaclassic
blunder.
CLEANUP/CLEANUP
"Cleanup"isusuallyanoun:"thecleanupofthetoxicwastesitewill
costbillionsofdollars.""Clean"isaverbinthephrase"cleanup":
"Youcangotothemallafteryoucleanupyourroom."
CLICHE/CLICHED
Oneoftenhearsyoungpeoplesay"Thatmoviewassocliche!""Cliche"is
anoun,meaninganoverfamiliarphraseorimage.Aworkcontaining
clichesiscliched.
CLICK/CLIQUE
Studentslamentingthedivisionoftheirschoolsintosnobbishfactions
oftenmisspell"clique"as"click."IntheoriginalFrench,"clique"was
synonymouswith"claque"anorganizedgroupofsupportersata
theatricaleventwhotriedtopromptpositiveaudienceresponseby
clappingenthusiastically.
CLOSE/CLOTHES
BecausetheTHin"clothes"isseldompronounceddistinctly,itisoften
misspelled"close."JustremembertheTHin"clothing,"whereitis
obvious.Clothesaremadeofcloth.Ragscanalsobecloths(withoutan
E).
CLOSEDMINDED/CLOSEMINDED
"Closedminded"mightseemlogical,butthetraditionalspellingofthis
expressionis"closeminded."Thesameistruefor"closelipped"and
"closemouthed."
COARSE/COURSE
"Coarse"isalwaysanadjectivemeaning"rough,crude."Unfortunately,

thisspellingisoftenmistakenlyusedforaquitedifferentword,
"course,"whichcanbeeitheraverboranoun(withseveraldifferent
meanings).
COLDSLAW/COLESLAW
Thepopularsaladmadeofshreddedcabbagewasoriginally"coleslaw,"
fromtheDutchfor"cabbagesalad."Becauseitisservedcold,Americans
havelongsupposedthecorrectspellingtobe"coldslaw";butifyou
wanttosoundmoresophisticatedgowiththeoriginal.
COLLAGE/COLLEGE
Youcanpastetogetherbitsofpapertomakeacollage,butthe
institutionofhighereducationisacollege.
COLLECTIVEPLURAL
InUKEnglishitiscommontoseestatementslike"Parliamenthave
raisedmanyquestionsabouttheproposal"inwhichbecauseParliamentis
madeupofmanyindividuals,severalofwhomareraisingquestions,the
wordistreatedasifitwerepluralinformandgivenapluralverb.
Thisisthepropernounformofwhatiscalledthe"collectiveplural."
ManyUKauthoritiesobjectwhenthispatternisappliedto
organizationnamesiftheorganizationisbeingdiscussedasawholeand
notasacollectionofindividuals.Accordingtothem,"TheBBChave
beenfilminginPapuaNewGuinea"shouldbe"TheBBChasbeen
filming...."
Thissortofcollectivepluralappliedtothenamesoforganizationsis
almostunheardofintheUS,andinfactstrikesmostAmericansas
distinctlyweird,withtheexceptionofanoccasionalsportsteamwitha
singularformnameliketheUtahJazz,theMiamiHeat,theOrlando
Magic,ortheSeattleStorm.There'sasarcasticsaying,"TheUtahJazz
aretobasketballwhatUtahistojazz."
COLOMBIA/COLUMBIA
AlthoughbotharenamedafterColumbus,theUScapitalistheDistrict
ofColumbia,whereastheSouthAmericancountryisColombia.
COMMAS
Whatfollowsisnotacomprehensiveguidetothemanyusesofcommas,
butaquicktourofthemostcommonerrorsinvolvingthem.
Thefirstthingtonoteisthatthecommaoftenmarksabriefpausein
theflowofasentence,andithelpfullymarksoffonephrasefrom
another.Ifyouwrite"IplantoseeShirleyandFredwillgoshopping
whilewevisit"yourreadersarenaturallygoingtothinktheannounced
visitwillbetobothShirleyandFreduntilthesecondhalfsurprises
themintorealizingthatFredisnotinvolvedinthisvisitatall.A
simplecommamakeseverythingclear:"IplantoseeShirley,andFred
willgoshoppingwhilewevisit."Peoplewhoreadandwritelittlehave

troublewithcommasiftheydealwithEnglishprimarilyasaspoken
language,whereemphasisandrhythmmarkoutphrases.Ittakesa
consciousefforttotranslatetherhythmofasentenceintowriting
usingpunctuation.
Notmanypeopleotherthancreativewritershavetheoccasiontowrite
dialogue,butitissurprisinghowfewunderstandthatintroductory
wordsandphraseshavetobeseparatedfromthemainbodyofspeechin
directaddress:"Well,whatdidyouthinkofthat?""Goodevening,Mr.
Nightingale."
Commasoftenhelpsetoffinterruptingmatterwithinsentences.The
propertermforthissortofwordorphraseis"parenthetical."There
arethreewaystohandleparentheticalmatter.Forasidessharply
interruptingtheflowofthesentence(thinkofyourownexamples)use
parenthesismarks.Formanyotherkindsoffairlystronginterjections,
dashesifyouknowhowtotypethemproperlyworkbest.Milder
interruptions,likethis,arenicelysetoffwithcommas.Manywriters
don'trealizethattheyaresettingoffaphrase,sotheybeginwiththe
firstcommabutomitthesecond,whichshouldconcludetheparenthetical
matter.Checkforthissortofthinginyourproofreading.
Astandarduseforcommasistoseparatetheitemsinaseries:"cats,
dogs,andgerbils."Authoritiesdifferastowhetherthatfinalcomma
beforethe"and"isrequired.Followthestylerecommendedbyyour
teacher,editor,orbosswhenyouhavetopleasethem;butifyouareon
yourown,Isuggestyouusethefinalcomma.Itoftenremoves
ambiguities.
Adifferentkindofserieshastodowithastringofadjectives
modifyingasinglenoun:"Hewasatall,strong,handsome,butstupid
man."Butwhentheadjectivesmodifyeachotherinsteadofthenoun,
thennocommaisused:"Hewaswearingagarishbrightgreentie."A
simpletest:ifyoucouldlogicallyinsert"and"betweentheadjectives
inaserieslikethis,youneedcommas.
Englishteachersrefertosentenceswhereclausesrequiringsome
strongerpunctuationareinsteadlightlypastedtogetherwithacommaas
"commasplices."Here'sanexample:"Hebroughtheradozenroses,he
hadforgottenshewasallergictothem."Inthissentencethereader
needstobebroughtupsharplyandreorientedmidsentencewitha
semicolon;acommaistooweaktodothetrick.Here'saworseexample
ofacommasplice:"Itwasabeautifuldayoutside,sherememberedjust
intimetograbthecoffeemug."Thereisnoobviouslogicalconnection
betweenthetwopartsofthissentence.Theydon'tbelonginthesame
sentenceatall.Thecommashouldbeaperiod,withtherestbeing
turnedintoaseparatesentence.
Somewritersinsertcommasseeminglyatrandom:"Theunabridged
dictionary,wasusedmainlytopressflowers."Whenyou'renotcertaina
commaisrequired,readyoursentencealoud.Ifitdoesn'tseemnatural
toinsertaslightpauseorhesitationatthepointmarkedbythecomma,
itshouldprobablybeomitted.

Seealso"colons/semicolons"and"hyphens&dashes."
COMPAREANDCONTRAST
Heykids,here'sachancetocatchyourEnglishteacherinaredundancy!
Tocomparetwothingsistonotetheirsimilaritiesandtheir
differences.There'snoneedtoadd"andcontrast."
COMPARETO/COMPAREWITH
Thesearesometimesinterchangeable,butwhenyouarestressing
similaritiesbetweentheitemscompared,themostcommonwordis"to":
"Shecomparedhishomemadewinetotoxicwaste."Ifyouareexamining
bothsimilaritiesanddifferences,use"with":"Theteachercompared
Steve'sexamwithRobert'stoseewhethertheyhadcheated."
COMPLEMENT/COMPLIMENT
Originallythesetwospellingswereusedinterchangeably,buttheyhave
cometobedistinguishedfromeachotherinmoderntimes.Mostofthe
timethewordpeopleintendis"compliment":nicethingssaidabout
someone("ShepaidmethecomplimentofadmiringthewayIshinedmy
shoes.")."Complement,"muchlesscommon,hasanumberofmeanings
associatedwithmatchingorcompleting.Complementssupplementeach
other,eachaddingsomethingtheotherslack,sowecansaythat
"Alice'sloveforentertainingandMike'sloveforwashingdishes
complementeachother."Remember,ifyou'renotmakingnicetosomeone,
thewordis"complement."
COMPLEMENTARY/COMPLIMENTARY
Whenpayingsomeoneacomplimentlike"Ilovewhatyou'vedonewiththe
kitchen!"you'rebeingcomplimentary.Afreebonusitemisalsoa
complimentarygift.Butitemsorpeoplethatgowellwitheachotherare
complementary.
Ingeometry,complementaryanglesaddupto90degrees,whereas
supplementaryonesaddupto180degrees.
COMPRISEDOF/COMPOSEDOF
Although"comprise"isusedprimarilytomean"toinclude,"itisalso
oftenstretchedtomean"ismadeupof"ameaningthatsomecritics
objectto.Themostcautiousrouteistoavoidusing"of"afteranyform
of"comprise"andsubstitute"iscomposedof"insentenceslikethis:
"Jimmy'spaperonMarxismwascomposedentirelyofsentencescopiedoff
theMarxBrothersHomePage."
COMPTROLLER
Althoughitislessandlessoftenheard,thetraditionalpronunciation
of"comptroller"isidenticalwith"controller."TheOxfordEnglish
Dictionary,indeed,considers"comptroller"tohavebegunasa
misspellingof"controller"backinthe16thcentury.

CONCENSUS/CONSENSUS
Youmightsupposethatthiswordhadtodowithtakingacensusofthe
participantsinadiscussion,butitdoesn't.ItisagoodoldLatin
wordthathastodowitharrivingatacommonsenseofthemeeting,and
thefourthletterisan"S."
CONCERTEDEFFORT
Onecannotmakea"concertedeffort"allbyone'sself.Towork"in
concert"istoworktogetherwithothers.Theprefix"con"means
"with."
CONFLICTED/CONFLICTINGFEELINGS
Phraseslike"conflictedfeelings"or"Ifeelconflicted"areconsidered
jargonbymany,andoutofplaceinformalwriting.Use"Ihave
conflictingfeelings"instead,orwrite"Ifeelambivalent."
CONFUSIONISM/CONFUCIANISM
ConfuciusisthefounderofConfucianism.Hisnameisnotspelled
"Confucious,"andhisphilosophyisnotcalled"Confusionism."Whenyou
spottheconfusioninthelatterterm,changeitquicklyto
"Confucianism."
CONGRADULATIONS/CONGRATULATIONS
Ifearthatalltoomanypeoplearebeing"congradulated"forgraduating
fromhighschoolwhodon'tknowthatthiswordshouldbespelled
"congratulations."Tryasearchforthismisspellingonyourfavorite
Websearchengineandbepreparedtobeastonished.
CONSERVATIVISM/CONSERVATISM
Theconservativespellingofthiswordis"conservatism."
CONTACT
Althoughsomestillobjectto"contact"asaverb,sentenceslike
"contactmewhenthebudgetisready"arenowstandardEnglish.
CONTAMINATES/CONTAMINANTS
Whenrunofffromachemicalplantenterstheriveritcontaminatesthe
water;butthegooitselfconsistsof"contaminants."
CONTINUAL/CONTINUOUS
"Continuous"referstoactionswhichareuninterrupted:"Myupstairs
neighborplayedhisstereocontinuouslyfrom6:00PMto3:30AM."
Continualactions,however,neednotbeuninterrupted,onlyrepeated:
"Myfathercontinuallyurgesmetogetajob."

CONVERSATE/CONVERSE
"Conversate"iswhatiscalleda"backformation"basedonthenoun
"conversation."Buttheverbforthissortofthingis"converse."
CORE/CORPS/CORPSE
Appleshavecores.Acorpsisanorganization,likethePeaceCorps.A
corpseisadeadbody,acarcass.
COLLABORATE/CORROBORATE
Peoplewhoworktogetheronaproject"collaborate"(sharetheirlabor);
peoplewhosupportyourtestimonyasawitness"corroborate"(strengthen
byconfirming)it.
COLONS/SEMICOLONS
Colonshaveahostofuses,buttheymostlyhaveincommonthatthe
colonactstoconnectwhatprecedesitwithwhatfollows.Thinkofthe
twodotsofacolonasiftheywerestretchedouttoformanequalsign,
sothatyougetcaseslikethis:"heprovidedalltheingredients:
sugar,flour,butter,andvanilla."
Thereareafewexceptionstothispattern,however.Oneunusualuseof
colonsisinbetweenthechapterandversesofaBiblicalcitation,for
instance,"Matthew6:5."Inbibliographiccitationacolonseparatesthe
cityfromthepublisher:"NewYork:NewDirections,1979."Italso
separatesminutesfromhoursintimesofdaywhengiveninfigures:
"8:35."Itisincorrecttosubstituteasemicoloninanyofthesecases.
Thinkofthesemicolonaserectingalittlebarrierwiththatdugin
commaunderthedot;semicolonsalwaysimplyseparationratherthan
connection.Asentencemadeupoftwodistinctpartswhoseseparation
needstobeemphasizedmaydosowithasemicolon:"Marymovedto
Seattle;shewassickofgettingsunburnedinLosAngeles."Whena
compoundsentencecontainscommaswithinoneormoreofitsclauses,you
havetoescalatetoasemicolontoseparatetheclausesthemselves:"It
wasamild,deliciouslywarmspringday;andMarydecidedtowalktothe
fair."Theothermainuseofsemicolonsistoseparateoneseriesof
itemsfromanotheraserieswithinaseries,ifyouwill:"Theissues
discussedbytheboardofdirectorsweremany:theloud,acrimonious
complaintsofthestockholders;theabrupt,devastatingdepartureofthe
director;andthestartling,humiliatingdiscoverythathehadabsconded
withhalfthecompany'sassets."Anytimethephraseswhichmakeupa
seriescontaincommas,forwhateverreason,theyneedtobeseparatedby
semicolons.
Manypeoplearesoterrifiedofmakingthewrongchoicethattheytryto
avoidcolonsandsemicolonsaltogether,butI'mafraidthisjustcan't
bedone.Formalwritingrequirestheiruse,andit'snecessarytolearn
thecorrectpatterns.

COMEWITH
InsomeAmericandialectsitiscommontousethephrase"comewith"
withoutspecifyingwithwhom,asin"We'regoingtothebar.Wantto
comewith?"Thissoundsdistinctlyoddtothemajorityofpeople,who
wouldexpect"comewithus."
COMPANYNAMESWITHAPOSTROPHES
Somecompanynameswhichhaveapossessiveformuseanapostrophebefore
theSandsomedon't:"Macy's"doesand"Starbucks"doesn't.Logo
designersoftenfeelomittingtheapostropheleadstoacleanerlook,
andthere'snothingyoucandoaboutitexcepttorememberwhichis
standardforaparticularcompany.Butpeoplesometimesinformallyadd
anStocompanynameswithwhichtheyareonfamiliarterms:"Iwork
downattheSafeway'snow"(thoughinwriting,theapostropheislikely
tobeomitted).Thisisnotstandardusage.
CONCERNING/WORRISOME,TROUBLING
Peoplecommonlysayofthingsthatareacauseforconcernthattheyare
"concerning":"Myboyfriend'saffectionforhispetrattlesnakeis
concerning."ThisisnotstandardEnglish.Therearemanybetterwords
thatmeanthesamethingincluding"worrisome,""troubling,"and
"alarming."
CONNOTE/DENOTE
Theliteralmeaningofawordisitsdenotation;thebroader
associationswehavewithawordareitsconnotations.Peoplewhodepend
onathesaurusoracomputertranslationenginetofindsynonymsoften
chooseawordwiththerightdenotationbutthewrongconnotations.
"Determined"and"pigheaded"bothdenotestubbornness;butthefirst
connotesawiseadherencetopurposeandthesecondconnotesfoolish
rigidity.
"Boss"and"ChiefExecutiveOfficer"(CEO)canrefertothesameoffice;
butthefirstislessadmiringandlikelytoconnotetheviewof
employeeslowerdowninthecompanynobodywantstobethoughtofas
"bossy."Higherexecutiveswouldbemorelikelytospeakadmiringlyofa
"CEO."
Ioftenwrite"insufficientlycomplex"atthebottomofstudentpapers
insteadof"simpleminded."Althoughtheydenoteessentiallythesame
quality,theconnotationsofthefirstarelessinsulting.
CONSCIENCE,CONSCIOUS,CONSCIOUSNESS
Yourconsciencemakesyoufeelguiltywhenyoudobadthings,butyour
consciousnessisyourawareness.Ifyouareawake,youareconscious.
Althoughitispossibletospeakofyour"consciousmind,"youcan'tuse
"conscious"allbyitselftomean"consciousness."

Seeunconscience.
CONTRARY/CONTRAST
Thephrases"onthecontrary"and"tothecontrary"areusedtoreplyto
anopposingpoint.YourfriendtellsyousheismovingtoNewYorkand
youexpresssurprisebecauseyouthoughtshehatedbigcities.She
replies,"Onthecontrary,I'vealwayswantedtoliveinanurbanarea."
Whenadistinctionisbeingmadethatdoesnotinvolveoppositionof
thissort,"incontrast"isappropriate."InNewYork,youdon'tneeda
car.InLosAngeles,incontrast,youcan'treallygetalongwithout
one,thoughyouwon'tneedasnowshovel."
Here'sasimpletest:ifyoucouldpossiblysubstitute"that'swrong"
thephraseyouwantis"onthecontrary"or"tothecontrary"Ifnot,
thenuse"incontrast."
CONTRASTS/CONTRASTSWITH
"With"mustnotbeomittedinsentenceslikethis:"Julia'senthusiasm
forrugbycontrastswithCheryl'sdevotiontochess."
COPEUP/COPEWITH
Whenyoucan'tkeepupwithyourworkyoumaynotbeabletocopewith
yourjob;butyounever"copeup"withanything.Incasualspeechwesay
"Ican'tcope,"butinformalwriting"cope"isnormallyfollowedby
"with."
COPYWRITE/COPYRIGHT
Youcancopyrightwriting,butyoucanalsocopyrightaphotographor
song.Thewordhastodowithsecuringrights.Thus,thereisnosuch
wordas"copywritten";it's"copyrighted."
COSTUMER/CUSTOMER
Justwhatwoulda"costumerservice"do?Supplyextrashinyspanglesfor
aBroadwaydiva'soutfit?Butthisphraseisalmostalwaysa
typographicalerrorfor"customerservice,"anditappearsonan
enormousnumberofWebpages.BecarefulnottoswaptheUandOwhen
youtype"customer."
COULDCARELESS/COULDN'TCARELESS
Clichesareespeciallypronetoscramblingbecausetheybecome
meaninglessthroughoveruse.Inthiscaseanexpressionwhichoriginally
meant"itwouldbeimpossibleformetocarelessthanIdobecauseIdo
notcareatall"isrenderedsenselessbybeingtransformedintothe
nowcommon"Icouldcareless."Thinkaboutit:ifyoucouldcareless,
thatmeansyoucaresome.Theoriginalalreadydripssarcasm,soit's
pointlesstoarguethatthenewerversionis"ironic."Peoplewhomisuse
thisphrasearejustbeingcareless.

MoreonCOULDCARELESS"
Peoplewhousetheshortenedformareoftenconvincedtheyareright
becausetheyarebeing"ironic"andsomeevenclaimit'stheoriginal
form.Buthere'stheentryin"TheAmericanHeritageDictionaryof
Idioms":
"Thisexpressionoriginatedabout1940inBritainandforatime
invariablyusedcouldn't.About1960couldwasoccasionallysubstituted,
andtodaybothversionsareusedwithapproximatelyequalfrequency,
despitetheirbeingantonyms."
"Icouldcareless"justisn'tlogicallyironic.Thepeoplespeaking
feelirony,buttheirwordsdon'tconveyit."I'dbuythosejeans"could
beironicifyoureallymeanttheopposite:youwouldn'tbuythosejeans
iftheywerethelastpairintheworld.But"Icouldcareless"isn't
usedtoimplyitsopposite:thatyoucaremore.Thusitisnotironic.
"Couldn'tcareless"isastrongstatementbecauseitsaysyoudon't
careatall,zero!
"Couldcareless,"whatevermeaningyoutakeittohave,doesnothave
thatcrucialmessageofzerointerestwhichgivestheoriginalsaying
itssting.Seehttp://incompetech.com/gallimaufry/care_less.html
SeealsoMichaelQuiniononthispoint:
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qaico1.htm.
COULDOF,SHOULDOF,WOULDOF/COULDHAVE,SHOULDHAVE,WOULDHAVE
Thisisoneofthoseerrorstypicallymadebyapersonmorefamiliar
withthespokenthanthewrittenformofEnglish.Asentencelike"I
wouldhavegoneifanyonehadgivenmefreetickets"isnormallyspoken
inaslurredwaysothatthetwowords"wouldhave"arenotdistinctly
separated,butblendedtogetherintowhatisproperlyrendered
"would've."Seeingthat"V"tipsyouoffrightawaythat"would've"isa
contractionof"wouldhave."Butmanypeoplehear"wouldof"andthat's
howtheywriteit.Wrong.
Notethat"mustof"issimilarlyanerrorfor"musthave."
COUNCIL/COUNSEL/CONSUL
Thefirsttwowordsarepronouncedthesamebuthavedistinctmeanings.
Anofficialgroupthatdeliberates,liketheCouncilonForeign
Relations,isa"council";alltherestare"counsels":yourlawyer,
advice,etc.Aconsulisalocalrepresentativeofaforeigngovernment.
COUPLE/COUPLEOF
Insteadof"shewentwithacouplesleazyguysbeforeshemetme,"write
"acoupleofguys"ifyouaretryingtosoundabitmoreformal.Leaving
the"of"outisacasual,slangypattern.

COWTOW/KOWTOW
Youcantowacowtowater,butyoucan'tmakeitdrink.Buttheword
thatmeansbowingworshipfullybeforesomeonecomesfromtheChinese
wordsforknockingone'sheadontheground,andisspelled"kowtow."
CRACKERJACKS/CRACKERJACK
"Crackerjack"isanoldslangexpressionmeaning"excellent,"andthe
officialnameofthepopcornconfectionisalsosingular:"Cracker
Jack."Peopledon'tpluralizeitsrivalPoppycockas"Poppycocks,"but
theyseemtothinkoftheindividualpoppedkernelsasthe"jacks."A
similarlynamedcandyis"GoodandPlenty."Allthreehavedescriptive
namesdescribingqualitiesandshouldn'tbepluralized.Awayto
rememberthis:in"TakeMeOuttotheBallGame""CrackerJack"rhymes
with"back."
CRAFTS
Whenreferringtovehicles,"craft"isbothsingularandplural.Two
aircraft,manywatercraft,etc.Donotaddan"S."
Butwhenreferringtohobbiesandskillssuchas"woodcrafts"or"arts
andcrafts"addingan"S"inthepluralformisstandard.
CREDIBLE/CREDULOUS
"Credible"means"believable"or"trustworthy."Itisalsousedina
moreabstractsense,meaningsomethinglike"worthy":"Shemadea
crediblelyricsoprano."Don'tconfuse"credible"with"credulous,"a
muchrarerwordwhichmeans"gullible.""Hewasincredulous"means"he
didn'tbelieveit"whereas"hewasincredible"means"hewaswonderful"
(butusethelatterexpressiononlyincasualspeech).
Seealso"incredible."
CRESCENDO/CLIMAX
Whensomethingisgrowinglouderormoreintense,itisgoingthrougha
crescendo(fromanItalianwordmeaning"growing").Traditionalists
objecttoitsusewhenyoumean"climax."Acrescendoofcheersbyan
enthusiasticaudiencegrowsuntilitreachesaclimax,orpeak.
"Crescendo"asaverbiscommon,butalsodisapprovedofbymany
authorities.Insteadof"theorchestracrescendos,"write"theorchestra
playsacrescendo."
CREVICE/CREVASSE
Crevicesarebydefinitiontiny,likethatlittlecrevicebetweenyour
teethwherethepopcornhullsalwaysgetcaught.Ahugecrackina
glacierisgiventheFrenchspelling:crevasse.
CRITERIA/CRITERION

ThereareseveralwordswithLatinorGreekrootswhosepluralforms
endinginAareconstantlymistakenforsingularones.See,for
instance,dataandmedia.Youcanhaveonecriterionormanycriteria.
Don'tconfusethem.
CRITICISM
Beginningliteratureorarthistorystudentsareoftensurprisedto
learnthatinsuchcontexts"criticism"canbeaneutraltermmeaning
simply"evaluatingaworkofliteratureorart."Acriticalarticle
aboutTheColorPurplecanbeentirelypositiveaboutAliceWalker's
novel.Moviecriticswriteaboutfilmstheylikeaswellasaboutfilms
theydislike:writingofbothkindsiscalled"criticism."
CRITIQUE/CRITICIZE
Acritiqueisadetailedevaluationofsomething.Theformalwayto
requestoneis"givemeyourcritique,"thoughpeopleoftensay
informally"critiquethis"meaning"evaluateitthoroughly."But
"critique"asaverbisnotsynonymouswith"criticize"andshouldnot
beroutinelysubstitutedforit."Joshcritiquedmybackhand"meansJosh
evaluatedyourtennistechniquebutnotnecessarilythathefoundit
lacking."Joshcriticizedmybackhand"meansthathehadalowopinion
ofit.
Youcanwritecriticismonasubject,butyoudon'tcriticizeon
something,youjustcriticizeit.
CROISSANT
Thefancifullegendwhichattributesthecreationofthecroissantto
Christianbakerscelebratinga17thcenturyvictoryovertheTurksis
widelyrecountedbutalmostcertainlyuntrue,sincethereisnotraceof
thepastryuntilacenturylater.Althoughitsformwasprobablynot
influencedbytheIslamiccrescent,thewordcroissantmostdefinitely
isFrenchfor"crescent."Pastriesformedfromthesamedoughinto
differentshapesshouldnotbecalled"croissants."Ifacustomerin
yourbakeryasksforapainauchocolat(PANohshowcoLA),reachfor
thatrectangularpastryusuallymislabeledintheUSa"chocolate
croissant."
CRUCIFICTION/CRUCIFIXION
Onemightsupposethatthiscommonmisspellingwasaproductof
skepticismwereitnotforthefactthatitmostoftenoccursinthe
writingsofbelievers.ThewordshouldmakeclearthatJesuswasaffixed
tothecross,notimplythathiskillingisregardedasafiction.
CRUCIFIX/CROSS
AcrucifixisacrosswithanimageofthecrucifiedChristaffixedto
it.Reportersoftenmistakenlyrefertosomeonewearinga"crucifix"
whentheobjectinvolvedisanemptycross.Crucifixesaremostoften

associatedwithCatholics,emptycrosseswithProtestants.
CUE/QUEUE
"Cue"hasavarietyofmeanings,butallusesof"queue"relatetoits
originalFrenchmeaningof"tail,"whichbecomesametaphorforaline
(beware,however:inFrench"queue"isalsorudeslangforthemalesex
organ).Althoughafewdictionariesaccept"cue"asanalternative
spellingforthebraidedtailsomepeoplemakeoftheirhairora
waitingline,traditionallybotharequeues:"SunYatSenorderedthat
allChinesemenshouldcutofftheirqueues,""Ihaveover300moviesin
myNetflixqueue."
CURRANT/CURRENT
"Current"isanadjectivehavingtodowiththepresenttime,andcan
alsobeanounnamingathingthat,liketime,flows:electrical
current,currentsofpublicopinion."Currant"refersonlytolittle
fruits.
CURVEYOURAPPETITE/CURBYOURAPPETITE
A"curb"wasoriginallyadeviceusedtocontrolanunrulyhorse.
Alreadyinthe18thcenturypeoplewerespeakingbyanalogyof
controllingtheirappetitesas"curbing"them.Youdonot"curve"your
hunger,appetite,desires,etc.Youcurbthem.
CUTANDDRY/CUTANDDRIED
Manypeoplemishearthestandardexpressionmeaning"set,""notopento
change,"as"cutanddry."AlthoughthisformislistedintheOxford
EnglishDictionary,itisdefinitelylesscommoninsophisticated
writing.Thedominantmodernusageis"cutanddried."Whenusedto
modifyanoun,itmustbehyphenated:"cutanddriedplan."
CUTANDPASTE/COPYANDPASTE
Because"cutandpaste"isafamiliarphrase,manypeoplesayitwhen
theymean"copyandpaste"inacomputercontext.Thiscanleadto
disastrousresultsiffollowedliterallybyaninexpertperson.Ifyou
meantotellsomeonetoduplicatesomethingratherthanmoveit,say
"copy."Andwhenyouaremovingbitsofcomputerinformationfromone
placetoanotherthesafestsequenceisoftentocopytheoriginal,
pastethecopyelsewhere,andonlythendelete(cut)theoriginal.
CUTOFTEA/CUPOFTEA
Anastoundingnumberofpeoplewrite"cutoftea"whentheymean"cupof
tea,"especiallyinphraseslike"notmycutoftea"insteadof"notmy
cupoftea."Thissayingisnotaboutfinedistinctionsbetween
differentwaysthetea'sbeenharvested;itjustreferstotheordinary
vesselfromwhichyoudrinkthestuff.
Isthismistakeinfluencedbytheexpression"thecutofhisjib"oris

itjustagoofytypo?
DAMPSQUID/DAMPSQUIB
Squidareindeedusuallydampintheirnaturalenvironment;butthe
popularBritishexpressiondescribingalessthanspectacularexplosion
isa"dampsquib"(soggyfirecracker).
DAMPED/DAMPENED
Whenthevibrationofawheelisreduceditisdamped,butwhenyou
drivethroughapuddleyourtireisdampened."Dampened"alwayshasto
dowithwetting,ifonlymetaphorically:"TheannouncementthatBob's
parentswerestayinghomeafteralldampenedthespiritsofthe
partygoers."Theparentsarebeingawetblanket.
DANGLINGANDMISPLACEDMODIFIERS
Danglingandmisplacedmodifiersarediscussedatlengthinusageguides
partlybecausetheyareverycommonandpartlybecausetherearemany
differentkindsofthem.Butitisnotnecessarytounderstandthe
grammaticaldetailsinvolvedtograspthebasicprinciple:wordsor
phraseswhichmodifysomeotherwordorphraseinasentenceshouldbe
clearly,firmlyjoinedtothemandnotdangleoffforlornlyontheir
own.
Sometimesthedanglingphraseissimplytoofarremovedfromthewordit
modifies,asin"Sizzlingonthegrill,TheosmelledtheCopperRiver
salmon."ThismakesitsoundlikeTheoisbeingbarbecued,becausehis
nameisthenearestnounto"sizzlingonthegrill."Weneedtomovethe
danglingmodifierclosertotheworditreallymodifies:"salmon.""Theo
smelledtheCopperRiversalmonsizzlingonthegrill."
Sometimesit'snotclearwhichoftwopossiblewordsamodifier
modifies:"Feliciaisallergictorawapplesandalmonds."Isshe
allergiconlytorawalmonds,orallalmondsevenroastedones?This
couldbematteroflifeanddeath.Here'samuchclearerversion:
"Feliciaisallergictoalmondsandrawapples.""Raw"nowclearly
modifiesonly"apples."
Danglingmodifiersinvolvingverbsareespeciallycommonandsometimes
difficulttospot.Forinstance,considerthissentence:"Havingbought
theharpsichord,itnowneededtuning."Thereisnoonementionedinthe
sentencewhodidthebuying.Onewaytofixthisistoinsertthename
ofsomeoneandmakethetwohalvesofthesentenceparallelinform:
"WeiChi,havingboughttheharpsichord,nowneededtotuneit."Ifyou
haveapersoninmind,itiseasytoforgetthereaderneedstobetold
aboutthatperson;butheorshecan'tbejust"understood."
Here'sanothersentencewithadanglingmodifier,inthiscaseatthe
endofasentence:"Theretirementpartywasadisaster,nothaving
realizedthatArthurhadbeenjailedthepreviousweek."Thereisnobody
heredoingtherealizing.Onefix:"Theretirementpartywasadisaster
becausewehadnotrealizedthatArthurhadbeenjailedtheprevious

week."
Usingpassiveverbswilloftentripyouup:"InreviewingGareth's
computerrecords,hundredsofhoursspentplayingonlinegameswere
identified."Thissortofthinglooksfinetoalotofpeopleandin
factiscommoninprofessionalwriting,buttechnicallysomebody
specificneedstobementionedinthesentenceasdoingtheidentifying.
Insertingadoerandshiftingtotheactivevoicewillfixtheproblem.
Whilewe'reatit,let'smakeclearthatGarethwasdoingtheplaying:
"Theauditor,incheckingGareth'scomputerrecords,identifiedhundreds
ofhoursthathehadspentplayingonlinegames."
Adverbslike"almost,""even,""hardly,""just,""only,"and"nearly,"
areespeciallylikelytogetstuckinthewrongspotinasentence.
"RomeoalmostkissedJulietassoonashemether"meanshedidn'tkiss
herheonlyheldherhand.True,butyoumightwanttosaysomething
quitedifferent:"RomeokissedJulietalmostassoonashemether."The
placementofthemodifieriscrucial.
DARINGDO/DERRINGDO
Theexpressionlogicallyshouldbe"featsofdaringdo"becausethat's
justwhatitmeans:deedsofextremedaring.Butthroughachainof
misunderstandingsexplainedintheOxfordEnglishDictionary,the
standardformevolvedwiththeunusualspelling"derringdo,"and
"daringdo"isanerror.
DATA/DATUM
ThereareseveralwordswithLatinorGreekrootswhosepluralforms
endinginAareconstantlymistakenforsingularones.See,for
instance,"criteria"and"media.""Datum"issorarenowinEnglishthat
peoplemayassume"data"hasnosingularform.ManyAmericanusage
communities,however,use"data"asasingularandsomehaveevengone
sofarastoinvent"datums"asanewplural.Thisisacasewhereyou
needtoknowthepatternsofyourcontext.Anengineerorscientistused
towriting"thedatais"maywellfindthattheeditorsofajournalor
publishinghouseinsistonchangingthisphraseto"thedataare."Usage
issoevenlysplitinthiscasethatthereisnoautomaticwayof
determiningwhichisright;butwritersaddressinganinternational
audienceofnonspecialistswouldprobablybesafertreating"data"as
plural.
DATELINE/DEADLINE
Theword"dateline"isusedtodaymainlytolabelthebitoftextatthe
topofaprintednewsstorythatindicateswhereandoften,butnot
alwayswhenitwaswritten.Forinstance,afteraheadlineaboutevents
inKenya,thedeadlinemightread"NAIROBI,Kenya,June2,2010."
Probablybecausethisratherobscurewordhasbeenpopularizedbyits
useforthenameofanNBCtelevisionnewsshow,somepeopleconfuseit
with"deadline,"whichismostoftenthedatebywhichsomethingmustbe
accomplished.Youcanmissdeadlines,meetdeadlines,orhavetodeal

withshortdeadlinesbutnotdatelines.
DAYINAGE/DAYANDAGE
Theexpressionis"inthisdayandage;butit'sawornoutexpression,
soyou'dbebetteroffwriting"thesedays."
DAYLIGHTSAVINGSTIME/DAYLIGHTSAVINGTIME
Theofficialtermis"daylightsavingtime,"not"savingstime."
DEBRIEF
"Debrief"hasleakedoutofthemilitaryandnationalsecurityrealms
intothebusinessworld,wherepeopleseemprettyconfusedaboutit.
Whenyousendpeopleoutonmissions,youbriefthemgivethem
informationthey'llneed.Yougivethemabriefing.Whentheycomeback,
youdebriefthembyaskingthemwhattheydidandfoundout.Notethat
inbothcasesit'snotthepersondoingtheactualworkbutthebossor
audiencethatdoesthebriefinganddebriefing.Butpeoplecommonlyuse
"debrief"whentheymean"report."
Theverb"brief"comesoriginallyfromlaw,wheresomeonebeinggivena
legalbrief(instructionsonhandlingacase)canbesaidtohavebeen
briefed.Debriefinghasnothingtodowithunderwear.
DECEPTIVELY
Ifyousayofasoldierthatheis"deceptivelybrave"youmightbe
understoodtomeanthatalthoughheappearscowardlyheisactually
brave,orthatalthoughheappearsbraveheisactuallycowardly.This
ambiguityshouldcauseyoutobeverycarefulaboutusing"deceptive"
and"deceptively"tomakeclearwhichmeaningyouintend.
DECIMATE/ANNIHILATE,SLAUGHTER,ETC.
Thiscomesundertheheadingofthetrulypicky.Despitethefactthat
mostdictionarieshavecavedin,someofusstillrememberthatwhenthe
Romanskilledoneoutofeveryten(decem)soldiersinarebellious
groupasanexampletotheothers,theydecimatedthem.Peoplesensitive
totherootsofwordsareuncomfortablyremindedofthattenpercent
figurewhentheyseethewordusedinsteadtomean"annihilate,"
"obliterate,"etc.Youcanusuallygetawaywithusing"decimate"to
mean"drasticallyreduceinnumbers,"butyou'retakingabiggerrisk
whenyouuseittomean"utterlywipeout."
DEEPSEEDED/DEEPSEATED
ThosewhopinefortheoralculturesofYeOldenDayescanrejoiceaswe
enteranerawheremanypeopleareunfamiliarwithcommonexpressionsin
printandknowthemonlybyhearsay.*Theresultismistakeslike"deep
seeded."Theexpressionhasnothingtodowithafeelingbeingplanted
deepwithinone,butinsteadreferstoitsbeingseatedfirmlywithin
one'sbreast:"Myaversiontoanchoviesisdeepseated."Compounding

theirerror,mostpeoplewhomisusethisphraseleavethehyphenout.
Tennisplayersmaybeseeded,butnotfeelings.
*ThenotionthatEnglishshouldbespelledasitispronouncedis
widespread,buthistoryisagainstthereformersinmostcases.
Pronunciationisoftenapoorguidetospelling.Thevenerationof
certainpoliticalmovementsfortheteachingofreadingthroughphonics
isnicelycaricaturedbyatshirtsloganI'veseen:"Huktawnfonix."
DEFENCE/DEFENSE
IfyouarewritingforaBritishpublication,use"defence,"butthe
American"defense"hastheadvantagesofgreaterantiquity,similarity
tothewordsfromwhichitwasderived,andconsistencywithwordslike
"defensible."
DEFINATE/DEFINITE
Anyvowelinanunstressedpositioncansometimeshavethesound
linguistscalla"schwa:""uh."Theresultisthatmanypeopletendto
guesswhentheyhearthissound,but"definite"isdefinitelytheright
spelling.Alsocommonarevariousmisspellingsof"definitely,"
includingthebizarre"defiantly."
DEFAMATION/DEFORMATION
Someonewhodefamesyou,seekingtodestroyyourreputation(makingyou
illfamed),isengagingindefamationofcharacter.Onlyifsomeone
succeededinactuallymakingyouaworsepersoncouldyouclaimthat
theyhaddeformedyourcharacter.
DEFUSE/DIFFUSE
Youdefuseadangeroussituationbytreatingitlikeabombandremoving
itsfuse;todiffuse,incontrast,istospreadsomethingout:"Bob's
cheapcolognediffusedthroughouttheroom,wreckingthewinetasting."
DEGRADE/DENIGRATE/DOWNGRADE
Manypeopleuse"downgrade"insteadof"denigrate"tomean"defame,
slander.""Downgrade"isentirelydifferentinmeaning.Whensomething
isdowngraded,itisloweredingrade(usuallymadeworse),notjust
consideredworse."WhenthepresidentofthecompanyfledtoRiowith
fifteenmilliondollars,itsbondsweredowngradedtojunkbondstatus."
"Degrade"ismuchmoreflexibleinmeaning.Itcanmeantolowerin
statusorrank(like"downgrade")ortocorruptormakecontemptible;
butitalwayshastodowithactualreductioninvalueratherthanmere
insult,like"denigrate."Mostofthetimewhenpeopleuse"downgrade"
theywouldbebetteroffinsteadusing"insult,""belittle,"or"sneer
at."
DEGREETITLES
Whenyouarewritingphraseslike"bachelor'sdegree,""masterofarts

degree"and"doctorofphilosophydegree"usealllowercasespelling.
Lessformally,theseareoftenabbreviatedto"bachelor's,""master's,"
and"doctorate":"Iearnedmymaster'satWashingtonStateUniversity."
Becarefulnottoomittheapostropheswhereneeded.
Theonlytimetocapitalizethespelledoutformsofdegreenamesis
whenyouarespecifyingaparticulardegree'sname:"MasterofEnglish
Composition."HowevertheabbreviationsBA,MA,andPhDareall
capitalized.Inmodernusageperiodsarenotusuallyadded.
DEJAVU
InFrench"dejavu"meansliterally"alreadyseen"andusuallyrefersto
somethingexcessivelyfamiliar.Howeverthephrase,sansaccentmarks,
wasintroducedintoEnglishmainlyasapsychologicaltermindicating
thesensationoneexperienceswhenfeelingthatsomethinghasbeen
experiencedbeforewhenthisisinfactnotthecase.Ifyoufeel
stronglythatyouhavebeenpreviouslyinaplacewhereyouknowfora
factyouhaveneverbeforebeen,youareexperiencingasensationof
dejavu.EnglishusageisrapidlyslidingbacktowardtheFrench
meaning,confusinglistenerswhoexpectthephrasetorefertoafalse
sensationratherthanafactualfamiliarity,asin"Congressisin
sessionandtalkingaboutcampaignfinancereform,creatingasenseof
dejavu."Inthisrelativelynewsense,thephrasehasthesame
associationsasthecolloquial"sameold,sameold"(increasinglyoften
misspelled"sameo,sameo"byilliterates).
"Itseemslikeit'sdejavualloveragain,"isaredundantlymangled
sayingusuallyattributedtobaseballplayerYogiBerra.Overthe
ensuingdecadescleverwriterswouldalludetothisblunderintheir
prosebyrepeatingthephrase"dejavualloveragain,"assumingthat
theirreaderswouldcatchtheallusionandshareachucklewiththem.
Unfortunately,recentlythephrasehasbeenworntoafrazzleandbecome
allbutsubstitutedfortheoriginal,sothatnotonlyhasitbecomea
verytiredjokeindeedawholegenerationhasgrownupthinkingthat
Berra'smalapropismisthecorrectformoftheexpression.Giveita
rest,folks!
DEMOCRATPARTY/DEMOCRATICPARTY
CertainRepublicanmembersofCongresshaveplayedthechildishgamein
recentyearsofreferringtotheoppositionasthe"DemocratParty,"
hopingtoimplythatDemocratsarenottrulydemocratic.Theysucceed
onlyinmakingthemselvessoundignorant,andsowillyouifyouimitate
them.Thenameis"DemocraticParty."
DENIEDOF/DENIED
Ifyouaredeprivedofyourrightsyouaredeniedthem;butthat'sno
reasontoconfusethesetwoexpressionswitheachother.Youcan'tbe
"deniedof"anything.
DEPENDS/DEPENDSON

Incasualspeech,wesay"itdependswhoplaysthebestdefense";butin
writingfollow"depends"with"on."
DEPRECIATE/DEPRECATE
Todepreciatesomethingistoactuallymakeitworse,whereasto
deprecatesomethingissimplytospeakorthinkofitinamannerthat
demonstratesyourlowopinionofit.Peoplewhomakeunflatteringjokes
orcommentsaboutthemselvesareselfdeprecating.
DERISORY/DERISIVE
Although"derisory"and"derisive"canbothmean"laughable,"thereare
sometimessubtledistinctionsmadebetweenthem."Derisory"ismost
oftenusedtomean"worthyofbeinglaughedat":"Ethan"madeaderisory
efforttocleanthecatboxwhiletalkingonhiscellphone."Sneering
laughterisusuallydescribedas"derisive."
Youmightmoreunusuallyspeakofaneffortas"derisive,"butmost
peoplewouldthinkitoddtouse"derisory"todescribethetoneof
someone'slaughter.
DESERT/DESSERT
Perhapsthesetwowordsareconfusedpartlybecause"dessert"isoneof
thefewwordsinEnglishwithadouble"S"pronouncedlike"Z"
("brassiere"isanother).Thatimpoverishedstretchofsandcalleda
desertcanonlyaffordone"S."Incontrast,thatrichgooeyextrathing
attheendofthemealcalledadessertindulgesintwoofthem.The
wordinthephrase"hegothisjustdeserts"isconfusinglypronounced
justlike"desserts."
DEVIANT/DEVIATE
Thetechnicaltermusedbyprofessionalstolabelsomeonewhosebehavior
deviatesfromthenormis"deviate,"butifyouwanttoteaseaperv
friendyoumayaswellcallhima"deviant"that'swhatalmost
everybodyelsesays.Inyoursociologyclass,however,youmightwantto
stickwith"deviate."
DEVICE/DEVISE
"Device"isanoun.Acanopenerisadevice."Devise"isaverb.You
candeviseaplanforopeningacanwithasharprockinstead.Onlyin
lawis"devise"properlyusedasanoun,meaningsomethingdeededina
will.
DEW/DO/DOO/DUE
Theoriginalpronunciationof"dew"and"due"rhymedwith"pew",but
Americanpronunciationhasshiftedtowardsoundingallofthesewords
alike,andtheresultismuchconfusioninstandardphrases.Onadamp
morningthereisdewonthegrass.Dooonthegrassistheresultof
failingtopickupafteryourdog.Themostcommonconfusionis

substituting"do"for"due"(owing)inphraseslike"creditisdue,"
"duetocircumstances,"and"billisdue."
"Do"isnormallyaverb,butitcanbeanounwithmeaningslike
"party,""hairdo,"and"dosanddon'ts."Notethatinthelastphraseit
isnotnecessarytoinsertanapostrophebeforethe"S,"andthatifyou
choosetodosoyou'llwindupwithtwoapostrophesawkwardlyclose
together:"don't's."
DIALOGUE/DISCUSS
"Dialogue"asaverbinsentenceslike"theMathDepartmentwill
dialoguewiththeDeanaboutfunding"iscommonlyusedjargonin
businessandeducationsettings,butabhorredbytraditionalists.Say
"haveadialogue"or"discuss"instead.
DIETIES/DEITIES
Thisoneisalwaysgoodforalaugh.Thegodsaredeities,afterthe
Latin"deus,"meaning"god."
DIFFERENTTHAN/DIFFERENTFROM/TO
Americanssay"Scubadivingisdifferentfromsnorkeling,"theBritish
oftensay"differentto"(thoughmostUKstyleguidesdisapprove),and
thosewhodon'tknowanybettersay"differentthan."However,though
conservativesobject,youcanusuallygetawaywith"differentthan"if
afullclausefollows:"Yourpashminashawllooksdifferentthanitused
tosincethecatsleptonit."
DIFFER/VARY
"Vary"canmean"differ,"butsaying"ouropinionsvary"makesitsound
asiftheywerechangingallthetimewhenwhatyoureallymeanis"our
opinionsdiffer."Payattentiontocontextwhenchoosingoneofthese
words.
DILEMMA/DIFFICULTY
Adilemmaisadifficultchoice,notjustanydifficultyorproblem.
Whethertoinviteyourson'smothertohishighschoolgraduationwhen
yourcurrentwifehatesherisadilemma.Cleaningupafterahurricane
isjustaproblem,thoughadifficultone.
"Dilemna"isacommonmisspellingof"dilemma."
DIRESTRAIGHTS/DIRESTRAITS
Whenyouarethreadingyourwaythroughtroublesasifyouwere
traversingadangerouslynarrowpassageyouarein"direstraits."The
expressionandthebandbythatnameareoftentransformedbythosewho
don'tunderstandtheword"strait"into"direstraights."
Seealso"straightjacket/straitjacket."

DISBURSE/DISPERSE
Youdisbursemoneybytakingitoutofyourpurse(French"bourse")and
distributingit.Ifyourefusetohandoutanymoney,theeagermobof
beggarsbeforeyoumaydisperse(scatter).
DISC/DISK
"Compactdisc"isspelledwitha"C"becausethat'showitsinventors
decideditshouldberendered;butacomputerharddiskisspelledwith
a"K"(unlessit'saCDROM,ofcourse).Inmoderntechnological
contexts,"disks"usuallyreproducedatamagnetically,while"discs"
(CDROMs,DVDs,etc.)reproduceit"optically,"withlasers.
DISCONCERNING/CONCERNING,DISCERNING
Thisoddwordlookslikeitmightbeanerrorfor"disconcerting,"but
peoplewhouseitseemmostlytomeansomethinglike"discerning"
(perceiving)or"concerning"(inthesense"ofconcern,"itselfwidely
consideredanerror).
DISCREET/DISCRETE
Themorecommonwordis"discreet,"meaning"prudent,circumspect":
"WhenarrangingthepartyforAgnes,besuretobediscreet;wewanther
tobesurprised.""Discrete"means"separate,distinct":"Hearranged
theguestlistintotwodiscretegroups:meateatersandvegetarians."
NotehowtheTseparatesthetwoEsin"discrete."
DISCUSSED/DISGUST
"Discussed"isthepasttenseoftheverb"discuss."Don'tsubstitute
foritthenoun"disgust"insuchsentencesas"Thecouple'swedding
planswerethoroughlydiscussed."
DISGRESSION/DISCRETION
Discretionhastodowithbeingdiscreetorwithmakingchoices.Alot
ofpeoplehearitandgetinfluencedbythequitedifferentword
"digression"whichisusedtolabelinstancesofpeoplewanderingoff
thepoint.Theresultisthenonword"disgression."Theexpressionis
"youcandoitatyourowndiscretion."
DISINTERESTED/UNINTERESTED
Aboredpersonisuninterested.Donotconfusethiswordwiththemuch
rarer"disinterested,"whichmeans"objective,neutral".
DISRESPECT
Thehiphopsubculturehasrevivedtheuseof"disrespect"asaverb.In
themeaningtohaveorshowdisrespect,thisusagehasbeenlong

established,ifunusual.However,thenewstreetmeaningoftheterm,
ordinarilyabbreviatedto"dis,"isslightlybutsignificantly
different:toactdisrespectfully,ormorefrequentlyinsultingly
towardsomeone.Insomeneighborhoods"dissing"isdefinedasmerely
failingtoshowsufficientterrorinthefaceofintimidation.Inthose
neighborhoods,itiswisetoknowhowthetermisused;butanapplicant
forajobwhocomplainsabouthavingbeen"disrespected"elsewhereis
likelytoincurfurtherdisrespect...andnojob.Streetslanghas
itsuses,butthisisoneinstancethathasnotbecomegenerally
accepted.
DISSEMBLE/DISASSEMBLE
Peoplewhodissemblearebeingdishonest,tryingtohidewhattheyare
reallyupto.Thisisanuncommonword,oftenmisusedwhen"disassemble"
ismeant.Peoplewhodisassemblesomethingtakeitaparttheyaredoing
theoppositeofassemblingit.
DORESPECT/DUERESPECT
Whenyouprefaceyourcriticalcommentsbytellingpeople"withalldue
respect"youareclaimingtogivethemtherespecttheyareduethat
whichisowedthem.Manyfolksmisunderstandthisphraseandmisspellit
"alldorespect"oreven"alldorespect."Youshouldn'tusethis
expressionunlessyoureallydointendtobeaspoliteaspossible;all
toooftenit'susedmerelytoprefaceadeliberateinsult.
DOCTORIAL/DOCTORAL
"Doctoral"isoccasionallymisspelledandoftenmispronounced
"doctorial."
DOESN'TSUPPOSEDTO/ISN'TSUPPOSEDTO
Youaren'tsupposedtosay"doesn'tsupposedto."Theexpressionis
"isn'tsupposedto."
DOLLY/HANDCART
Adollyisaflatplatformwithwheelsonit,oftenusedtomakeheavy
objectsmobile,orbyanautomechaniclyingononeunderacarbody.
Manypeoplemistakenlyusethiswordtodesignatethevertically
orientedtwowheeleddevicewithuprighthandlesandhorizontallip.
Thislatterdeviceismoreproperlycalleda"handcart"or"handtruck."
DOMINATE/DOMINANT
Theverbis"dominate";theadjectiveis"dominant."Thedominant
chimpanzeetendstodominatetheothers.
DONE/DID
Thepastparticipleof"do"is"done,"soit'snot"theyhavedidwhat
theypromisednottodo"but"theyhavedone...."Butwithouta

helpingverb,thewordis"did."Nonstandard:"Idonegoodonthetest."
Standard:"Ididwellonthetest."
DO'SANDDON'TS/DOSANDDON'TS
Oneunusualuseofapostrophesistomarkpluralsofwordswhentheyare
beingtreatedaswords,asin"pro'sandcon's,"althoughplainold
"prosandcons"withoutapostrophesisfine.But"don't"alreadyhasone
apostropheinit,andaddinganotherlooksawkwardinthephrase"do's
anddon't's,"sopeoplewindupbeinginconsistentandwriting"do'sand
don'ts."Thismakesnologicalsense.Youcanalsoskiptheextra
apostrophesandwrite"dosanddon'ts,"unlessyou'reafraidthat"dos"
willremindyourreadersofMSDOS(butthatunlamentedoperatingsystem
isfastbecomingadistantmemory).
DOUBLENEGATIVES
Itisnottrue,assomeassert,thatdoublenegativesarealwayswrong;
butthepatterninformalspeechandwritingisthattwonegativesequal
amildpositive:"heisanotuntalentedguitarist"meanshehassome
talent.Ininformalspeech,however,doublenegativesareintendedas
negatives:"heain'tgotnotalent"meansheisalousymusician.People
arerarelyconfusedaboutthemeaningofeitherpattern,butyoudoneed
totakeyouraudienceintoaccountwhendecidingwhichpatternto
follow.
OneofthefunniestusesoftheliterarydoublenegativeisDouglas
Adams'descriptionofamachinedispensing"asubstancealmost,butnot
quite,entirelyunliketea."
DOUBTTHAT/DOUBTWHETHER/DOUBTIF
Ifyoureallydoubtthatsomethingistrue(suspectthatit'sfalse),
use"doubtthat":"IdoubtthatFredhasreallylost25pounds."Ifyou
wanttoexpressgenuineuncertainty,use"whether":"Idoubtwhether
we'llseethecometifthecloudsdon'tclearsoon.""Doubtif"canbe
substitutedfor"doubtwhether,"thoughit'sconsideredsomewhatmore
casual,butdon'tuseitwhenyoumean"doubtthat."
DOUBTLESSLY/DOUBTLESS
Leaveofftheunnecessary"ly"in"doubtless."
DOVE/DIVED
Although"dove"isacommonformofthepasttenseof"dive,"afew
authoritiesconsider"dived"preferableinformalwriting.
DOWNFALL/DRAWBACK
Adownfallissomethingthatcausesaperson'sdestruction,either
literalorfigurative:"expensivecarswereFred'sdownfall:hespent
hisentireinheritanceonthemandwentbankrupt."Adrawbackisnot
nearlysodrastic,justaflaworproblemofsomekind,andisnormally

appliedtoplansandactivities,nottopeople:"Gloria'splantocamp
onMosquitoIslandhadjustonedrawback:shehadforgottentobringher
insectrepellent."Also,"downfall"shouldnotbeusedwhenthemore
moderate"decline"ismeant;reserveitforruin,nottodesignate
simpledeterioration.
DRANK/DRUNK
ManycommonverbsinEnglishchangeformwhentheirpasttenseis
precededbyanauxiliary("helping")verb:"Iran,Ihaverun."Thesame
istrueof"drink."Don'tsay"I'vedrankthebeer"unlessyouwant
peopletothinkyouaredrunk.Anevenmorecommonerroris"Idrunkall
themilk."it's"I'vedrunkthebeer"and"Idrankallthemilk."
DRASTIC
"Drastic"means"severe"andgenerallyhasnegativeorfrightening
associations.Drasticmeasuresarenotjustextreme,theyarelikelyto
haveharmfulsideeffects.Don'tusethiswordor"drastically"ina
positiveorneutralsense.Adrasticriseintemperatureshouldbeseen
asdownrightdangerous,notjustsurprisinglylarge.Oftenwhenpeople
usephraseslike"drasticimprovement,"theymean"dramatic"instead.
DREDGE/DRUDGE/TRUDGE
Youusemachinerytoscoopstuffupfromunderwatercalledadredgeto
dredgeupgunkordebrisfromthebottomofariverorlake.
Metaphorically,youalsodredgeupoldmemories,thepast,orobjects
buriedinthemessinyourroom.
Todrudgeistodohard,annoyingwork;andapersonwhodoessuchwork
canalsobecalleda"drudge."Ifyoufindyourselfsaying"drudgeup"
aboutanythingyou'retryingtouncoveryoualmostcertainlyshouldbe
using"dredgeup"instead.
Whenyousloglaboriouslyupahill,youtrudgeupit.Trudgingmaybe
drudgery;buttheactofwalkingadifficultpathisnotdrudging,but
trudging.
Andyoucookswonderingwhetherdredgingachickenbreastwithflourhas
anythingtodowithriverbottomdredgingwillberelievedtoknowit
doesnot.Thetwowordshavecompletelydifferentorigins("sprinkling"
vs."scooping").
DRIER/DRYER
Aclothesdryermakestheclothesdrier.
DRIBBLE/DRIVEL
"Dribble"and"drivel"originallymeantthesamething:drool.Butthe
twowordshavebecomedifferentiated.Whenyoumeantocriticizesomeone
else'sspeechasstupidorpointless,thewordyouwantis"drivel."

DRIPSANDDRABS/DRIBSANDDRABS
Somethingdoledoutinmiserlyamountsisprovidedin"dribsanddrabs."
Adribisasmallerrelativeofadribble.Nobodyseemstobesurewhat
adrabisinthissense,exceptthatit'satinybitlargerthanadrib.
Sincetheoriginofthephraseisobscure,peopletrytosubstitutea
morefamiliarwordfortheunusualword"drib"bywriting"dripsand
drabs."Butthat'snotthetraditionalformula.
DRIVE/DISK
Aharddriveandaharddiskaremuchthesamething;butwhenitcomes
toremovablecomputermedia,thedriveisthemachinerythatturnsand
readsthedisk.Besurenottoaskforadrivewhenallyouneedisa
disk.
DRUG/DRAGGED
"Well,lookwhatthecatdrugin!"Unlessyouaretryingtorender
dialecticalspeechtoconveyasenseofdownhomerusticity,use
"dragged"asthepasttenseof"drag."
DUAL/DUEL
"Dual"isanadjectivedescribingthetwonessofsomethingdual
carburetors,forinstance.A"duel"isaformalbattleintendedto
settleadispute.
DUCKTAPE/DUCTTAPE
Acommercialfirmhasnameditsproduct"DuckTape,"harkingbackto
theoriginalnameforthisadhesivetape(whichwasgreen),developedby
Johnson&JohnsonduringWorldWarIItowaterproofammunitioncases.It
isnowusuallycalled"ducttape,"foritscommonuseinconnecting
ventilationandotherducts(whichmatchitscurrentsilvercolor).Note
thatmodernbuildingcodesconsiderducttapeunsafeforsealingducts,
particularlythosethatconveyhotair.
DUETOTHEFACTTHAT/BECAUSE
Although"dueto"isnowagenerallyacceptablesynonymfor"because,"
"duetothefactthat"isaclumsyandwordysubstitutethatshouldbe
avoidedinformalwriting."Dueto"isoftenmisspelled"doto."
DYEING/DYING
Ifyouareusingdyetochangeyourfavoritetshirtfromwhitetoblue
youaredyeingit;butifyoudon'tbreatheforsolongthatyourface
turnsblue,youmaybedying.
E.G./I.E.
Whenyoumean"forexample,"usee.g.Itisanabbreviationforthe

Latinphraseexempligratia.Whenyoumean"thatis,"use"i.e."Itis
anabbreviationfortheLatinphrase"idest."Eithercanbeusedto
clarifyaprecedingstatement,thefirstbyexample,thesecondby
restatingtheideamoreclearlyorexpandinguponit.Becausetheseuses
aresosimilar,thetwoabbreviationsareeasilyconfused.Ifyoujust
stickwithgoodoldEnglish"forexample"and"thatis"youwon'tgive
anyoneachancetosneeratyou.Ifyouinsistonusingthe
abbreviation,perhaps"examplegiven"willremindyoutouse"e.g.,"
while"ineffect"suggests"I.E."
Sincee.g.indicatesapartiallist,itisredundanttoadd"etc."at
theendofalistintroducedbythisabbreviation.
EACH
"Each"asasubjectisalwayssingular:thinkofitasequivalentto
"everyone."Theverbwhosesubjectitismustalsobesingular.Some
uses,like"tokeepthemfromfighting,eachdoghasbeengivenitsown
bowl,"causenoproblem.Nooneistemptedtosay"havebeengiven."But
whenaprepositionalphrasewithapluralobjectintervenesbetween
subjectandverb,wearelikelytobemisledintosayingthingslike
"Eachofthechildrenhavetomemorizetheirownlockercombinations."
Thesubjectis"each,"not"children."Thetendencytoavoidspecifying
genderbyusing"their"addstopressuretowardplurality;butthe
correctversionofthissentenceis"Eachofthechildrenhasto
memorizehisorherownlockercombination."Onecanavoidtheentire
problembypluralizingthroughout:"Allthechildrenhavetomemorize
theirownlockercombinations"(butseetheentryonsingular"they").
Inmanyuses,however,"each"isnotthesubject,asin"Weeachhave
ourownfavoriteflavoroficecream"whichiscorrectbecause"we"and
not"each"isthesubjectoftheverb"have".
"Eachother"cannotbeasubject,sothequestionofverbnumberdoes
notarise;butthenumberofthepossessivecreatesaproblemforsome
writers."Theygazedintoeachother'seyes"iscorrectand"each
others'"isincorrectbecause"eachother"issingular.Rewordto"each
gazedintotheother'seyes"toseethelogicbehindthisrule."Each
other"isalwaystwodistinctwordsseparatedbyaspacealthoughit
functionsgrammaticallyasasortofcompoundword.
EARLYADAPTER/EARLYADOPTER
An"earlyadopter,"isapersonwhoquicklyadoptssomethingnew
quicklyusuallyatechnologicalinnovation.Ifyoujusthavetorush
outandbuythelatestandcoolestgadget,you'reanearlyadopter.If
itmeantanything,an"earlyadapter"wouldbesomeonewhoreworked
somethingfirstforhisorherownpurposes;butmostofthetimethis
versionofthephraseisjustamistake.
EARTH,MOON
Soilislowercase"earth."Andinmostuseseventheplanetitself
remainshumblyinlowercaseletters:"peaceonearth."Butin
astronomicalcontexts,theEarthcomesintoitsownwithaproudinitial

capital,andinsciencefictionitdropstheintroductoryarticleand
becomes"Earth,"justlikeMarsandVenus.Asimilarpatternappliesto
Earth'ssatellite:"shineon,harvestmoon,"but"fromtheEarthtothe
Moon."Becauseotherplanetsalsohavemoons,itneverlosesits
article.
EASEDROP/EAVESDROP
Theareaundertheeavesrightnexttothefrontofabuildingusedto
becalledthe"eavesdrop,"andsomebodylisteninginsecretivelyfrom
suchapositioncametobecalledan"eavesdropper."Unfortunately,so
fewpeopledistinctlypronouncetheVin"eavesdrop"thatmanyare
misledintomisspellingit"easedrop."
ECOLOGY/ENVIRONMENT
"Ecology"isthestudyoflivingthingsinrelationshiptotheir
environment.Thewordcanalsobeusedtodescribethetotalityofsuch
relationships;butitshouldnotbesubstitutedfor"environment"in
statementslike"improperlydiscardedleadbatteriesharmtheecology."
it'snottherelationshipsthatarebeingharmed,butnatureitself:the
batteriesareharmingtheenvironment.
ECONOMIC/ECONOMICAL
Somethingiseconomicalifitsavesyoumoney;butifyou'retalking
abouttheeffectofsomemeasureontheworld'seconomy,it'san
economiceffect.
ECSTATIC
Pronounced"eckstatic,"not"esstatic."
ECT./ETC.
"Etc."isanabbreviationfortheLatinphraseetcetera,meaning"and
therest."("Et"means"and"inFrenchtoo.)Justsay"etcetera"out
loudtoyourselftoremindyourselfofthecorrectorderofthe"T"and
"C."Alsotobeavoidedisthecommonmispronunciation"excetera.""And
etc."isaredundancy.
NEEDSED/ING
Insomedialectsitiscommontosay"myshoesneedshined"insteadof
thestandard"myshoesneedshining"or"myshoesneedtobeshined."
ED/T
YouhavelearntyourlessonsonlyinUKinfluencedcountries,you've
learnedthemintheUSThereareseveralcommonverbswhichoftenhave
"T"endingsinBritainwhichseemalittlequaintandpoeticinAmerican
English,whereweprefer"ED."Otherexamples:"dreamt/dreamed,"
"dwelt/dwelled,""leant/leaned,""leapt/leaped,"and"spelt/spelled."
However,thefollowingalternativesarebothcommonintheUS:

"burned/burnt"and"kneeled/knelt."
EFFORTING/TRYING
Amongthenewverbscreatedoutofnouns,"efforting"isoneofthemost
bizarreandunnecessary,andhasbeenmetwithachorusofobjections.
Youarenot"efforting"togetyourreportinontime;youaretryingto
doso.Insteadofsaying"weareeffortinganewvendor,"say"weare
tryingtofindanewvendor."
EI/IE
ThefamiliarruleisthatEnglishwordsarespelledwiththe"I"before
the"E"unlesstheyfollowa"C,"asin"receive."Butitisimportant
toaddthatwordsinwhichthevowelsoundisan"A"like"neighbor"and
"weigh"arealsospelledwiththe"E"first.Andthereareafew
exceptionslike"counterfeit,""seize,and"weird."
Seealso"neice/niece."
EITHER
"Either"oftengetsmisplacedinasentence:"Heeitherwantedtobuild
agamblingcasinooraconvent"shouldbe"Hewantedtobuildeithera
gamblingcasinooraconvent."Put"either"justbeforethefirstofthe
twothingsbeingcompared.
EITHERARE/EITHERIS
Asasubject,"either"issingular.It'stheoppositeof"both,"and
referstooneatatime:"Eitherketchupormustardisgoodonahot
dog."Butif"either"ismodifyingasubjectinan"either...or"
phrase,thenthenumberoftheverbisdeterminedbythenumberofthe
secondnoun:"Eitherthepuppyorthetwinsseemtoneedmyattention
everyotherminute."
ELAPSE/LAPSE
BoththesewordscomefromaLatinrootmeaning"toslip.""Elapse"
almostalwaysreferstothepassageoftime."Lapse"usuallyreferstoa
changeofstate,asinlapsingfromconsciousnessintounconsciousness.
Hereareexamplesofthecorrectusesofthesewordsyoumightgetin
themail:"Sixmonthshaveelapsedsinceyourlastdentalappointment"
and"YouhaveallowedyoursubscriptiontoBrideMagazinetolapse."
Occasionally"lapse"canbeusedasasynonymof"elapse"inthesense
"toslipaway."Substitutingonefortheotherisdangerous,however,if
youarealawyer.Insurancepoliciesandcollectivebargaining
agreementsdonotelapsewhentheyexpire,theylapse.
ELECTROCUTE/SHOCK
Toelectrocuteistokillusingelectricity.Ifyoulivetotellthe
tale,you'vebeenshocked,butnotelectrocuted.Forthesamereason,
thephrase"electrocutedtodeath"isaredundancy.

ELICIT/ILLICIT
Thelawyertriestoelicitadescriptionoftheattackerfromthe
witness."Elicit"isalwaysaverb."Illicit,"incontrast,isalwaysan
adjectivedescribingsomethingillegalornaughty.
ELLIPSES
Thosedotsthatcomeinthemiddleofaquotationtoindicatesomething
omittedarecalledan"ellipsis"(plural"ellipses"):"TextoldSamto
getthe...cowoutofthebunkhouse."HereTex'slanguagehasbeen
censored,butyouaremorelikelytohaveauseforellipseswhen
quotingsomesourceinapaper:"Ishmaelremarksatthebeginningof
"MobyDick,"'someyearsago...IthoughtIwouldsailabouta
little'averyunderstatedwaytobeginanovelofhighadventure."
Thethreedotsstandforaconsiderablestretchofprosethathasbeen
omitted.Iftheellipsisendsyoursentence,someeditorialstyles
requirefourdots,thefirstofwhichisaperiod:Fromthesame
paragraphinMobyDick:"almostallmen...cherishverynearlythe
samefeelings...."Notethattheperiodinthesecondellipsishasto
besnugupagainstthelastwordquoted,withspacesbetweentheother
dots.
Somemodernstylesdonotcallforellipsesatthebeginningandending
ofquotedmatterunlessnotdoingsowouldbegenuinelymisleading,so
checkwithyourteacheroreditorifyou'reuncertainwhethertouseone
inthosepositions.Itisnevercorrecttosurroundaquotedsingleword
orshortphrasewithellipses:"RomeotellsJulietthatbykissingher
againhis'sinispurged'"(note,bytheway,thatIbeganthequotation
afterthefirstwordinthephrase"mysinispurged"inordertomake
itworkgrammaticallyinthecontextofthesentence).
Whentextistypeset,thespacesareoftenbutnotalwaysomitted
betweenthedotsinanellipsis.Sincemoderncomputerprinteroutput
looksmuchmoreliketypesetwritingthanoldfashionedtypewriting,you
maybetemptedtoomitthespaces;butitisbettertoincludethemand
letthepublisherdecidewhethertheyshouldbeeliminated.
Anellipsisthatworksperfectlywellonyourcomputermay"break"when
yourtextistransferredtoanotherifitcomesattheendofaline,
withoneormoreofthedotswrappingaroundtothenextline.Toavoid
this,learnhowtotype"nonbreakingspaces"betweenthedotsof
ellipses:inWordforWindowsit'sControlShiftSpacebar;onaMac,
it'sOptionSpacebar.WhenwritingHTMLcodetocreateaWebpage,make
anonbreakingspacewiththiscode: 
EMAIL/EMAIL
Althoughthespelling"email"isextremelypopular,manypeopleprefer
"email,"whichfollowsthesamepatternas"ecommerce."The"E"stands
for"electronic."
EMBARESS/EMBARRASS

Youcanpronouncethelasttwosyllablesastwodistinctwordsasajog
tomemory,exceptthatthenthewordmaybemisspelled"embareass,"
whichisn'trighteither.YoualsohavetorememberthedoubleR:
"embarrass."
EMERGENT/EMERGENCY
Theerrorofconsidering"emergent"tobetheadjectivalformof
"emergency"iscommononlyinmedicalwriting,butitisbecoming
widespread."Emergent"properlymeans"emerging"andnormallyrefersto
eventsthatarejustbeginningbarelynoticeableratherthan
catastrophic."Emergency"isanadjectiveaswellasanoun,sorather
thanwriting"emergentcare,"usethehomely"emergencycare."
EMIGRATE/IMMIGRATE
To"emigrate"istoleaveacountry.TheEatthebeginningoftheword
isrelatedtotheEinotherwordshavingtodowithgoingout,suchas
"exit.""Immigrate,"incontrast,looksasifitmighthavesomethingto
dowithgoingin,andindeeditdoes:itmeanstomoveintoanew
country.Thesamedistinctionappliesto"emigration"and"immigration."
NotethedoubleMinthesecondform.Amigrantissomeonewho
continuallymovesabout.
EMINENT/IMMINENT/IMMANENT
Byfarthemostcommonofthesewordsis"eminent,"meaning"prominent,
famous.""Imminent,"inphraseslike"facingimminentdisaster,"means
"threatening."ItcomesfromLatinminere,meaning"toprojector
overhang."Thinkofaminethreateningtocavein.Positiveeventscan
alsobeimminent:theyjustneedtobecomingsoon.Therarestofthe
threeis"immanent,"usedbyphilosopherstomean"inherent"andby
theologianstomean"presentthroughouttheuniverse"whenreferringto
God.ItcomesfromLatin"manere,""remain."ThinkofGodcreating"man"
inhisownimage.
Whenagovernmentexercisesitspoweroverprivatepropertyitis
drawingonitseminentstatusinsociety,sotheproperlegalphraseis
"eminentdomain."
EMPATHY/SYMPATHY
Ifyouthinkyoufeeljustlikeanotherperson,youarefeelingempathy.
Ifyoujustfeelsorryforanotherperson,you'refeelingsympathy.
Sometimespeoplesaythey"emphasize"withsomeonewhentheymeanthey
"empathize"withhimorher.
EMPHASIZEON/EMPHASIZE
Youcanplaceemphasisonsomething,oryoucanemphasizeit,butyou
can'temphasizeonitorstressonit,thoughyoucanplacestresson

it.
EMULATE/IMITATE
Peoplegenerallyknowwhat"imitate"means,buttheysometimesdon't
understandthat"emulate"isamorespecializedwordwithapurely
positivefunction,meaningtotrytoequalormatch.Thusifyoutryto
climbthesamemountainyourbigbrotherdid,you'reemulatinghim;but
ifyoucopyhishabitofstickingpeasuphisnose,you'rejust
imitatinghim.
ENAMOREDBY/ENAMOREDOF
Ifyou'recrazyaboutferrets,you'reenamoredofthem.Itisless
commonbutstillacceptabletosay"enamoredwith";butifyousayyou
areenamoredbyferrets,you'resayingthatferretsarecrazyaboutyou.
ENDEMIC/EPIDEMIC
"Endemic"isindangeroflosingitscoremeaningthroughconfusionwith
"epidemic."Anendemicconditionisonecharacteristicofaparticular
region,population,orenvironment:"sorethumbsareendemicamongteen
textmessagers."Aconditionneednotaffectamajorityorevenavery
largenumberofpeopleinapopulationtobeendemic.Inbiology,an
endemicdiseaseisonethatismaintainedlocallywithouttheneedfor
outsideinfluence:"CholeraisendemicinKolkata."Itkeepsrecurring
there,butstillonlyasmallminorityofthepopulationgetscholera.
Anepidemicconditioniswidespread,rampant:"Overindulgenceinfatty
foodsinepidemicthroughouttheworld."Thedominanceofthenoun
"epidemic"("thethreatofafluepidemic")maymakepeoplereluctantto
useitasanadjective("flumaybecomeepidemic")butbothusesare
legitimate.It'sbesttostickwith"epidemic"unlessyouhavea
specificneedforthetechnicalterm"endemic."
ENGINE/MOTOR
Peoplewhoworkonthemdistinguishbetweentheelectricallypowered
unitcalledthe"motor"andtheenginewhichitstarts;buteven
inautopartsstoresthestuffwhichbythatlogicshouldbecalled
"engineoil"ismarketedas"motoroil."Similarly,theEnglishgo
motoringonmotorways.IneverydayAmericandiscourse,thetermsare
ofteninterchangeable(youcanbuyapowerfulengineforyour
motorboat),butyou'llembarrassyourselfifyoudon'tmakethe
distinctionwhentalkingtoyourmechanic.
ENJOYTO/ENJOYING
Theexpression"enjoyto"(or"enjoyedto")isnonstandard,influenced
by"liketo."Youdon'tenjoytojog;youeitherenjoyjoggingorlike
tojog.
ENORMITY/ENORMOUSNESS

Originallythesetwowordsweresynonymous,but"enormity"gotwhittled
downtomeaningsomethingmonstrousoroutrageous.Don'twonderatthe
"enormity"ofthePalaceofVersaillesunlessyouwishtoexpresshorror
atthisembodimentofLouisXIV'sego."Enormity"canalsobeusedasa
nounmeaning"monstrosity."
ENDRESULT/END
Usuallyaredundancy.Mostofthetimeplain"result"willdofine.
ENQUIRE/INQUIRE
Thesearealternativespellingsofthesameword."Enquire"isperhaps
slightlymorecommonintheUK,buteitherisacceptableintheUS
INROUTE/ENROUTE
"Enroute"isaFrenchphrasemeaning"ontheway,"asin"Enrouteto
thegallows,Luckywasstruckbylightning."Don'tanglicizethis
expressionas"inroute."
ENSUITE
AmericanswhohavewanderedchillyLondonhallwaysinthemiddleofthe
nightinsearchofatoiletwillappreciatelearningthepeculiar
Britishmeaningoftheword"ensuite."
InFrench,asetoftworoomsormoreformingasingleaccommodationcan
beadvertisedasrooms"ensuite"(formingasuite).Butthesingleword
Frenchword"ensuite"meanssomethingentirelydifferent:"then,later."
Aroundthemiddleofthe20thcenturyEnglishlandlordsandhoteliers
begantoanglicizethephrase,placingitbeforethenoun,sothat
traditional"roomsensuite"became"ensuiterooms,"Adsread"bath
ensuite"or"toiletensuite"asifthephrasemeant"inthesuite."The
phrase"ensuite"cametobeusedsolelytodesignatebathroomsattached
toabedroom.
FollowingstandardEnglishpatterns,theyhyphenatedthephraseas
"ensuitebath"andoftenmadethephraseintoasingleword:"ensuite
bath."ThesehavebecomestandardBritishusage;buthoteliersoftengo
astepfurtherbywriting"allroomsensuite"(Americanswouldwrite
"allroomswithbath").
Itisclearlynonstandardtouse"ensuite"asifitwereanoun
synonymouswith"toilet"or"bathroom":"Iwenttotheensuitetotakea
shower."Youmaypukeonyoursuit,butnotinto"theensuite."
ENTHUSE
"Enthuse"isahandywordand"stateenthusiastically"isnotnearlyso
striking;butunfortunately"enthuse"isnotacceptableinthemost
formalcontexts.
ENTOMOLOGY/ETYMOLOGY

Entomologyisthestudyofinsects,likeants("ant"lookslike"ent")
butetymologyisthestudyofthehistoryofwords(fromGreek,
originallymeaning"thetruemeaningofwords").
ENVELOP/ENVELOPE
Towrapsomethingupinacoveringistoenvelopit(pronounced
"enVELLup").Thespecificwrappingyouputaroundaletterisan
envelope(pronouncedvariously,butwiththeaccentonthefirst
syllable).
ENVIOUS/JEALOUS
Althoughtheseareoftentreatedassynonyms,thereisadifference.You
areenviousofwhatothershavethatyoulack.Jealousy,ontheother
hand,involveswantingtoholdontowhatyoudohave.Youcanbe
jealousofyourboyfriend'sattractiontootherwomen,butyou're
enviousofyourboyfriend'sCDcollection.
ENVIROMENT/ENVIRONMENT
ThesecondNin"environment"isseldompronounceddistinctly,soit's
notsurprisingthatisoftenomittedinwriting.Ifyouknowtherelated
word"environs"itmayhelpremindyou.
EPIC/EPOCH
An"epoch"isalongperiodoftime,likethePleistoceneEpoch.It
oftengetsmixedupwith"epic"inthesenseof"largescale."Something
reallybighas"epicproportions,"not"epochproportions."
EPICENTER
Thepreciselocationwheretheearthslipsbeneaththesurfaceinan
earthquakeisitshypocenter(orfocus)andthespotuponthesurface
wherepeoplefeelthequakeisitsepicenter.Geologistsgetupsetwhen
peopleusethelatterword,designatingapointratherremovedfromthe
mainaction,asifitwereasynonymof"epitome"andmeantsomething
like"mostimportantcenter."TheBritishspellit"epicentre."
EPIGRAM/EPIGRAPH/EPITAPH/EPITHET
Anepigramisapithysaying,usuallyhumorous.MarkTwainwas
responsibleformanystriking,mostlycynicalepigrams,suchas"Always
doright.Thatwillgratifysomeofthepeople,andastonishtherest."
Unfortunately,hewasalsoresponsibleforanevenmorefamousonethat
hasbeenconfusingpeopleeversince:"Everyoneisamoon,andhasa
darksidewhichhenevershowstoanybody."it'struethatthemoon
keepsonesideawayfromtheearth,butifyoudon'tcountthefaint
glowreflectedfromtheearthitisnotanydarkerthanthesidethat
facesus.Infact,overtime,thesidefacingusisdarkenedslightly
moreoftenbecauseitisoccasionallyeclipsedbytheshadowofthe
earth.

Anepigraphisabriefquotationusedtointroduceapieceofwritingor
theinscriptiononastatueorbuilding.
Anepitaphistheinscriptiononatombstoneorsomeothertributetoa
deadperson.
Inliterature,anepithetisatermthatreplacesorisaddedtothe
nameofaperson,like"cleareyedAthena,"inwhich"cleareyed"isthe
epithet.Youaremorelikelytoencountertheterminitsnegative
sense,asatermofinsultorabuse:"theshoplifterhurledepithetsat
theguardwhohadarrestedher."
EPITOMY/EPITOME
Nothingmakesyoulookquitesofoolishasspellingasophisticatedword
incorrectly.TakendirectlyfromGreek,whereitmeans"abridgement,"
"epitome"isnowmostoftenusedtodesignateanextremely
representativeexampleofthegeneralclass:"SnowWhiteistheepitome
ofaDisneycartoonfeature."Thosewhodon'tmisspellthiswordoften
mispronounceit,misledbyitsspelling,as"EPitohm,"buttheproper
pronunciationis"eePITomee."Thewordmeans"essence,"not"climax,"
soinsteadofwriting"themarkethadreachedtheepitomeoffrenzied
sellingatnoon,"use"peak"orasimilarword.
EPONYMOUS/SELFTITLED
Ithasbecomepopularamongcertaincriticstocallrecordingsnamed
aftertheirperformingartists"eponymous."Thusthealbumbythe
Beatlestitled"TheBeatles"wouldbeaneponymousalbum.(Don't
rememberit?It'stheonemostpeoplecall"TheWhiteAlbum;"thetitle
wasembossedonthecoverratherthanprintedonit.)Thispretentious
termisnotonlysoobscureastobealmostuseless,thesewritersare
notusingitinitsoriginalsense;itwasthepersonwhowaseponymous,
notthethingnamedaftertheperson.Iprefertheusageofcriticswho
callsuchrecordings"selftitled."It'sanawkwardphrase,butatleast
it'seasyforthereadertofigureoutwhatismeant.
ERROR/ERR
Whenyoucommitanerroryouerr.Theexpressionis"toerrishuman."
ES
Latinderivedtermswhosesingularformendsin"is"andwhoseplurals
aremadebychangingthe"is"to"es"suchas"thesis"(plural:
"theses")havetheirfinalsyllablespronounced"eez."Thispattern
causessomepeopletodothesameinotherwordswithoutaLatin
singular"is"form,like"processes"whoselastsyllableshouldsound
like"says."
ETAL.
"Etal.'isascholarlyabbreviationoftheLatinphrase"etalia,"

whichmeans"andothers."Itiscommonlyusedwhenyoudon'twantto
nameallthepeopleorthingsinalist,andworksinroughlythesame
wayas"etc.""ThereorganizationplanwasdesignedbyAlfredE.Newman,
GeneralHalftrack,ZippythePinhead,etal.;anditwaspretty
useless."The"al."inthisphraseneedsaperiodafterittoindicate
itisanabbreviationof"alia";butitisincorrecttoputaperiod
after"et."
ETHICS/MORALS/MORALE
Strictlyspeaking,ethicsarebeliefs:ifyouhavepoorethics,youhave
laxstandards;butyourmoralsareyourbehavior:ifyouhavepoor
morals,youbehavebadly.Youcanhavehighstandardsbutstillfailto
followthem:strongethicsandweakmorals."Morale"formerlyhadboth
thesemeaningsandyouwillfindthemattachedtothewordinsome
dictionaries,butyouwouldbewisetoavoiditineitherofthese
sensesinmodernwriting.Byfarthemostcommoncurrentuseof"morale"
istolabelyourstateofmind,particularlyhowcontentedyouarewith
life.Apersonwithlowmoralsisbad;butapersonwithlowmoralemay
bemerelydepressed.
ETHNIC
it'smisleadingtorefertominoritygroupsas"ethnics"sinceeveryone
hasethnicity,evenadominantmajority.
EVERY
"Every,""everybody"and"everyone"andrelatedexpressionsarenormally
treatedassingularinAmericanEnglish:"EverywomanIaskouttellsme
shealreadyhasplansforSaturdaynight."However,constructionslike
"everyonebroughttheirownlunch"arewidelyacceptednowbecauseofa
desiretoavoidspecifying"his"or"her."See"they/their(singular)."
EVERYONE/EVERYONE
"Everyone"means"everybody"andisusedwhenyouwanttorefertoall
thepeopleinagroup:"Everyoneinmyfamilylikesspaghetti
carbonara."
Butifyou'rereferringtotheindividualswhomakeupagroup,thenthe
phraseis"everyone."Examples:"Godblessus,everyone"(mayeach
individualinthegroupbeblessed)."Wewisheachandeveryoneofyou
aMerryChristmas"(everysingleoneofyou).Inthephrase"eachand
everyone"youshouldneversubstitute"everyone").
For"everyone"assingularorplural,see"every."
EVERSOOFTEN/EVERYSOOFTEN
InUKEnglishpeoplesometimesspeakofsomethingthathappens
frequentlyashappening"eversooften."

Butwhensomethinghappensonlyoccasionally,ithappens"every"so
often.
EVERYSINCE/EVERSINCE
Theexpressionisnot"everysince"but"eversince."
EVERYDAY
"Everyday"isaperfectlygoodadjective,asin"I'mmostcomfortablein
myeverydayclothes."Theproblemcomeswhenpeopleturntheadverbial
phrase"everyday"intoasingleword.Itisincorrecttowrite"Itake
ashowereveryday."Itshouldbe"Itakeashowereveryday."
EVERYTIME/EVERYTIME
"Everytime"isalwaystwoseparatewords.
EVIDENCETO/EVIDENCEOF
Youcanprovideevidencetoacourt,evenenoughevidencetoconvict
someone;butthestandardexpression"isevidenceof"requires"of"
ratherthan"to"insentenceslikethis:"Drivingthroughthefront
entranceoftheBurgerKingisevidenceofTodd'sinexperiencein
driving."Youcanalsoomitthepronounaltogetherbyusing"evidences"
or"evidenced":"hisdrivingevidences(orevidenced)hisinexperience."
EVOKE/INVOKE
"Evoke"and"invoke"areclosetogetherinmeaning,andareoften
confusedwitheachother.
Theactionof"invoking"isusuallymoredirectandactive.It
originallyinvolvedcallinguponorsummoningupagodorspirit.An
invocationcallsuponwhateverisinvokedtodosomethingorservea
function."Invoke"nowcanalsobeusedtomean"toappealto,tocite":
"inhisclosingargument,thelawyerinvokedtheprincipleof
selfdefense."
"Evoke"isusuallylesspurposefullyactive,moreindirect,oftenused
tomean"suggest."IfyouinvokethespiritofPicasso,you'retryingto
summonhissoulupfromthegrave;butifyourpaintingsevokethe
spiritofPicasso,itmeanstheirstyleremindsviewersofthatartist's
work.
EXACTSAME/EXACTLYTHESAME
Incasualspeechweoftensaythingslike,"Thefruitcakehegavemewas
theexactsameoneI'dgivenhimlastChristmas,"butinformalEnglish
thephraseis"exactlythesame."
EXALT/EXULT

Whenyoucelebratejoyfully,youexult.Whenyouraisesomethinghigh
(evenifonlyinyouropinion),youexaltit.Neitherwordhasan"H"in
it.
EXCAPE/ESCAPE
Theproperspellingis"escape."Sayitthatwaytoo.
EXASPERATE/EXACERBATE
Peoplegetexasperated(irritated);situationsgetexacerbated(made
worse).
PAREXCELLANCE/PAREXCELLENCE
Photoshopisthepictureeditingsoftwareparexcellence.Weoften
italicizethisphrasemeaningroughly"finestormostcharacteristicof
itstype,""exemplary"toindicateitisFrench.TheFrenchpronounce
thefinalsyllable"ahnss"(withanasalizedNwhichishardfor
Englishspeakerstomaster),butthatisnojustificationfor
misspellingthewordas"excellance."Althoughtheypronounceit
differently,theyspell"excellence"thesamewaywedo.
EXCRABLE/EXECRABLE
Whenyouexecrate(detest)something,youfinditexecrable.Thesecond
syllableisnotoftenclearlypronounced,butthat'snoexcusefor
leavingitoutwhenyouspelltheword.
EXCEPTIONAL/EXCEPTIONABLE
Ifyoutakeexception(object)tosomething,youfindit
"exceptionable."Themorecommonwordis"exceptional,"appliedto
thingsthatareoutoftheordinary,usuallyinapositiveway:"these
areexceptionalBuffalowings."
EXORCISE/EXERCISE
Youcantrytoexorciseevilspiritsusinganexorcist;butwhenyou
giveyourbodyaworkout,it'sexercise.
EXHILERATION/EXHILARATION
"Exhilaration"iscloselyrelatedto"hilarious,"whosestrongly
accentedAshouldhelpremindyouofthecorrectspelling.
EXPATRIOT/EXPATRIATE
Anexpatriotwouldbesomebodywhousedtobeapatriot;butthat'snot
howpeopleusetheterm.Instead,itisacommonmisspellingof
"expatriate,"meaningsomeonewhochoosestoliveabroad.
EXPONENTIAL

Somethinggrowsexponentiallywhenitrepeatedlygrowsbymultiplesof
somefactorinarapidlyacceleratingfashion.Don'tusetheword
looselytorefertoordinaryrapid,butsteady,growth.
Seealso"ordersofmagnitude."
EXPRESSED/EXPRESS
Oneofthemeaningsof"express"is"explicit":"Izaakclaimedthathis
oldbosshadgivenhimexpresspermissiontoshoponeBayforfishing
rodsduringworkhours."Somepeoplefeelthewordshouldbe
"expressed,"andthatformisnotlikelytogetanyoneintotrouble;but
ifyouuseityoushouldnotpresumetocorrectotherswhostickwith
thetraditionalform:"expresspermission"(ororders,ormandate,or
whatever).
EXPRESSESTHAT/SAYSTHAT
"InherletterJaneexpressesthatsheisgettingirritatedwithmefor
notwriting"shouldbecorrectedto"InherletterJanesaysthat..."
Youcanexpressanideaorathought,butyoucan'teverexpressthat.
Intechnicalterms,"express"isatransitiveverbandrequiresan
object.
EXPRESSO/ESPRESSO
I'vereadseveralexplanationsoftheoriginofthisword:thecoffeeis
madeexpresslyforyouuponyourorder,orthesteamisexpressed
throughthegrounds,or(asmostpeoplesupposeandcertainlywrongly)
thecoffeeismadeatexpressspeed.Onethingiscertain:thewordis
"espresso,"not"expresso."
Whileyou'reatanAmericanespressostand,youmightmuseonthefact
thatboth"biscotti"and"panini"arepluralforms,butyou'relikelyto
bafflethebaristaifyouaskincorrectItalianforabiscottoora
panino.
EXTEND/EXTENT
Peopleoftenwrite"toagreatextend"or"toalesserextend.""Extend"
isaverbonly,andshouldnotbeusedasanoun.It's"toagreat
extent,"and"toalesserextent."
EXTRACTREVENGE/EXACTREVENGE
Theuseofararesenseof"exact"confusespeople,butthetraditional
phraseis"exactrevenge",nottheseeminglymorelogical"extract
revenge"or"enactrevenge."
INTHEFACTTHAT/BYTHEFACTTHAT
Thecorrectphraseis"bythefactthat,"not"inthefactthat."While
we'reatit,"infact"isnotaword;"infact"isalwaysatwoword
phrase.

FACTOID
The"oid"endinginEnglishisnormallyaddedtoawordtoindicate
thatanitemisnottherealthing.Ahumanoidisnotquitehuman.
Originally"factoid"wasanironictermindicatingthatthe"fact"being
offeredwasnotactuallyfactual.However,CNNandothersourceshave
takentotreatingthe"oid"asifitwereamerediminutive,andusing
thetermtomean"trivialbuttruefact."Asaresult,thedefinitionof
"factoid"ishopelesslyconfusedandit'sprobablybettertoavoidusing
thetermaltogether.
FAIR/FARE
Whenyousendyourdaughterofftocamp,youhopeshe'llfarewell.
That'swhyyoubidherafondfarewell."Fair"asaverbisarareword
meaning"tosmoothasurfacetoprepareitforbeingjoinedtoanother."
FARBEITFORME/FARBEITFROMME
Themangledexpression"farbeitforme"isprobablyinfluencedbya
similarsaying:"it'snotformetosay."Thestandardexpressionis
"farbeitfromme"(maythispossibilitybefarawayfromme).
FARTHER/FURTHER
Someauthorities(liketheAssociatedPress)insiston"farther"to
refertophysicaldistanceandon"further"torefertoanextentof
timeordegree,butotherstreatthetwowordsasinterchangeableexcept
forinsistingon"further"for"inaddition,"and"moreover."You'll
alwaysbesafeinmakingthedistinction;somepeoplegetreallytesty
aboutthis.
FASTLY/FAST
"Fastly"isanoldformthathasdiedoutinEnglish.Interestinsoccer
isgrowingfast,not"fastly."
FATAL/FATEFUL
A"fatal"eventisadeadlyone;a"fateful"oneisdeterminedbyfate.
Iftherearenocasualtiesleftlyingatthescenewhethermangled
corpsesorfailednegotiationsthewordyouareseekingis"fateful."
Thelatterwordalsohasmanypositiveuses,suchas"Georgefondly
rememberedthatfatefulnightinwhichhefirstmetthewomanhewasto
lovetohisdyingday."
FAZE/PHASE
"Faze"meanstoembarrassordisturb,butisalmostalwaysusedinthe
negativesense,asin"thefactthattheoverheadprojectorbulbwas
burnedoutdidn'tfazeher.""Phase"isanounorverbhavingtodowith
anaspectofsomething."He'sjustgoingthroughatemperamentalphase."
"They'regoingtophaseinthenewaccountingproceduresgradually."

Unfortunately,StarTrekhasconfusedmattersbycallingitsraypistols
phasers.Toobadtheyaren'tfazersinstead.
FEARFUL/FEARSOME
Tobe"fearful"istobeafraid.Tobe"fearsome"istocausefearin
others.Rememberthatsomeonewhoisfierceisfearsomeratherthan
fearful.
FEBUARY/FEBRUARY
FewpeoplepronouncethefirstRin"February"distinctly,soitisnot
surprisingthatitisoftenomittedinspelling.Thispoormonthis
shortondays;don'tfurtherimpoverishitbyrobbingitofoneofits
letters.
FEELINGSFOR/FEELINGSABOUT
Whensomeonesays"I'mdevelopingfeelingsforyou,"themessageis"I'm
fallinginlovewithyou."Feelingsforarealwayspositivefeelings.In
contrast,feelingsaboutsomethingorsomeonecanbeeitherpositiveor
negative:"I'vegotabadfeelingaboutthis."
FEINT/FAINT
Afeint,whetherinchessoronthebattlefield,isamaneuverdesigned
todiverttheopponent'sattentionfromtherealcenterofattack.A
feintisadaringmove.Donotusethisveryspecializedwordinthe
expression"faintofheart"(or"faintatheart"),whichimplies
timidity.
FEMALE/WOMAN
Whenreferringtoanadultfemaleofthehumanspeciesitsoundsweird
andmayevenbeconsideredinsultingtousethenoun"female"insteadof
"woman.""Thefemalepointedthegunatthecop"shouldbe"thewoman
pointedthegunatthecop."
Inthecaseoftherelatedadjectivessomepeoplearguethatsincewe
sayforinstance"maledoctor"weshouldalwayssay"femaledoctor"
ratherthan"womandoctor."Itmaybeinconsistent,butthepatternof
referringtofemalesaswomenperformers,professionals,etc.isvery
traditional,datingbackatleasttothe14thcentury.Peoplewhodo
thiscannotbeaccusedofcommittinganerror.
Technicaladjectivalusesdefininggenderlike"femalegenes"arefine
(butdon'tconfusethemwith"women'sjeans").
FIANCE/FIANCEE
Yourfianceisthemanyouplantomarry;yourfianceeisthewomanyou
plantomarry.
FINETOOTHCOMB/FINETOOTHCOMB

Brushyourteeth,butdon'tcombthem.Althoughthespelling"fine
toothcomb"iscommonenoughtobelistedasavariantindictionaries,
itlooksprettysillytopeoplewhopreferthetraditionalexpression
usedtodescribeexaminingaterritoryorsubjectminutely:goingover
itwitha"finetoothcomb"acombwithfineteeth.Somepeopleprefer
"finetoothedcomb."
FIREY/FIERY
it's"fire,"sowhyisn'tit"firey"?Ifyoulistenclosely,youhear
that"fire"hastwodistinctvowelsoundsinit:"fier."Spellingthe
adjective"fiery"helpstopreservethatdoublesound.
50s
There'snorequirementfortheapostrophebeforethe"S"indecadenames
like50sand60s,sincetherearenoomittedletters,thoughit'salso
acceptabletoincludeone.Thetermmaybewritten'50ssince"19"is
beingomitted,but50sisfinetoo.Writerswhowishtohavetheir
referencestodecadesclearlyunderstoodinthetwentyfirstcentury
wouldbewelladvisednottoomitthefirsttwodigits.
Notethatyoumayhavetoturnoff"smartquotes"inyourwordprocessor
togetaleadingapostropheliketheonein"'50s"tocurlcorrectly
unlessyouknowhowtotypethecharacterdirectly.Oryoucanjust
typetwoanddeletethefirstone.
FINALIZE/FINISH,PUTINTOFINALFORM
"Finalize"isverypopularamongbureaucrats,butmanypeoplehateit.
Avoiditunlessyouknowthateveryoneinyourenvironmentusesittoo.
FIRSTANNUAL
Somepeoplegetupsetwhenthe"firstannual"occurrenceofsomeevent
isannounced,arguingthatitdoesn'tbecomeannualuntilit'sbeen
repeated.But"firstannual"simplymeans"thefirstofwhatisplanned
tobeanannualseriesofevents"it'safineexpression.
FIRSTPERSON
Someteachersfrownonthefirstpersonvoiceinstudentwriting,
strikingout"I,""me,"and"myself"whenevertheyencounterthem;but
althoughtherearetimeswhenitisinappropriatetocallattentionto
yourself,writingsomethinglike"publicdisplaysofaffectionare
disgusting"isnotmoremodestthan"publicdisplaysofaffection
disgustme."Theimpersonalformarrogantlyimpliesthatyouarethe
finalauthorityandthatallrightmindedpeoplemustagreewithyou.
Thephrase"theauthor"substitutedfor"I"isnolongergenerallyused
eveninthemostformalwriting.Whenyouarearguingforatheoryor
opinion,itisoftenbesttostandsquarelybehinditbyusingthe
firstpersonvoice.

FIRSTABLE/FIRSTOFALL
Theoddword"firstable"seemstobebasedonamishearingofthe
expression"firstofall."
FISCAL/PHYSICAL
Themiddlesyllableof"physical"isoftenomittedinpronunciation,
makingitsoundliketheunrelatedword"fiscal."Soundthatunaccented
"I"distinctly.
FITTHEBILL/FILLTHEBILL
Originallya"bill"wasanypieceofwriting,especiallyalegal
document(westillspeakofbillsbeingintroducedintoCongressinthis
sense).Morenarrowly,italsocametomeanalistsuchasarestaurant
"billoffare"(menu)oranadvertisementlistingattractionsina
theatricalvarietyshowsuchasmightbepostedona"billboard."In
nineteenthcenturyAmerica,whenproducersfoundshortactsto
supplementthemainattractions,nicelyfillingoutanevening's
entertainment,theyweresaidinarhymingphraseto"fillthebill."
Peoplewhoassociatebillsprincipallywithshippinginvoicesfrequently
transformthisexpression,meaning"tomeetrequirementsordesires,"
into"fitthebill."Theyarethinkingofbillsasiftheywereorders,
listsofrequirements.Itisbothmorelogicalandmoretraditionalto
say"fillthebill."
FITTEST
Inevolutionaryterms,"thesurvivalofthefittest"refersnotto
physicalfitnessinthesenseofvigorandstrength,buttotheability
toreproducesuccessfully.Rabbitsandantsarefittertosurvivein
mostenvironmentsthanlions:that'swhytherearesomanymoreofthem.
Ifyouusethephrase"survivalofthefittest"asifitreferredtoa
contestofbrutestrength,youwillannoybiologistsandsomeeditors,
whowilljudgeyourusageasunfittosurvive.
FIXING/PREPARING
"Fixing"asasynonymof"gettingready"isafeatureofseveral
dialectsofUSEnglish,especiallyruralandSouthernones:"I'm
fixin'totakethispieovertotheparsonage."Usingitoutsideof
thesedialectsrisksmakingyousoundunsophisticated.
FLAIR/FLARE
"Flair"isconspicuoustalent:"Shehasaflairfororganization."
"Flare"iseitheranounmeaning"flame"oraverbmeaningtoblazewith
lightortoburstintoanger.
FLAK/FLACK
"Flak"isWWIIairman'sslangforshellsbeingfiredatyouintheair,
sotocatchalotofflakistofeelindangerofbeingshotdown.

However,mostciviliansthesedayshaveneverheardof"flak,"sothey
use"flack"instead,whichoriginallymeant"salesman"or"huckster."
Youneedtoworryaboutthisonlyifyou'reamongoldtimeveterans.
You'remorelikelytoembarrassyourselfifyoumixuptheexpression
"catchalotofflak"with"givealotofslack,"whichhasalmostthe
oppositemeaning.Youcan'tcatchslack.
FLAMMABLE/INFLAMMABLE
Theprefix"in"doesnotindicatenegationhere;itcomesfromtheword
"inflame.""Flammable"and"inflammable"bothmean"easytocatchon
fire";butsomanypeoplemisunderstandthelattertermthatit'sbetter
tostickwith"flammable"insafetywarnings.
FLAUNT/FLOUT
Toflauntistoshowoff:youflauntyournewnecklacebywearingitto
work."Flout"hasamorenegativeconnotation;itmeanstotreatwith
contemptsomeruleorstandard.Theclicheis"tofloutconvention."
Flauntingmaybeinbadtastebecauseit'sostentatious,butitisnota
violationofstandards.
FLESHOUT/FLUSHOUT
To"fleshout"anideaistogiveitsubstance,asasculptoraddsclay
fleshtoaskeletalarmature.To"flushout"acriminalistodrivehim
orheroutintotheopen.Thelattertermisderivedfrombirdhunting,
inwhichoneflushesoutacoveyofquail.Ifyouaretryingtodevelop
somethingfurther,use"flesh";butifyouaretryingtoreveal
somethinghithertoconcealed,use"flush."
FLOPPYDISK/HARDDISK
Floppydisksarefastdisappearingfromthecomputerworld,butit's
beenmanyyearssincetheywereliterallyfloppy.Thefactthata31/2"
disketteisenclosedinahardplasticcaseshouldnotleadyoutocall
ita"harddisk."That'sahighcapacitystoragemediumlikethemain
diskinsideyourcomputeronwhichyourprograms,operatingsystem,and
dataarestored.
FLOUNDER/FOUNDER
Asaverb,"founder"means"tofillwithwaterandsink."Itisalso
usedmetaphoricallyofvariouskindsofequallycatastrophicfailures.
Incontrast,toflounderistothrashaboutinthewater(likea
flounder),strugglingtostayalive."Flounder"isalsooftenused
metaphoricallytoindicatevarioussortsofdesperatestruggle.If
you'resunk,you'vefoundered.Ifyou'restillstruggling,you're
floundering.
FLUKE
Aflukewasoriginallyaluckystrokeinbilliards,anditstillmeansa

fortunatechanceevent.Itisnonstandardtousethewordtolabelan
unfortunatechanceevent.Thereareluckyflukes,butnounluckyones.
FLYS/FLIES
"Flys"isamisspellingof"flies"exceptwhenthewordisbeing
deliberatelychangedfromitstraditionalspellingasinthenameofthe
popularmusicgroup,"TheFlys."
FOCUSAROUND/FOCUSON
Thepopularexpression"focusaround"makeslittlesense.Anexample:
"Nextquarter'sadvertisingwillfocusaroundourlineofcomputer
games."Itispresumablymeanttoconveysomethinglike"concentrateon
anumberofdifferentitemsinasinglecategory."But"focuson"better
conveystheideaofasharpfocus."Focusaround"suggestsajittery,
shiftingviewratherthandeterminedconcentration.
FOLLOWUP/FOLLOWUP,FOLLOWUP
Adoctorcanfollowupwithapatientduringafollowupvisit(note
thattheadjectivalformrequiresahyphen).Neitherphraseshouldbe
turnedintoasinglehyphenlessword.
FONT/TYPEFACE
Although"font"haslargelyreplaced"typeface"incommonusage,
professionalswhodealwithtypeprefertodistinguishbetweenthetwo.
"Typeface"referstoletterdesign;Times,Helvetica,andGaramondare
alltypefaces.Typefacesareusuallymadeupofanumberoffonts:
completesetsofcharactersinthatstyle,likeTimesRoman,Times
Italic,andTimesBold.Thedistinctionisimportantonlywhendealing
withsuchprofessionals.
FOOT/FEET
Youcanuseeightfootboardstosideahouse,but"foot"iscorrect
onlyinthissortofadjectivalphrasecombinedwithanumber(and
usuallyhyphenated).Theboardsareeightfeet(notfoot)long.It's
alwaysXfeetpersecondandXfeetaway.
FOOTNOTES/ENDNOTES
Aboutthetimethatcomputersbegantomakethecreationandprintingof
footnotesextremelysimpleandcheap,stylemanualsbegantourgea
shiftawayfromthemtoendnotesprintedattheendsofchaptersorat
theendofabookorpaperratherthanatthefootofthepage.Ihappen
tothinkthiswasabigmistake;butinanycase,ifyouareusing
endnotes,don'tcallthem"footnotes."
FOR/FORE/FOUR
Themostcommonmemberofthistrioisthepreposition"for,"whichis
notaproblemformostpeople."Fore"alwayshastodowiththefrontof

something(it'swhatyoushouttowarnsomeonewhenyou'vesentagolf
balltheirway)."Four"isjustthenumber"4."
FORALLINTENSIVEPURPOSES/FORALLINTENTSANDPURPOSES
Anotherexampleoftheoraltransformationoflanguagebypeoplewho
don'treadmuch."Forallintentsandpurposes"isanoldclichewhich
won'tthrillanyone,butusingthemistakenalternativeislikelyto
elicitguffaws.
FORFREE/FREE
Somepeopleobjectto"forfree"becauseanysentencecontainingthe
phrasewillreadjustaswellwithoutthe"for,"butitisstandard
English.
FORGOODNESS'SAKES/FORGOODNESS'SAKE
Pickyfolkspointoutthatsincethemildexpletive"forgoodness'sake"
isaeumphemismfor"forGod'ssake"thesecondwordshouldnotbe
pluralizedto"sakes";butheavenstoBetsy,iflittlethingslikethat
aregoingtobotheryou,you'llhaveyourdanderupallthetime.
FORONE/FORONETHING
Peopleoftensay"forone"whentheymean"foronething":"Ireally
wanttogotothemovie.Forone,KevinSpaceyismyfavoriteactor."
(Onewhat?)Theonlytimeyoushoulduse"forone"byitselftogivean
exampleofsomethingiswhenyouhaveearliermentionedaclasstowhich
theexamplebelongs:"TherearealotofreasonsIdon'twantyourold
car.Forone,therearesquirrelslivingintheupholstery."(One
reason.)
FORSALE/ONSALE
Ifyou'resellingsomething,it'sforsale;butifyoulowertheprice,
itgoesonsale.
FORSELL/FORSALE
Ifyouhavethingstosell,theyareforsale.Nothingisever"for
sell."
FORSURE/SURE
Incasualspeech,whenyouagreewithsomebody'sstatement,youmaysay
"forsure."Yourdatesays"Thatwasoutstandingtiramisu,"andyou,
wantingtoshowhowintuneyouare,reply"Forsure!"Youcanalso
usethephrasetomean"forcertain,"asin"Icouldn'ttellforsure
thatthebenchwaswetuntilIsatonit."
Butpeopleoftensubstitutethisphrasewhentheyshoulduseplainold
"sure,"asin"Icouldn'tbeforsure."Thatshouldbe"Icouldn'tbe
sure."

FORBIDDING/FOREBODING/FORMIDABLE
"Foreboding"means"ominous,"asin"Theskywasaforebodingshadeof
gray"(i.e.predictiveofastorm).Theprefix"fore"withanE,often
indicatesfuturity,e.g."forecast,""foreshadowing"and"foreword"(a
prefatorybitofwritingatthebeginningofabook,oftenmisspelled
"forword").Aforbiddingpersonortaskishostileordangerous:"The
trekacrossthedeserttothenearestlattestandwasforbidding."The
twoareeasilyconfusedbecausesomethings,likestorms,canbeboth
forebodingandforbidding.
"Formidable,"whichoriginallymeant"fearinducing"("MikeTysonisa
formidableopponent")hascometobeusedprimarilyasacompliment
meaning"aweinducing"("GaryKasparov'sformidableskillsasachess
playerwereofnoavailagainstDeepBlue").
Seealso"fearful/fearsome."
FORCEFUL,FORCIBLE,FORCED
Thesewordssometimesoverlap,butgenerally"forceful"means"powerful"
("heimposedhisforcefulpersonalityonthelions")while"forcible"
mustbeusedinsteadtodescribetheuseofforce("theburglarmadea
forcibleentryintotheapartment")."Forced"isoftenusedforthe
latterpurpose,butsomeprefertoreservethiswordtodescribe
somethingthatisdoneordecideduponasaresultofoutsidecauses
withoutnecessarilybeingviolent:"aforcedlanding,""aforcedsmile,"
"forcedlabor."
FOREGO/FORGO
TheEin"forego"tellsyouithastodowithgoingbefore.Itoccurs
mainlyintheexpression"foregoneconclusion,"aconclusionarrivedat
inadvance."Forgo"meanstoabstainfromordowithout."After
finishinghissteak,hedecidedtoforgotheblueberrycheesecake."
FOREVER/FOREVER
UKwritersmostoftenusethetwowordphrase"forever,"whereas
Americansstronglyprefertheonewordform"forever."Eachnationality
isliabletothinktheotherismakingamistake.
FORMALLY/FORMERLY
Thesetwoareoftenmixedupinspeech.Ifyouaredoingsomethingina
formalmanner,youarebehavingformally;butifyoupreviouslybehaved
differently,youdidsoformerly.
FORESEE/FORSEE
"Foresee"means"toseeintothefuture."Therearelotsofwordswith
theprefix"fore"whicharefutureoriented,including"foresight,"
"foretell,""forethought,"and"foreword,"allofwhichareoften

misspelledbypeoplewhoomittheE.Justremember:whatgolfersshout
whentheyarewarningpeopleaheadofthemabouttheshottheyareabout
tomakeis"fore!"
FORTUITOUS/FORTUNATE
"Fortuitous"eventshappenbychance;theyneednotbefortunateevents,
onlyrandomones:"Itwaspurelyfortuitousthatthemeterreadercame
alongfiveminutesbeforeIreturnedtomycar."Althoughfortunate
eventsmaybefortuitous,whenyoumean"lucky,"use"fortunate."
FORWARD/FORWARDS/FOREWORD
Althoughsomestylebooksprefer"forward"and"toward"to"forwards"
and"towards,"noneoftheseformsisreallyincorrect,thoughtheforms
withoutthefinalSareperhapsasmidgenmoreformal.Thesame
generallyappliesto"backward"and"backwards."Thereareafew
expressionsinwhichonlyoneofthetwoformsworks:stepforward,
forwardmotion,abackwardchild.Thespelling"foreword"applies
exclusivelytotheintroductorymatterinabook.
FOUL/FOWL
Achickenisafowl.Apokeintheeyeisafoul.
FOURTY/FORTY
"Four"losesitsUwhenitchangesto"forty."
FOWLSWOOP/FELLSWOOP
PoorMacduff,learningthatMacbethhashadhiswifeandchildren
murdered,cries"What,allmyprettychickensandtheirdam/Atonefell
swoop?"Thusentersthelanguageapopularphrasemeaning"terrible
blow"(theimageisofaruthlesshawkswoopingdowntoslaughter
helplesschicks).
Theoldmeaningof"fell"tomean"savage,""cruel,"or"ruthless"has
otherwiseprettymuchdiedout,sothatmanypeoplemistakenly
substitute"foul"or"fowl"for"fell.""Fell"inthissenseisrelated
towordslike"felon"and"felony."
Themangledform"swellfoop"isapopularbitofhumorwhichshouldat
leastremindyouthatthefirstwordinthephrasehastorhymewith
"swell."
FRAMEWORK/GROUNDWORK
Youlaygroundwork;youerect,build,orconstructaframework.
FRANKENSTEIN
"Frankenstein"isthenameofthescientistwhocreatesthemonsterin
MaryShelley'snovel.Themonsteritselfhasnoname,butisreferredto

popularlyas"Frankenstein'smonster."
FRANKLY
Sentencesbeginningwiththiswordareproperlyadmissionsofsomething
shockingorunflatteringtothespeaker;butwhenapublicspokesperson
forabusinessorgovernmentisspeaking,italmostalwaysprecedesa
selfservingstatement."Frankly,mydear,Idon'tgiveadamn"is
correct;but"Frankly,IthinktheAmericanpeoplecanmaketheirown
decisionsabouthealthcare"isanabuseoflanguage.Thesame
contortionofmeaningiscommoninrelatedphrases.Whenyouheara
publicfiguresay,"tobecompletelyhonestwithyou,"expectalie.
FRENCHDIPWITHAUJUS
Thisdinerclassicconsistsofslicedroastbeefonamoreorlessfirm
bun,withasidedishofbrothinwhichtodipit."Aujus"means"with
broth";soadding"with"to"aujus"isredundant.Infancier
restaurants,itemsarelistedentirelyinFrenchwiththeEnglish
translationunderneath:
TetedecochonavecsestripesfarciesPig'sheadstuffedwithtripe
Mixingthelanguagesishazardousifyoudon'tknowwhattheoriginal
means."Withaujusbroth"isalsoseenfromtimetotime.People
generallyknowwhataFrenchdipsandwichis,andthey'llseethebroth
whenitcomes.Whynotjustcallita"Frenchdip?"
FRESHMAN/FRESHMEN
"Freshman"isthesingularnoun:"BirgittaisafreshmanatYale."
"Freshmen"istheplural:"PatriciaandPatrickarefreshmenat
Stanford."Buttheadjectiveisalwayssingular:"Meganhadan
interestingfreshmanseminaronRomanesquearchitectureatSarah
Lawrence."
FROM...TO
"Fromsouptonuts"makessensebecausesoupwasthetraditionalfirst
courseinaformalmeal,nutsthelast.Similarly"fromAtoZ"makes
sensebecausethesearethefirstandlastlettersofthealphabet.But
thisconstruction,whichidentifiestheextremesofaspectrumorrange
isoftenimproperlyusedwhennosuchextremesarebeingidentified,as
in"Shetriedeverythingfrom"penicillintosulfadrugs."Thesearenot
extremes,justexamplesofdifferentsortsofdrugs.Evenworseis"He
gavehisdaughtereverythingfromabicycletolawndartstoateddy
bear."Arangecan'thavemorethantwoextremes."Hegavehisdaughter
everythingfrompaperdollstoaCadillac"conveysthenotionofa
spectrumfromverycheaptoveryexpensive,andisfine.Oftenwhen
peoplearetemptedtouse"from...to"theywouldbebetteroffusing
adifferentexpression,as,forexample,inthissentence:"Shetried
allsortsofmedicines,includingpenicillinandsulfadrugs."
MOUNTFUJIYAMA/FUJIYAMA

"Yama"means"mountain"inJapanese,sowhenyousay"MountFujiyama"
youaresaying"MountFujiMountain."TheJapaneseusuallysay
"Fujisan";but"Fujiyama,"or"MountFuji"isstandardinEnglishjust
beawarethatbothsound"foreign"toJapanesenativespeakers.
FUL/FULS
it'sonecupful,buttwocupfuls,not"twocupsful."Thesamegoesfor
"spoonfuls"and"glassfuls."
FULLPROOF/FOOLPROOF
Ifyouwanttogetcreditforsolvingacomplicatedmathematical
problem,youwillhavetoprovideafullproof.Butifyou'retryingto
makesomethingaseasyaspossible,youwanttomakeitfoolproofso
simpleevenafoolcouldcouldn'tscrewitup.
FULLYWELL/FULLWELL
BackintheMiddleAgesandRenaissanceitwascommonfor"full"to
modifyadverbs.Theonlyinstanceinwhichthiscontinuestodayisthe
traditionalphrase"fullwell,"mostlyin"knowingfullwell."People
who"correct"thisto"knowingfullywell"mayhavemoderngrammaron
theirside,buttheysoundasiftheyaren'tacquaintedwiththe
standardidiom.
FULSOME
Inmodernusage,"fulsome"hastwoinconsistentmeanings.Tosomepeople
itmeans"offensive,overdone,"so"fulsomepraise"tothemwouldbe
disgustinglyexaggeratedpraise.
Tootherpeopleitmeans"abundant,"andforthem"fulsomepraise"is
glowinglywarmpraise.
Thefirstgrouptendstolookdownonthesecondgroup,andthesecond
grouptendstobebaffledbythefirst.Besttojustavoidtheword
altogether.
FUNCTIONALITY
You'llfind"functionality"indictionaries,butit'salmostalwaysused
asapretentiousandinaccuratesubstitutefor"function"or
"usefulness."
FURL/FURROW
Whenyouconcentratereallyhardsothatfurrowsappearinyour
forehead,youfurrowyourbrowanexpressionthatmeans"worry,puzzle
over."Whenyoulowerasailandwrapittightlyaroundthemastto
secureityoufurlit.Ifyoucanfurlyourbrowyoubelongina
sideshow.

FUSHIA/FUCHSIA
Theflowersknownas"fuchsias"arenamedafterGermanRenaissance
botanistLeonhardFuchs.Althoughthewordispronounced"FYOOsha"in
English,itshouldnotbemisspelled"fushia."
G/Q
Lowercase"q"isthemirrorimageoflowercase"g"inmanytypefaces,
andthetwoareoftenconfusedwitheachotherandtheresulting
misspellingmissedinproofreading,forinstance"quilt"when"guilt"is
intended.
GPPRACTICE/GENERALPRACTICE
Ifyouwanttobetechnical,"GPPractice"tolabeltheworkofa
physicianisredundant,because"GP"standsfor"GeneralPractitioner."
Butifyoudon'twanttospellitout,theredoesn'tseemtobeagood
substituteforthephraseitwon'tbothermanypeople.
GAFF/GAFFE
"Gaffe"isaFrenchwordmeaning"embarrassingmistake,"andshouldnot
bemixedupwith"gaff":alargehook.
GAMUT/GAUNTLET
To"runagamut"istogothroughthewholescaleorspectrumof
something.To"runthegauntlet"(alsogantlet)istorunbetweentwo
linesofpeoplewhoaretryingtobeatyou.Anddon'tconfuse"gamut"
with"gambit,"aplayinchess,andbyextension,atrickymaneuverof
anykind.
GANDER/DANDER
Whenyougetreallyangryyou"getyourdanderup."Thederivationof
"dander"inthisexpressionisuncertain,butyoucan'treplaceitwith
"dandruff"or"gander."Theonlywaytogetaganderupistoawakena
malegoose.
GAURD/GUARD
ToobadtheElizabethan"guard"wonoutovertheearlier,Frenchderived
spelling"garde";butthewordwasneverspelled"gaurd."Thestandard
spellingisrelatedtoItalianandSpanish"guarda,"pronounced
"gwarda."
GENIUS/BRILLIANT
InstandardEnglish"genius"isanoun,butnotanadjective.Inslang,
peopleoftensaythingslike"TellingMomyourEnglishteacheris
requiringtheclasstogetHBOwasgenius!"Thestandardwaytosaythis
is"wasbrilliant."

GETME/GETMYSELF
"Igottagetmeanewcarburetor,"saysJoeBob.Translatedinto
standardEnglish,thiswouldbe"Ihavetogetmyselfanewcarburetor."
Evenbetter:leaveoutthe"myself."
GHANDI/GANDHI
MohandasK.Gandhi'snamehasanHaftertheD,notaftertheG.Note
that"Mahatma"("greatsoul")isanhonorifictitle,notactuallypart
ofhisbirthname.Theproperpronunciationofthefirstsyllableshould
rhymemorewith"gone"than"can."AmongIndians,hisnameisusually
givenarespectfulsuffixandrenderedasGandhiji,butaddingMahatma
tothatformwouldbehonorificoverkill.
GIBE/JIBE/JIVE
"Gibe"isanowraretermmeaning"totease.""Jibe"means"toagree,"
butisusuallyusednegatively,asin"thealibisofthetwocrooks
didn'tjibe."Thelatterwordisoftenconfusedwith"jive,"which
derivesfromslangwhichoriginallymeanttotreatinajazzymanner
("Jivin'theBluesAway")butalsocametobeassociatedwithdeception
("Don'tgivemeanyofthatjive").
GIFT/GIVE
Conservativesareannoyedbytheuseof"gift"asaverb.Iftheadsays
"giftherwithjewelrythisValentine'sDay,"shemightpreferthatyou
giveittoher.
GIG/JIG
"Thejigisup"isanoldslangexpressionmeaning"thegameis
overwe'recaught."Amusician'sjobisagig.
GILD/GUILD
Yougildanobjectbycoveringitwithgold;youcanjoinan
organizationliketheTheatreGuild.
GOAL/OBJECTIVE
Mostlanguageauthoritiesconsider"goal"tobeasynonymof
"objective,"andsomedismissthepopularbureaucraticphrase"goalsand
objectives"asameaninglessredundancy.
However,ifyouhavetodealwithpeoplewhoinsistthereisa
distinction,hereistheirusualargument:goalsaregeneral,objectives
aremorespecific.Ifyourgoalistocreateasaferworkenvironment,
yourobjectivemightbetoremovethepottedpoisonivyplantfromyour
desk.Ineducation,atypicalexamplewouldbethatifyourgoalisto
improveyourFrench,oneobjectivemightbetomasterthesubjunctive.
GOD

When"God"isthenameofagod,asinJudaism,ChristianityandIslam
("Allah"isjustArabicfor"God,"andmanymodernMuslimstranslatethe
namewhenwritinginEnglish),itneedstobecapitalizedlikeanyother
name.Whenitisusedasagenericterm,asin"HelookslikeaGreek
god,"itisnotcapitalized.
Ifyouseethewordrendered"G*d"or"Gd"it'snotanerror,buta
JewishwriterreverentlyfollowingtheOrthodoxprohibitionagainst
spellingoutthenameofthedeityinfull.
GOES
"Sohegoes"Ithoughtyourbirthdaywastomorrow,"andI'mlike"
well,duh!"Perhapsthisbizarrepatterndevelopedinanalogyto
childishphrasessuchas"thecowgoes"moo"and"thepiggygoes"oink,
oink."Isthereanyyoungpersonunawarethattheuseof"go"tomean
"say"drivesmostadultscrazy?Granted,it'sdeliberateslangrather
thananinvoluntaryerror;butifyougetintothehabitofusingitall
thetime,youmayembarrassyourselfinfrontofaclassbysaying
somethingwitlesslike"SothenJulietgoes"Arosebyanyothername
wouldsmellassweet."
GONE/WENT
Thisisoneofthosecasesinwhichacommonwordhasapastparticiple
whichisnotformedbythesimpleadditionofEDandwhichoftentrip
peopleup."Ishouldhavewenttothebusinessmeeting,butthegamewas
tiedintheninth"shouldbe"Ishouldhavegone...."Thesame
problemcropsupwiththetwoformsoftheverb"todo."Say"Ishould
havedonemytaxesbeforetheIRScalled"ratherthan"Ishouldhave
did...."
See"drank/drunk."

GONNA/GOINGTO
Howdoyoupronounce"goingto"inphraseslike"goingtowalkthedog"?
"Gonna,"right?Almosteveryoneusesthisslurredpronunciation,but
it'snotacceptableinformalwritingexceptwhenyou'redeliberately
tryingtoconveythepopularpronunciation.Inveryformalspoken
contextsyoumightwantto(not"wanna")pronouncethephrasedistinctly.
GOOD/WELL
Youdosomethingwell,butathingisgood.Theexceptionisverbsof
sensationinphrasessuchas"thepiesmellsgood,"or"Ifeelgood."
Despitetheargumentsofnigglers,thisisstandardusage.Saying"the
piesmellswell"wouldimplythatthepastryinquestionhadanose.
Similarly,"Ifeelwell"isalsoacceptable,especiallywhendiscussing
health;butitisnottheonlycorrectusage.
GOT/GOTTEN

IntheUK,theoldword"gotten"droppedoutofuseexceptinsuch
stockphrasesas"illgotten"and"gottenup,"butintheUSitis
frequentlyusedasthepastparticipleof"get."Sometimesthetwoare
interchangeable,However,"got"impliescurrentpossession,asin"I've
gotjustfivedollarstobuymydinnerwith.""Gotten,"incontrast,
oftenimpliestheprocessofgettingholdofsomething:"I'vegotten
fivedollarsforcleaningoutMrs.Quimby'sshed"emphasizingthe
earningofthemoneyratherthanitspossession.Phrasesthatinvolve
somesortofprocessusuallyinvolve"gotten":"Mygradeshavegotten
bettersinceImovedoutofthefraternity."Whenyouhavetoleave,
you'vegottogo.Ifyousayyou've"gottentogo"you'reimplying
someonegaveyoupermissiontogo.
GOVERNMENT
Becarefultopronouncethefirst"N"in"government."
GRADUATE/GRADUATEFROM
Incertaindialects(notablythatofNewYorkCity)itiscommontosay
"heisgoingtograduateschoolinJune"ratherthanthemorestandard
"graduatefrom."Whenwritingforanationalorinternationalaudience,
usethe"from."
GRAMMER/GRAMMAR
it'samazinghowmanypeoplewritetothankmeforhelpingthemwith
their"grammer."It's"grammar."Thewordisoftenincorrectlyusedto
labelpatternsofspellingandusagethathavenothingtodowiththe
structureoflanguage,thepropersubjectofgrammarinthemost
conservativesense.Notallbadwritingisduetobadgrammar.
GRATIS/GRATUITOUS
Ifyoudosomethingnicewithoutbeingpaid,youdoit"gratis."
Technically,suchadeedcanalsobe"gratuitous";butifyoudoorsay
somethingobnoxiousanduncalledfor,it'salways"gratuitous,"not
"gratis."
GRAY/GREY
"Gray"istheAmericanspelling,"grey"theBritishspellingofthis
color/colour.Whenit'spartofaBritishnamelikeTarzan'stitle,
"LordGreystoke"orpartofaplacenamelike"Greyfriars"itshould
retainitsoriginalspellingevenifanAmericanisdoingthewriting.
GREATFUL/GRATEFUL
Yourappreciationmaybegreat,butyouexpressgratitudebybeing
grateful.
GRIEVIOUS/GRIEVOUS

Therearejusttwosyllablesin"grievous,"andit'spronounced
"grieveus."
GRILLCHEESE/GRILLEDCHEESE
Thepopularfriedsandwichisproperlycalled"grilledcheese."
GRISLY/GRIZZLY
"Grisly"means"horrible";a"grizzly"isabear."Thegrizzlyleft
behindthegrislyremainsofhisvictim.""Grizzled,"means"havinggray
hairs,"nottobeconfusedwith"gristly,"fullofgristle.
GROUNDZERO
"Groundzero"referstothepointatthecenteroftheimpactofa
nuclearbomb,soitisimpropertotalkabout"buildingfromground
zero"asifitwereaplaceofnewbeginnings.Youcanstartfrom
scratch,orbeginatzero,butifyou'reatgroundzero,you'reatthe
end.
Themetaphoricalextensionofthistermtothesiteofthedestruction
oftheWorldTradeCentertowersis,however,perfectlylegitimate;but
becauseinthiscaseitisaplacenameitneedstobecapitalized:
"GroundZero."
GROUP(PLURALVS.SINGULAR)
Whenthegroupisbeingconsideredasawhole,itcanbetreatedasa
singleentity:"thegroupwasreadytogoonstage."Butwhenthe
individualityofitsmembersisbeingemphasized,"group"isplural:
"thegroupwereindisagreementaboutwheretogofordinner."
GROW
Weusedtogrowourhairlongorgrowtomatoesintheyard,butnowwe
arebeingurgedto"growtheeconomy"or"growyourinvestments."
Businessandgovernmentspeakershaveextendedthisusagewidely,butit
irritatestraditionalists.Use"build,""increase,""expand,""develop,"
or"causetogrow"insteadinformalwriting.
GUESSWHO?/GUESSWHO!
Since"Guesswho"isacommandratherthanarealquestion,technically
itshouldnotbefollowedbyaquestionmark.Aperiodorexclamation
pointwilldofine.Similarly,thereshouldbenoquestionmarkafter
thesimplecommand"Guess!"
GUTRENDING,HEARTWRENCHING/GUTWRENCHING,HEARTRENDING
Upsettingeventscanbegutwrenching(makeyousicktothestomach)or
heartbreaking(makeyoufeelterriblysad);butmanypeopleconfusethe
twoandcomeupwith"heartwrenching.""Gutrending"isalso
occasionallyseen.

GYP/CHEAT
Gypsiescomplainthat"gyp"("cheat")reflectsbias;butthewordisso
wellentrenchedanditsoriginsoobscuretomostusersthatthereis
littlehopeofeliminatingitfromstandarduseanytimesoon.
Notethatthepeoplecommonlycalled"Gypsies"stronglypreferthename
Rom(pluralformRomaorRomanies).
HIVVIRUS
"HIV"standsfor"humanimmunodeficiencyvirus,"soaddingtheword
"virus"totheacronymcreatesaredundancy."HIV"isthenameofthe
organismthatisthecauseofAIDS,notanameforthediseaseitself.A
personmaybeHIVpositive(atestshowsthepersontobeinfectedwith
thevirus)withouthavingyetdevelopedAIDS(acquiredimmunodeficiency
syndrome).HIVisthecause,AIDStheresult.
HADN'THAVE/HADN'T
Manypeoplethrowinanextra"have"whentheytalkaboutthingsthat
mighthavehappenedotherwise:"Ifhehadn'thavecheckedinsidethe
truckfirsthewouldn'thaverealizedthatthefloorboardswererusted
out."Thisisoftenrendered"hadn'tof"andpronounced"hadn'ta."In
standardEnglish,omitthesecondword:"Ifhehadn'tcheckedinsidethe
truck...."
HAIRBRAINED/HAREBRAINED
Although"hairbrained"iscommon,theoriginalword"harebrained,"means
"sillyasahare"(thelittlerabbitlikecreature)andispreferredin
writing.
HANDANDHAND/HANDINHAND
"Povertygoeshandinhandwithmalnutrition."Theimagehereisofthe
twosubjectsholdinghands,onehandintheother.Thephraseisvery
frequentlymisspelled"handandhand,"whichdoesnotconveythesame
sortofintimateconnection.
HANDICAP/DISABILITY
Innormalusage,ahandicapisadrawbackyoucaneasilyremedy,buta
disabilityismuchworse:you'rejustunabletodosomething.Butmany
peoplewithdisabilitiesandthosewhoworkwiththemstronglyprefer
"disability"to"handicap,"whichtheyconsideraninsultingterm.Their
argumentisthatadisabilitycanbecompensatedforbyforinstancea
wheelchair,sothatthedisabledpersonisnothandicapped.Onlythe
persontrulyunablebyanymeanstoaccomplishtasksbecauseofa
disabilityishandicapped.Thefactthatthisgoesdirectlycounterto
ordinaryEnglishusagemayhelptoexplainwhythegeneralpublichas
beenslowtoadoptit;butifyouwanttoavoidoffendinganyone,you're

saferusing"disability"than"handicap."
Manyofthepeopleinvolvedalsoresentbeingcalled"disabledpeople";
theyprefer"peoplewithdisabilities."
HANGED/HUNG
Originallythesewordswereprettymuchinterchangeable,but"hanged"
eventuallycametobeusedprettyexclusivelytomean"executedby
hanging."Doesnervousnessabouttheexistenceofanindelicate
adjectivalformofthewordpromptpeopletoavoidthecorrectwordin
suchsentencesas"LadyWrothleysawtoitthatherancestors'portraits
wereproperlyhung"?Nevertheless,"hung"iscorrectexceptwhencapital
punishmentisbeingimposedorsomeonecommitssuicide.
HANGINGINDENTS
Bibliographiesarenormallywrittenusinghangingindents,wherethe
firstlineextendsouttothelefthandmargin,buttherestofthe
entryisindented.
Twain,Mark.MarkTwainattheBuffaloExpress:ArticlesandSketchesby
America'sFavoriteHumorist,editedbyJosephB.McCulloughandJanice
McIntireStrasburg(DeKalb:NorthernIllinoisUniversityPress,2000).
Theseareextremelyeasytocreateonawordprocessor,butmanypeople
havenevermasteredthetechnique.Normallythelefthandmarginmarker
atthetopofthepageconsistsoftwosmallarrows.Dragthetoponeto
therighttomakeanormalindent,thebottomonetocreateahanging
indent.Inmostprograms,youhavetoholddowntheShiftkeywhile
draggingthebottommarkertoleavethetoppartbehind.Don'tgetinto
thehabitofsubstitutingacarriagereturnandataborspacesto
createhangingindentsbecausewhenyourworkistransferredtoa
differentcomputertheresultmaylookquitedifferentandwrong.
HANUKKAH,CHANUKAH
ThisJewishholidayismisspelledinahostofways,butthetwo
standardspellingsare"Hanukkah"(mostcommon)and"Chanukah"(for
thosewhowanttoremindpeoplethatthewordbeginswithaguttural
throatclearingsound).
HARD/HARDLY
Everybodyknows"hard"asanadjective:"Starfleetrequiresahard
entranceexam."Theproblemariseswhenpeopleneedinganadverbtryto
usethefamiliarpatternofaddinglytocreateone,writingthings
like"weworkedhardlyatcompletingthetest."Theadverbialformof
thiswordisinfactthesameastheadjectivalform:"hard."Soit
shouldbe"weworkedhardatcompletingthetest."
InAmericanEnglish"hardly"alwaysmeanssomethinglike"scarcely,"as
in"wehardlyworkedonthetest."InBritishEnglishtheword"hardly"
issometimesusedtomean"severely,harshly,"asin"Trevorfelt

himselftohavebeenusedhardly[badlytreated]bytheexecutive
committee";butthispatternisunfamiliartomostAmericanreaders.
HARDLY
WhenBillsays"Ican'thardlybendoverwiththisbackache,"hemeans
hecanhardlybendover,andthat'swhatheshouldsay.Similarly,when
Janesays"youcanfeedthecatwithouthardlybendingover"shemeans
"almostwithoutbendingover."
HARDLYNEVER/HARDLYEVER
Theexpressionis"hardlyever"or"almostnever."
HARDY/HEARTY
Thesetwowordsoverlapsomewhat,butusuallythewordyouwantis
"hearty."Thestandardexpressionsare"aheartyappetite,""ahearty
meal,"a"heartyhandshake,""aheartywelcome,"and"heartyapplause."
Somethingdifficulttokillisdescribedasa"hardyperennial,"but
shouldnotbesubstitutedfor"hearty"intheotherexpressions."Party
hearty"and"partyhardy"arebothcommonrenderingsofacommonyouth
saying,butthefirstmakesmoresense.
HARK/HEARKEN
Oneolduseoftheword"hark"wasinhuntingwithhounds,meaningto
turnthedogsbackontheircourse,reversedirection.Itwasthisuse
thatgaverisetotheexpression"harkback."Itreferstoreturningin
thoughttoanearliertimeorreturningtoanearlierdiscussion:"That
tiediedshirtharksbacktothedaysweusedtogotorockfestivals
together."
Theexpressionisnot"hearkensback."Although"hark"and"hearken"can
bothmean"listen,"only"hark"canmean"goback."
HEDON'T/HEDOESN'T
InformalEnglish,"don't"isnotusedinthethirdpersonsingular."I
don'tlikeavocadoicecream"iscorrect,andsois"theydon'thave
theirpassportsyet"and"theydon'thavethesensetocomeinoutof
therain";but"hedon'thavenomoney,"thoughcommonincertain
dialects,isnonstandardontwocounts:itshouldbe"hedoesn't"and
"anymoney."Thesameistrueofotherforms:"shedon't"and"itdon't"
shouldbe"shedoesn't"and"itdoesn't."
HEADING/BOUND
Ifyou'rereportingontrafficconditions,it'sredundanttosay
"headingnorthboundonI5."it'seither"headingnorth"or
"northbound."
HEAL/HEEL

Healiswhatyoudowhenyougetbetter.Yourheelisthebackpartof
yourfoot.Achilles'heelwastheonlyplacethegreatwarriorcouldbe
woundedinsuchawaythattheinjurywouldn'theal.Thusanystriking
weaknesscanbecalledan"Achilles'heel."Torememberthemeaningof
"heal,"notethatitisthebeginningoftheword"health."
HEAR/HERE
Ifyoufindyourselfwritingsentenceslike"IknowIleftmywallet
hear!"youshouldnotethat"hear"hastheword"ear"buriedinitand
letthatremindyouthatitrefersonlytohearingandisalwaysaverb
(exceptwhenyouaregivingtheBritishcheer"Hear!Hear!")."Ileftmy
wallethere"isthecorrectexpression.
HEARINGIMPAIRED/DEAF
"Hearingimpaired"isnotanallpurposesubstitutefor"deaf"sinceit
stronglyimpliessomeresidualabilitytohear.
HEAVILY/STRONGLY
"Heavily"isnotanallpurposesynonymfor"strongly."Itshouldbe
reservedforexpressionsinwhichliteralormetaphoricalweightor
densityisimplied,like"heavilyunderlined,""heavilyinfluenced,"
"heavilyarmed,"or"heavilytraveled."Notstandardareexpressions
like"heavilyadmired"or"heavilycharacteristicof."Peoplesometimes
use"heavily"whentheymean"heartily,"asin"heavilypraised."
HEIGHTH/HEIGHT
"Width"hasa"TH"attheend,sowhydoesn't"height"?Infactitused
to,butthestandardpronunciationtodayendsinaplain"T"sound.
Peoplewhousetheobsoleteformmisspellitaswell,sopronunciation
isnoguide.Bytheway,thisisoneofthosepeskyexceptionstothe
rule,"IbeforeEexceptafterC,"butthevowelsareseldomswitched,
perhapsbecauseweseeitprintedonsomanyformsalongwith"age"and
"weight."
HELPTHEPROBLEM
Peoplesaytheywanttohelptheproblemofpovertywhenwhatthey
reallymeanisthattheywanttohelpsolvetheproblemofpoverty.
Povertyflourisheswithoutanyextrahelp,thankyou.IguessIknow
whata"suicidehelpline"is,butI'dratheritwerea"suicide
preventionhelpline."Isupposeit'stoolatetoaskpeopletorename
alcoholismsupportgroupsassobrietysupportgroups,butit'sashoddy
useoflanguage.
HENCEWHY/HENCE
ShakespeareandtheBiblekeepaliveonemeaningoftheoldword
"hence":"awayfromhere"("gettheehence").There'snoneedtoadd
"from"totheword,thoughyouoftensee"fromhence"inpretentious
writing,andit'snotlikelytobothermanyreaders.

Butanothersenseoftheword"hence"("therefore")causesmoretrouble
becausewritersoftenadd"why"toit:"Igottiredofmowingthelawn,
hencewhyIboughtthegoat.""Hence"and"why"servethesamefunction
inasentencelikethis;usejustoneortheother,notboth:"henceI
boughtthegoat"or"that'swhyIboughtthegoat."
HERBS/SPICES
Peoplenotseriouslyintocookingoftenmixupherbsandspices.
Generally,flavoringsmadeupofstems,leaves,andflowersareherbs;
andthosemadeofbark,roots,andseedsanddriedbudsarespices.
Howeversaffron,madeofflowerstamens,isaspice.TheBritish
pronouncetheHin"herb"butAmericansfollowtheFrenchindropping
it.
HERO/PROTAGONIST
Inordinaryusage"hero"hastwomeanings:"leadingcharacterina
story"and"brave,admirableperson."Insimpletalesthetwomeanings
mayworktogether,butinmodernliteratureandfilmtheleading
characteror"protagonist"(atechnicaltermcommoninliterary
criticism)maybehaveinaveryunheroicfashion.Studentswhoexpress
shockthatthe"hero"ofaplayornovelbehavesdespicablyrevealtheir
inexperience.Inliteratureclassesavoidthewordunlessyoumeanto
stressacharacter'sheroicqualities.However,ifyouarediscussing
themaincharacterinatraditionalopera,wherevaluesareoften
simple,youmaygetbywithreferringtothemaleleadasthe
"hero"butisDonGiovannireallyahero?
Seealso"heroin/heroine."
HEROIN/HEROINE
Heroinisahighlyaddictiveopiumderivative;themainfemalecharacter
inanarrativeisaheroine.
HIGHLYLOOKEDUPON/HIGHLYREGARDED
Manypeople,strugglingtorememberthephrase"highlyregarded,"come
upwiththeawkward"highlylookedupon"instead;whichsuggeststhat
thelookerisplacedinahighposition,lookingdown,whenwhatis
meantisthatthelookerislookinguptosomeoneorsomething
admirable.
HIM,HER/HE,SHE
Thereisagroupofpersonalpronounstobeusedassubjectsina
sentence,including"he,""she,""I,"and"we."Thenthereisaseparate
groupofobjectpronouns,including"him,""her,""me,"and"us."The
problemisthatthefolkswhotendtomixupthetwosetsoftendon't
findthesubject/objectdistinctionclearorhelpful,andsaythings
like"Herandmewenttothemovies."

Asimpletestistosubstitute"us"for"herandme."Wouldyousay"us
wenttothemovies?"Obviouslynot.You'dnormallysay"wewenttothe
movies,"sowhen"we"isbrokenintothetwopersonsinvolveditbecomes
"sheandIwenttothemovies."
Butyouwouldsay"themurderscenescaredus,"soit'scorrecttosay
"themurderscenescaredherandme."
Ifyouaren'tinvolved,use"they"and"them"astestwordsinsteadof
"we"and"us.""Theywonthelottery"becomes"heandshewonthe
lottery,"and"thecheckwasmailedtothem"becomes"thecheckwas
mailedtohimandher."
Seealso"I/me/myself"
HINDI/HINDU
Hindiisalanguage.Hinduismisareligion,anditsbelieversare
called"Hindus."NotallHindusspeakHindi,andmanyHindispeakersare
notHindus.
HIPPIE/HIPPY
Alonghaired60sflowerchildwasa"hippie.""Hippy"isanadjective
describingsomeonewithwidehips.TheIEisnotcausedbyaYchanging
toIEinthepluralasin"puppy"and"puppies."Itisrathera
dismissivediminutive,inventedbyolder,moresophisticatedhipsters
lookingdownonthenewkidsasmere"hippies."Confusingthesetwois
definitelyunhip.
HISSELF/HIMSELF
Insomedialectspeoplesay"hisself"for"himself,"butthisis
nonstandard.
ANHISTORIC/AHISTORIC
Youshoulduse"an"beforeawordbeginningwithan"H"onlyifthe"H"
isnotpronounced:"anhonesteffort";it'sproperly"ahistoricevent"
thoughmanysophisticatedspeakerssomehowpreferthesoundof"an
historic,"sothatversionisnotlikelytogetyouintoanyreal
trouble.
HOARD/HORDE
Agreedilyhoardedtreasureisahoard.Aherdofwildebeestsoramob
ofpeopleisahorde.
HOIPOLLOI
HoipolloiisGreekfor"thecommonpeople,"butitisoftenmisusedto
mean"theupperclass"(does"hoi"makespeakersthinkof"high"or
"hoitytoity"?).Someurgethatsince"hoi"isthearticle"thehoi
polloi"isredundant;butthegeneralruleisthatarticlessuchas

"the"and"a"inforeignlanguagephrasesceasetofunctionassuchin
placenames,brands,andcatchphrasesexceptforsomeofthemost
familiaronesinFrenchandSpanish,whereeveryonerecognizes"la"for
instanceasmeaning"the.""TheElNino"isredundant,but"thehoi
polloi"isstandardEnglish.
HOLDYOURPEACE/SAYYOURPIECE
Somefolksimaginethatsincetheseexpressionsareopposites,thelast
wordineachshouldbethesame;butinfacttheyareunrelated
expressions.Thefirstmeans"maintainyoursilence,"andtheother
meansliterally"speakaloudapieceofwriting"butisusedtoexpress
theideaofmakingastatement.
HOLE/WHOLE
"Hole"and"whole"havealmostoppositemeanings.Aholeisalackof
something,liketheholeinadoughnut(despitetheconfusingfactthat
thelittlenubbinsoffrieddougharecalled"doughnutholes")."Whole"
meansthingslikeentire,complete,andhealthyandisusedin
expressionslike"thewholething,""wholemilk,""wholewheat,"and
"withawholeheart."
HOLOCAUST
"Holocaust"isaGreekderivedtranslationoftheHebrewterm"olah,"
whichdenotesasortofritualsacrificeinwhichthefoodofferedis
completelyburntupratherthanbeingmerelydedicatedtoGodandthen
eaten.ItwasappliedwithbitterironybyJewstothedestructionof
millionsoftheirnumberintheNazideathcamps.Althoughphraseslike
"nuclearholocaust"and"Cambodianholocaust"havebecomecommon,you
riskgivingseriousoffensebyusingthewordinlesssevere
circumstances,suchascallingaprecipitousdeclineinstockpricesa
"selloffholocaust."
HOMEPAGE
OntheWorldWideWeb,a"homepage"isnormallythefirstpageaperson
enteringasiteencounters,oftenfunctioningasasortoftableof
contentsfortheotherpages.Peoplesometimescreatespecialpages
withintheirsitesintroducingaparticulartopic,andthesearealso
informallycalled"homepages"(asin"TheEmilyDickinsonHomePage");
butitisasuresignofaWebnovicetorefertoallWebpagesashome
pages.
HOMOPHOBIC
Someobjecttothiswordarguingthatitliterallymeans"manfearing,"
butthe"homo"in"homosexual"andinthisworddoesnotrefertothe
Latinwordfor"man,"butisderivedfromaGreekrootmeaning"same"
whilethe"phobic"meansliterally"havingafearof,"butinEnglish
hascometomean"hating.""Homophobic"isnowanestablishedtermfor
"prejudicedagainsthomosexuals."

HONEIN/HOMEIN
Youhomeinonatarget(thecenterofthetargetis"home")."Honing"
hastodowithsharpeningknives,notaim.
HORSD'OEUVRES
IfyouknewonlyalittleFrench,youmightinterpretthisphraseas
meaning"outofwork,"butinfactitmeanslittlesnackfoodsserved
beforeoroutsideof("hors")themaindishesofameal(the"oeuvres").
Englishspeakershavetroublemasteringthesoundsinthisphrase,but
itisnormallyrendered"orDERVES,"inaroughapproximationofthe
original.Mangledspellingslike"hors'dourves"arenotuncommon.
Actually,manymodernfoodwritershavedecidedweneedn'ttrytowrap
ourtonguesaroundthispeculiarforeignphraseandnowprefer
"starters."Theyarealsocommonlycalled"appetizers."
HOWCOME/WHY
"Howcome?"isacommonquestionincasualspeech,butinformal
contextsuse"why?"
HOWTO/HOWCANI
Youcanasksomeonehowtopublishanovel;butwhenyoudo,don'twrite
"Howtopublishanovel?"Insteadask"HowcanIpublishanovel?"or
"Howdoessomeonepublishanovel?"Ifyou'reinluck,thepersonyou've
askedwilltellyouhowtodoit."Howto"belongsinstatements,not
questions.
HUNDREDS/CENTURY
"Eighteenhundreds,""sixteenhundreds"andsofortharenotexactly
errors;theproblemisthattheyareusedalmostexclusivelybypeople
whoarenervousaboutsaying"nineteenthcentury"when,afterall,the
yearsinthatcenturybeginwiththenumbereighteen.Thisshouldbe
simple:fewpeopleareunclearaboutthefactthatthisisthe
twentyfirstcenturyeventhoughourdatesbeginwithtwenty.Formost
datesyoucanjustaddonetotheseconddigitinayearandyou'vegot
thenumberofitscentury.Ittookahundredyearstogettotheyear
100,sothenexthundredyears,whicharenamed"101,""102,"etc.were
inthesecondcentury.ThisalsoworksBC.ThefourhundredsBCarethe
fifthcenturyBC.Usingphraseslike"eighteenhundreds"isasignalto
yourreadersthatyouareweakinmathandhistoryalike.
HYPHENATION
TheChicagoManualofStylecontainsahugechartlistingvarioussorts
ofphrasesthatareorarenottobehyphenated.Consultsucha
referencesourceforathoroughgoingaccountofthismatter,butyou
maybeabletogetbywithafewbasicrules.Anadverb/adjective
combinationinwhichtheadverbendsin"LY"isneverhyphenated:"His
necktiereflectedhisgenerallygrotesquetaste."Othersortsofadverbs
arefollowedbyahyphenwhencombinedwithanadjective:"His

longsufferingwifefinallysnappedandfeditthroughtheoffice
shredder."Thepointhereisthat"long"modifies"suffering,"not
"wife."Whenbothwordsmodifythesamenoun,theyarenothyphenated.A
"lightgreensuitcase"ispaleincolor,buta"lightgreensuitcase"is
notheavy.Inthelatterexample"light"and"green"bothmodify
"suitcase,"sonohyphenisused.
Adjectivescombinedwithnounshavingan"ED"suffixarehyphenated:
"Frankwasahotheadedcop."
Hyphenateageswhentheyareadjectivephrasesinvolvingaunitof
measurement:"Hertenyearoldcarisbeginningtogivehertrouble."A
girlcanbea"tenyearold"("child"isimplied).Butthereareno
hyphensinsuchanadjectivalphraseas"Hercaristenyearsold."In
fact,hyphensaregenerallyomittedwhensuchphrasesfollowthenoun
theymodifyexceptinphrasesinvolving"all"or"self"suchas
"allknowing"or"selfconfident."Fractionsarealmostalways
hyphenatedwhentheyareadjectives:"HeisonequarterIrishand
threequartersNigerian."Butwhenthenumeratorisalreadyhyphenated,
thefractionitselfisnot,asin"ninetynineandfortyfourone
hundredths."Fractionstreatedasnounsarenothyphenated:"Heateone
quarteroftheturkey."
Aphrasecomposedofanounandapresentparticiple("ing"word)must
behyphenated:"Theantennahadbeenclimbedbythrillseekingteenagers
whodidn'trealizethetopofitwaselectrified."
Thesearethemaincasesinwhichpeoplearepronetomisusehyphens.If
youcanmasterthem,youwillhaveeliminatedthevastmajorityofsuch
mistakesinyourwriting.Somestylescallforspacearounddashes(a
practiceofwhichIstronglydisapprove),butitisneverproperto
surroundhyphenswithspaces,thoughinthefollowingsortofpattern
youmayneedtofollowahyphenwithaspace:"Stacy'spreandpost
haircutmoods."
HYPHENS&DASHES
Dashesarelongerthanhyphens,butsincesomebrowsersdonotreliably
interpretthecodefordashes,theyareusuallyrenderedontheWebas
theywereonoldfashionedtypewriters,asdoublehyphenslikethat.
Dashestendtoseparateelementsandhyphenstolinkthem.Fewpeople
wouldsubstituteadashforahypheninanexpressionlike"a
quickwittedscoundrel,"buttheoppositeiscommon.Inasentencelike
"AstrudunlikeIngerenjoyedvacationsinSpainratherthanEngland,"
oneoftenseeshyphensincorrectlysubstitutedfordashes.
Whenyouaretypingforphotocopyingordirectprinting,itisagood
ideatolearnhowtotypeatruedashinsteadofthedoublehyphen
(computersdiffer).Inoldfashionedstyles,dashes(butneverhyphens)
aresurroundedbyspaceslikethis.Withmoderncomputeroutputwhich
emulatesprofessionalprinting,thismakeslittlesense.Skipthespaces
unlessyoureditororteacherinsistsonthem.
Thereareactuallytwokindsofdashes.Themostcommonisthe"emdash"

(theoreticallythewidthofaletter"M"butthisisoftennotthe
case).Toconnectnumbers,itistraditionaltousean"endash"which
issomewhatshorter,butnotasshortasahyphen:"cocktails57pm."
Allmoderncomputerscanproduceendashes,butfewpeopleknowhowto
typethem.Formostpurposesyoudon'thavetoworryaboutthem,butif
youarepreparingmaterialforprint,youshouldlearnhowtousethem.
HYPOCRITICAL
"Hypocritical"hasanarrow,veryspecificmeaning.Itdescribes
behaviororspeechthatisintendedtomakeonelookbetterormore
piousthanonereallyis.Itisoftenwronglyusedtolabelpeoplewho
aremerelynarrowmindedorgenuinelypious.Donotconfusethisword
with"hypercritical,"whichdescribespeoplewhoarepicky.
HYSTERICAL/HILARIOUS
Peoplesayofabitofhumororacomicalsituationthatitwas
"hysterical"shorthandfor"hystericallyfunny"meaning"hilarious."
Butwhenyouspeakofamanbeing"hysterical"itmeansheishavinga
fitofhysteria,andthatmaynotbefunnyatall.
I/ME/MYSELF
Intheolddayswhenpeoplestudiedtraditionalgrammar,wecouldsimply
say,"Thefirstpersonsingularpronounis"I"whenit'sasubjectand
"me"whenit'sanobject,"butnowfewpeopleknowwhatthatmeans.
Let'sseeifwecanapplysomecommonsensehere.Themisuseof"I"and
"myself"for"me"iscausedbynervousnessabout"me."Educatedpeople
knowthat"Jimandmearegoin'downtoslopthehogs,"isnotelegant
speech,not"correct."Itshouldbe"JimandI"becauseifIwere
sloppingthehogsaloneIwouldneversay"Meisgoing...."Ifyou
refertoyourselffirst,thesameruleapplies:It'snot"MeandJimare
going"but"IandJimaregoing."
Sofarsogood.Butthenotionthatthereissomethingwrongwith"me"
leadspeopletoovercorrectandavoiditwhereitisperfectly
appropriate.Peoplewillsay"Thedocumenthadtobesignedbyboth
SusanandI"whenthecorrectstatementwouldbe,"Thedocumenthadto
besignedbybothSusanandme."Tryingevenhardertoavoidthelowly
"me,"manypeoplewillsubstitute"myself,"asin"Thesuspectuttered
epithetsatOfficerO'Learyandmyself."
"Myself"isnobetterthan"I"asanobject."Myself"isnotasortof
allpurposeintensiveformof"me"or"I."Use"myself"onlywhenyou
haveused"I"earlierinthesamesentence:"Iamnotparticularlyfond
ofgoatcheesemyself.""Ikepthalfthelootformyself."Allthis
confusioncaneasilybeavoidedifyoujustremovethesecondpartyfrom
thesentenceswhereyoufeeltemptedtouse"myself"asanobjector
feelnervousabout"me."Youwouldn'tsay,"TheIRSsenttherefund
checktoI,"soyoushouldn'tsay"TheIRSsenttherefundchecktomy
wifeandI"either.Andyoushouldn'tsay"tomywifeandmyself."The
onlycorrectwaytosaythisis,"TheIRSsenttherefundchecktomy
wifeandme."Stillsoundstoocasual?Getoverit.

Onarelatedpoint,thosewhocontinuetoannounce"ItisI"have
traditionalgrammaticalcorrectnessontheirside,buttheyarevastly
outnumberedbythosewhoproudlyboast"it'sme!"There'snotmuchthat
canbedoneaboutthisnow.Similarly,ifacallerasksforSusanand
Susananswers"Thisisshe,"hersomewhatantiquatedcorrectnessis
likelytostartlethequestionerintoconfusion.
IC
IntheColdWarera,antisocialistsoftenaccusedtheirenemiesof
being"socialistic"bywhichtheymeantthatalthoughtheywerenot
actuallysocialists,someoftheirbeliefswerelikethoseof
socialists.Butthe"ic"suffixisrecklesslyusedinallkindsof
settings,oftenwithoutunderstandingitsimplications.KarlMarxwas
not"socialistic,"hewasactuallysocialist.
IDEA/IDEAL
Anythoughtcanbeanidea,butonlythebestideasworthpursuingare
ideals.
IFIWAS/IFIWERE
Thesubjunctivemood,alwaysweakinEnglish,hasbeendwindlingaway
forcenturiesuntilithasalmostvanished.Accordingtotraditional
thought,statementsabouttheconditionalfuturesuchas"IfIwerea
carpenter..."requirethesubjunctive"were";but"was"iscertainly
muchmorecommon.Still,ifyouwanttoimpressthoseintheknowwith
yourusage,use"were"whenwritingofsomethinghypothetical,unlikely,
orcontrarytofact.
Thesamegoesforotherpronouns:"you,""she,""he,"and"it."Inthe
caseofthepluralpronouns"we"and"they"theform"was"isdefinitely
nonstandard,ofcourse,becauseitisasingularform.
IFNOT
"Hewassmartifnotexactlybrilliant."Inthissortofexpression,"if
not"linksaweakerwithastrongerwordwitharelatedmeaning.Other
examples:"unattractiveifnotdownrightugly,""reasonablypricedif
notexactlycheap,""interestedifnotactuallyexcited."
Butthissortof"ifnot"isoftenmisusedtolinkwordsthatdon'tform
aweaker/strongerpair:"obscureifnotboring,""happyifnot
entertained,""anxiousifnotafraid."Thelinkedtermsinthese
examplesdohavesomelogicalrelationship,buttheydonotforma
weaker/strongerpair.
IGNORANT/STUPID
Apersoncanbeignorant(notknowingsomefactoridea)withoutbeing
stupid(incapableoflearningbecauseofabasicmentaldeficiency).And
thosewhosay,"That'sanignorantidea"whentheymean"stupididea"

areexpressingtheirownignorance.
ILLINOIS
ItannoysChicagoanswhenpeoplepronouncetheirstate'sfinalsyllable
torhymewith"noise."Thefinal"S"in"Illinois"issilent.Thefinal
"S"in"Illinois"issilent.
ILLUDE/ELUDE
"Illude"isaveryrareword,mostofwhoseformermeaningsare
obsolete,butwhichcanmean"todeceive,leadastray."Butinmodern
usagethiswordisalmostalwaysusedasanerrorfor"elude,"meaning
"escape,evade."Similarly,youwouldbebetteroffavoidingtheword
"illusive"andusingthemuchmorecommonword"illusory"tomean
"deceptive.""Illusive"isalmostalwaysanerrorfor"elusive."
IMMACULATECONCEPTION/VIRGINBIRTH
Thedoctrineof"immaculateconception"(thebeliefthatMarywas
conceivedwithoutinheritingoriginalsin)isoftenconfusedwiththe
doctrineofthe"virginbirth"(thebeliefthatMarygavebirthtoJesus
whileremainingavirgin).
IMPACT
One(verylarge)groupofpeoplethinksthatusing"impact"asaverbis
justnifty:"Theannouncementofyetanotherbuginthesoftwarewill
stronglyimpactthepriceofthecompany'sstock."Another(very
passionate)groupofpeoplethinksthat"impact"shouldbeusedonlyas
anounandconsidersthefirstgrouptobebarbarians.Althoughthe
firstgroupmaywellbewinningtheusagestruggle,youriskoffending
morepeoplebyusing"impact"asaverbthanyouwillbysubstituting
moretraditionalwordslike"affect"or"influence."
IMPACTFUL/INFLUENTIAL
Manypeopleinbusinessandeducationliketospeakofthingsthathave
animpactasbeing"impactful,"butthistermdoesnotappearinmost
dictionariesandisnotwellthoughtofbytraditionalists.Use
"influential"or"effective"instead.
IMPERTINENT/IRRELEVANT
"Impertinent"looksasifitoughttomeantheoppositeof"pertinent,"
andindeeditoncedid;butforcenturiesnowitsmeaninginordinary
speechhasbeennarrowedto"impudent,"specificallyinregardto
actionsorspeechtowardsomeoneregardedassociallysuperior.Only
snobsandveryoldfashionedpeopleuse"impertinent"correctly;most
peoplewouldbewelladvisedtoforgetitanduse"irrelevant"instead
tomeantheoppositeof"pertinent."
IMPLY/INFER

Thesetwowords,whichoriginallyhadquitedistinctmeanings,have
becomesoblendedtogetherthatmostpeoplenolongerdistinguish
betweenthem.Ifyouwanttoavoidirritatingtherestofus,use
"imply"whensomethingisbeingsuggestedwithoutbeingexplicitly
statedand"infer"whensomeoneistryingtoarriveataconclusion
basedonevidence."Imply"ismoreassertive,active:Iimplythatyou
needtoreviseyourpaper;and,basedonmyhints,youinferthatI
didn'tthinkhighlyofyourfirstdraft.
INREGARDSTO/WITHREGARDTO
BusinessEnglishisdeadlyenoughwithoutscramblingit."Asregards
yourdownsizingplan..."isacceptable,ifstiff."Inregardto""and
"withregardto"arealsocorrect.But"inregardsto"isnonstandard.
Youcanalsoconveythesameideawith"inrespectto"or"withrespect
to,"orsimplestofalljustplain"regarding."
INSHAMBLES/ASHAMBLES
Yourclothesareintatters,yourplansareinruins,butyoucan
consoleyourselfthatyourroomcannotbe"inshambles."
Theexpressionmeaning"likeawreck"is"ashambles":"Yourroomisa
shambles!Itlookslikeacyclonehitit."
Ashamblesusedtobethecounterinameatstallandlater,abloody
butcheryfloor.SettingslikethethroneroomattheendofHamletora
disastrousbattlefieldstrewnwithbodypartscanbecalled"ashambles"
inthetraditionalsense.Nowthephraseusuallymeansjust"amess."
INSPITEOF/DESPITE
Although"inspiteof"isperfectlystandardEnglish,somepeopleprefer
"despite"becauseitisshorter.Becarefulnottomixthetwotogether
bysaying"despiteof"exceptaspartofthephrase"indespiteof"
meaning"indefianceof."
Andnotethatunlike"despite,""inspite"shouldalwaysbespelledas
twoseparatewords.
INSTORE
Somepeoplesaythingslike"heisinstoreforasurpriseonhis
birthday"whentheymeanheisinlineforasurprise.Themetaphoris
notbasedontheimageofgoingshoppinginastorebutofsomething
awaitingyoustoredupforyousothecorrectformwouldbe"a
surpriseisinstoreforhimonhisbirthday."
INTERMSOF
Originallythisexpressionwasusedtoexplainprecisequantifiable
relationships:"Weprefertomeasureourfootballteam'ssuccessin
termsofthenumberoffansattendingratherthanthenumberofgames
won."Butithasforalongtimenowbeengreatlyoverusedinallkinds

ofvagueways,oftenclumsily.
Herearesomeawkwardusesfollowedbyrecommendedalternatives:
"WehavetoplansoonwhattodointermsofThanksgiving."(for)
"Whatarewegoingtodointermsofpayingthesebills?"(about)
"Alittlechilipowdergoesalongwayintermsofspicingupanydish."
(toward).
"Whatdoyoulikeintermsofmovies?"(Whatkindofmoviesdoyoulike?)
INTHEFACTTHAT/INTHAT
Manypeoplemistakenlywrite"inthefactthat"whentheymeansimply
"inthat"insentenceslike"Itseemedwisernottogotoworkinthe
factthatthebosshaddiscoveredthecompanypicnicmoneywasmissing."
Omit"thefact."Whilewe'reatit,"infact"isnotaword;"infact"is
alwaysatwowordphrase.
INTHEMIST/INTHEMIDST
Whenyouaresurroundedbysomething,you'reinthemidstofitits
middle.Ifyou'reinamist,you'rejustinafog.
INCASE/INCASE
Justincaseyouhaven'tfiguredthisoutalready:theexpression"in
case"istwowords,notone.Thereisabrandofequipmentcoverssold
undertheincasebrand,butthat'saverydifferentmatter,tobeused
onlywhenyouneedsomethinginwhichtoencaseyouriPod.
INCENT,INCENTIVIZE
Businessfolkssometimesuse"incent"tomean"createanincentive,"but
it'snotstandardEnglish."Incentivize"isevenmorewidelyused,but
strikesmanypeopleasanuglysubstitutefor"encourage."
INCIDENCE/INCIDENTS/INSTANCES
Thesethreeoverlapinmeaningjustenoughtoconfusealotofpeople.
Fewofushaveaneedfor"incidence,"whichmostoftenreferstodegree
orextentoftheoccurrenceofsomething:"Theincidenceofmeaslesin
WhitmanCountyhasdroppedmarkedlysincethevaccinehasbeenprovided
free.""Incidents,"whichispronouncedidentically,ismerelythe
pluralof"incident,"meaning"occurrences":"Policereporteddamageto
threedifferentouthousesinseparateincidentslastHalloween".
Instances(not"incidences")areexamples:"Semicolonsarenotrequired
inthefirstthreeinstancesgiveninyourquery."Incidentscanbeused
asinstancesonlyifsomeoneisusingthemasexamples.
INCREDIBLE
TheotherdayIheardafilmreviewerpraiseadirectorbecausehe
created"incrediblecharacters,"whichwouldliterallymeanunbelievable
characters.Whatthereviewermeanttosay,ofcourse,waspreciselythe
opposite:characterssolifelikeastoseemlikerealpeople.

Intensifiersandsuperlativestendtogetworndownquicklythrough
overuseandbecomealmostmeaningless,butitiswisetobeawareof
theirrootmeaningssothatyoudon'tunintentionallyutterabsurdities.
"Fantastic"means"asinafantasy"justas"fabulous"means"asina
fable."A"wonderful"sightshouldmakeyoupauseinwonder(awe).Some
ofthesewordsareworndownbeyondredemption,however.Forinstance,
whonowexpectsa"terrific"sighttoterrify?
INCREDULOUS/INCREDIBLE
"WhenJessicasaidthatmyperformanceatthekaraokebarhadbeen
incredible,Iwasincredulous."IhopeJessicawasusing"incredible"in
thecasualsenseof"unbelievablygood"butIknewIused"incredulous"
tomean"unbelieving,skeptical,"whichistheonlystandardusagefor
thisword.
INDEPTH/INDEPTH
Youcanmakean"indepth"studyofasubjectbystudyingit"indepth,"
butnever"indepth."Like"alot"thisexpressionconsistsoftwowords
oftenmistakenforone.Thefirst,adjectival,useofthephrasegiven
aboveiscommonlyhyphenated,whichmayleadsomepeopletosplicethe
wordsevenmorecloselytogether."Indepth"isusuallyusedasanadverb
bypeopleoflimitedvocabularywhowouldbebetteroffsaying
"profoundly"or"thoroughly."Someofthemgosofarastosaythatthey
havestudiedasubject"indepthly."Avoidthisoneifyoudon'twantto
besnickeredat.
INDIAN/NATIVEAMERICAN
Althoughacademicshavelongpromoted"NativeAmerican"asamore
accuratelabelthan"Indian,"mostofthepeoplesolabeledcontinueto
refertothemselvesas"Indians"andpreferthatterm.InCanada,there
isamovetorefertodescendantsoftheoriginalinhabitantsas"First
Nations"or"FirstPeoples,"butsofarthathasnotspreadtotheUS
UNIVERSITYOFINDIANA
Thereisnosuchplaceas"theUniversityofIndiana";it's"Indiana
University."
Ishouldknow;Iwentthere.
INDIVIDUAL/PERSON
Lawenforcementofficersoftenuse"individual"asasimplesynonymfor
"person"whentheydon'tparticularlymeantostressindividuality:"I
pursuedtheindividualwhohadfiredtheweaponatmeforthreeblocks."
Thissortofuseof"individual"lendsanoddlyformalairtoyour
writing.When"person"worksaswell,useit.
INFAMOUS/NOTORIOUS
"Infamous"meansfamousinabadway.Itisrelatedtotheword

"infamy."Humoristshaveforacoupleofcenturiesjokinglyusedthe
wordinapositivesense,buttheeffectivenessofthejokedependson
thelistenerknowingthatthisisamisuseoftheterm.Becausethisis
averyoldjokeindeedyoushouldsticktousing"infamous"onlyof
peoplelikeHitlerandBillytheKid.
"Notorious"meansthesamethingas"infamous"andshouldalsoonlybe
usedinanegativesense.
INFACT/INFACT
"Infact"isalwaystwowords.
INFINITE
WhenShakespeare'sEnobarbussaidofCleopatrathat"agecannotwither
her,norcustomstaleherinfinitevariety,"hewasobviously
exaggerating.Sofewaretheliteralusesof"infinite"thatalmost
everyuseofitismetaphorical.Therearenotaninfinitenumberof
possiblepositionsonachessboard,nornumberofstarsintheknown
universe.Tosayofsnowflakesthatthepossiblevarietyoftheirshape
isinfiniteisincorrect:surelyonecouldtheoreticallycalculatethe
maximumpossiblesizeofsomethingonecouldjustlycalla"snowflake,"
calculatethenumberofmoleculespossibleinthatvolume,andthe
numberofpossiblearrangementsofthosemolecules.Theresultwouldbe
averylargenumber,butnotaninfinity.Thingscanbeinnumerable(in
onesenseoftheword)withoutbeinginfinite;inotherwords,things
whicharebeyondthehumancapacitytocountcanstillbelimitedin
number."Infinite"hasitsusesasaloosesynonymfor"averygreat
many,"butitisalltoooftenlazilyusedwhenonedoesn'twanttodo
theworktodiscovertheorderofmagnitudeinvolved.Whenyouare
makingquasiscientificstatementsyoudoadisservicetoyourreaderby
implyinginfinitywhenmerebillionsareinvolved.
INFLAMMABLE
"Inflammable"meansthesamethingas"flammable":burnable,capableof
beingignitedorinflamed.Somanypeoplemistakethe"in"prefixasa
negative,however,thatithasbeenlargelyabandonedasawarning
label.
INFLUENCIAL/INFLUENTIAL
Ifyouhaveinfluence,youare"influential,"not"influencial."
INKPEN/PEN
Iftherewereanydangerofconfusingpensforwritingwithotherkinds
ofpens(light,sea,pig)thephrase"inkpen"mightbeuseful,but
itseemstobemainlyawayofsaying"notapencil."Plainold"pen"
willdofine.
INPUT

Somepeopleobjectto"input"ascomputerjargonthat'sproliferated
unjustifiablyinthebusinessworld.Beawarethatit'snotwelcomein
allsettings;butwhateveryoudo,don'tmisspellit"imput."
INSIGHT/INCITE
Aninsightissomethingyouhave:anunderstandingofsomething,a
brightideaaboutsomething.
Toinciteistodosomething:tostimulatesomeactionorothertobe
taken.Youcanneverhaveanincite.
INSTALL/INSTILL
Peopleconjureupvisionsofthemselvesasupgradablerobotswhenthey
writethingslike"MyAuntTillietriedtoinstallthespiritofgiving
inmyheart."Thewordtheyaresearchingforis"instill."Youinstall
equipment,youinstillfeelingsorattitudes.
INSTANCES/INSTANTS
Briefmomentsare"instants,"andexamplesofanythingare"instances."
INTENDON/INTENDTO
Youcanplanondoingsomething,butyouintendtodoit.Manypeople
confusethesetwoexpressionswitheachotherandmistakenlysay"intend
on."Ofcourseifyouarereallydetermined,youcanbeintentondoing
something.
INTENSE/INTENSIVE
Ifyouareputtingforthanintenseeffort,yourworkis"intense":"My
intensestudyofPlatoconvincedmethatIwouldmakeagoodleader."
Butwhentheintensitystemsnotsomuchfromyoureffortasitdoes
fromoutsideforces,theusualwordis"intensive":"thevillageendured
intensivebombing."
INTENSIFIERS
Peoplearealwayslookingforwaystoemphasizehowreally,really
specialthesubjectunderdiscussionis.(Theuseof"really"isoneof
theweakestandleasteffectiveofthese.)Ahostofwordshavebeen
worndowninthisservicetonearmeaninglessness.Itisgoodto
remembertheetymologicalrootsofsuchwordstoavoidsuchabsurdities
as"fantasticallyrealistic,""absolutelyrelative,"and"incredibly
convincing."Whenyouaretemptedtouseoneofthesevagueintensifiers
considerrewritingyourprosetoexplainmorepreciselyandvividlywhat
youmean:"Fred'scookingwasincrediblybad"couldbechangedto"When
ItastedFred'scookingIalmostthoughtIwasbackinthemiddleschool
cafeteria."
Seealso"Incredible."

INTERCESSION/INTERSESSION
Intheology,"intercession"isaprayeronbehalfofsomeoneelse;but
analarmingnumberofcollegesusethewordtolabeltheperiodbetween
regularacademicsessions.Suchaperiodisproperlyan"intersession."
INTERGRATE/INTEGRATE
Therearelotsofwordsthatbeginwith"inter"butthisisnotoneof
them.Thewordis"integrate"withjustoneR.
INTERESTING
Thesecondsyllableisnormallysilentin"interesting."It's
nonstandardtogooutofyourwaytopronouncethe"ter,"anddefinitely
substandardtosay"innaresting."
INTERFACE/INTERACT
Theuseofthecomputerterm"interface"asaverb,substitutingfor
"interact,"iswidelyobjectedto.
INTERMENT/INTERNMENT
Intermentisburial;internmentismerelyimprisonment.
INTERMURAL/INTRAMURAL
"Intramural"meansliterally"withinthewalls"andreferstoactivities
thattakeplaceentirelywithinaninstitution.WhenatMacbethState
UniversitytheGlamisHallsoccerteamplaysagainsttheonefrom
DunsinaneHall,that'sanintramuralgame.WhenMSU'sFightingScots
traveltogoupagainstCawdorU.inthePorter'sBowl,thegameis
"intermural"(thoughtheperfectlycorrect"intercollegiate"ismore
oftenusedinstead)."Intermural"isconstantlybothsaidandwritten
when"intramural"ismeant.
INTERNET/INTRANET
"Internet"isthepropernameofthenetworkmostpeopleconnectto,and
thewordneedstobecapitalized.However"intranet,"anetworkconfined
toasmallergroup,isagenerictermwhichdoesnotdeserve
capitalization.Inadvertising,weoftenreadthingslike"unlimited
Internet,$35."Itwouldbemoreaccuratetoreferinthissortof
contextto"Internetaccess."
INTERPRETATE/INTERPRET
"Interpretate"ismistakenlyformedfrom"interpretation,"buttheverb
formissimply"interpret."Seealso"orientate."
INTO/INTO
"Into"isaprepositionwhichoftenanswersthequestion,"where?"For

example,"TomandBeckyhadgonefarintothecavebeforetheyrealized
theywerelost."Sometimesthe"where"ismetaphorical,asin,"Hewent
intothearmy"or"Shewentintobusiness."Itcanalsoreferbyanalogy
totime:"ThesnowlingeredonthegroundwellintoApril."In
oldfashionedmathtalk,itcouldbeusedtorefertodivision:"two
intosixisthree."Inotherinstanceswherethewords"in"and"to"
justhappentofindthemselvesneighbors,theymustremainseparate
words.Forinstance,"Racheldivedbackintorescuethestruggling
boy."Here"to"belongswith"rescue"andmeans"inorderto,"not
"where."(Ifthephrasehadbeen"divedbackintothewater,""into"
wouldberequired.)
Tryspeakingthesentenceconcernedaloud,pausingdistinctlybetween
"in"and"to."Iftheresultsoundswrong,youprobablyneed"into."
Thenthereisthe60scolloquialismwhichlingersoninwhich"into"
means"deeplyinterestedorinvolvedin":"Kevinisintobaseball
cards."Thisisderivedfromusageslike"thecommitteeislookinginto
thefundraisingscandal."Theabbreviatedformisnotacceptableformal
English,butisquitecommonininformalcommunications.
INTRICATE/INTEGRAL
Anintegralpartofamachine,organization,orideaisanecessary,
inseparablepartofit.Manypeoplemistakenlysubstitute"intricate"
for"integral"inthephrase"anintegralpart."
Averysimplebitofmetalcanbeanintegralpartofanintricate
machine.
INTRIGUE
Somethingmysteriousoralluringcanbecalled"intriguing,"but
"intrigue"asanounmeanssomethingratherdifferent:schemingand
plotting.Don'tsaypeopleorsituationsarefullofintriguewhenyou
meantheyareintriguing.TheOldsmobilecarmodelcalledtheIntrigue
isprobablybasedonthiscommonconfusion.
INVITE/INVITATION
"Invite"(accentonthesecondsyllable)isperfectlystandardasa
verb:"InvitemetothebirthdaypartyandI'lljumpoutofthecake."
But"invite"(accentonthefirstsyllable)asanounmeaning
"invitation"islessacceptable:"Igotaninvitetomyexwife"s
wedding."Thoughthisformnhasbecomeextremelypopular,eveninfairly
formalcontexts,itissafertousethetraditional"invitation."
IRAQ
Wanttosoundlikeagoodoldboywhodoesn'tgiveahootwhat
foreignersthink?Say"EYErack."Butifyouwanttosound
knowledgeable,say"earROCK."Politicianswhoknowbettersometimes
adoptthepopularmispronunciationinordertosoundmorefolksyand

downtoearth.
SimilarlyinstandardEnglish,Iranisnotpronounced"eyeRAN"but
"earRON."
Onarelatedmatter,thefirstsyllableof"Italian"ispronouncedjust
likethefirstsyllablein"Italy,"withan"it"sound."Eyetalian"
soundsdistinctlyuneducated.
IRONICALLY/COINCIDENTALLY
Aneventthatisstrikinglydifferentfromortheoppositeofwhatone
wouldhaveexpected,usuallyproducingasenseofincongruity,is
ironic:"Thesheriffproclaimedazerotolerancepolicyondrugs,but
ironicallyflunkedhisowntest."Otherstrikingcomingstogetherof
eventslackingthesequalitiesaremerelycoincidental:"thelovers
leaptoffthetowerjustasahaywagoncoincidentallyhappenedtobe
passingbelow."
IRREGARDLESS/REGARDLESS
Regardlessofwhatyouhaveheard,"irregardless"isaredundancy.The
suffix"less"ontheendofthewordalreadymakesthewordnegative.
Itdoesn'tneedthenegativeprefix"ir"addedtomakeitevenmore
negative.
IS,IS
Inspeech,peopleoftenlosetrackinthemiddleofasentenceand
repeat"is"insteadofsaying"that":"Theproblemwiththeconflictin
theBalkansis,istheethnictensionsseemexacerbatedbyeverythingwe
do."Thisisjustanervoustic,worthbeingalertagainstwhenyou're
speakingpublicly.
However,whenyoubeginasentencewiththephrase"Whatitis,"it's
normal,thoughawkward,tofollowthephrasewithanother"is":Whatit
is,isadisaster."Thiscolloquialismisprobablyderivedfrom
expressionslikethis:"I'lltellyouwhatitis;itisadisaster."In
thiscase,each"is"hasitsownproper"it,"whereasthecondensed
versionsoundslikeaverbalstumble.Ifyouwouldratheravoidthis
sortof"is,is"youcanavoidusing"whatitis"andsaysomething
simplelike"It'sadisaster,"or"Thepointisthatit'sadisaster."
Ofcourse,Isupposeitalldependsonwhatyouthinkthemeaningof
"is"is.
ISN'TIT/INNIT
InSouthAsiayouoftenhearpeopleendsentenceswith"isn'tit?"in
contextswheretraditionalEnglishwouldrequire"doesn'tit,""won't
it,""aren'tyou,"andrelatedexpressions.InBritainandamong
AmericanIndians,amongothers,this"invariantisn't"isreducedto
"innit,"andmaybeusedevenmorebroadlyasageneralemphatic
exclamationattheendofalmostanystatement.

Thisinterestingpatternisliabletopuzzle,amuse,orannoythosewho
aren'tusedtoit,isn'tit?
ISLAMS/MUSLIMS
FollowersofIslamarecalled"Muslims,"not"Islams.""Muslim"isnow
widelypreferredovertheolderandlessphoneticallyaccurate"Moslem."
TheSin"Islam"and"Muslim"issibilantliketheSin"saint."It
shouldnotbepronouncedwithaZsound.
ISREAL/ISRAEL
Torememberhowtospell"Israel"properly,trypronouncingittheway
Israelisdowhenthey'respeakingEnglish:"ISSrahel."
ISSUES/PROBLEMS
An"issue"usedtobeamatterforconsiderationordiscussion.For
instance,agroupmightdiscusstheissueofhowbesttoraisefundsfor
itsscholarshipprogram.Butpeoplecouldalsodisagreewitheachother
bysaying"Itakeissue[disagree]withyouonthatpoint."
Butthenmentalhealthprofessionalsbegantotalkabout"childrearing
issues"and"relationshipissues,"andsuch.Inthiscontextthemeaning
of"issues"begantoblurintothatof"problems"andcrosspollinate
with"takeissue,"leadingordinaryfolkstobegansayingthingslike"I
havetendonitisissues."or"Ihaveissueswithtelemarketing."This
verypopularsortofexpressionisviewedwithcontemptoramusementby
manytraditionalists,whoaretrulyappalledwhenit'sextendedtothe
inanimateworld:"theselaptopshaveissueswithsomewirelesscards."
ITCH/SCRATCH
Strictlyspeaking,youscratchanitch.Ifyou'retryingtogetridofa
tinglyfeelingonyourbackscratchit,don'titchit.
ITS/IT'S
Theexceptiontothegeneralrulethatoneshoulduseanapostropheto
indicatepossessionisinpossessivepronouns.Someofthemarenota
problem."Mine"hasnomisleading"s"attheendtoinvitean
apostrophe.Andfewpeoplearetemptedtowrite"hi's,"thoughthe
equallyerroneous"her's"isfairlycommon,asare"our's"and"their's"
allwrong,wrong,wrong.Theproblemwithavoiding"it's"asa
possessiveisthatthisspellingisperfectlycorrectasacontraction
meaning"itis."Justremembertwopointsandyou'llnevermakethis
mistakeagain.(1)"it's"alwaysmeans"itis"or"ithas"andnothing
else.(2)Trychangingthe"its"inyoursentenceto"his"andifit
doesn'tmakesense,thengowith"it's."
JACK/PLUG

Inelectronics,ajackisafemalepartintowhichoneinsertsaplug,
themalepart.Peoplegetconfusedbecause"Jack"isamalename.The
cyberpunkterm(fromWilliamGibson's"Neuromancer")"jackin"should
logicallybe"plugin,"butwe'restuckwiththisforminthescience
fictionrealm.
JAM/JAMB
Theonlycommonusefortheword"jamb"istolabeltheverticalpartof
theframeofadoororwindow.ItcomesfromtheFrenchwordfor"leg";
thinkofthetwosidepiecesoftheframeaslegsoneithersideofthe
opening.
Forallotheruses,it's"jam":stuckinajam,trafficjam,logjam,jam
session,etc.
JERRYBUILT/JURYRIGGED
Althoughtheiretymologiesareobscureandtheirmeaningsoverlap,these
aretwodistinctexpressions.Somethingpoorlybuiltis"jerrybuilt."
Somethingriggeduptemporarilyinamakeshiftmannerwithmaterialsat
hand,ofteninaningeniousmanner,is"juryrigged.""Jerrybuilt"
alwayshasanegativeconnotation,whereasonecanbeimpressedbythe
clevernessofajuryriggedsolution.Manypeoplecrosspollinatethese
twoexpressionsandmistakenlysay"jerryrigged"or"jurybuilt."
JEW/JEWISH
"Jew"asanadjective("Jewlawyer")isanethnicinsult;thewordis
"Jewish."Butpeoplewhoobjectto"Jew"asanounarebeing
oversensitive.MostJewsareproudtobecalledJews.Theexpression"to
Jewsomeonedown"anexpressionmeaning"tobargainforalower
price"reflectsagrosslyinsultingstereotypeandshouldbeavoidedin
allcontexts.
JEWELRY
Oftenmispronounced"joolereee."Torememberthestandardpronunciation,
justsay"jewel"andadd"ree"ontheend.TheBritishspellingismuch
fancier:"jewellery."
JOBTITLES
Thegeneralruleistocapitalizeatitlelike"President"onlywhenit
isprefixedtoaparticularpresident'sname:"Itisnotablethat
PresidentGroverClevelandwasthefirstDemocraticpresidentelected
aftertheCivilWar."Similarpatternsapplyfortitleslike
"principal,""senator,""supervisor,"etc.
ButoftentheAmericanpresident'stitleisusedasasortofsubstitute
forhisname,androutinelycapitalizeddespitetheobjectionsofsome
stylemanuals:"ThePresidentpardonedtheWhiteHouseThanksgiving
turkeyyesterday."AndtheBritishwouldneverwriteanythingotherthan

"TheQueenatestrawberriesintheRoyalEnclosure."ThePopeisalso
usuallyreferredtowithacapitalPwhenthespecificindividualis
meant:"ThePopeannouncedthathewillvisitAndorranextmonth."
Followingthesecommonpatternsisnotlikelytogetyouintrouble
unlessyoureditorhasadoptedacontraryrule.
Ifnospecificindividualismeant,thendefinitelyuselowercase:"We
needtoelectahomecomingqueen";"Thenextpresidentwillinherita
terriblebudgetdeficit."
JOHNHENRY/JOHNHANCOCK
JohnHancocksignedtheDeclarationofIndependencesoflamboyantlythat
hisnamebecameasynonymfor"signature."Don'tmixhimupwithJohn
Henry,whowasasteeldrivin'man.
JOHNHOPKINS/JOHNSHOPKINS
ThefamousuniversityandhospitalnamedJohnsHopkinsderivesits
peculiarnamefromitsfounder."Johns"washisgreatgrandmother's
maidenname.Itisanerrortocalltheseinstitutions"JohnHopkins."
JOINTPOSSESSIVES
Whenwritingaboutjointlyownedobjects,peopleoftenfretaboutwhere
toplaceapostrophes.Thestandardpatternistotreatthetwopartners
asasingleunitacoupleandputanapostropheonlyafterthelast
name:"JohnandJane'svilla,""Ben&Jerry'sicecream."Addmore
ownersandyoustilluseonlyoneapostrophe:"BobandCarolandTedand
Alice'sparty."
Ifeachpersonownshisorherownitem,theneachownergetsan
apostrophe:"John'sandJane'scars"(eachofthemseparatelyownsa
car).
Butwhenyoubegintointroducepronounsthesituationbecomesmuch
murkier."Janeandhisvilla"doesn'tsoundrightbecauseitsoundslike
Janeandthevillamakeapair.Themostcommonsolution"Jane'sandhis
villa"violatestheruleaboutusingthepossessiveformonlyonthe
lastpartnerintheownership.However,mostpeopledon'tcareandusing
thisformwon'traisetoomanyeyebrows.
Howaboutwhenyouhavetwopronouns?"Sheandhisvilla"definitely
won'twork."Herandhisvilla"mightgetby;butifyousay"hisand
hervilla"youinevitablyremindpeopleofthecommonphrase"hisand
hers"withaverydifferentmeaning:maleandfemale,asinasaleon
"hisandhersscarves."
Ifyouhavetimetothinkahead,especiallywhenwriting,thebest
solutionistoavoidthissortofconstructionaltogetherbyrewording:
"JaneandJohnhaveavillaoutsideFlorence.Theirvillaisbeautiful."
"ThevillaownedbyJaneandhimisbeautiful.""ThevillaisJane'sand
his.""Thevillathatheandsheownisbeautiful."

JUDGEMENT/JUDGMENT
InGreatBritainandmanyofitsformercolonies,"judgement"isstill
thecorrectspelling;buteversinceNoahWebsterdecreedthefirstE
superfluous,Americanshaveomittedit.ManyofWebster'scrotchetshave
fadedaway(eachyearfewerpeopleusethespelling"theater,"for
instance);buteventheproducersofTerminator2:JudgmentDay,chose
thetraditionalAmericanspelling.Ifyouwrite"judgement"youshould
alsowrite"colour."
JUSTASSUME/JUSTASSOON
Peoplesometimeswrite,"I'djustassumestayhomeandwatchTV."The
expressionis"justassoon."
KEY
"Deceptivemarketingiskeytotheirsuccessasacompany.""Careful
foldingoftheeggwhitesiskey."Thisverypopularsortofuseof
"key"asanadjectivebyitselftomean"crucial"setstheteethofsome
ofusonedge.Itderivesfromanolderusageof"key"asametaphorical
noun:"Thekeytotruehappinessisanabundantsupplyofchocolate."
"Key"asanadjectivemodifyinganounisalsotraditional:"Key
evidenceinthecasewasmislaidbythepolice."
Butadjectival"key"withoutanountomodifyitisnotsotraditional.
Ifthissortofthingbothersyou(asitdoesme),you'llhavetogrit
yourteethandsigh.It'snotgoingaway.
KICKSTART/JUMPSTART
Youreviveadeadbatterybyjoltingittolifewithajumpercable:an
extraordinarymeasureusedinanemergency.Soifyouhopetostimulate
afounderingeconomy,youwanttojumpstartit.Kickstartingisjust
thenormalwayofgettingamotorcyclegoing.
KINDERGARDEN/KINDERGARTEN
TheoriginalGermanspellingoftheword"kindergarten"isstandardin
English.
KOALABEAR/KOALA
Akoalaisnotabear.Peoplewhoknowtheirmarsupialsrefertothem
simplyas"koalas."Recentresearch,however,indicatesthatpandasare
relatedtootherbears.
l/1
Peoplewholearnedtotypeintheprecomputererasometimestypea
lowercaseletter"l"whentheyneedanumber"1."Dependingonthefont
beingused,thesemaylookinterchangeable,butthereareusuallysubtle
differencesbetweenthetwo.Forinstance,thetopofaletterlis

usuallyflat,whereasthetopofanumber1oftenslopesdowntothe
left.Ifyourwritingistobereproducedelectronicallyorinprint,
it'simportanttohitthatnumberkeyatthetopleftofyourkeyboard
toproduceatruenumber1.
LCDDISPLAY/LCD
"LCD"standsfor"liquidcrystaldisplay,"soitisredundanttowrite
"LCDdisplay."Usejust"LCD"or"LCDscreen"instead.
Manypeopleconfusethisabbreviationwith"LED,"whichstandsfor
"lightemittingdiode"amuchearliertechnology.Youwilloftensee
explanationsevenintechnicalcontextsinwhich"LCD"isincorrectly
definedas"liquidcrystaldiode."
LOL
ThecommonInternetabbreviation"lol"(for"laughingoutloud")began
asanexpressionofamusementorsatiricalcontempt:"Mybrotherinlaw
thoughtthehollandaisesaucewasgravyandpoureditalloverhis
mashedpotatoes(lol)."Ithasbecomemuchoverused,oftentoindicate
meresurpriseoremphasiswithnosuggestionofhumor:"Thebossjust
tolduswehavetoredothebudgetthisafternoon(lol)."Andsome
peopledropitintotheirprosealmostatrandom,likeaverbalhiccup.
Itisnolongerconsideredhiporsophisticated,andyouwon'timpress
orentertainanyonebyusingit.
Notethatthisinitialismhashadtwoearliermeanings:"LittleOld
Lady"and"LotsOfLove."
LAISSEZFAIRE
Themispronunciation"lazyfare"isalmostirresistibleinEnglish,but
thisisaFrenchexpressionmeaning"letitbe"or,moreprecisely,"the
economicdoctrineofavoidingstateregulationoftheeconomy,"andit
hasretaineditsFrenchpronunciation(thoughwithanEnglishR):
"lessayfare."Itismostproperlyusedasanadjective,asin
"laissezfairecapitalism,"butisalsocommonlyusedasifitwerea
nounphrase:"theRepublicanpartyadvocateslaissezfaire."
LANDLOVER/LANDLUBBER
"Lubber"isanoldtermforaclumsyperson,andbeginninginthe18th
centurysailorsusedittodescribeapersonwhowasnotagoodseaman.
Sothepirateexpressionofscornforthosewhodon'tgotoseaisnot
"landlover"but"landlubber."
LANGUISH/LUXURIATE
Tolanguishistowilt,pineaway,becomefeeble.Italwaysindicatesan
undesirablestate.Ifyou'relookingforanicelongsoakinthetub,
whatyouwantisnottolanguishinthebathbuttoluxuriateinit.
Theword"languid"(drooping,listless)oftenoccursincontextsthat

mightleadpeopletothinkofrelaxation.Evenmoreconfusing,the
relatedword"languorous"doesdescribedreamyselfindulgent
relaxation.Nowonderpeoplemistakenlythinktheywantto"languish"in
thebath.
LARGE/IMPORTANT
Incolloquialspeechit'sperfectlynormaltorefertosomethingasa
"bigproblem,"butwhenpeoplecreateanalogousexpressionsinwriting,
theresultisawkward.Don'twrite"thisisalargeissueforourfirm"
whenwhatyoumeanis"thisisanimportantissueforourfirm."Size
andintensityarenotsynonymous.
LASTNAME/FAMILYNAME
Nowthatfewpeopleknowwhata"surname"is,weusuallyusetheterm
"lastname"todesignateafamilyname;butinahostoflanguagesthe
familynamecomesfirst.Forinstance,"Kawabata"wasthefamilynameof
authorKawabataYasunari.ForAsians,thissituationiscomplicated
becausepublishersandimmigrantsoftenswitchnamestoconformto
Westernpractice,soyou'llfindmostofKawabata'sbooksinanAmerican
bookstorebylookingunder"YasunariKawabata."It'ssaferwith
internationalnamestowrite"givenname"and"familyname"ratherthan
"firstname"and"lastname."
Notethatinamulticulturalsocietytheoldfashionedterm"Christian
name"(for"givenname")isbothinaccurateandoffensive.
LATE/FORMER
Ifyouwanttorefertoyourformerhusband,don'tcallhimyour"late
husband"unlesshe'sdead.
LATER/LATTER
Exceptintheexpression"latterday"(modern),theword"latter"
usuallyrefersbacktothelastmentionedofasetofalternatives."We
gavethekidsachoiceofavacationinParis,Rome,orDisneyWorld.Of
coursethelatterwastheirchoice."Inothercontextsnotreferring
backtosuchalist,thewordyouwantis"later."
Conservativesprefertoreserve"latter"forthelastnamedofnomore
thantwoitems.
LAUNDRYMAT/LAUNDROMAT
"Laundromat"wascoinedinthe1950sbyanalogywith"automat"an
automatedselfservicerestauranttolabelanautomatedselfservice
laundry.Peopleunawareofthishistoryoftenmistakenlydeconstructthe
wordinto"laundrymat"or"laundrymat."
LAY/LIE

Youlaydownthebookyou'vebeenreading,butyouliedownwhenyougo
tobed.Inthepresenttense,ifthesubjectisactingonsomeother
object,it's"lay."Ifthesubjectislyingdown,thenit's"lie."This
distinctionisoftennotmadeininformalspeech,partlybecauseinthe
pasttensethewordssoundmuchmorealike:"Helaydownforanap,"but
"Helaiddownthelaw."Ifthesubjectisalreadyatrest,youmight
"letitlie."Ifahelpingverbisinvolved,youneedthepast
participleforms."Lie"becomes"lain"and"lay"becomes"laid.":"He
hadjustlaindownforanap,"and"Hisdaughterhadlaidthegerbilon
hisnose."
LEACH/LEECH
Waterleacheschemicalsoutofsoilorcoloroutofcloth,your
brotherinlawleechesoffthefamilybyconstantlyborrowingmoneyto
payhisgamblingdebts(hebehaveslikeabloodsuckingleech).
LEAD/LED
Whenyou'rehitoverthehead,theinstrumentcouldbea"lead"pipe.
Butwhenit'saverb,"lead"isthepresentand"led"isthepasttense.
Theproblemisthatthepasttenseispronouncedexactlylikethe
abovementionedplumbingmaterial("plumb"comesfromawordmeaning
"lead"),sopeopleconfusethetwo.Inasentencelike"Sheledusto
thesceneofthecrime,"alwaysusethethreeletterspelling.
LEAST/LEST
AmericanEnglishkeepsalivetheoldword"lest"inphraseslike"lest
weforget,"referringtosomethingtobeavoidedorprevented.Many
peoplemistakenlysubstitutethemorefamiliarword"least"inthese
phrases.
LEAVE/LET
Thecolloquialuseof"leave"tomean"let"inphraseslike"leaveme
be"isnotstandard."Leavemealone"isfine,though.
LEGEND/MYTH
Mythsaregenerallyconsideredtobetraditionalstorieswhose
importanceliesintheirsignificance,likethemythoftheFallin
Eden;whereaslegendscanbemerelyfamousdeeds,likethelegendof
DavyCrockett.Incommonusage"myth"usuallyimpliesfantasy.Enrico
Carusowasalegendarytenor,butHogwartsisamythicalschool.Legends
mayormaynotbetrue.Butbecautiousaboutusing"myth"tomean
"untruestory"inamythology,theology,orliteratureclass,where
teacherscanbequitetouchyaboutinsistingthatthetruesignificance
ofamythliesnotinitsfactualitybutinitsmeaningfortheculture
whichproducesoradoptsit.
LENSE/LENS
Althoughthevariantspelling"lense"islistedinsomedictionaries,

thestandardspellingforthoselittledisksthatfocuslightis"lens."

LESSEN/LESSON
Althoughnotmanypeopletrytoteachsomeonea"lessen,"manypeople
tryto"lesson"theirrisksbytakingprecautions.
"Lessen"issomethingyoudoaverbandmeanstomakesmaller."Lesson"
isanoun,somethingyoulearnorteach.Rememberthislessonandit
willlessenyourchancesofmakingamistake.
LETALONE
"Ican'trememberthetitleofthebookweweresupposedtoread,let
alonethedetailsofthestory."Insentencesliketheseyougivea
lesserexampleofsomethingfirst,followedby"letalone"andthenthe
greaterexample.Butpeopleoftengetthisbackwards,andputthe
greaterexamplefirst.
Thesamepatternisfollowedwhentheexpressionis"muchless":"I
can'tchangetheoilinmycar,muchlesstunetheengine."Thespeaker
canmuchlesswelltunetheenginethanheorshecanchangetheoil.
Anothercommonexpressionwhichfollowsthesamepatternuses"never
mind,"asin"Ican'taffordtobuildatoolshed,nevermindanew
house."
Seealso"littleown."
LET'S/LETS
Theonlytimeyoushouldspell"let's"withanapostropheiswhenit
means"letus":"Let'sgotothemall."
Ifthewordyouwantmeans"allows"or"permits,"noapostropheshould
beused:"MymomletsmeusehercarifIfillthetank."
LIABLE/LIBEL
Ifyouarelikelytodosomethingyouareliabletodoit;andifadebt
canlegitimatelybechargedtoyou,youareliableforit.Apersonwho
defamesyouwithafalseaccusationlibelsyou.Thereisnosuchwordas
"lible."
LIAISE
Theverb"liaise,"meaningtoactasaliaison(intermediarybetweenone
groupandanother),hasbeenaroundinmilitarycontextssinceearlyin
the20thcentury;butrecentlyithasbrokenoutintomoregeneraluse,
especiallyinbusiness,whereitbothersalotofpeople.Although
dictionariesgenerallyconsideritstandardEnglish,youmaywantto
avoiditaroundpeoplesensitivetobusinessjargon.

LIBARY/LIBRARY
ThefirstRin"library"isoftenslurredoromittedinspeech,andit
sometimesdropsoutinwritingaswell;and"librarian"isoftenturned
into"libarian."
LIGHTYEAR
"Lightyear"isalwaysameasureofdistanceratherthanoftime;in
factitisthedistancethatlighttravelsinayear."Parsec"isalsoa
measureofdistance,equaling3.26lightyears,thoughthetermwasused
incorrectlyasameasureoftimebyHanSoloin"StarWars."
Please,"StarWars"fans,don'tbothersendingmeelaborateexplanations
ofwhySolo'sspeechmakessense;IpersonallyheardGeorgeLucasadmit
inaTVinterviewthatitwasjustamistake.
LIGHTED/LIT
Don'tfretoverthedifferencebetweenthesetwowords;they're
interchangeable.
LIKE
Sincethe1950s,whenitwasespeciallyassociatedwithhipsters,"like"
asasortofmeaninglessverbalhiccuphasbeencommoninspeech.The
earliestuseshadasortofsensetotheminwhich"like"introduced
feelingsorperceptionswhichwerethenspecified:"WhenIlearnedmy
poemhadbeenrejectedIwas,like,devastated."However,"like"quickly
migratedelsewhereinsentences:"Iwaslike,justgoingdowntheroad,
when,like,Isawthiscop,like,hidingbehindthebillboard."This
habithasspreadthroughoutAmericansociety,affectingpeopleofall
ages.Thosewhohavetheirritating"like"habitareusuallyunawareof
it,eveniftheyuseitonceortwiceineverysentence:butifyourjob
involvesmuchspeakingwithothers,it'sahabitworthbreaking.
Recentlyyoungpeoplehaveextendeditsusesbyusing"like"to
introducethoughtsandspeeches:"Whenhetellsmehiscarbrokedownon
thewaytomypartyI'mlike,'IknowyouwerewithCherylbecauseshe
toldmeso.'"Tobereactedtoasagrownup,avoidthispattern.
(Seealso"goes.")
Somestodgyconservativesstillobjecttotheuseof"like"tomean
"as,""asthough"or"asif."Examples:"Treatotherpeoplelikeyou
wantthemtotreatyou"(theyprefer:"asyouwouldwantthemtotreat
you")."Shetreatsherdoglikeababy"(theyprefer"shetreatsherdog
asifitwereababy").Inexpressionswheretheverbisimpliedrather
thanexpressed,"like"isstandardratherthan"as":"shetookto
gymnasticslikeaducktowater."
Ininformalcontexts,"like"oftensoundsmorenaturalthan"asif,"
especiallywithverbsinvolvingperception,like"look,""feel,"
"sound,""seem,"or"taste":"Itlookslikeit'sgettingreadytorain"

or"Itfeelslikespring."Inexpressionswheretheverbisimplied
ratherthanexpressed,"like"isstandardratherthan"as":"shetookto
gymnasticslikeaducktowater."
Sonervousdosomepeoplegetabout"like"thattheytrytoavoidit
eveninitscoremeaningof"suchas":"icecreamflavorslikevanilla
andstrawberryalwayssellwell"(theyprefer"suchasvanilla...").
Themostfanaticalevenavoid"like"whereitisdefinitelystandard,in
suchphrasesas"behavedlikeaslob"("behavedasaslob"istheirodd
preference).
Likeyoucare.
"as":"shetooktogymnasticslikeaducktowater."
LIPSING/LIPSYNCH
Whenyoupretendyouaresingingbysynchronizingyourlipmovementsto
arecording,youlipsynchthevocalequivalentofplaying"air
guitar."Somepeoplemistakenlythinktheexpressionis"lipsing,"and
theyoftenomittherequiredhyphenaswell.Notethatyoucanlipsynch
tospeechaswellsinging.
LIQUOR
Althoughitmaybepronounced"likker,"youshouldn'tspellitthatway,
andit'simportanttoremembertoincludethe"U"whenwritingtheword.
LISTSERV
"LISTSERV"isthebrandnameofonekindofelectronicmailhandling
softwarefordistributingmessagestoalistofsubscribers.Other
commonbrandnamesare"Majordomo"and"Listproc".Youcansubscribeto
thepoodlefluffinglist,butnottheLISTSERV.Peopleatmyuniversity,
whereonlyListprocisused,often(anderroneously)refertothemselves
asmanagersof"listservs."Englishteachersarefrequentlytrippedup
whentyping"listserv"aspartofacomputercommand;theynaturally
wanttoappendanEontheendoftheword.AccordingtoLSoft,the
manufacturerofLISTSERV,thenameoftheirsoftwareshouldalwaysbe
capitalized.SeetheirWebsiteforthedetails:
http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8d/user/user.html#1.1
"LITE"SPELLING
Attemptsto"reform"Englishspellingtorenderitmorephonetichave
mostlybeendoomedtofailureluckilyforus.Theseproposedchanges,
ifwidelyadopted,wouldmakeoldbooksdifficulttoreadandobscure
etymologicalrootswhichareoftenausefulguidetomeaning.Afew,
like"lite"for"light,""nite"for"night,"and"thru"for"through"
haveattainedadegreeofpopularacceptance,butnoneoftheseshould
beusedinformalwriting."Catalog"hasbecomeanacceptedsubstitute
for"catalogue,"butIdon'tlikeitandrefusetouseit."Analog"has
triumphedintechnicalcontexts,buthumanistsarestillmorelikelyto
write"analogue."

LITERALLY
Like"incredible,""literally"hasbeensooverusedasasortofvague
intensifierthatitisindangeroflosingitsliteralmeaning.It
shouldbeusedtodistinguishbetweenafigurativeandaliteralmeaning
ofaphrase.Itshouldnotbeusedasasynonymfor"actually"or
"really."Don'tsayofsomeonethathe"literallyblewup"unlesshe
swallowedastickofdynamite.
LITTLEOWN/LETALONE
WhenTomwrites"Idon'tevenunderstandwhatyou'resaying,littleown
agreewithit"heismisunderstandingthestandardphrase"letalone."
Inthesamecontextmanypeoplewouldsay"nevermind."
LITTLETONONE/LITTLEORNONE
Theexpression"littleornone"ismeanttodescribeaverynarrow
distinction,betweenhardlyanyandnoneatall:"Thestore'stomatoes
hadlittleornoneoftheflavorIgetfromeatingwhatIgrowinmy
garden."Themistakenvariation"littletonone"bluntsthis
expression'sforcebyimplyingarangeofamountsbetweentwoextremes.
LIVED
Inexpressionslike"longlived"pronouncingthelastparttorhymewith
"dived"ismoretraditional,butrhymingitwith"sieved"issocommon
thatit'snowwidelyacceptable.
LOATH/LOATHE
"Loath"isaratherformaladjectivemeaningreluctantandrhymeswith
"both,"whereas"loathe"isacommonverbmeaningtodislikeintensely,
andrhymeswith"clothe."Kenjiisloathtogototheconferenceat
Kilaueabecauseheloathesvolcanos.
LOGIN,LOGIN,LOGIN
ThereisastrongtendencyinAmericanEnglishtosmooshthehalvesof
hyphenatedwordandphrasestogetheranddropthehyphen,sowecommonly
seephrasessuchas"enteryourloginandpassword."Thisisamisuseof
"login"sinceloggingininvolvesenteringbothyourIDandpassword,
and"login"isnotapropersynonymfor"ID"alone,or"username"
commonlyabbreviatedtotheugly"username".Suchmashupsare
influencedbytheworldofcomputerprogramming,wherehyphensand
spacesareavoided.
IfyouwouldprefertousemorestandardEnglish,itwouldbe
appropriatetouse"login"astheadjectivalphrase:"Followthe
correctloginprocedure."Buttheverbplusadverbcombinationshould
notbehyphenated:"BeforeviewingthepictureofBritneyyou'llneedto
login."
"Logon"and"logon"meanthesamethingas"login"and"login"but

arelesscommonnow.
LOGON/VISIT
YoulogontoaWebsitebyenteringyourIDandpassword.Ifyouare
merelyencouragingpeopletovisitasitewhichhasnosuchrequirement,
itismisleadingtoaskthemto"logon"toit.Newsreportersoftenget
thiswrongbyreportinghowmanypeople"loggedon"toaparticularsite
whentheymean"visited.""Visit"orjust"goto"willdojustfine.
LONGSTORYSHORT/TOMAKEALONGSTORYSHORT
Thetraditionalexpression"tomake(orcut)alongstoryshort"isnow
commonlyabbreviatedbyomittingthefirstphrase:"Longstoryshort,I
missedmyplane."Althoughthere'sacertainappealtothenotionof
abbreviatinganexpressionaboutabbreviation,theshorterformsounds
oddtopeoplenotusedtoit.
LOSE/LOOSE
Thisconfusioncaneasilybeavoidedifyoupronouncethewordintended
aloud.IfithasavoicedZsound,thenit's"lose."IfithasahissyS
sound,thenit's"loose."Hereareexamplesofcorrectusage:"Hetends
tolosehiskeys.""Sheletsherdogrunloose."Notethatwhen"lose"
turnsinto"losing"itlosesits"E."
LOSER/LOOSER
Apersonwho'safailureisaloser,oftena"realloser."Ifsomething
isloosened,itbecomeslooser.Ifyou'vewritten"a"before"looser"
you'vemadeamistakeyouneed"loser."
LOZENGER/LOZENGE
"Lozenger"isanarchaicspellingstillinuseinafewAmerican
dialects.Itisoccasionallymistakenforasingularformof"lozenges."
Thestandardspellingis"lozenge."
LUSTFUL/LUSTY
"Lusty"means"brimmingwithvigorandgoodhealth"or"enthusiastic."
Don'tconfuseitwith"lustful,"whichmeans"filledwithsexual
desire."
MAC/Mac
Apple'sMacintoshcomputersareusuallyreferredtoas"Macs"forshort.
Windowsusersunfamiliarwiththeusualwayofrenderingthenameoften
writeitasifitwereanacronym,inallcaps:"MAC."
ButaMACissomethingquitedifferent.Everycomputeronanetworkhas
aMediaAccessControlnumber;sowhenyourITsupportpersonasksyou
foryour"MACaddress,"don'tsayyoudon'thaveonejustbecauseyou

useWindows.Don'taskmehowtofindtheMACaddressforyourWindows
computerthough;I'maMacuser.
MACABRE
"Macabre"isaFrenchderivedwordwhichinitsoriginallanguagehas
thefinal"ruh"soundlightlypronounced.Thosewhoknowthisarelikely
toscornthosewhopronouncetheword"muhCOB."Butthislatter
pronunciationisverypopularandblessedbysomeAmericandictionaries,
andthosewhopreferitsometimesviewtheFrenchderivedpronunciation
aspretentious.It'suptoyouwhetheryouwanttoriskbeing
consideredignorantorsnooty.
MAJORITYARE/MAJORITYIS
"Majority"isoneofthosewordsthatcanbeeithersingularorplural.
Commonsenseworksprettywellindecidingwhich.Ifyoumeantheword
todescribeacollectionofindividuals,thenthewordshouldbetreated
asplural:"Themajorityofemailusersareupsetabouttheincreasein
spam."Ifthewordisusedtodescribeacollectivegroup,thenconsider
itsingular:"A90%majorityisopposedtoschedulingthenextmeeting
at6:00A.M."Ifyouareuncertainwhichyoumean,thenchoosewhatever
formsoundsbesttoyou;it'snotlikelytobothermanypeople.
MAJORLY/EXTREMELY
"Majorly,"meaning"extremely"isslangandshouldnotbeusedinformal
writing,orevenspeechifyouwanttoimpresssomeone."Bradwas
extremely[not'majorly']worriedaboutthecoursefinaluntilhegot
aroundtoreadingthesyllabusandfoundouttherewasn'tone."
MAKEPRETEND/MAKEBELIEVE
Whenyoupretendtodosomethinginagameoffantasy,youmakebelieve.
MANTLE/MANTEL
Thoughtheystemfromthesameword,a"mantle"todayisusuallya
cloak,whiletheshelfoverafireplaceismostoftenspelled"mantel."
MANUFACTURE/MANUFACTURER
Whenyourcompanymakesstuff,itmanufacturesit;butthecompany
itselfisamanufacturer.BothinspeechandwritingthefinalRis
oftenomittedfromthelatterword.
MARITAL/MARTIAL
"Marital"referstomarriage,"martial"towar,whoseancientgodwas
Mars.Thesetwoareoftenswapped,withcomicalresults.
MARSHALL/MARSHAL
Youmaywrite"theFieldMarshalmarshalledhistroops,"butyoucannot

spellhistitlewithadouble"L."Amarshalisalwaysamarshal,never
amarshall.
MARSHMELLOW/MARSHMALLOW
Yours'moresmaytastemellow,butthatgooeyconfectionyouuseinthem
isnot"marshmellow,"but"marshmallow."Itwasoriginallymadefromthe
rootofamallowplantwhichgrewinmarshes.
MASHPOTATOES/MASHEDPOTATOES
Youmashthepotatoesuntiltheybecomemashedpotatoes.
MASS/MASSIVE
WhenthedumbConeheadsonSaturdayNightLivetalkedaboutconsuming
"massquantities"ofbeertheydidn'tknowanybetter,butnativeEarth
humansshouldstickwith"massive"unlesstheyaretryingtoalludeto
SNL."Mass"isoftenusedbyyoungpeopleinexpressionswhere"many"or
eventheinformal"alotof"wouldbemoreappropriate.
MASSEUSE/MASSEUR
"Masseuse"isastrictlyfemaleterm;MonsieurPhilippe,whogivesback
rubsdownatthemen'sgym,isamasseur.Becauseoftheunsavory
associationsthathavegatheredaroundtheterm"masseuse,"serious
practitionersgenerallyprefertobecalled"massagetherapists."
MAUVE
"Mauve"(akindofpurple)ispronouncedtorhymewith"grove,"not
"mawv."
MAY/MIGHT
Mostofthetime"might"and"may"arealmostinterchangeable,with
"might"suggestingasomewhatlowerprobability.You'remorelikelyto
getwetiftheforecastersaysitmayrainthanifshesaysitmight
rain;butsubstitutingonefortheotherisunlikelytogetyouinto
troublesolongasyoustayinthepresenttense.
But"might"isalsothepasttenseoftheauxiliaryverb"may,"andis
requiredinsentenceslike"Chuckmighthaveavoidedarrestforthe
robberyifhehadn'tgiventhetellerhisbusinesscardbeforeasking
forthemoney."Whenspeculatingthateventsmighthavebeenotherthan
theywere,don'tsubstitute"may"for"might."
Asanaside:ifyouareanoldfashionedchild,youwillask,"MayIgo
outtoplay?"ratherthan"CanIgoouttoplay?"Despitetheprevalence
ofthelatterpattern,someadultsstillfeelstronglythat"may"hasto
dowithpermissionwhereas"can"impliesonlyphysicalability.Butthen
ifyouhaveaparentlikethisyou'vehadthispatterndrilledintoyour
headlongbeforeyouencounteredthispage.

MEEITHER/MENEITHER
Insidealongersentence,"meeither"canbeperfectlylegitimate:
"wholewheatpiecrustdoesn'tappealtomeeither."Butbyitself,
meaning"neitherdoI,"inreplytopreviousnegativestatement,ithas
tobe"meneither":"Idon'tlikewholewheatpiecrust.""Meneither."
MEAN/MEDIAN
Tofindthemean(oraverage)ofaseriesofnumbers,forexample
1,2,3,4,5&6,addthemalltogetherforatotalof21;thendivideby
thenumberofnumbers(6)togivethemean(oraverage)of3.5.
Incontrast,whenhalfthedataofasetareaboveapointandhalf
below,thatpointisthemedian.Thedifferencebetweenmeanandmedian
canbequitesignificant,butoneoftenseesthetermsusedwronglyeven
intechnicalcontexts.
MEANTIME/MEANWHILE
Althoughmostauthoritiesnowconsiderthesewordsinterchangeable,some
peoplestillprefertouse"meanwhile"whenitstandsaloneatthe
beginningofasentence:"Meanwhilethedogburiedthebaby'spacifier
inthegarden."Theyprefer"meantime"tobeusedonlyintheexpression
"inthemeantime":"Inthemeantime,thedogchewedupmylasttennis
ball."
MEDAL/METAL/MEDDLE/METTLE
Apersonwhoproveshisorhermettledisplayscourageorstamina.The
word"mettle"isseldomusedoutsideofthisexpression,sopeople
constantlyconfuseitwithothersimilarsoundingwords.
MEDIA/MEDIUM
ThereareseveralwordswithLatinorGreekrootswhosepluralforms
endinginAareconstantlymistakenforsingularones.See,for
instance,"criteria"and"data."Radioisabroadcastmedium.Television
isanotherbroadcastmedium.Newspapersareaprintmedium.Together
theyaremedia.FollowingthetendencyofAmericanstoabbreviate
phrases,with"transistorradio"becoming"transistor,"(nowfortunately
obsolete)and"videotape"becoming"video,""newsmedia"and
"communicationsmedia"havebeenabbreviatedto"media."Rememberthat
watercoloronpaperandoilonblackvelvetarealsomedia,thoughthey
havenothingtodowiththenews.Whenyouwanttogetamessagefrom
yourlateUncleFred,youmayconsultamedium.Thewordmeansavehicle
betweensomesourceofinformationandtherecipientofit.The"media"
arethetransmittersofthenews;theyarenotthenewsitself.
MEDIEVALAGES/MIDDLEAGES
The"eval"of"Medieval"means"age"sobysaying"MedievalAges"you
aresaying"MiddleAgesAges."Medievalistsalsogreatlyresentthe
commonmisspelling"Midevil."

MEDIOCRE
Althoughsomedictionariesacceptthemeaningofthiswordas"medium"
or"average,"infactitsconnotationsarealmostalwaysmorenegative.
Whensomethingisdistinctlynotasgoodasitcouldbe,itismediocre.
Ifyouwanttosaythatyouareanaveragestudent,don'tproclaim
yourselfmediocre,oryou'llconveyaworseimpressionofyourselfthan
youintend.
MEDIUM/MEDIAN
Thatstripofgrassseparatingthelanesgoingoppositedirectionsin
themiddleofafreewayisamedian.Butifyou'retryingtoachievea
balancebetweenextremes,you'retryingtostrikeahappymedium.
MEMORIUM/MEMORIAM
ThecorrectspellingoftheLatinphraseis"inmemoriam."
METHODOLOGY/METHOD
Afondnessforbigwordsisn'talwaysaccompaniedbytheknowledgeof
theirproperuse.Methodologyisaboutthemethodsofdoingsomething;
itisnotthemethodsthemselves.Itisbothpretentiousanderroneous
towrite"Thearchitectistryingtodetermineamethodologyfor
reinforcingthefoundationnowthatthehotelontopofithasbegunto
sink."
MFR./MFG.
"Mfr."istheabbreviationfor"manufacturer"and"mfg."isthe
abbreviationfor"manufacturing."AcmeMfg.Co.isamfr.ofroadrunner
traps.
MIC/MIKE
Untilveryrecentlythecasualtermforamicrophonewas"mike,"not
"mic."Youngpeoplenowmostlyimitatethetechnicianswhopreferthe
shorter"mic"labelontheirsoundboards,butitlooksdistinctlyoddto
thoseusedtothetraditionalterm.TherearenootherwordsinEnglish
inwhich"ic"ispronouncedtorhymewith"bike"that'sthereasonfor
thetraditional"mike"spellinginthefirstplace.Althoughthenew
spellinghaslargelytriumphedincasualusage,editorsmayaskyouto
usetheolderspellinginpublication.
MIDRIFT/MIDRIFF
"Midriff"derivesfrom"mid"andaveryoldwordforthebelly.
Fashionswhichbarethebellyexposethemidriff.Peoplethinkofthe
gapbeingcreatedbyscantytopsandbottomsasarift,andmistakenly
callita"midrift"instead.Inearliercenturies,beforebellybaring
wasin,themidriffwasalsothepieceofclothwhichcoveredthearea.

MIGHTCOULD/MIGHT,COULD
InsomeAmericandialectsitiscommontosaythingslike"Imightcould
pickupsomepizzaonthewaytotheparty."InstandardEnglish,
"might"or"could"areusedbythemselves,nottogether.
MIGHTOUGHT/MIGHT,OUGHT
Insomedialectsit'scommontosaythingslike"youmightoughtto
[pronouncedoughta]turnofftheenginebeforechangingthespark
plugs."Ifyouwanttosoundeducated,youmightwanttoavoidthis
combination.Ifyouwanttosoundsophisticatedyoudefinitelyoughtto.
MIGHTHASWELL/MIGHTASWELL
Youmightaswellgetthisoneright:theexpressionisnot"mighthas
well"but"mightaswell."
MILITATE/MITIGATE
Thesearenotverycommonwords,butpeoplewhousethemespecially
lawyerstendtomixthemup."Militate"isusuallyfollowedby
"against"inaphrasethatmeans"worksagainst":"Hisenthusiasmfor
spectacularcollisionsmilitatesagainsthisbecomingareallyeffective
airtrafficcontroller."
"Mitigate"meansalmosttheopposite:tomakeeasier,tomoderate."His
painatleavingwasmitigatedbyherpassionatekiss."Itshouldnotbe
followedby"against."
MINDOFINFORMATION/MINEOFINFORMATION
Abook,aperson,oranyothersourcestuffedwithgemsofuseful
knowledgeisamineofinformation,ametaphoricaltreasuretroveof
learning.Theinformationinvolvedmayormaynotbeinsomeone'smind.

MINER/MINOR
Childrenareminors,butunlesstheyareviolatingchildlaborlaws,
thosewhoworkinminesareminers.
MINORITY
IntheUStheterm"minority"frequentlyreferstoracialminorities,
andisusednotonlyofgroups,butofindividuals.Butmanyauthorities
objecttocallingasinglepersonaminority,asin"Wehiredaminority
forthejob."Evenphraseslike"womenandminorities"bothersome
people.Theythinkitshouldbe"membersofminorities."
MINUS/HYPHEN
WhenbaffledcomputerusersphoneSupporttheymaysaytheyhaveaModel

AB"minus"231.Inthemodelname"AB231"thelinkingcharacterisa
hyphen,though"dash"willdo."Minus"makesnosenseinsuchcontexts,
butissocommonthatsupportpersonnelhavebeguntoadoptittoo.
MINUSWELL/MIGHTASWELL
Whenyouseethewaysomepeoplemisspellcommonphrasesyousometimes
feelyoumightaswellgiveup.It'ssimplyamazinghowmanypeople
thinkthestandardphrase"mightaswell"is"minuswell."
MISCHIEVIOUS/MISCHIEVOUS
Thecorrectpronunciationofthiswordis"MISSchuhvuss,"not
"missCHEEveeuss."Don'tletthatmischievousextra"I"sneakintothe
word.
MISNOMER
Amisnomerismistakeinnamingathing;callingadebitcarda"credit
card"isamisnomer.Donotusethetermmoregenerallytodesignate
othersortsofconfusion,misunderstoodconcepts,orfallacies,and
abovealldonotrenderthiswordas"misnamer."
MISPLACEDSTRESS
"WeWILLbedescendingshortlyINTODenver,"saystheflightattendant,
soundingveryweird.Peoplewhohavetorepeatannouncementsby
roteincludingradiostationbreakannouncersandothersoftentryto
avoidsoundinglikemonotonousrobotsbyraisingandloweringthepitch
oftheirvoicesatrandomandstressingwordsnotnormallystressed:
mostlyprepositionsandauxiliaryverbs.Onehastosympathize;imagine
havingtorepeatedlylectureaplanefullofpeopleonseatbeltusewhen
youknowforafacttheonlyadultsonboardlikelynottoknowalready
howtofastenabucklearetoodementedtounderstandwhatyou're
saying.Buttheabsurdsingsongintowhichmanyofthesefolksfallis
bothdistractingandirritating,makingthemsoundlikemalfunctioning
robots.Thosewhospeakinnaturalvoices,stressingmainnouns,verbs,
andadjectiveswhereitmakessense,aremucheasiertolistento.
MIXEDUPMEDIA
Mixedmediacanbegreat;mixedupmedianotsomuch.
Booksarepublished,moviesandmusicalrecordingsreleased,andplays
andTVshowspremiered.
Moviesareshown,playsstaged,andTVshowsbroadcast.
Technicallyrecordingsgetdeleted(fromcatalogs)orwithdrawnrather
thangoingoutofprintlikebooks(whichmayalsoberemaindered:sold
atdiscount,orworsepulped).However,thereisastrongtendencyto
use"outofprint"forallkindsofmedia:CDs,DVDs,etc.Moviesand
stageshowscloseorendtheirruns,butonlystageshowsfold.

MONEYISNOOPTION/MONEYISNOOBJECT
Theexpression"moneyisnoobject"meansthatcostisnoobstacle:
you'rewillingtopaywhateverisrequiredtogetwhatyouwant.
Peoplewhodon'tunderstandthisunusualmeaningof"object"often
substitute"option,"saying"moneyisnooption,"whichmakesnosense
atall.
MONOEMONO/MANOAMANO
"Monoemono"isanerrorcausedbymishearingtheSpanishexpression
"manoamano"whichmeansnot"mantoman"but"handtohand,"asin
handtohandcombat:oneonone.
MORAL/MORALE
Ifyouaretryingtomakepeoplebehaveproperly,youarepolicingtheir
morals;ifyouarejusttryingtokeeptheirspiritsup,youaretrying
tomaintaintheirmorale."Moral"isaccentedonthefirstsyllable,
"morale"onthesecond.
MORAYS/MORES
Thecustomsofapeopleareitsmores.Thesemayincludeitsmorals
(ethics),buttheword"mores"isnotsynonymouswith"morals."Some
eelsaremorays,buttheyaren'tknownparticularlyfortheirsocial
customs,thoughbothwordsarepronouncedthesame.
MOREIMPORTANTLY/MOREIMPORTANT
Whenspeakersaretryingtoimpressaudienceswiththeirrhetoric,they
oftenseemtofeelthattheextrasyllablein"importantly"lendsweight
totheirremarks:"andmoreimportantly,Ihaveanabidingloveforthe
Americanpeople."However,thesepompousspeakersarewrong.Itis
rarelycorrecttousethisformofthephrasebecauseitisseldom
adverbialinintention.Say"moreimportant"instead.Thesameapplies
to"mostimportantly";itshouldbe"mostimportant."
MORESO/MORESO
"Moreso"shouldalwaysbespelledastwodistinctwords.Itisalso
overusedandmisused.Whereverpossible,stickwithplain"more."
MOSTALWAYS/ALMOSTALWAYS
"Mostalways"isacasual,slangywayofsaying"almostalways."The
latterexpressionisbetterinwriting.Thesameistrueof"most
every,""mostall"andrelatedexpressionswherethestandardfirstword
is"almost."
MOTHERLOAD/MOTHERLODE
Althoughyoumaydigaloadoforeoutofamotherlode,thespelling

"motherload"isamistakewhichisprobablyinfluencedbypeople
thinkingitmeanssomethinglike"themotherofallloads."A"lode"was
originallyastreamofwater,butbyanalogyitbecameaveinofmetal
ore.Minersofpreciousmetalsdreamoffindingareallyrichvein,
whichtheyrefertoasa"motherlode,"mostoftenspelledastwowords,
thoughyoualsocommonlyseeitspelledasone.
MOTION/MOVE
Whenyoumakeamotioninameeting,saysimply"Imove,"asin"Imove
toadjourn";andifyou'retakingtheminutes,write"Barbaramoved,"
not"Barbaramotioned"(unlessBarbarawasmakingwildarmwaving
gesturestosummontheserverstobringinthelunch).Insteadof"I
wanttomakeamotion..."it'ssimplerandmoredirecttosay"Iwant
tomove...."
MUCHDIFFERENTLY/VERYDIFFERENTLY
Say"Weconsistentlyvoteverydifferently,"not"muchdifferently."But
youcansay"Myopiniondoesn'tmuchdifferfromyours."
MUCUS/MUCOUS
Mucousmembranessecretemucus."Mucus"isthenounand"mucous"isthe
adjective.It'snotonlysnottybiologistswhoinsistondistinguishing
betweenthesetwowords.
MUSIC/SINGING
Aftermywifeanaccomplishedsopranoreportedindignantlythata
friendofhershadstatedthatherchurchhad"nomusic,onlysinging,"
Ibegantonoticethesametendencyamongmystudentstoequatemusic
strictlywithinstrumentalmusic.Iwastoldbyonethat"thesinging
interferedwiththemusic"(i.e.,theaccompaniment).Intheclassical
realmmostlistenersseemtopreferinstrumentaltovocalperformances,
whichisoddgiventhedistinctunpopularityofstrictlyinstrumental
popularmusic.PeoplerejoiceatthesoundofchoralworksatChristmas
butseldomseekthemoutatothertimesoftheyear.Seriousmusic
loversrightlyobjecttothelinguisticsloppinessthatdeniesthelabel
"music"toworksbysuchcomposersasPalestrina,Schubert,andVerdi.
FromtheMiddleAgestothelateeighteenthcentury,vocalmusicreigned
supreme,andinstrumentalistsstrovetoachievetheprizedcomplimentof
"soundinglikethehumanvoice."Thedominanceoforchestralworksisa
comparativelyrecentphenomenon.
Incontrast,mystudentsoftencallinstrumentalworks"songs,"being
unfamiliarwiththeterms"composition"and"piece."Allsingingis
music,butnotallmusicissinging.
MUSTOF/MUSTHAVE
"Mustof"isanerrorfor"musthave."

See"couldof/shouldof/wouldof."
MUTEPOINT/MOOTPOINT
"Moot"isaveryoldwordrelatedto"meeting,"specificallyameeting
whereseriousmattersarediscussed.Oddlyenough,amootpointcanbea
pointworthdiscussingatameeting(orincourt)anunresolved
questionoritcanbetheopposite:apointalreadysettledandnot
worthdiscussingfurther.Atanyrate,"mutepoint"issimplywrong,as
isthelesscommon"moodpoint."
MYRIADOF/MYRIAD
Sometraditionalistsobjecttotheword"of"after"myriad"oran"a"
before,thoughbotharefairlycommoninformalwriting.Thewordis
originallyGreek,meaning10,000,butnowusuallymeans"agreatmany."
Itsmainfunctionisasanoun,andtheadjectivederivedfromitshows
itsoriginsbybeingreluctanttobehavelikeothernounsexpressing
amount,like"ton"asin"I'vegotatonofworktodo."Incontrast:"I
havemyriadtaskstocompleteatwork."
N'/'N'
Inyourrestaurant'sadfor"Big'n'JuicyBurgers,"rememberthatthe
apostrophessubstituteforbothomittedlettersin"and"theAandthe
Dsostrictlyspeakingit'snotenoughtousejustone,asin"Bign'
Juicy."
Bysodoing,you'llimproveontheusageofMcDonald's,whichhas
actuallycreatedtheregisteredtrademark"BigN'Tasty.'
NAME,PRONOUN
InoldEnglishballads,itiscommontofollowthenameofsomeonewith
apronounreferringtothesameperson.Forinstance:"SweetWilliam,he
diedthemorrow."Theextrasyllable"he"helpsfillouttherhythmof
theline.
Thoughthispatternisrareinwrittenproseitisfairlycommonin
speech.Ifyousaythingslike"Nancy,shewritesforthelocalpaper";
peoplearelesslikelytothinkyourspeechpoeticthantheyareto
thinkyou'vemadeaverbalstumble.Leaveoutthe"she."
Thesamepatternappliestocommonnounsfollowedbypronounsasin"the
cops,they'vesetupaspeedtrap"(shouldbe"thecopshavesetupa
speedtrap").
NAUSEATED/NAUSEOUS
Manypeoplesay,whensicktotheirstomachs,thattheyfeel"nauseous"
(pronounced"NOSHuss"or"NOZHuss")buttraditionalistsinsistthat
thiswordshouldbeusedtodescribesomethingthatmakesyouwantto
throwup:somethingnauseating.Theyhearyouassayingthatyoumake

peoplewanttovomit,andittemperstheirsympathyforyourplight.
Bettertosayyouare"nauseated,"orsimplythatyoufeellikethrowing
up.
NAVAL/NAVEL
Yourbellybuttonisyournavel,andnavelorangeslookliketheyhave
one;alltermshavingtodowithshipsandsailingrequire"naval."
NEAR/NEARLY
Somedialectssubstitute"near"forstandard"nearly"instatementslike
"Thereweren'tnearlyenoughscrewsinthekittofinishassemblingthe
cabinet."
NECKINNECK/NECKANDNECK
Whenaraceisverytight,it'sdescribednotas"neckinneck"but
"neckandneck."
NEICE/NIECE
Manypeoplehavetroublebelievingthatwordswiththe"ee"soundin
themshouldbespelledwithan"IE."TheproblemisthatinEnglish(and
onlyinEnglish),theletterIsoundslike"aye"ratherthan"ee,"asit
doesintheseveralEuropeanlanguagesfromwhichwehaveborroweda
hostofwords.IfyouhadstudiedFrenchinhighschoolyouwouldhave
learnedthatthiswordispronounced"kneeYES"inthatlanguage,andit
wouldbeeasiertoremember.Americansinparticularmisspellahostof
GermanJewishnamesbecausetheyhavetroublerememberingthatinthat
languageIEispronounced"ee"andEIispronounced"aye."The
possessorsofsuchnamesareinconsistentaboutthismatterinEnglish.
"Wein"changesfrom"vine"to"ween,"but"Klein"remains"kline."
NEVADA
"NuhVAHduh"isalittleclosertotheoriginalSpanishpronunciation
thanthewayNevadanspronouncethenameoftheirhomestate,butthe
correctmiddlesyllableisthesame"A"soundasin"sad."WhenEast
Coastbroadcastersusethefirstpronunciation,theymarkthemselvesas
outsiders.
NEVERTHELESS,NOTWITHSTANDING\NEVERTHELESS,NOTWITHSTANDING
Forsixcenturieswehavebeenspelling"nevertheless"and
"notwithstanding"assinglewords,andtodayitisdefinitelynot
standardtobreakthemupintohyphenatedornonhyphenatedmultiword
phrases.
NEVERMIND/NEVERMIND
Thestandardspellingofthisphraseisastwowords:"nevermind."Thepopularity
ofthealternativeonewordform"nevermind"wascertainlyenhancedbyitsusein
1991asthetitleofabestsellingNirvanaalbum."Nevermind"canlookimmatureor

slangytosomereaders.Youcanstillbecoolbyimitatingthevocabularychoicein
the title of another famous album: "Never Mind the Bollocks: Here's the Sex
Pistols."
In expressions like"payhimnonevermind"wheretheword means "attention" it's
alwaysoneword,butthoseexpressionsarebothslangyandoldfashioned.
NEWLEASEOFLIFE/NEWLEASEONLIFE
Reinvigoratedpeoplearetraditionallysaidtohavebeengrantednota
"newleaseoflife"buta"newleaseonlife."Afterall,youtakeouta
leaseonahouse,right?Samething.
NEXT/THIS
IfItellyouthatthecompanypicnicisnextSaturdayitwouldbewise
toaskwhetherImeanthiscomingSaturdayortheSaturdayafterthat.
Peopledifferinhowtheyuse"next"inthissortofcontext,and
there'snostandardpattern;soit'sworthmakinganextraefforttobe
clear.
IntheUKthedistinctionismadeclearbysaying"Saturdaynext"or
"Saturdayweek."
NEXTSTORE/NEXTDOOR
Youcanadoretheboynextdoor,butnot"nextstore."
NIEVE/NAIVE
PeoplewhospellthisFrenchderivedword"nieve"makethemselveslook
naive.InFrenchthereisalsoamasculineform:"naif";andbothwords
canbenounsmeaning"naiveperson"aswellasadjectives."Nieve"is
actuallytheSpanishwordfor"snow.""Naivete"istheFrenchspelling
oftherelatednouninEnglish.
Ifyouprefermorenativizedspelling,"naivety"isalsoacceptable.
NIGGARD
"Niggard"isaveryoldwordinEnglishmeaning"miser"or"stingy
person."Americansoftenmistakenlyassumeitisavariantonthemost
commoninsultingtermfordarkskinnedpeople.Youmayembarrass
yourselfbyattackingawriterforracismwhenyouseeitinprint;but
sincesomanypeopleareconfusedaboutthisitmightbebettertouse
"miser"and"stingy"insteadof"niggard"and"niggardly."
NINTY/NINETY
"Nine"keepsitsEwhenitchangesto"ninety."
NIPITINTHEBUTT/NIPITINTHEBUD
Tonipaprocessinthebudistostopitfromfloweringcompletely.The

hilariouslymistaken"nipitinthebutt"suggestsstimulationtoaction
ratherthanstoppingit.
NOBLEPRIZE/NOBELPRIZE
Nobellaureatesmayindeedbeintellectualnobility,buttheawardthey
getisnotthe"NoblePrize"butthe"NobelPrize,"namedafterfounder
AlfredNobel.
NONE
There'salotofdisagreementaboutthisone."None"canbeeither
singularorplural,dependingonthemeaningyouintendanditscontext
inthesentence."Noneofthepieisleft"isclearlysingular.But
"Noneofthechocolatesisleft"iswidelyaccepted,asis"Noneofthe
chocolatesareleft."Ifit'snotobvioustoyouwhichitshouldbe,
don'tworry;fewofyourreaderswillbecertaineither.
NONPLUSSED
"Nonplussed"meanstobestuck,ofteninapuzzlingorembarrassingway,
unabletogofurther("non"="no"+"plus"="further").Itdoesnotmean,
asmanypeopleseemtothink,"calm,incontrol."
NOONE/NOONE
ShallwemeetatYeOldeSandwycheShoppeatNoone?"Noone"isalways
twoseparatewords,unlike"anyone"and"someone."
NOSOONERWHEN/NOSOONERTHAN
Thephrase,"NosoonerhadPaulastoppedpettingthecatwhenitbegan
toyowl"shouldbeinstead,"NosoonerhadPaulastoppedpettingthecat
thanitbegantoyowl."
NOT
Youneedtoput"not"intherightspotinasentencetomakeitsay
whatyouintend."Notallfraternitymembersaredrunks"meanssomeare,
but"Allfraternitymembersarenotdrunks"meansnoneofthemis.
NOTALL
Thecombinationof"not"and"all"canbeconfusingifyou'renot
carefulaboutplacement."Allpoliticiansarenotcorrupt"could
theoreticallymeanthatnopoliticianiscorrupt;butwhatyouprobably
meantosayis"Notallpoliticiansarecorrupt"When"notallisa
minority,it'ssometimesbettertoreplace"notall"with"some.""The
widescreenversionisnotavailableinallvideostores"canbemade
clearerbysaying"Thewidescreenversionisnotavailableinsome
stores."
NOTALLTHAT/NOTVERY

Theslangyphrase"notallthat"asin"thedessertwasnotallthat
tasty"doesn'tbelonginformalwriting."Notvery"wouldwork,but
somethingmorespecificwouldbeevenbetter:"thepuddingtastedlike
librarypaste."
NOTHARDLY/NOTATALL
"Nothardly"isslang,finewhenyouwanttobecasualbutinaformal
document?Nothardly!
NOTATE/NOTE
Tonotateatextistowriteannotationsaboutit.Thistechnicalterm
shouldnotbeusedasasynonymforthesimpleverb"note."Itisboth
pretentiousandincorrecttowrite"notatethetimeyouarrivedinyour
log."
NOTORIOUS
"Notorious"meansfamousinabadway,asin"Nerowasnotoriousfor
givinglongrecitalsofhistediouspoetry."Occasionallywriters
deliberatelyuseitinapositivesensetosuggestironyorwit,but
thisisaveryfeebleandtireddevice.Nothingadmirableshouldbe
called"notorious."
Thesamegoesfor"notoriety,"whichalsoindicatesabadreputation.
NOWANDDAYS/NOWADAYS
Althoughitusedtobehyphenatedonoccasionas"nowadays,"this
expressionisnowadaysusuallyrenderedasasingleunhyphenatedword.
Somefolksmistakenlythinktheexpressionis"nowanddays,"which
makesnosense.
NUCLEAR
Thisisn'tawritingproblem,butapronunciationerror.President
Eisenhowerusedtoconsistentlyinserta"U"soundbetweenthefirstand
secondsyllables,leadingmanyjournaliststoimitatehimandsay
"nukyuhlar"insteadofthecorrect"nukleear."Theconfusionextends
alsoto"nucleus."Manypeoplecan'tevenhearthemistakewhenthey
makeit,andonlyscientistsandafewotherswillcatchthe
mispronunciation;butyoulosecredibilityifyouareanantinuclear
protesterwhodoesn'tknowhowtopronounce"nuclear."Here'sonewayto
remember:weneedanew,clearunderstandingoftheissues;let'sstop
saying"Nukeyou!"
NUMBEROFVERB
Inlong,complicatedsentences,peopleoftenlosetrackofwhetherthe
subjectissingularorpluralandusethewrongsortofverb."The
ultimateeffectofallofthesephonecallstothedetectiveswereto
makethemsuspiciousofthecallers"isanerrorbecause"effect,"which

issingular,isthesubject.Ifyouareuncertainaboutwhethertogo
withsingularorpluralcondensethesentencedowntoitsskeleton:"The
effect...wastomakethemsuspicious."
Anothersituationthatcreatesconfusionistheuseofinterjections
like"alongwith,""aswellas,"and"togetherwith,"wheretheyare
oftentreatedimproperlyasiftheymeantsimply"and.""AuntHilda,as
wellasherpetdachshund,iscomingtotheparty"(not"arecoming").
Acompoundsubjectrequiresapluralverbevenifthewordswhichmake
ituparethemselvessingularinform:"widespreadmoldandmildew
damage[notdamages]theresalevalueofyourhouse."
NUMBERS
Ifyourwritingcontainsnumbers,thegeneralruleistospelloutin
lettersallthenumbersfromzerotonineandusenumeralsforlarger
numbers;butthereareexceptions.Ifwhatyou'rewritingisfullof
numbersandyou'redoingmathwiththem,stickwithnumerals.
Approximationslike"aboutthirtydaysago"andcatchphraseslike"his
firstthousanddays"arespelledout.Largeroundnumbersareoften
renderedthus:"50billionsold."Withmeasurements,usenumerals:"4
incheslong."Neverstartasentencewithanumeral.Eitherspellout
thenumberinvolvedorrearrangethesentencetomovethenumbertoa
laterposition.
Seealso"50's."
NUPTUAL/NUPTIAL
"Nuptial"isusuallyapretentioussubstitutefor"wedding,"butif
you'regoingtouseit,besuretospellitproperly.Forthenoun,the
pluralform"nuptials"ismoretraditional.
O/zero
Whenrecitingastringofnumberssuchasyourcreditcardnumberitis
commonandperfectlyacceptabletopronouncezeroas"oh."Butwhen
dealingwitharegistrationcodeorothersuchstringofcharacters
whichmixeslettersandnumbers,itisimportanttodistinguishbetween
thenumber0andtheletterO.InmosttypefacesacapitalOisrounder,
fatter,thanazero;butthatisnotalwaysthecase.Whatlooks
unambiguouswhenyoutypeitmaycomeoutveryunclearontheotherend
onacomputerwhichrendersyourmessageinadifferenttypeface.
Intechnicalcontexts,thedistinctionisoftenmadebyusingzeroswith
slashesthroughthem,butthiscancreateasmanyproblemsasitsolves:
thoseunfamiliarwiththeconventionwillbeconfusedbyit,numbers
usingsuchcharactersmaynotsortproperly,andslashedzeroscreated
insomefontschangetonormalzerosinotherfonts.
Ifyouworkforacompanythatrequiresregistrationcodesyoudoa
disservicetoyourcustomersandyourselfbyincludingeitherzerosor
O'sinyourcodeswherethereisanypossibilityofconfusion.

OBSOLESCENT/OBSOLETE
Manypeopleassumetheword"obsolescent"mustbeafancyformof
"obsolete,"butsomethingobsolescentistechnicallysomethinginthe
processofbecomingobsolete.Thereforeit'sanerrortodescribe
somethingas"becomingobsolescent.
OF
"Of"isoftenshovedinwhereitdoesn'tbelonginphraseslike"not
thatbigofadeal,"and"notthatgreatofawriter."Justleaveit
out.
OF___'S
Phrasescombining"of"withanounfollowedby"'S"mayseemredundant,
sincebothindicatepossession;nevertheless,"afriendofKaren's"is
standardEnglish,justas"afriendofKaren"and"Karen'sfriend"are.
OFFENSE/OFFENCE
IntheUS"offense"isstandard;intheUKuse"offence."Thesports
pronunciationaccentingthefirstsyllableshouldnotbeusedwhen
discussingmilitary,legal,orothersortsofoffense.
SeealsoDEFENSE/DEFENCE
OFTEN
Peoplestrivingforsophisticationoftenpronouncethe"T"inthisword,
buttruesophisticatesknowthatthemassesarecorrectinsaying
"offen."
OGGLE/OGLE
Ifyou'rebeingleeredatlustfullyyou'rebeingogled(firstvowel
soundslike"OH")not"oggled,"evenifyou'rebeingogledthrough
goggles.ThewordisprobablyrelatedtotheGermanword"augeln,"
meaning"toeye,"fromaugen("eye").
OK/OKAY
Thismaybethemostuniversalwordinexistence;itseemstohave
spreadtomostoftheworld'slanguages.Etymologistsnowgenerally
agreethatitbeganasahumorousmisspellingof"allcorrect":"oll
korrect.""OK"withoutperiodsisthemostcommonforminwritten
AmericanEnglishnow,though"okay"isnotincorrect.
OLDFASHION/OLDFASHIONED
Although"oldfashion"appearsinadvertisingagooddeal,the
traditionalspellingis"oldfashioned."

OLDTIMER'SDISEASE/ALZHEIMER'SDISEASE
I'vealwaysthoughtthat"oldtimer'sdisease"wasacleveriftasteless
punon"Alzheimer'sDisease";butmanypeoplehaveassuredmethatthis
isacommonandquiteunintentionalerror.
Somemedicalauthoritiesprefertheform"AlzheimerDisease,"though
thatisseldomusedbynonprofessionals.
OLDWISETALE/OLDWIVES'TALE
Anabsurdsuperstitionisan"oldwives'tale":accordingtosexist
traditionastorypopularamongcredulousoldladies.It'snotan"old
wisetale"orevenworsean"oldwives'tail."
ONACCIDENT/BYACCIDENT
Althoughyoucandothingsonpurpose,youdothembyaccident.
ONTHELAMB/ONTHELAM
Whenacriminalhidesout,he'sonthelam.Hewouldn'tgetfarona
lamb.
ONTOMORROW/TOMORROW
YoucanmeetonMondayoronthe21stofMarch,butit'sanerrortosay
"ontomorrow,""onyesterday"or"ontoday"Justleave"on"out(except,
ofcourse,inphraseslike"let'smeetlaterontoday"usingthephrase
"lateron").
ONCE/ONES
"Once"alwayshastodowithtimeandanswersthequestions,"howmany
times?"or"when?"Forinstance:"Ionlyplayedhandballonce.""OnceI
gotmybootoff,Isawmysockhadaholeinit."
Incontrast,"ones"havetodowiththings.Inyourtoolcollection,the
onesyoushouldkeephandyaretheonesyouusemost.
ONCEANDAWHILE/ONCEINAWHILE
Theexpressionis"onceinawhile."
ONEOFTHE(SINGULAR)
Inphraseslike"pistachioisoneofthefewflavorsthatappealsto
me,"Ithinkyoushouldusethesingularformfortheverb"appeals"
becauseitssubjectis"one,"not"flavors."However,notethatusage
expertsareallovertheplaceonthissubjectandyou'renotlikelyto
getintomuchtroublebyusingtheplural,andsomeauthorities
absolutelypreferit.
ONEDIMENSIONAL/TWODIMENSIONAL

Onceuponatimemostfolksknewthat"threedimensional"charactersor
ideaswererounded,fleshedout,andcomplexand"twodimensional"ones
wereflatanduninteresting.Itseemsthattheknowledgeofbasic
geometryhasdeclinedinrecentyears,becausetodaywehear
uninterestingcharactersandideasdescribedas"onedimensional."
AccordingtoEuclid,nophysicalobjectcanbeonedimensional(of
course,accordingtomodernphysics,eventwodimensionalityisonlyan
abstractconcept).Ifyouarestillbotheredbythenotionthattwo
dimensionsareonetoomany,justuse"flat."
ONEINTHESAME/ONEANDTHESAME
Theoldexpression"theyareoneandthesame"isnowoftenmangledinto
theroughlyphoneticequivalent"oneinthesame."Theuseof"one"here
tomean"identicalwitheachother"isfamiliarfromphraseslike"Jane
andJohnactasone."Theyareone;theyarethesame.
ONEOFTHEONLY/ONEOFTHEFEW
Althoughithasrecentlybecomemuchmorepopular,thephrase"oneof
theonly"botherssomeofusincontextsinwhich"oneofthefew"would
traditionallybeused.Beawarethatitstrikessomereadersasodd.
"Oneofonlythreegroupsthatplayedintune"isfine,but"oneofthe
onlygroupsthatplayedintune"ismorelikelytocauseraised
eyebrows.
ONGOINGLY/CURRENTLY,CONTINUOUSLY
"Ongoingly"isnotstandardEnglish.Whensomethingisoccurringinan
ongoingmanner,youcanspeakofitashappening"currently"or
"continuously."
ONLINE/ONLINE
ThecommonadjectiveusedtolabelInternetactivitiesisusually
writtenasoneword:"online":"Theonlinesitesellingbananacream
pieswasafailure."Butitmakesmoresensewhenusingitasan
adverbialphrasetowritetwoseparatewords:"Whentheteachertookher
classtothelibrary,mostofthemusedittogoonline."The
hyphenatedform"online"isnotwidelyused;butwouldbeproperonly
fortheadjectivalfunction.However,youareunlikelytogetinto
troubleforusing"online"forallcomputerrelatedpurposes.
Asforrealphysicallines,theBritishandNewYorkerswait"online"
(inqueues),butmostAmericanswait"inline."
ONLY
Writersofteninadvertentlycreateconfusionbyplacing"only"
incorrectlyinasentence.Itshouldgoimmediatelybeforethewordor
phraseitmodifies."Ilostmyonlyshirt"meansthatIhadbutoneto
beginwith."Ilostonlymyshirt"meansIdidn'tloseanythingelse.
"OnlyIlostmyshirt"meansthatIwastheonlypersoninmygroupto

loseashirt.Strictlyspeaking,"Ionlylostmyshirt"shouldmeanI
didn'tdestroyitorhaveitstolenIjustlostit;butincommon
speechthisisusuallyunderstoodasbeingidenticalwith"Ilostonly
myshirt."Scrutinizeyourusesof"only"tomakesureyouarenot
creatingunwantedambiguities.
ONTO/ONTO
"Onto"and"onto"areofteninterchangeable,butnotalways.Consider
theeffectcreatedbywronglyusing"onto"inthefollowingsentence
when"onto"ismeant:"We'rehavinghorsd'oeuvresinthegarden,and
fordinnermovingontothehouse."Ifthe"on"ispartofanexpression
like"movingon"itcan'tbeshovedtogetherwitha"to"thatjust
happenstofollowit.
OPED
Althoughitlookslikeitmightmean"opinionoftheeditor"the"oped"
pageisactuallyapagewrittenbycolumnistsoroutsidecontributorsto
anewspaper,printedoppositetheeditorialpage.
OPEN/UNLOCKED/UNLATCHED
Manypeoplerefertodoorsasbeing"open"whentheymeantosaythey
aremerelyunlocked.Tellingpeopletoleaveahouseopenmaymislead
themintomakingtheplacemoreinvitingtocasualintrudersthanyou
intendifyoureallyonlywantittobeunlocked.Andyoumay
unnecessarilyalarmthedriverifyoureportfromthebackseatofacar
thatoneofthedoorsisopenwhenyoumeanthatitismerelyunlatched.
OPPRESS/REPRESS
Dictatorscommonlyoppresstheircitizensandrepressdissent,butthese
wordsdon'tmeanexactlythesamething."Repress"justmeans"keep
undercontrol."Sometimesrepressionisagoodthing:"Duringthejob
interview,repressthetemptationtotellMr.Brownthathehastoilet
paperstucktohisshoe."Oppressionisalwaysbad,andimpliesserious
persecution.
ORAL/VERBAL
Somepeopleinsistthat"verbal"referstoanythingexpressedinwords,
whetherwrittenorspoken,while"oral"refersexclusivelytospeech;
butincommonusage"verbal"hasbecomewidelyacceptedforthelatter
meaning.However,inlegalcontexts,anunwrittenagreementisstillan
"oralcontract,"nota"verbalcontract."
ORDERSOFMAGNITUDE
Manypretentiouswritershavebeguntousetheexpression"ordersof
magnitude"withoutunderstandingwhatitmeans.Theconceptderivesfrom
thescientificnotationofverylargenumbersinwhicheachorderof
magnitudeistentimesthepreviousone.Whenthebacteriainaflask
havemultipliedfromsomehundredstosomethousands,itisveryhandy

tosaythattheirnumbershaveincreasedbyanorderofmagnitude,and
whentheyhaveincreasedtosomemillions,thattheirnumbershave
increasedbyfourordersofmagnitude.
Numberlanguagegenerallyconfusespeople.Manyseemtosupposethata
100%increasemustbeprettymuchthesameasanincreasebyanorderof
magnitude,butinfactsuchanincreaserepresentsmerelyadoublingof
quantity.A"hundredfoldincrease"isevenbigger:onehundredtimesas
much.Ifyoudon'thaveafirmgrasponsuchconcepts,it'sbestto
avoidtheexpressionaltogether.Afterall,"Ouraudienceistentimes
asbignowaswhentheshowopened"makesthesamepointmoreclearly
than"Ouraudiencehasincreasedbyanorderofmagnitude."
Comparewith"quantumleap."
ORDINANCE/ORDNANCE
Alawisanordinance,butagunisapieceofordnance.
OREGON
OregonnativesandotherWesternerspronouncethestatename'slast
syllabletosoundlike"gun,"not"gone."
ORGANIC
Theword"organic"isusedinallsortsofcontexts,ofteninahighly
metaphoricalmanner;thesubjecthereisitsuseinthephrase"organic
foods"inclaimsofsuperiorhealthfulness.Variousjurisdictionshave
variousstandardsfor"organic"food,butgenerallythelabelisapplied
tofoodsthathavebeengrownwithoutartificialchemicalsor
pesticides.Literally,ofcourse,thetermisaredundancy:allfoodis
composedoforganicchemicals(complexchemicalscontainingcarbon).
Thereisnosuchthingasaninorganicfood(unlessyoucountwaterasa
food).Naturalfertilizersandpesticidesmayormaynotbesuperiorto
artificialones,buttheproperdistinctionisnotbetweenorganicand
inorganic.Manynitrogenfixingplantslikepeasdoagreatjobof
fertilizingthesoilwithplainoldinorganicatmosphericnitrogen.
Whenitcomestonutrition,peopletendtogeneralizerashlyfroma
narrowscientificbasis.Afterafewpreservativeswererevealedtohave
harmfuleffectsinsomeconsumers,manyproductswereproudlylabeled
"NoPreservatives!"Idon'twantharmfulpreservativesinmyfood,but
thatlabelsuggeststomeawarning:"Deterioratesquickly!Maycontain
moldandotherkindsofrot!"Saltisapreservative.
ORIENTAL/ASIAN
"Oriental"isgenerallyconsideredoldfashionednow,andmanyfindit
offensive."Asian"ispreferred,butnot"Asiatic."it'sbettertowrite
thenationalityinvolved,forexample"Chinese"or"Indian,"ifyou
knowit."Asian"isoftentakentomeanexclusively"EastAsian,"which
irritatesSouthAsianandCentralAsianpeople.

ORIENTATE/ORIENT
AlthoughitisstandardinBritishEnglish"orientate"iswidely
consideredanerrorintheUS,withsimple"orient"beingpreferred.
OSTENSIVELY/OSTENSIBLY
Thisword,meaning"apparently,"isspelled"ostensibly."
OVEREXAGGERATED/EXAGGERATED
"Overexaggerated"isaredundancy.Ifsomethingisexaggerated,it's
alreadyoverstressed.
OVERDO/OVERDUE
Ifyouoverdothecocktailsafterworkyoumaybeoverdueforyour
daughter'ssoccergameat6:00.
OVERSEE/OVERLOOK
Whenyouoverseethepreparationofdinner,youtakecontrolandmanage
theoperationclosely.Butifyouoverlookthepreparationofdinneryou
forgettopreparethemealentirelybetterorderpizza.
OVERTAKE/TAKEOVER
Whenyoucatchupwiththerunnersaheadofyouinamarathon,you
overtakethem;butwhenyouseizepower,youtakeoverthegovernment.
PAGE/SITE
IntheearlydaysoftheInternet,itbecamecustomarytorefertoWeb
sitesas"pages"thoughtheymightinfactconsistofmanydifferent
pages.TheJaneAustenPage,forinstance,incorporatesentirebooks,
andisorganizedintoaverylargenumberofdistinctWebpages.This
nomenclatureisillogical,buttoowellestablishedtobecalled
erroneous.However,itisnotwisetowritesomeonewhohascreateda
largeandcomplexsiteandcallita"page."Noteveryoneappreciates
havingtheirworkdiminishedinthisway.
PAIR(NUMBER)
"Thisisalefthandedpairofscissors.""Thereisapairofglasseson
themantelpiece.""Pair"issingularinthissortofexpression.Note
thatwesay"thatisanicepairofpants"eventhoughwealsosay
"thosearenicepants."
PALATE/PALETTE/PALLET
Your"palate"istheroofofyourmouth,andbyextension,yoursenseof
taste.A"palette"istheflatboardanartistmixespainton(orby
extension,arangeofcolors).A"pallet"iseitherabed(nowrare)or

aflatplatformontowhichgoodsareloaded.
PARALLEL/SYMBOL
Beginningliteraturestudentsoftenwritesentenceslikethis:"Heuses
theroseasaparallelforherbeauty"whentheymean"asymbolofher
beauty."Ifyouaretakingaliteratureclass,it'sgoodtomasterthe
distinctionsbetweenseveralrelatedtermsrelatingtosymbolism.An
eagleclutchingabundleofarrowsandanolivebranchisasymbolof
theUSgovernmentinwarandpeace.
Studentsoftenmisusetheword"analogy"inthesameway.Ananalogyhas
tobespecificallyspelledoutbythewriter,notsimplyreferredto:
"Mymother'sattemptstofindherkeysinthemorningwerelikeearly
expeditionstotheSouthPole:prolongedandmostlyfutile."
Ametaphorisakindofsymbolismcommoninliterature.WhenShakespeare
writes"Thattimeofyearthoumaystinmebehold/Whenyellowleaves,or
none,orfew,dohang/Uponthoseboughswhichshakeagainstthecold"he
iscomparinghisagingselftoatreeinlateautumn,perhapseven
specificallysuggestingthatheisgoingbaldbyreferringtothetree
sheddingitsleaves.Thisautumnaltreeisametaphorforthehuman
agingprocess.
Asimileresemblesametaphorexceptthat"like"or"as"orsomething
similarisusedtomakethecomparisonexplicitly.Byronadmiresa
darkhairedwomanbysayingofher"Shewalksinbeauty,likethe
night/Ofcloudlessclimesandstarryskies."Herdarknessissaidtobe
likethatofthenight.
Anallegoryisasymbolicnarrativeinwhichcharactersmaystandfor
abstractideas,andthestoryconveyaphilosophy.Allegoriesareno
longerpopular,butthemostcommonlyreadoneinschoolisDante's
"DivineComedy"inwhichthepoetVirgilisasymbolforhumanwisdom,
Dante'sbelovedBeatriceisasymbolofdivinegrace,andthewholepoem
triestoteachthereaderhowtoavoiddamnation.AslaninC.S.Lewis'
NarniatalesisanallegoricalfiguremeanttosymbolizeChrist:dying
tosaveothersandrisingagain("aslan"isTurkishfor"lion").
PARALLELLED/PARALLELED
Thespellingofthepasttenseof"parallel"is"paralleled."
PARALLELISMINASERIES
Phrasesinaseriesseparatedbycommasorconjunctionsmustallhave
thesamegrammaticalform."Theylovedmountainclimbing,togather
wildmushrooms,andfirstaidpractice"shouldbecorrectedtosomething
likethis:"Theylovedtoclimbmountains,gatherwildmushrooms,and
practicefirstaid"(allthreeverbsaredependentonthatinitial
"to").Fearofbeingrepetitiousoftenleadswritersintoawkward
inconsistencieswhencreatingsuchseries.
PARALYZATION/PARALYSIS

Somepeoplederivethenoun"paralyzation"fromtheverb"paralyze,"but
thepropertermis"paralysis."
PARAMETERS/PERIMETERS
Whenparameterswerespokenofonlybymathematiciansandscientists,
thetermcausedfewproblems;butnowthatithasbecomewidelyadopted
byotherspeakers,itisconstantlyconfusedwith"perimeters."A
parameterismostcommonlyamathematicalconstant,asetofphysical
properties,oracharacteristicofsomething.Buttheperimeterof
somethingisitsboundary.Thetwowordsshadeintoeachotherbecause
weoftenspeakoffactorsofanissueorproblembeingparameters,
simultaneouslythinkingofthemaslimits;butthisistoconfusetwo
distinct,ifrelatedideas.Asaferuleistoavoidusing"parameters"
altogetherunlessyouareconfidentyouknowwhatitmeans.
PARAMOUNT/TANTAMOUNT
"Paramount"means"best,""top."ThinkofParamountPictures'trademark
ofamajesticmountainpeakencircledwithstars.
"Tantamount"means"equivalent."
"Thecommittee'sparamountconcernistogetatthetruth;your
continuedinsistencethatyoudon'trememberanyofthemeetingsyou
attendedistantamounttoaconfessionofincompetence."
PARANOID
Themostcommonmeaningof"paranoid"hastodowithirrationalfearsof
persecution,especiallytheunjustifiedfearthatpeopleareplotting
againstyou.Moregenerallyitisappliedtoirrationalfearsofother
kinds;butitisoftenmisusedofrationalfears,asin"IknowmyMom
hasbeenreadingmyblog,soI'mparanoidthatshe'sfoundoutwhat
JasonandIdidlastSaturdaynight."That'snotparanoia,butfully
justifiablefear.Italsodoesn'tmakesensetouse"paranoid"about
mildworriesandfears.Whenyousayyouareparanoid,youshouldbe
conveyingyourownirrationality,nottherisksyoufeelyouare
running.
PARENTHESES
Themostcommonerrorinusingparenthesismarks(besidesusingthemtoo
much)istoforgettoenclosetheparentheticalmaterialwithafinal,
closingparenthesismark.Thesecondmostcommonistoplaceconcluding
punctuationincorrectly.Thesimplestsortofexampleisoneinwhich
theentiresentenceisenclosedinparentheses.(Mostpeopleunderstand
thatthefinalpunctuationmustremaininsidetheclosingparenthesis
mark,likethis.)Moretroublesomearesentencesinwhichonlyaclause
orphraseisenclosedinparentheses.Normallyasentence'sfinal
punctuationmarkwhetherperiod,exclamationpoint,orquestion
markgoesoutsidesuchaparenthesis(likethis).However,ifthe
materialinsidetheparenthesisrequiresaconcludingpunctuationmark

likeanexclamationpointorquestionmark(butnotaperiod!),that
markisplacedinsidetheclosingmarkeventhoughanothermarkis
outsideit.Thislattersortofthingisawkward,however,andbest
avoidedifyoucanhelpit.
Forsomereason,manywritershavebeguntoomitthespacebeforea
parentheticpagecitation,likethis:(p.17).Alwayspreservethespace,
likethis:(p.17).
PARLIMENT/PARLIAMENT
Americansunfamiliarwithparliamentarysystemsoftenmistakenlyleave
thesecond"A"outof"parliament"and"parliamentary."
PARTAKE/PARTICIPATE
"Partake"lookslikeitmightmean"takepart,"andthat'showmany
peoplemistakenlyuseitwheretheyshouldsay"participate."Themain
modernmeaningof"partake"is"consume,"especiallyinrelationto
food.Onecanpartakeoftherefreshmentsataparty,butonecanalso
partakeofTwinkiesathomealone,withoutanythoughtofsharing.
Sodon'taskpeopleto"partake"inaplanningprocesswhenyoumeanto
askthemtoparticipate.
PASSED/PAST
Ifyouarereferringtoaperiodoftimebeforenoworadistance,use
"past":"theteamperformedwellinthepast,""thepolicecardrove
pastthesuspect'shouse."Ifyouarereferringtotheactionof
passing,however,youneedtouse"passed":"whenJohnpassedthegravy,
hespilleditonhislap,""theteacherwasastonishedthatnoneofthe
studentshadpassedthetest."Rememberthatnomatterhoweveryouhave
"passedthetime"youhavenever"pastthetime,"noteveninthe
distantpast.

PASSIVEVOICE
Therearelegitimateusesforthepassivevoice:"thisabsurdregulation
wasofcoursewrittenbyacommittee."Butit'struethatyoucanmake
yourprosemorelivelyandreadablebyusingtheactivevoicemuchmore
often."Thevictimwasattackedbythreemeninskimasks"isn'tnearly
asstrikingas"threemeninskimasksattackedthevictim."Thepassive
voiceisoftenusedtoavoidtakingresponsibilityforanaction:"my
termpaperwasaccidentallydeleted"avoidsstatingthetruth:"I
accidentallydeletedmytermpaper."Overuseofpassiveconstructions
isirritating,thoughnotnecessarilyerroneous.Butitdoesleadto
realclumsinesswhenpassiveconstructionsgetpiledontopofeach
other:"noexceptioninthenopetsrulewassoughttobecreatedso
thatangorarabbitscouldberaisedintheapartment"canbemade
clearerbyshiftingtotheactivevoice:"thelandlordrefusedtomake
anexceptiontothenopetsruletoallowElizatoraiseangorarabbits

intheapartment."
PASTTIME/PASTIME
Anagreeableactivitylikeknittingwithwhichyoupassthetimeisyour
pastime.Spellitasoneword,withone"S"andone"T."
PASTORIAL/PASTORAL
Whetheryouarereferringtopoetryorartaboutthecountrysideorthe
dutiesofapastor,thewordyouwantis"pastoral.""Pastorial"isa
commonmisspelling.
PATIENCE/PATIENTS
Doctorshavepatients,butwhileyou'rewaitingtoseethemyouhaveto
havepatience.
PAUSEFORCONCERN/CAUSEFORCONCERN,PAUSE
Somethingworrisomecangiveyoupause,orcauseforconcern.Butsome
peopleconfusethesetwoexpressionsandsaytheyhave"pausefor
concern."
PAWNOFF/PALMOFF
Somebodydefraudsyoubyusingsleightofhand(literalorfigurative)
to"palm"theobjectyouwantedandgiveyousomethinginferiorinstead.
Theexpressionisnot"topawnoff,"but"topalmoff."
PAYED/PAID
Ifyoupaidattentioninschool,youknowthatthepasttenseof"pay"
is"paid"exceptinthespecialsensethathastodowithropes:"He
payedoutthelinetothesmugglerintherowboat."
PEACE/PIECE
it'shardtobelievemanypeoplereallyconfusethemeaningofthese
words;butthespellingsarefrequentlyswapped,probablyoutofsheer
carelessness."Piece"hastheword"pie"buriedinit,whichshould
remindyouofthefamiliarphrase,"apieceofpie."Youcanmeditateto
findpeaceofmind,oryoucangetangryandgivesomeoneapieceof
yourmind.Classicalscholarswillnotethat"pax"istheLatinwordfor
peace,suggestingtheneedforan"A"inthelatterword.
PEAK/PEEK/PIQUE
Itistemptingtothinkthatyourattentionmightbearousedtoahigh
pointby"peaking"yourcuriosity;butinfact,"pique"isaFrenchword
meaning"prick,"inthesenseof"stimulate."Theexpressionhasnothing
todowith"peek,"either.Thereforetheexpressionis"mycuriositywas
piqued."

PEALOUT/PEELOUT
Bellsandthunderclapspealout;butifyourcar"laysdownrubber"ina
squealingdeparture,theexpressionis"peelout"becauseyouare
literallypeelingalayerofrubberoffyourtires.
PEASANT/PHEASANT
WhenIvisitedtheformerSovietUnionIwasastonishedtolearnthat
farmworkerswerestillcalled"peasants"there.InEnglishspeaking
countrieswetendtothinkofthetermasbelongingstrictlytothe
feudalera.Howeveryouuseit,don'tconfuseitwith"pheasant,"a
favoritegamebird.Usethesoundofthebeginningconsonantstoremind
youofthedifference:pheasantsarefood,peasantsarepeople.
PEDAL/PEDDLE
Ifyouaredeliveringnewspapersfromabikeyoucanpedalitaroundthe
neighborhood(perhapswearing"pedalpushers"),butwhenyousellthem
fromanewsstandyoupeddlethem.
PEDALTOTHEMEDAL/PEDALTOTHEMETAL
Whenyoudepresstheacceleratorallthewaysothatitpressesagainst
themetalofthefloorboardsyouputthepedaltothemetal.Yougetno
medalsforspeeding.
PEN/PIN
InthedialectofmanyTexansandsomeoftheirneighbors"pen"is
pronouncedalmostexactlylike"pin."Whenspeakingtoanaudience
outsidethiszone,it'sworthlearningtomakethedistinctiontoavoid
confusion.
PENULTIMATE/NEXTTOLAST
Toconfuseyourreaders,usetheterm"penultimate,"whichmeans"next
tolast,"butwhichmostpeopleassumemeans"theverylast."Andifyou
reallywanttobafflethem,use"antepenultimate"tomean"thirdfrom
theend."
Manypeoplealsomistakenlyuse"penultimate"whentheymean
"quintessential"or"archetypical."
PEOPLES
IntheMiddleAges"peoples"wasnotanuncommonword,butlaterwriters
grewwaryofitbecause"people"hasacollective,pluralmeaningwhich
seemedtomake"peoples"superfluous.Itlivedoninthesenseof
"nations"("thepeoplesoftheworld")andfromthissocialscientists
(anthropologistsinparticular)derivedtheextendedmeaning"ethnic
groups"("thepeoplesoftheupperAmazonBasin").However,inordinary
usage"people"isusuallyunderstoodtobeplural,somuchsothatin
thebadolddayswhendialecthumorwaspopularhavingaspeakerrefer

to"youpeoples"indicatedilliteracy.Ifyouarenotreferringto
nationalorethnicgroups,itisbettertoavoid"peoples"anduse
"people."
Seealso"behaviors."
PER/ACCORDINGTO
Using"per"tomean"accordingto"asin"shipthewidgetsasperthe
instructionsofthecustomer"isratheroldfashionedbusinessjargon,
andisnotwelcomeinothercontexts."Per"isfinewhenusedinphrases
involvingfigureslike"milespergallon."
PERCENT/PERCENT
IntheUSthetwowordspelling"percent"isconsideredrather
oldfashionedandisrarelyused;butintheUKandcountries
influencedbyit,thetwowordformisstillstandard,thoughuseof
"percent"isspreadingfasteventhere.
PERCENTDECREASE
Whensomethinghasbeenreducedbyonehundredpercent,it'sallgone
(orifthereductionwasinitsprice,it'sfree).Youcan'tproperly
speakofreducinganythingbymorethanahundredpercent(unlessit'sa
deficitordebt,inwhichcaseyouwindupwithasurplus).
PERCIPITATION/PRECIPITATION
Rain,snow,hail,etc.areallformsofprecipitation.Thiswordis
oftenmisspelledandmispronouncedas"percipitation."
PERNICKETY/PERSNICKETY
TheoriginalScottishdialectformwas"pernickety,"butAmericans
changeditto"persnickety"acenturyago."Pernickety"isgenerally
unknownintheUSthoughit'sstillinwideuseacrosstheAtlantic.
PEROGATIVE/PREROGATIVE
"Prerogative"isfrequentlybothmispronouncedandmisspelledas
"perogative."Itmayhelptorememberthatthewordisassociatedwith
PRivilegesofPRecedence.
PERPETUATE/PERPETRATE
"Perpetrate"issomethingcriminalsdo(criminalsaresometimescalled
"perps"incopslang).Whenyouseektocontinuesomethingyouare
tryingtoperpetuateit.
PERSE/PERSE
Thislegaltermmeaning"in,of,orbyitself")isabitpretentious,
butyougainlittlerespectifyoumisspellperseasasingleword.

Worseisthemistaken"persay."
PERSONAL/PERSONNEL
Employeesarepersonnel,butprivateindividualsconsideredseparately
fromtheirjobshavepersonallives.
PERSPECTIVE/PROSPECTIVE
"Perspective"hastodowithsight,asinpainting,andisusuallya
noun."Prospective"generallyhastodowiththefuture(comparewith
"Whatareyourprospects,youngman?")andisusuallyanadjective.But
beware:thereisalsoaratheroldfashionedbutfairlycommonmeaning
oftheword"prospect"thathastodowithsight:"asheclimbedthe
mountain,avastprospectopenedupbeforehim."
PERSECUTE/PROSECUTE
Whenyoupersecutesomeone,you'retreatingthembadly,whetherthey
deserveitornot;butonlylegalofficerscanprosecutesomeonefora
crime.
PERSONALITY
Inshowbusinesspersonalitiesarepeoplefamousforbeingfamous
(mostlypopularactorsandsingers);peoplewithmoresubstantial
accomplishmentslikedistinguishedheadsofstateandNobelPrize
winnersshouldnotbereferredtoas"personalities"evenwhenthey
appearontheTonightShow.
PERUSE
Thisword,whichmeans"examinethoroughly"isoftenmisusedtomean
"glanceoverhastily."Althoughsomedictionariesacceptthelatter
meaning,itisnottraditional.
Whenitisusedtomean"lookthrough"itisnotstandardtoadd
"through"to"peruse."It'snot"perusethroughtherecords"but"peruse
therecords."
PERVERSE/PERVERTED
Thesexrelatedmeaningsofwordstendtodriveoutallothermeanings.
Mostpeoplethinkofboth"perverse"and"perverted"onlyincontexts
havingtodowithdesire;but"perverse"properlyhasthefunctionof
signifying"stubborn,""wrongheaded."Nothingeroticissuggestedby
thissortofthing:"Joshperverselyinsistedoncarvingwooden
replacementpartsforhis1958Ford'sengine."It'sbettertouse
"perverted"inrelationtoabnormalsexualdesires;butthiswordalso
hasnonsexualfunctions,asin"ThebakesalewaspervertedbyGladys
intoafundraiserforherpokerhabit."
Peoplesometimesmispronounce"pervert"as"PREEvert."

PHANTOM/FATHOM
Briannaexclaimsconfusedly,"Ican'tphantomwhyhethoughtI'dwanta
couponforanoilchangeforValentine'sDay!"Aphantomisaghost,but
afathomisnauticalmeasureofdepth.Whenyoucan'tunderstand
somethingbeingunabletogettothebottomofityoushouldsay"I
can'tfathomit.""Phantom"isnotaverb.
PHENOMENA/PHENOMENON
ThereareseveralwordswithLatinorGreekrootswhosepluralforms
endingin"A"areconstantlymistakenforsingularones.See,for
instance,"criteria"and"media"and"data."it's"thisphenomenon,"but
"thesephenomena."
PHILIPPINES/FILIPINOS
ThepeopleofthePhilippinesarecalled"Filipinos."Don'tswitchthe
initiallettersofthesetwowords.
PHYSICAL/FISCAL
Inbudgetmatters,it'sthefiscalyear,relatingtofinanceswithan
"F."
PICARESQUE/PICTURESQUE
"Picaresque"isatechnicalliterarytermyouareunlikelytohaveause
for.Itlabelsasortofliteratureinvolvingapicaro(Spanish),a
lovableroguewhoroamsthelandhavingcolorfuladventures.Alandscape
thatlooksaslovelyasapictureispicturesque.
PICKUP/PICKUP
Thenounisspelled"pickup"asin"driveyourpickup"or"thatcoffee
gavemeapickup,"or"wedidn'thavearealdate;itwasjusta
pickup."Ifit'sathing,usethesinglewordform.Butifit'san
action(verbplusadverbphrase)thenspellitastwowords:"pickup
yourdirtyunderwear."
There'salsotheadjectivalform,whichhastobehyphenated:"Jeremy
triedoutoneofhiscornypickuplinesonmeatthebar."Accordingto
thisrule,itshouldbea"pickupgame"butyou'reunlikelytogetinto
troubleforwriting"pickupgame."
PICTURE
Thepronunciationof"picture"asifitwere"pitcher"iscommoninsome
dialects,butnotstandard.Thefirstsyllableshouldsoundlike"pick."
PINnumber/PIN
Thosewhoobjectto"PINnumber"onthegroundsthattheNin"PIN"
standsfor"number"inthephrase"personalidentificationnumber"are

quiteright,butitmaybedifficulttogetpeopletosayanythingelse.
"PIN"wasinventedtomeettheobjectionthata"password"consistingof
nothingbutnumbersisnotaword.Pronouncingeachletterofthe
acronymas"PIN"bluntsitsefficiency.Sayingjust"PIN"remindsus
ofanothercommonEnglishword,thoughfewpeoplearelikelytothink
whentheyaretoldto"enterPIN"thattheyshouldshoveasteelpin
intotheterminaltheyareoperating.Inwriting,anyway,PINis
unambiguousandshouldbeusedwithouttheredundant"number."
Thesamegoesfor"VINnumber";"VIN"standsfor"VehicleIdentification
Number."And"UPCcode"isredundantbecause"UPC"standsfor"Universal
ProductCode."
PINNEDUP/PENTUP
IfyouwearyourheartonyoursleeveIsupposeyoumightbesaidto
have"pinnedup"emotions;butthephraseyouwantwhenyouare
suppressingyourfeelingsis"pentupemotions."Similarly,it'spentup
demand.""Pent"isarareword;butdon'treplaceitwith"penned"in
suchphraseseither.
PITINMYSTOMACH/INTHEPITOFMYSTOMACH
Justasyoucanlovesomeonefromthebottomofyourheart,youcanalso
experienceasensationofdreadinthepit(bottom)ofyourstomach.I
don'tknowwhetherpeoplewhomanglethiscommonexpressioninto"pitin
mystomach"envisionanulcer,anirritatingpeachpitthey'veswallowed
orarethinkingofthepyloricsphincter;butthey'vegotitwrong.
PITHANDVINEGAR/PISSANDVINEGAR
Tosaythatpeopleare"fullofpissandvinegar"istosaythatthey
arebrimmingwithenergy.Althoughmanyspeakersassumethephrasemust
haveanegativeconnotation,thisexpressionismoreoftenusedasa
compliment,"vinegar"beinganoldslangtermforenthusiasticenergy.
Sometrytomakethisexpressionmorepolitebysubstituting"pith"for
"piss,"butthischangerobsitoftheimageryofacrid,energetically
boilingfluidsandconjuresupinsteadasodden,vinegarsoakedmassof
pith.Manypeoplewhousethe"polite"versionareunawareofthe
original.
PLAIN/PLANE
Bothofthesewordshavetodowithflatness.Aflatprairieisaplain,
andyouuseaplanetosmoothflatapieceofwood.
"Plain"isalsoanadjectivewhichcandescribethingsthatare
ordinary,simple,orunattractive.
Butwhetheryougotheairporttocatchaplaneormeditatetoachievea
higherplaneofconsciousness,themeaningsthathavetodowiththings
highuparespelled"plane."

PLAYSAFACTOR/PLAYSAROLE
Somepeoplesaythataninfluentialforce"playsafactor"inadecision
orchange.Theyaremixinguptwodifferentexpressions:"isafactor"
and"playsarole."
PLAYWRITE/PLAYWRIGHT
Itmightseemasifapersonwhowritesplaysshouldbecalleda
"playwrite";butinfactaplaywrightisapersonwhohaswroughtwords
intoadramaticform,justasawheelwrighthaswroughtwheelsoutof
woodandiron.Alltheotherwordsendingin"wright"arearchaic,or
we'dbeconstantlyremindedofthecorrectpattern.
PLEADINNOCENT
Lawyersfrownonthephrase"pleadinnocent"(it's"pleadguilty"or
"pleadnotguilty");butoutsideoflegalcontextsthephraseis
standardEnglish.
PLEASERSVP/PLEASEREPLY
RSVPstandsfortheFrenchphrase"Repondezs'ilvousplait"("reply,
please"),soitdoesn'tneedanadded"please."However,sincefew
peopleseemtoknowitsliteralmeaning,andfewerstilltakeit
seriously,it'sbesttouseplainEnglish:"Pleasereply."Itisa
mistaketothinkthatthisphraseinvitespeopletorespondonlyifthey
areplanningtoattend;itisatleastasimportanttonotifytheperson
doingtheinvitingifyoucannotgo.Andno,youcan'tbringalongthe
kidsorotheruninvitedguests.
PLUGIN/OUTLET
Thatthingontheendofanelectricalcordisaplug,whichgoesinto
thesocketofthewalloutlet.
PLUS/ADD
Somepeoplecontinueapatternpickedupinchildhoodofusing"plus"as
averbtomean"add,"asin"Youplusthe3andthe4andyouget7."
"Plus"isnotaverb;use"add"instead.
PODIUM/LECTERN
Strictlyspeaking,apodiumisaraisedplatformonwhichyoustandto
giveaspeech;thepieceoffurnitureonwhichyouplaceyournotesand
behindwhichyoustandisalectern.
POINTBEINGISTHAT
"Thepointbeingisthat"isredundant;sayjust"thepointisthat"or
"thepointbeingthat."
POINTINTIME

Thisredundancybecamepopularbecauseitwasusedbyastronautsseeking
todistinguishpreciselybetweenapointintimeandapointinspace.
Sincemostpeopleusetheexpressionincontextswherethereisno
ambiguity,itmakesmoresensetosaysimply"atthispoint"or"atthis
time."
POINTOFYOU/POINTOFVIEW
Yourviewpointonasubjectisyour"pointofview,"notyour"pointof
you.""Your"and"ofyou"meanthesamething,andcombiningthetwo
makeslittlesense;buttheexpressionreallygetsweirdwhenitturns
into"mypointofyou,""herpointofyou,""theirpointofyou,"etc.
POISONOUS/VENOMOUS
Snakesandinsectsthatinjectpoisonousvenomintotheirvictimsare
venomous,butasnakeortarantulaisnotitselfpoisonousbecauseif
youeatoneitwon'tpoisonyou.Ablowfishwillkillyouifyoueatit,
soitispoisonous;butitisnotvenomous.
POINSETTA/POINSETTIA
ThoseshowyplantsthatappearinthestoresaroundChristmasare
"poinsettias,"namedafterAmericandiplomatJohnR.Poinsettwho
introducedthemintotheUSfromMexico.TheLatinending"ia"is
seldompronouncedasspelled,butthat'snojustificationfor
misspellingthewordas"poinsetta."
POLE/POLL
Apoleisalongstick.Youcouldtakea"poll"(surveyorballot)to
determinewhethervoterswantlowertaxesorbettereducation.
POMPOM/POMPON
Tomostpeoplethatfuzzyballonthetopofaknithatandthe
implementwieldedbyacheerleaderareboth"pompoms,"butto
traditionaliststheyare"pompons,"spelledthewaytheFrenchwhogave
usthewordspellit.Apompom,saythesepurists,isonlyasortof
largegun.Thoughyou'reunlikelytobothermanypeoplebyfallinginto
thecommonconfusion,youcanshowoffyoureducationbyobservingthe
distinction.
POOPOO/POOHPOOH/PUPU
Thetoddlerwithasoggydiaperproudlyannounces"Igopoopoo"!
Theskepticisinclinedtopoohpoohoutlandishideas.Don'tmixup
matterforskepticismwithmaterialforthesepticsystem.
AselectionofsnacksservedonawoodenplatterinaChineserestaurant
iscalleda"pupuplatter"acustomandwordthatmadeitswaytothe

USfromHawaii.
POPULACE/POPULOUS
Thepopulationofacountrymaybereferredtoasitspopulace,buta
crowdedcountryispopulous.
PORE/POUR
Whenusedasaverb,"pore"hastheunusualsenseof"scrutinize,"asin
"Sheporedoverherreceipts."Ifit'scoffeeorrain,thestuffpours.
POSSESSEDOF/POSSESSEDBY/POSSESSEDWITH
Ifyouownayacht,you'repossessedofit.Ifademontakesoveryour
body,you'repossessedbyit.Ifthatwhichpossessesyouismore
metaphorical,likeanexecutivedeterminedtogetahead,heorshecan
bepossessedbyorwiththedesiretowin.
PRACTICE/PRACTISE
IntheUnitedKingdom,"practice"isthenoun,"practise"theverb;but
intheUSthespelling"practice"iscommonlyusedforboth,though
thedistinctionissometimesobserved."Practise"asanounis,however,
alwayswronginbothplaces:adoctoralwayshasa"practice,"nevera
"practise."
PRACTICLE/PRACTICAL
Somewordsendin"icle"andothersin"ical"withouttheresultbeing
anydifferenceinpronunciation.Butwhenyouwantsomebodyreally
practical,callongoodoldAL.
PRAY/PREY
Ifyouwantamiracle,praytoGod.Ifyou'reacriminal,youpreyon
yourvictims.Incidentally,it's"prayingmantis,"not"preyingmantis."
Theinsectholdsitsforefeetinapositionsuggestingprayer.
PRECEDE/PROCEED
"Precede"means"togobefore.""Proceed"meanstogoon.Letyour
companionprecedeyouthroughthedoor,thenproceedtofollowher.
Interestingly,thesecondEismissingin"procedure."
PRECEDENCE/PRECEDENTS
Althoughthesewordssoundthesame,theyworkdifferently.Thepopstar
isgivenprecedenceoverthefactoryworkerattheentrancetothedance
club."Precedents"isjustthepluralof"precedent":"Ifweletthe
kidsadoptthatrattlesnakeasapetandagreetoletthemtakeitfora
walkinDeathValley,we'llbesettingsomebadprecedents."
PRECIPITATE/PRECIPITOUS

Bothoftheseadjectivesarebasedontheimageofplungingoverthe
brinkofaprecipice,but"precipitate"emphasizesthesuddennessofthe
plunge,"precipitous,"thesteepnessofit.Ifyoumakea"precipitate"
decision,youaremakingahastyandprobablyunwiseone.Ifthestock
marketdeclines"precipitously,"itgoesdownsharply.
PRECURSE/FORETELL,FORESHADOW,PREFACE,ANTICIPATE,PRECEDE
Temptedto"precurse"thatguywholookslikehemightbegoingtocut
intothelaneaheadofyou?Untilrecently"precurse"asaverbwasa
rarearchaicword,butlatelypeoplehavebeenusingittomean"bea
precursorto."Useamoreordinaryandprecisewordlike"foretell,"
"foreshadow,""preface,""anticipate,"or"precede."
PREDOMINATE/PREDOMINANT
"Predominate"isaverb:"Intheroyalthroneroom,thecolorred
predominates.""Predominant"isanadjective:"Thepredominantview
amongthetoutsisthatFancyDanceristhebestbetinthethirdrace."
PREDOMINATELY/PREDOMINANTLY
"Predominantly"isformedontheadjective"predominant,"nottheverb
"predominate";sothoughbothformsarewidelyaccepted,"predominantly"
makesmoresense.
PREEMPTORY/PEREMPTORY
"Peremptory"(meaning"imperative")isoftenmisspelledand
mispronounced"preemptory"throughconfusioncausedbytheinfluenceof
theverb"preempt,"whoseadjectivalformisactually"preemptive."
PREFERABLY
AlthoughsomeUSdictionariesnowrecognizethepronunciationof
"preferably"withthefirsttwosyllablespronouncedjustlike
"prefer"first"E"longandthestressonthesecondsyllablethe
standardpronunciationis"PREFFerublee,"withthefirstsyllable
stressed,justlikein"preference."Thealternativepronunciation
soundsawkwardtosomepeople.
PREJUDICE/PREJUDICED
Peoplenotonlymisspell"prejudice"inanumberofways,theysometimes
say"he'sprejudice"whentheymean"he'sprejudiced."
Seealso"bias/biased."
PREMADONNA/PRIMADONNA
Theleadingsopranoinanoperaisthe"primadonna"(Italianfor
"leadinglady").Asaninsult,"primadonna"impliesthattheperson
underdiscussionisegotistical,demanding,anddoesn'tworkwellas

partofateam.
Don'twrite"preMadonna"unlessyouintendtodiscusstheerabefore
thesingerMadonnabecamepopular.
PREMIER/PREMIERE
Thesewordsare,respectively,themasculineandfeminineformsofthe
wordfor"first"inFrench;buttheyhavebecomedifferentiatedin
English.Onlythemasculineformisusedasanadjective,asin
"TidyPoolisthepremierpoolcleaningfirminOrangeCounty."The
confusionariseswhenthesewordsareusedasnouns.Theprimeminister
ofaparliamentarygovernmentisknownasa"premier."Theopeningnight
ofafilmorplayisits"premiere."
"Premiere"asaverbiscommonintheartsandinshowbusiness("the
showpremieredonPBS"),butitislessacceptableinothercontexts
("thestategovernmentpremiereditsnewwelfaresystem").Use
"introduced,"or,ifrealinnovationisinvolved,"pioneered."
PREMISE/PREMISES
Somepeoplesupposethatsince"premises"hasapluralform,asingle
houseorotherpieceofpropertymustbea"premise,"butthatwordis
reservedforuseasaterminlogicmeaningsomethingassumedortaken
asgiveninmakinganargument.Yourlowlyoneroomshackisstillyour
premises.
PREPONE
SouthAsianspeakershaveevolvedthelogicalword"prepone"tomeanthe
oppositeof"postpone":tomoveforwardintime.It'sahandyword,but
usersofitshouldbeawarethatthoseunfamiliarwiththeirdialect
willbebaffledbythisword.
PREPOSITIONS(REPEATED)
Inthesentence"AlexlikedNancy,withwhomhesharedhisSnickersbar
with"onlyone"with"isneededeliminateeitherone.Lookoutfor
similarlyduplicatedprepositions.
Incidentally,anoftencitedexampleofthispatternisfromPaul
McCartney's"LiveandLetDie":"thiseverchangingworldinwhichwe
livein";butifyoulistenclosely,you'llhearinsteadaquitecorrect
"thiseverchangingworldinwhichwe'relivin'."Americanshaveahard
timehearingthesoftBritish"R"in"we're."
PREPOSITIONS(WRONG)
Oneoftheclearestindicationsthatapersonreadslittleanddoesn't
hearmuchformalEnglishisafailuretousetherightprepositionina
commonexpression.Youaren'tignoranttoafact;you'reignorantofit.
Thingsdon'thappenonaccident,butbyaccident(thoughtheydohappen
"onpurpose").Therearenosimplerulesgoverningprepositionusage:

youjusthavetoimmerseyourselfingoodEnglishinordertowriteit
naturally.
Seealso"differentthan/differentfrom/to."
PRESCRIBE/PROSCRIBE
Yourecommendsomethingwhenyouprescribeit,butyouforbiditwhen
youproscribeit.Theusuallypositivefunctionof"pro"confusesmany
people.
PRESENTLY/CURRENTLY
Somearguethat"presently"doesn'tmean"inthepresent."Itmeans
"soon."Ifyouwanttotalkaboutsomethingthat'shappeningrightnow,
theyurgeyoutosayit'sgoingoncurrently.
PRESUMPTIOUS/PRESUMPTUOUS
"Presumptive"hasanIinit,but"presumptuous."doesnot.
PRETTY/SOMEWHAT
it'sprettycommontouse"pretty"tomean"somewhat"inordinary
speech;butitshouldbeavoidedinformalwriting,wheresometimes
"very"ismoreappropriate.Thetemptationtouse"pretty"usually
indicatesthewriterisbeingvague,sochangingtosomethingmore
specificmaybeanevenbettersolution:"aprettybadmess"mightbe
"chocolatesyrupspilledalloverthepizzawhichhadbeendumpedupside
downonthecarpet."
PRIMER
WhenthiswordisusedintheUStomean"elementarytextbook"itis
pronouncedwithashort"I":"primmer"(rhymeswith"dimmer").Allother
meaningsarepronouncedwithalong"I":"prymer"(rhymeswith"timer").
PRIMEVIL/PRIMEVAL
Theexistenceofamusicgroupandacomicbookusingthedeliberately
punningmisspelling"Primevil"helpstofurtherconfusionaboutthis
word.Somethingancientandprimitiveis"primeval."The"eval"
sequencecomesfromaroothavingtodowithages,asin"medieval."It
hasnothingtodowiththeconceptofevil.Thewordcanalsobespelled
"primaeval."
PRINCIPAL/PRINCIPLE
Generationsofteachershavetriedtodrillthisoneintostudents"
headsbyremindingthem,"Theprincipalisyourpal."Manydon'tseem
convinced."Principal"isanounandadjectivereferringtosomeoneor
somethingwhichishighestinrankorimportance.(Inaloan,the
principalisthemoresubstantialpartofthemoney,theinterestisor
shouldbethelesser.)"Principle"isonlyanoun,andhastodowith

lawordoctrine:"Theworkersfoughthardfortheprincipleof
collectivebargaining."
PRIORITIZE
Manypeopledisdain"prioritize"asbureaucraticjargonfor"rank"or
"makeahighpriority."
PRIORITY
Itiscommontoproclaim"inourbusiness,customerserviceisa
priority,"butitwouldbebettertosay"ahighpriority,"since
prioritiescanalsobelow.
PROACTIVE
See"reactionary/reactive."
PROBABLY
ThetwoBsinthiswordareparticularlydifficulttopronouncein
sequence,sothewordoftencomesoutas"probly"andiseven
occasionallymisspelledthatway.WheneventhelastBdisappears,the
pronunciation"prolly"suggestsdrunkenslurringor,atbest,anattempt
athumor.
ASTIMEPROGRESSED/ASTIMEPASSED
Eventsmayprogressintime,buttimeitselfdoesnotprogressitjust
passes.
PRONE/SUPINE
"Prone"(facedown)isoftenconfusedwith"supine"(faceup).Some
peopleusethephrase"soupinnavel"tohelpthemrememberthemeaning
ofthelatterword."Prostrate"technicallyalsomeans"facedown,"but
isoftenusedtomeansimply"devastated."
Seealso"prostate/prostrate."
PROPHECY/PROPHESY
"Prophecy,"thenoun,(pronounced"PROFasee")isaprediction.The
verb"toprophesy"(pronounced"PROFasigh")meanstopredict
something.Whenaprophetprophesiesheorsheuttersprophecies.
PRONOUNCIATION/PRONUNCIATION
"Pronounce"istheverb,butthe"O"isomittedforthenoun:
"pronunciation."Thismistakeranksrightupthereinincongruitywith
"writting."
PROSTATE/PROSTRATE

Theglandmenhaveiscalledtheprostate."Prostrate"isanadjective
meaning"lyingfacedownward."
PRODIGY/PROGENY/PROTEGE
Yourprogenyareyourkids,thoughitwouldbeprettypretentiousto
refertothemassuch.Ifyourchildisabrilliantlyoutstandingperson
heorshemaybeachildprodigy.Infact,anythingamazinglyadmirable
canbeaprodigy.Butapersonthatyoutakeunderyourwinginorderto
helppromotehisorhercareerisyourprotege.
Avoidmisspellingormispronouncing"prodigy"as"progidy."
THEPROOFISINTHEPUDDING/THEPROOFOFTHEPUDDINGISINTHEEATING
Thiscommontruncatedversionofanoldsayingconjuresupvisionsof
pokingaroundinyourdessertlookingforprizes,but"theproofofthe
puddingisintheeating"meansthatyoudon'treallyknowthatyour
desserthascomeoutrightuntilyoutasteit.
PROTRAY/PORTRAY
TherearealotofwordsinEnglishthatbeginin"pro."Thisisnot
oneofthem.Whenyoumakeaportrait,youportraysomeone.
PROVED/PROVEN
Formostpurposeseitherformisafinepastparticipleof"prove,"
thoughinaphraselike"aproventalent"wherethewordisanadjective
precedinganoun,"proven"isstandard.
PSYCHOLOGIST/PSYCHIATRIST/PSYCHOTHERAPIST/PSYCHOANALYST/
ApsychologistisapersonwhohasstudiedthemindandearnedaPh.D.
orPsy.D.Althoughsomedefinitionsstatethatpsychologistshave
undergoneclinicaltrainingbutcannotprescribemedicines,thereare
researchpsychologistswhoarenotengagedinclinicalworkatall,but
merelydoexperimentstodiscoverhowourmindswork.Someoftheirwork
canconcernanimalratherthanhumanminds.
ApsychiatrististechnicallyanM.D.specializinginthetreatmentof
mentalproblemswhocanprescribemedicines.Theyarelicensedmedical
doctors,andgetirritatedwhentheyarecalled"psychologists"andwhen
psychologistsarecalled"psychiatrists."
Psychotherapistisnotatechnicalterm,andmaybeusedbyanyone
claimingtooffertherapyformentalproblems.Thatsomeoneiscalleda
"psychotherapist"tellsyounothingabouthisorherqualifications.But
qualifiedclinicalpsychologistsandpsychiatristscanbeproperly
called"psychotherapists."
Apsychoanalystisaveryspecifickindofpsychotherapist:alicensed
practitionerofthemethodsofSigmundFreud.

PUNDINT/PUNDIT
"Pundit"isoneofthosewordswegetfromIndia,like"bungalow"and
"thug."Itcomesfrompandit,meaning"scholar,""learnedperson."The
firstpremierofIndia,JawaharlalNehru,wasoftenreferredto
respectfullyas"PanditNehru."
InEnglishithascometorefertoopinionatedcommentatorsonpublic
affairs,butitisoftenmispronouncedandmisspelled"pundint"or
"pundant."
PURPOSELY/PURPOSEFULLY
Ifyoudosomethingonpurpose(notbyaccident),youdoitpurposely.
Butifyouhaveaspecificpurposeinmind,youareactingpurposefully.
Q/G
See"G/Q."
QUANTUMLEAP
Thethingaboutquantumleapsisthattheymarkanabruptchangefrom
onestatetoadistinctlydifferentone,withnoinbetweentransitional
statesbeingpossible;buttheyarenotlarge.Infact,inphysicsa
quantumleapisoneofsmallestsortsofchangesworthtalkingabout.
Leave"quantumleap"tothesubatomicphysicistsunlessyouknowwhat
you'retalkingabout.
SQUASH/QUASH
Youcansquashaspideroratomato;butwhenthemeaningyouintendis
"tosuppress,"asinrebellionsor(especially)legalmotions,themore
sophisticatedtermis"quash."
QUESTION/ASK
Whenyouquestionsomeone,youmayaskaseriesofquestionstryingto
arriveatthetruth:"ThepolicequestionedTomforfivehoursbeforehe
admittedtohavingstolenthepig.""Question"canalsomean
"challenge":"HismotherquestionedTimmy'sclaimthatthecathadeaten
allthechocolatechipcookies."Butifyouaresimplyaskingaquestion
togetabitofinformation,itisnotappropriatetosay"Iquestioned
whetherhehadbroughttheanchovies"whenwhatyoureallymeanis"I
askedwhetherhehadbroughttheanchovies."
QUEUE
Ifyou'restandinginaqueueyou'llhaveplentyoftimetoponderthe
unusualspellingofthisword.Remember,itcontainstwo"U's."
THEQUICKANDTHEDEAD
Theearliestmeaningoftheword"quick"inEnglishis"alive."Whena

babywasfirstfelttomoveinitsmother'swombitwasconsideredto
havecometolife,andthismomentwascalled"quickening."This
originalmeaningoftheword"quick"hasnowdiedoutexceptinthe
phrase"thequickandthedead,"keptalivebytheKingJames
translationofActs10:42,whichspeaksofJesusasjudge"ofquickand
dead,"butevenmorebythecontinuedrecitationoftheApostles'Creed,
whichsaysofJesusthat"heshallcometojudgethequickandthe
dead."
Peoplewhousethisphrasetoimplythatspeedisinvolvedliveliness
ratherthanalivenesssometimesgetcreditforcreatingacleverpun
butmoreoftencomeoffasignorant.
QUIET/QUITE
Thisisprobablycausedbyaslipofthefingersmoreoftenthanbya
slipofthementalgears,butoneoftensees"quite"(very)substituted
for"quiet"(shhh!).Thisisoneofthosecommonerrorsyourspelling
checkerwillnotcatch,solookoutforit.
QUOTE
Apassagedoesn'tbecomeaquote(orbetter"quotation")untilyou've
quotedit.Theonlytimetorefertoa"quote"iswhenyouarereferring
tosomeonequotingsomething.Whenreferringtotheoriginalwords,
simplycallitapassage.
QUOTATIONMARKS
Theexamplesbelowaresetoffinordertoavoidconfusionovertheuse
ofsingleanddoublequotationmarks.
Therearemanywaystogowrongwithquotationmarks.Theyareoften
usedironically:
Sheranaroundwithabunchof"intellectuals."
Thequotationmarksaround"intellectuals"indicatethatthewriter
believesthattheseareinfactsocalledintellectuals,notreal
intellectualsatall.Theironicuseofquotationmarksisverymuch
overdone,andisusuallyasignoflazinessindicatingthatthewriter
hasnotbotheredtofindtheprecisewordorexpressionnecessary.
Advertisersunfortunatelytendtousequotationmarksmerelyfor
emphasis:
"FRESH"TOMATOES59CENTSAPOUND
Theinfluenceofthemorecommonironicusagetendstomakethereader
questionwhetherthesetomatoesarereallyfresh.Underlining,bold
lettering,allcapsthereareseverallessambiguouswaystoemphasize
wordsthanplacingthembetweenquotationmarks.
InAmericanusage,singlequotationmarksareusednormallyonlyfor

quotedwordsandphraseswithinquotations.
"Angelahadthenervetotellme"WhenIsaw'BYOB'onyourinvitation,
Iassumeditmeant'BringYourOldBoyfriend'."
Britishusagehastraditionallybeentoreversethisrelationship,with
singlequotationmarksbeingstandardanddoubleonesbeingusedonly
forquotationswithinquotations.(TheEnglishalsocallquotationmarks
"invertedcommas,"thoughonlytheopeningquotationmarkisactually
invertedandflipped,aswell.)However,usageintheUKisshifting
towardtheUSpattern,(see,forinstance,"TheTimes"ofLondon);
thoughtheprintingoffictiontendstoadheretotheolderBritish
pattern,whereUSstudentsaremostlikelytoencounterit.
Blockquotationslikethisshouldnotbesurroundedbyanyquotation
marksatall.
(Apassagethisshortshouldnotberenderedasablockquotation;you
needatleastthreelinesofverseorfivelinesofprosetojustifya
blockquotation.)Normallyyoushouldleaveextraspaceaboveandbelow
ablockquotation.
Whenquotingalongpassageinvolvingmorethanoneparagraph,quotation
marksgoatthebeginningofeachparagraph,butattheendofonlythe
finalone.Dialogueinwhichthespeakerchangeswitheachparagraphhas
eachspeechenclosedinitsownquotationmarks.
Titlesofbooksandotherlongworksthatmightbeprintedasbooksare
usuallyitalicized(except,forsomereason,innewspapers);butthe
titlesofshortpoems,stories,essays,andotherworksthatwouldbe
morecommonlyprintedwithinlargerworks(anthologies,collections,
periodicals,etc.)areenclosedinquotationmarks.
Therearedifferentpatternsforregulatinghowquotationmarksrelate
tootherpunctuation.Findoutwhichoneyourteacheroreditorprefers
anduseit,orchooseoneofyourownliking,butsticktoit
consistently.OnewidelyacceptedauthorityinAmericaisTheChicago
ManualofStyle,whoseguidelinesareoutlinedbelow.Writersin
England,Canada,Australia,andotherBritishinfluencedcountries
shouldbeawarethattheirnationalpatternswillbequitedifferentand
variable.
IspentthemorningreadingFaulkner's"BarnBurning,"whichseemedto
beaboutapyromaniac.
Periodsarealsonormallyplacedinsidequotationmarks(withthe
exceptionoftermsbeingdefined,seeabove).Colonsandsemicolons,
however,areprecededbyquotationmarks.
Ifthequotedmatterendswithaquestionmarkorexclamationpoint,it
isplacedinsidethequotationmarks:
Johnasked,"When'sdinner?"

Butifitistheenclosingsentencewhichasksthequestion,thenthe
questionmarkcomesafterthequotationmarks:
Whatdidshemean,Johnwondered,bysaying"assoonasyoumakeit"?
Similarly:
Fredshouted,"Lookoutforthebull!"
but
WhenIwassubsequentlygored,allTimmysaidwas"thisiskinda
boring"!
Finally,Imustlamentthatmanystandardcharactersets,including
ASCIIandbasicHTML,lacktruequotationmarkswhichcurltoenclose
thequotedmatter,substitutinginsteadugly"inch"or"ditto"marks.As
farasIamconcerned,thereisnotasingleproperquotationmarkon
thispage.Somebrowserscantranslatethecodeforatruequotation
mark(andtrue,curledapostrophes),butmanycannot.
RBI/RBIs
Somepeoplereasonthatsince"RBI"standsfor"runsbattedin,"there
isnoneedforanadditional"S"toindicateaplural,andspeakof"120
RBI."However,thoughsomewhatillogical,itisstandardtotreatthe
initialismasawordandsay"RBIs."Inwriting,onecanaddanoptional
apostrophe:"RBI's."Definitelynonstandardisthelogicalbutweird
"RsBI."
Thesamepatternappliestoothersuchpluralinitialismsas"WMDs"
("weaponsofmassdestruction,""POWs"("prisonersofwar"),and"MREs"
("mealsreadytoeat");but"RPMs"("revolutionsperminute")isless
widelyaccepted.
RPMs/RPM
"RPM"means"revolutionsperminute,"soitisredundanttoaddanSat
theendoftheabbreviationit'salreadyplural.AddingtheSisso
commonamongpeopleworkingwithcarsthatit'snotlikelytogetyou
intotrouble,butyouwillimpresssomebyavoidingit.
RACISM
The"C"in"racism"and"racist"ispronouncedasasimple"S"sound,
Don'tconfuseitwiththe"SH"soundin"racial."
RACK/WRACK
Ifyouarerackedwithpainoryoufeelnerveracked,youarefeelingas
ifyouwerebeingstretchedonthatMedievalinstrumentoftorture,the
rack.Yourackyourbrainswhenyoustretchthemvigorouslytosearch
outthetruthlikeatorturer."Wrack"hastodowithruinousaccidents,
soifthestockmarketiswrackedbyrumorsofimminentrecession,it's

wrecked.Ifthingsarewrecked,theygoto"wrackandruin."
RAISE/RAZE
Torazeabuildingistodemolishitsothoroughlythatitlookslike
it'sbeenscrapedrightoffthegroundwitharazor.Toraiseabuilding
isjusttheopposite:toerectitfromthegroundup.
RAN/RUN
Computerprogrammershavebeenheardtosay"theprogram'sbeenran,"
whenwhattheymeanis"theprogram'sbeenrun."
RANDOM
Kylecanchoosetheshirthe'llwearforthedayatrandomthey'reall
orange.Thissortofuseof"atrandom"tomean"bychance,"is
perfectlystandard.(Kyleshouldgetsomenewshirts,though.)
Lesswidelyacceptedareacoupleofslangyusesoftheword,mostlyby
youngpeople.Inthefirst,"random"means"unknown,""unidentified"as
in"somerandomguytoldmeatthepartythatIremindedhimofhisold
girlfriend."
Theotheristouserandomtomean"weird,""strange,"asin"Theparty
atJessica'swassorandom,notwhatIwasexpectingatall!"Evidently
inthisexpressionrandomnessisbeingnarroweddowntounlikelihoodand
thatisinturnbeingconnectedwithstrangeness,thoughrandomnessin
reallifeisusuallyquiteordinaryandboring.
Useofeitherofthesetwoexpressionsinformalspeechorwritingis
likelytoannoyorconfuseyouraudience.
RAPPORT
Manymorepeoplehearthisword,meaning"affinity,"thanreadit,
judgingbythepopularityofvariousmisspellingssuchas"rapore"and
"rapoire."Ifyougetalongreallywellwithsomeone,thetwoofyou
haverapport.
RATEOFSPEED/RATE,SPEED
Lotsofpeopleliketosaythingslike"travelingatahighrateof
speed."Thisisaredundancy.Sayinstead"travelingatahighrate"or
"travelingathighspeed."
RATIO
Aratioisawayofexpressingtherelationshipbetweenonequantityand
another.Ifthereisoneteachertofiftystudents,theteacher/student
ratioisonetofifty,andthestudent/teacherratiofiftytoone.Ifa
verydensebutwealthyprincewerebeingtutoredbyfiftyteachers,the
teacher/studentratiowouldbefiftytoone,andthestudent/teacher
ratiowouldbeonetofifty.Asyoucansee,theorderinwhichthe

numbersarecomparedisimportant.
Theratiosdiscussedsofarare"high"thedifferencebetweenthe
numbersislarge.Thelowestpossibleratioisonetoone:oneteacher
toonestudent.Ifyouarecampaigningformoreindividualattentionin
theclassroom,youwantahighernumberofteachers,butalower
student/teacherratio.
RATIONAL/RATIONALE
"Rational"isanadjectivemeaning"reasonable"or"logical":"Ivanmade
arationaldecisiontosellhisoldcarwhenhemovedtoNewYork."
"Rational"rhymeswith"national."
"Rationale"isanounwhichmostoftenmeans"underlyingreason":"His
rationaleforthisdecisionwasthatitwouldcostmoretopayfor
parkingthanthecarwasworth.""Rationale"rhymeswith"passionpal."
RATIONALE/RATIONALIZATION
Whenyou'reexplainingthereasoningbehindyourposition,you're
presentingyourrationale.Butifyou'rejustmakingupsomelameexcuse
tomakeyourpositionappearbetterwhethertoyourselfor
othersyou'reengaginginrationalization.
RAVAGING/RAVISHING/RAVENOUS
Toravageistopillage,sack,ordevastate.Theonlytime"ravaging"is
properlyusedisinphraseslike"whenthepirateshadfinishedravaging
thetown,theyturnedtoravishingthewomen."Whichbringsusto
"ravish":meaningtorape,orrobviolently.Atrailercourtcanbe
ravagedbyastorm(nothingisstolen,butalotofdamageisdone)but
notravished.ThecrownjewelsofRuritaniacanberavished(stolen
usingviolence)withoutbeingravaged(damaged).
Toconfusematters,peoplebeganbackinthefourteenthcenturytospeak
metaphoricallyoftheirsoulsbeing"ravished"byintensespiritualor
estheticexperiences.Thuswespeakofa"ravishingwoman"(thetermis
rarelyappliedtomen)todaynotbecausesheliterallyrapesmenwho
lookatherbutbecauseherdevastatingbeautypenetratestheirhearts
inanalmostviolentfashion.Despitecontemporarysociety'sheightened
sensitivityaboutrape,westillremain(perhapsfortunately)
unconsciousofmanyofthetransformationsoftherootmeaninginwords
withpositiveconnotationssuchas"rapturous."
Originally,"raven"asaverbwassynonymouswith"ravish"inthesense
of"tostealbyforce."Oneofitsspecializedmeaningsbecame"devour,"
asin"thelionravenedherprey."Byanalogy,hungrypeoplebecame
"ravenous"(ashungryasbeasts),andthatremainstheonlycommonuse
ofthewordtoday.
Ifawomansmashesyourapartmentup,sheravagesit.Ifshelooks
stunninglybeautiful,sheisravishing.Ifsheeatsthewholeplatterof
horsd'oeuvresyou'vesetoutforthepartybeforetheotherguests

come,she'sravenous.
REACTIONARY/REACTIVE
Manypeopleincorrectlyuse"reactionary"tomean"actinginresponseto
someoutsidestimulus."That's"reactive.""Reactionary"actuallyhasa
verynarrowmeaning;itisanounoradjectivedescribingaformof
lookingbackwardthatgoesbeyondconservatism(wantingtoprevent
changeandmaintainpresentconditions)toreactionwantingtorecreate
alostpast.TheadvocatesofrestoringCzaristruleinRussiaare
reactionaries.Whilewe'reonthesubject,theterm"proactive"formed
byanalogywith"reactive"seemssuperfluoustomanyofus.Use
"active,""assertive,"or"positive"wheneveryoucaninstead.
READABLY/READILY
Somepeoplemistakenlysayofsomethingeasilyavailablethatitis
"readablyavailable."Theoriginalexpressionhasnothingtodowith
reading;itis"readilyavailable,"readyathand.
REAL/REALLY
Thecorrectadverbialformis"really"ratherthan"real";buteventhat
formisgenerallyconfinedtocasualspeech,asin"Whenyou
complimentedmeonmyspeechIfeltreallygreat!"Tosay"realgreat"
insteadmovesthespeakerseveralstepsdownscalesocially.However
"really"isafeeblequalifier."Wonderful"isanacceptablesubstitute
for"reallygreat"andyoucangiveadefiniteupscaleslanttoyour
speechbyadoptingtheBritish"reallyquitewonderful."Usually,
however,itisbettertoreplacetheexpressionaltogetherwith
somethingmoreprecise:"almostsevenfeettall"isbetterthan"really
tall."Tostriveforintensitybyrepeating"really"asin"thatdessert
youmadewasreally,reallygood"demonstratesanimpoverished
vocabulary.
REALTOR
Forsomereason,thiswordisoftenmispronouncedas"realater"
insteadoftheproper"reeulter."Incidentally,realtorsinsistthat
thisisatermoriginallytrademarkedbytheNationalAssociationof
RealEstateBoards(nowrenamedthe"NationalAssociationofRealtors"),
thatitmustbecapitalized,andthatallnonmembersofthat
associationaremere"realestateassociates."Commonusage,however,
callsboth"realestateagents,"despitetheirprotests.
REAPWHATYOUSEW/REAPWHATYOUSOW
Whenyouplantseedsyousowthem.Galatians6:7says"Amanreapswhat
hesows"(harvestswhatheplants,getswhathedeserves).This
agriculturalmetaphorgetsmangledfrequentlyintoyou"youreapwhat
yousew."Atbest,youmightripwhatyousew;butyouprobablywouldn't
wanttotellpeopleaboutit.
REASONBECAUSE

Weoftenhearpeoplesaythingslike,"thereasonthere'saholeinthe
screendoorisbecauseItrippedoverthecatonmywayout."Thephrase
"isbecause"shouldbe"isthat."Ifyouwantedtouse"because,"the
sentenceshouldbephrased,"There'saholeinthescreendoorbecauseI
trippedoverthecat."U."Thereasonbeingis"shouldbesimply"the
reasonbeing."
Thesimilarlyredundantcommonexpression"thereasonwhy"isgenerally
regardedasstandardnow,althoughsomepeoplestillobjecttoit.
REBELLING/REVOLTING
Eventhough"rebel"and"revolt"meanmoreorlessthesamething,
peoplewhoarerevoltingaredisgusting,nottakinguparmsagainstthe
government.
REBUT/REFUTE
Whenyourebutsomeone'sargumentyouargueagainstit.Torefute
someone'sargumentistoproveitincorrect.Unlessyouarecertainyou
haveachievedsuccess,use"rebut."
RECENT/RESENT
Thereareactuallythreewordstodistinguishhere."Recent,"always
pronouncedwithanunvoicedhissySandwiththeaccentonthefirst
syllable,means"notlongago,"asin,"Iappreciatedyourrecent
encouragement.""Resent"hastwodifferentmeaningswithtwodifferent
pronunciations,bothwiththeaccentonthesecondsyllable.Inthemost
commoncase,where"resent"means"feelannoyedat,"thewordis
pronouncedwithavoicedZsound:"IresentyourimplicationthatIgave
youthechocolatesonlybecauseIwashopingyou'dsharethemwithme."
Inthelesscommoncase,thewordmeans"tosendagain,"andis
pronouncedwithanunvoicedhissySsound:"Theemailmessagebounced,
soIresentit."Sosaytheintendedwordaloud.Iftheaccentisonthe
secondsyllable,"resent"isthespellingyouneed.
RECOGNIZE
Insloppyspeech,thisoftencomesout"reckuhnize."Soundthe"G."
RECREATE/REINVENT
Theexpression"noneedtoreinventthewheel"losesmuchofitswit
when"recreate"issubstitutedfortheoriginalverb.Whilewe'reatit,
"recreate"doesnotmean"toengageinrecreation."Ifyouplay
basketball,youmaybeexercising,butyou'renotrecreating.
RECUPERATE/RECOUP
Ifyouaregettingoveranillness,youarerecuperating;butifyou
insistonremainingattheroulettetablewhenyourluckhasbeen
runningagainstyou,youareseekingtorecoupyourlosses.

REDICULOUS/RIDICULOUS
Youmayridiculeideasbecauseyoufindthemridiculous,butnot
rediculous.
REDOITOVER/REDOIT,DOITOVER
"Redoitover"isredundant;sayeither"redoit"or"doitover."The
onlytimethisphrasemakessenseisinthephrase"redoitoverand
overagain."
REDUNDANCIES
Therearemanyexamplesofredundanciesinthesepages:phraseswhich
saytwicewhatneedstobesaidonlyonce,like"pasthistory."
Advertisersareparticularlyliabletoredundancyinhypingtheir
offers:"asanaddedbonus"(asabonus),"preplan"(plan),and"free
gift"(butlookoutfortheshippingcharges!).Twoothercommon
redundancieswhichareclearlyerrorsare"andplus"(plus)and"end
result"(result).Butsomeotherredundanciesarecontainedinphrases
sanctionedbytradition:"safehaven,""hotwaterheater,""new
beginning,"and"tunafish."
REEKINGHAVOC/WREAKINGHAVOC
"Reeking"means"smellingstrongly,"sothatcan'tberight.Thephrase
simplymeans"workinggreatdestruction.""Havoc"hasalwaysreferredto
generaldestructioninEnglish,butoneveryoldphraseincorporating
thewordwas"cryhavoc,"whichmeanttogiveanarmythesignalfor
pillage.To"playhavocwith"meansthesamethingasto"wreakhavoc."
Avoidaswellthemistaken"wreckhavoc."
REFRAIN/RESTRAIN
"Restrain"isatransitiveverb:itneedsanobject.Although"refrain"
wasonceasynonymfor"restrain"itisnowanintransitiveverb:it
shouldnothaveanobject.Hereareexamplesofcorrectmodernusage:
"WhenIpassthedoughnutshopIhavetorestrainmyself"("myself"is
theobject)."WhenIfeellikethrowingsomethingatmyboss,Iusually
refrainfromdoingso."Youcan'trefrainyourselforanyoneelse.
REFRIDGERATOR/REFRIGERATOR
Although"fridge"isshortfor"refrigerator,"thereisno"D"inthe
longerword.
REFUTE/REJECT
Torefutesomeone'sargumentistoproveitincorrect.Ifyouattemptno
suchproofbutsimplydisagreewithanargumentthewordyouwantis
"reject."

REGARD/REGARDS
BusinessEnglishisdeadlyenoughwithoutscramblingit."Asregards
yourdownsizingplan..."isacceptable,ifstiff."Inregardto""and
"withregardto"arealsocorrect.But"inregardsto"isnonstandard.
Youcanalsoconveythesameideawith"inrespectto"or"withrespect
to."
REGRETFULLY/REGRETTABLY
Eitherwordcanbeusedasanadverbtointroduceanexpressionof
regret,thoughconservativesprefer"regrettably"insentenceslike
"Regrettably,itrainedonthe4thofJuly."Withinthebodyofa
sentence,however,"regretfully"maybeusedonlytodescribethemanner
inwhichsomeonedoessomething:"Johnhadtoregretfullydeclinehis
beloved'sinvitationtogohangglidingbecausehewasterrifiedof
heights."Ifnospecifiedpersoninthesentenceisdoingthe
regretting,butthespeakerissimplyasserting"itistoberegretted,"
thewordis"regrettably":"Theirbossisregrettablystubborn."
REIGN/REIN
Akingorqueenreigns,butyoureininahorse.Theexpression"togive
rein"meanstogiveintoanimpulseasaspiritedhorsegivesintoits
impulsetogallopwhenyouslackenthereins.Similarly,thecorrect
expressionis"freerein,"not"freereign."
REKNOWN/RENOWN
Whenyouwonthenationalspellingbeeyouachievedgreatrenown(fame).
Nowyouarearenownedspeller(noticetheedendingontheadjectival
form).
Manypeoplemistakenlysupposethatbecause"renown"hastodowith
beingwellknownthewordshouldbespelled"reknown,"butinfactitis
derivedfromtheFrenchwordnomandhastodowithgaininganame.In
French,fameisrenomee.
RELIGION
Protestantsoftenreferto"theCatholicreligion."Catholicismisa
faithorachurch.(OnlyProtestantsbelongto"denominations.")Both
CatholicsandProtestantsfollowtheChristianreligion.
RELIGIONBELIEVES/RELIGIONTEACHES
Peopleoftenwritethingslike"Buddhismbelieves"whentheymeantosay
"Buddhismteaches,"or"Buddhistsbelieve."Religionsdonotbelieve,
theyaretheobjectsofbelief.
RELIGIOSITY/PIETY
Themainmodernuseof"religiosity"istodescribeexaggeratedor
ostentatiousshowingoffofone'sreligiousness.Abetterwordtolabel

thequalityofbeingtrulyreligiousis"piety."
RELUCTANT/RETICENT
"Reticent"denotesonlyreluctancetospeak;donotuseitforanyother
formofreluctance.
REMOTELYCLOSE
"Notevenremotelyclose"isafineexampleofanoxymoron.Anideacan
be"notevenremotelycorrect,"butclosenessandremotenessare
opposites;itdoesn'tmakesensetohaveonemodifytheother.Thereare
lotsoflistsofoxymoronsontheWeb,buttheymostlymixjokey
editorializing("militaryintelligence"and"MicrosoftWorks")withtrue
oxymorons.Goodforalaugh,butnotprovidingmuchguidancetowriters.
Ifthere'satrulyhelpfuloxymoronsiteyouknowof,I'dliketohear
aboutit.
REMUNERATION/RENUMERATION
Although"remuneration"looksasifitmightmean"repayment"itusually
meanssimply"payment."Inspeechitisoftenconfusedwith
"renumeration,"whichwouldmeanrecounting(countingagain).
REPUNGENT/REPUGNANT,PUNGENT
"Repungent"isanamusingmashupof"repugnant"(disgusting)and
"pungent"(strong,especiallyusedofsmells).Itisusedforrepulsive
smells;andthoughitisvivid,it'snotstandardEnglishandmayget
youlaughedat.
RIFFLE/RIFLE
Toriflesomethingistostealit.Thewordalsooriginallyhadthe
senseof"tosearchthoroughly,"oftenwithintenttosteal.Butifyou
arecasuallyflippingthroughsomepapers,yourifflethroughthem.You
never"riflethrough"anything.
RONDEZVOUS/RENDEZVOUS
Thefirstsyllableof"rendezvous"rhymeswith"pond"butisnotspelled
likeit.ItcomesfromawordrelatedtoEnglish"render"andis
hyphenatedinFrench:"rendezvous."InEnglishthetwoelementsare
smooshedtogetherintoone:"rendezvous."
REOCCURRING/RECURRING
Itmightseemlogicaltoformthiswordfrom"occurring"bysimply
addingaREprefixlogical,butwrong.Thewordis"recurring."The
rootformis"recur,"not"reoccur."Forsomereason"recurrent"is
seldomtransformedinto"reoccurrent."
REPEL/REPULSE

Inmostoftheirmeaningsthesearesynonyms,butifyouaredisgusted
bysomeone,youarerepelled,notrepulsed.Theconfusioniscompounded
bythefactthat"repellent"and"repulsive"meanthesamething.Go
figure.
REPLETE/COMPLETE
"Replete"usuallymeans"stuffed,""fulltooverflowing."Aftereatinga
completetencoursemeal,youarereplete.
Althoughithasbeenusedasasimplesynonymfor"complete,"thisis
nowanunusualusage,anditisbettertostickwiththemorecommon
word"complete"whenyouhaveachoice.
REPLYBACK/REPLY
"Replyback"isredundantbecause"reply"alreadyconveystheideaof
gettingbacktosomeone.Thesameistrueof"answerback"exceptinthe
ratheroldfashioneduseofthephrasetodescribethebehaviorofa
lippykidrudelyrefusingtosubmittothewishesofparentsor
teachers.
REPORTINTO/REPORTON
Youcanconductaninvestigationintoamatter,likeascandalora
crime;buttheresultisareportonoroftheresults.Youdon'tmakea
reportintoanything.Youcouldeliminate"into"altogetherbyusingthe
simpler"investigate"instead.
REQUEST/ASK
Ifyouwantsomethingyoucanrequestitoryoucanaskforit.Many
peoplelike"request"becauseitsoundsmoreformal,moreelegant;but
tootherpeopleitjustsoundspretentious.Therearemanyinstancesin
whichplainold"ask"worksbetter:"I'maskingmybuddiestogocamping
withme.""Sheaskedhimtowalkthedog."Exceptonwedding
invitations,trytoavoid"request"where"ask"willdoaswell.
RESIGNATE/RESONATE
Whenanideagivesyougoodvibesitresonateswithyou:"Hiscallfor
betterschoolsresonateswiththevoters."Notresignatesresonates.
RESISTER/RESISTOR
Aresistorispartofanelectricalcircuit;apersonwhoresists
somethingisa"resister."
RESPIRATORY
Evenhealthprofessionalstendtomispronouncethiswordbysmooshing
thesecondandthirdsyllablesintoone.Thiswordhasseveralpossible
pronunciations,but"respuhtory."isnotoneofthem.Howeveryousay
it,trytoatleasthintatallfivesyllables.

RESPONDBACK/RESPOND,REPLY
It'spossiblethatsomepeoplethinktheyhavetowrite"respondback"
todistinguishareplyfromotherkindsofresponses,likegroaningand
cursing,orchuckingarequestinthewastebasket;butmostofthetime
thecontextmakesperfectlyclearthat"respond"means"answer"andthe
"back"isredundant.Oryoucanjustsay"reply."
RESTIVE
"Restive"canmean"stubborn,""impatient,"or"restless,"butnever
"relaxed"or"rested."
RETCH/WRETCH
Ifyouvomit,youretch;ifyoubehaveinawretchedmannerorfallinto
wretchedcircumstances,youareawretch.
RETROSPECTIVE/RETROACTIVE
"Retrospective"hastodowithlookingback,asisshownbythe
similarityofitsmiddlesyllabletowordslike"spectacles."A
retrospectiveexhibitlooksbackattheearlierworkofanartist.
"Retroactive,"ontheotherhand,referstoactions,andisaboutmaking
acurrentchangeapplicabletothepast,especiallyinlaw.Retroactive
punishmentisgenerallyconsideredunjust.Forinstance,thecity
councilcan'tpassanordinanceretroactivelypunishingyouforhaving
sungoffkeyinthekaraokebaronMainStreetlastSaturdaynight.
RETURNBACK/RETURN
"Returnback"isaredundancy.Usejust"return,"unlessyoumeantosay
instead"turnback."
REVELANT/RELEVANT
"Revelant"isbothspokenandwrittenfrequentlywhen"relevant"is
intended.Thesameistrueof"revelance,"amisspellingof"relevance."
REVERT/REPLY
Themostcommonmeaningof"revert"is"toreturntoanearlier
condition,time,orsubject."WhenDr.Jekylldrankthepotionhe
revertedtothebrutishbehaviorofMr.Hyde.Butsomepretentious
peoplehavebeguntouseitmistakenlyinsteadof"reply,"writingwhen
theywantyoutogetbacktothemaboutsomething,"reverttomeatthis
address."Thiswouldliterallymeantheyareaskingyoutobecomethem.
REVOLVE/ROTATE
Inordinaryspeechthesetwowordsareoftentreatedasinterchangeable,
thoughit's"revolvingcreditaccount"and"rotatingcrops."Scientists

makeasharpdistinctionbetweenthetwo:theearthrevolves(orbits)
aroundthesunbutrotates(spins)arounditsaxis.
REVUE/REVIEW
Youcanattendamusicalrevueinatheatre,butwhenyouwriteupyour
reactionsforanewspaper,you'rewritingareview.
RHETORICALQUESTIONS
Arhetoricalquestionimpliesitsownanswer;it'sawayofmakinga
point.Examples:"Aren'tyouashamedofyourself?""Whatbusinessisit
ofyours?""Howdidthatidiotevergetelected?""Whatissorareasa
dayinJune?"Thesearen'tquestionsintheusualsense,butstatements
intheformofaquestion.
Manypeoplemistakenlysupposethatanynonsensicalquestion,orone
whichcannotbeanswered,canbecalledarhetoricalquestion.The
followingarenotproperrhetoricalquestions:"Whatwasthebestthing
beforeslicedbread?""Ifatreefallsintheforestandnoonehears
it,doesitmakeasound?""Wholetthedogsout?"
Sometimesspeakersaskquestionssotheycanthenproceedtoanswer
them:"Dowehaveenoughtroopstowinthewar?Italldependsonhow
youdefinevictory."Thespeakerisengaginginrhetoric,butthe
questionaskedisnotarhetoricalquestioninthetechnicalsense.
Insteadthisisamockdialogue,withthespeakertakingbothroles.
RIGHTOFPASSAGE/RITEOFPASSAGE
Themorecommonphraseis"riteofpassage"aritualonegoesthrough
tomoveontothenextstageoflife.Learninghowtoworkthe
combinationonalockerisariteofpassageformanyenteringmiddle
schoolstudents.A"rightofpassage"wouldbetherighttotravel
throughacertainterritory,butyouareunlikelytohaveanyusefor
thephrase.
RINGITSNECK/WRINGITSNECK
Wringthechicken'sneck;andafteryou'vecookedit,ringthedinner
bell.
RIOGRANDERIVER/RIOGRANDE
RioisSpanishfor"river,"so"RioGrandeRiver"isaredundancy.Just
write"RioGrande."NonHispanicAmericanshavetraditionallyfailedto
pronouncethefinal"E"in"Grande",butthey"velearnedtodoitto
designatethelargesizeoflatte,soperhapsit'stimetostartsaying
ittheproperSpanishway:"REEohGRAHNday."Ortobereally
internationalwecouldswitchtotheMexicanname:"RioBravo."
RISKY/RISQUE

PeopleunfamiliarwiththeFrenchderivedword"risque"("slightly
indecent")oftenwrite"risky"bymistake.Bungeejumpingisrisky,but
nudebungeejumpingisrisque.
ROADTOHOE/ROWTOHOE
Outinthecottonpatchyouhaveatoughrowtohoe.Thissayinghas
nothingtodowithroadconstruction.
ROLE/ROLL
Anactorplaysarole.BillGatesistheentrepreneur'srolemodel.But
youeatasausageonarollandrolloutthebarrel.Totakeattendance,
youcalltheroll.
ROLLOVER/ROLLOVER
Arolloverusedtobeonlyaserioushighwayaccident,butinthe
computerworldthisspellinghasalsobeenusedtolabelafeatureona
Webpagewhichreactsinsomewaywhenyourolltheballinsideamouse
oratrackballoveritwithouthavingtoclick.Italsobecamean
adjective,asin"rolloverfeature."However,whengivingusers
instructions,thecorrectverbformis"rollover"twowords:"roll
overthephotoofourdogtoseehisnamepopup."
Sincemostpeoplenowuseeitheropticalmiceortrackpadstheterm
"rollover"hasbecometechnicallyobsolete,butitpersists.
ROMANTIC
Ifyouarestudyingthearts,it'simportanttoknowthattheword
"romantic"isusedinsuchcontextstomeanmuchmorethan"havingtodo
withromanticlove."ItoriginatedintheMiddleAgestolabel
sensationalnarrativeswritteninromancelanguagesratherthan
LatindepictingeventslikethefallofKingArthur'sRoundTable(in
French,novelsarestillcalled"romans"whethertheydepictlove
affairsornot).Inliteratureandartitoftenreferstomaterialsthat
arehorrifying,exotic,enthralling,orotherwiseemotionally
stimulatingtoanextremedegree.Aromanticartsongisaslikelytobe
aboutdeathasaboutlove.
ROOT/ROUT/ROUTE
Youcanrootforyourteam(cheerthemon)andhopethattheyutterly
smashtheiropponents(createarout),thencomebackintriumphon
Route27(aroad).
ROUGE/ROGUE
Youcancreateanartificialblushbyusingrouge;butascoundrelwho
deservestobecalledarogueisunlikelytoblushnaturally.
RUBBAGE

Althoughthegenerallyobsoleteform"rubbage"persistsinsome
dialects,manypeoplewillassumeifyouuseitthatyouareconfusing
"rubbish"with"garbage."
RUEBEN/REUBEN
Dinerownerswhoput"Ruebensandwiches"ontheirmenusmayruetheday
theydidsowhentheyencounteracustomerwhocaresaboutthecorrect
spellingofthisclassicAmericanconcoctionofcornedbeef,sauerkraut,
SwisscheeseandRussiandressingonryebread.Althoughtheoriginof
thesandwichisobscure,beingcreditedtoseveraldifferent
restaurateurs,allofthemspelledtheirname"Reuben,"withtheE
beforetheU.
RUFF/ROUGH
Theslangyspelling"ruff"for"rough"isnotappropriateinformal
writing,butyourspellingcheckerwon'tflagitbecause"ruff"hasa
traditionalmeaningofitsown,denotingafrilledcollar.
RYE/WRY
"Wry"means"bent,twisted."Evenifyoudon'thaveawrysenseofhumor
youmaycrackawrysmile.Noryeisinvolved.
SACRED/SCARED
Thisisoneofthosesillytyposwhichyourspellingcheckerwon't
catch:godsaresacred,thedamnedinHellarescared.
SACRELIGIOUS/SACRILEGIOUS
Doingsomethingsacrilegiousinvolvescommittingsacrilege.Don'tlet
therelatedword"religious"trickyouintomisspellingthewordas
"sacreligious."
SAFETYDEPOSITBOX/SAFEDEPOSITBOX
Thosewhoprefer"safedepositbox"feelthattheboxinquestionisa
containerforthesafedepositofgoods;itisnotaboxinwhichto
deposityoursafety.Butmanufacturersanddealersinthiskindofsafe
aresplitintheirusage.Justbeawarethatsomepeoplefeelthat
"safetydeposit"isanerrorwhereasnooneislikelytolookdownon
youforsaying"safedepositbox."
SAIL/SALE/SELL
Thesesimpleandfamiliarwordsaresurprisinglyoftenconfusedin
writing.Yousailaboatwhichhasasailofcanvas.Yousellyourold
fonduepotatayardsale.
SALSASAUCE/SALSA

"Salsa"isSpanishfor"sauce,"so"salsasauce"isredundant.Herein
theUS,wherepeoplenowspendmoreonsalsathanonketchup(or
catsup,ifyouprefer),fewpeopleareunawarethatit'sasauce.Anyone
soshelteredasnottobeawareofthatfactwillneedafuller
explanation:"choppedtomatoes,onions,chiliesandcilantro."
SAMEDIFFERENCE
Thisisajokey,deliberatelyillogicalslangexpressionthatdoesn't
belonginformalwriting.
SARCASTIC/IRONIC
Notallironiccommentsaresarcastic.Sarcasmismeanttomockor
wound.Ironycanbeamusingwithoutbeingmaliciouslyaimedathurting
anyone.
SATELLITE
Originallyasatellitewasafollower.Astronomersappliedthetermto
smallerbodiesorbitingaboutplanets,likeourmoon.Thenwebegan
launchingartificialsatellites.Sincefewpeoplewerefamiliarwiththe
terminitstechnicalmeaning,theadjective"artificial"wasquickly
droppedinpopularusage.Sofarsobad.Thentelevisionbegantobe
broadcastviasatellite.Muchifnotalltelevisionnowwendsitsway
throughasatelliteatsomepoint,butinthepopularimaginationonly
broadcastsreceivedattheviewingsiteviaadishantennaaimedata
satellitequalifytobecalled"satellitetelevision."Thusweseemotel
signsboasting:
AIRCONDITIONING*SATELLITE
Peoplesaythingslike"thefight'sgoingtobeshownonsatellite."The
wordhasbecomeapatheticfragmentofitsformerself.The
technologicallyliteratespeakerwillavoidtheseslovenly
abbreviations.
*Atleastmotelshavenotyetadoptedtheautomobileindustry's
truncationof"airconditioning"to"air."
SAW/SEEN
InstandardEnglish,it's"I'veseen"not"I'vesaw."Thehelpingverb
"have"(abbreviatedhereto"'ve")requires"seen."Inthesimplepast
(nohelpingverb),theexpressionis"Isaw,"not"Iseen.""I'veseena
lotofuglycars,butwhenIsawthatoldbeatupRamblerIcouldn't
believemyeyes."
SAY/TELL
Yousay"Hello,Mr.Chips"totheteacher,andthentellhimaboutwhat
youdidlastsummer.Youcan't"tellthat"exceptinexpressionslike
"gotellthattoyouroldgirlfriend."

SCEPTIC/SKEPTIC
Believeitornot,theBritishspellingsare"sceptic"and"scepticism";
theAmericanspellingsare"skeptic"and"skepticism."
SCHIZOPHRENIC
Inpopularusage,"schizophrenic"(andthemoreslangyandnowdated
"schizoid")indicates"splitbetweentwoattitudes."Thisdrivespeople
withtraininginpsychiatrycrazy."Schizo"doesindeedmean"split,"
butitisusedheretomean"splitofffromreality."Someonewitha
JekyllandHydepersonalityissufferingfrom"multiplepersonality
disorder"(or,morerecently,"dissociativeidentitydisorder"),not
"schizophrenia."
SCIFI
"Scifi,"thewidelyusedabbreviationfor"sciencefiction,"is
objectionabletomostprofessionalsciencefictionwriters,scholars,
andmanyfans.Someofthemscornfullydesignatealienmonstermovies
andothertrivialentertainments"scifi"(whichtheypronounce
"skiffy")todistinguishthemfromtruesciencefiction.Thepreferred
abbreviationinthesecirclesis"SF."Theproblemwiththis
abbreviationisthattothegeneralpublic"SF"means"SanFrancisco."
"TheSciFiChannel"hasexacerbatedtheconflictoverthisterm.Ifyou
areareporterapproachingasciencefictionwriterorexpertyou
immediatelymarkyourselfasanoutsiderbyusingtheterm"scifi."
SCONE/SCONCE
Ifyouflingajamcoveredbiscuitatthewallanditsticks,theresult
maybea"wallscone";butifyouaredescribingawallmountedlight
fixture,thewordyouwantis"sconce."
SCOTCH/SCOTS
Scottishpeoplegenerallyrefertothemselvesas"Scots"or"Scottish"
ratherthan"Scotch."
SCOTCHFREE/SCOTFREE
Gettingawaywithsomething"scotfree"hasnothingtodowiththeScots
(orScotch).Thescotwasamedievaltax;ifyouevadedpayingityou
gotoffscotfree.Somepeoplewronglysupposethisphrasealludesto
DredScott,theAmericanslavewhounsuccessfullysuedforhisfreedom.
Thephraseis"scotfree":noH,oneT.
SEACHANGE
InShakespeare's"Tempest,"ArieldeceitfullysingstoFerdinand:
Fullfathomfivethyfatherlies;
Ofhisbonesarecoralmade;

Thosearepearlsthatwerehiseyes:
Nothingofhimthatdothfade
Butdothsufferaseachange
Intosomethingrichandstrange.
Thisrichlanguagehassocaptivatedtheearsofgenerationsofwriters
thattheyfeelcompelledtodescribeas"seachanges"notonly
alterationsthatare"richandstrange,"but,lessappropriately,those
thataresimplylargeorsudden.Alwayspopular,thisclichehas
recentlybecomesopervasiveastomake"sea"analmostinextricable
companionto"change,"whateveritsmeaning.Initsoriginalcontext,it
meantnothingmorecomplexthan"achangecausedbythesea."Sincethe
phraseisalmostalwaysimproperlyusedandisgreatlyoverused,ithas
sufferedaswampchangeintosomethingdullandtiresome.Avoidthe
phrase;otherwiseyouwillirritatethosewhoknowitandpuzzlethose
whodonot.
SEAM/SEEM
"Seem"istheverb,"seam"thenoun.Use"seam"onlyforthingslikethe
lineproducedwhentwopiecesofclotharesewntogetherorathreadof
coalinageologicalformation.
SECONDOFALL/SECOND
"Firstofall"makessensewhenyouwanttoemphasizetheprimacyofthe
firstiteminaseries,butitshouldnotbefollowedby"secondof
all,"wheretheexpressionservesnosuchfunction.And"secondly"isan
adverbialformthatmakesnosenseatallinenumeration(neitherdoes
"firstly").Asyougothroughyourlist,saysimply"second,""third,"
"fourth,"etc.
SEGWAY/SEGUE
Whenyoushifttoanewtopicoractivity,yousegue.Manypeople
unfamiliarwiththeunusualItalianspellingofthewordmisspellitas
"segway."Thiserrorisbeingencouragedbythedeliberatelypunning
nameusedbythemanufacturersoftheSegwayHumanTransporter.
SELECT/SELECTED
"Select"means"special,chosenbecauseofitsoutstandingqualities."
Ifyouarewritinganadforafurniturestoreofferinglowpriceson
someofitsrecliners,callthem"selectedrecliners,"not"select
recliners,"unlesstheyaretrulyoutstandingandnotjustleftovers
you'retryingtomoveoutofthestore.
SELFWORTH/SELFESTEEM
Tosaythatapersonhasalowsenseofselfworthmakessense,though
it'sinelegant;butpeoplecommonlytruncatethephrase,sayinginstead,
"Hehaslowselfworth."Thiswouldliterallymeanthatheisn'tworth
muchratherthanthathehasalowopinionofhimself."Selfesteem"
soundsmuchmoreliterate.

SENSE/SINCE
"Sense"isaverbmeaning"feel"("Isenseyounearme")oranoun
meaning"intelligence"("havesomecommonsense!").Don'tuseitwhen
youneedtheadverb"since"("sinceyouwentaway,""sinceyou'reup
anyway,wouldyoupleaseletthecatout?")
SENSUAL/SENSUOUS
"Sensual"usuallyrelatestophysicaldesiresandexperiences,andoften
means"sexy."But"sensuous"ismoreoftenusedforestheticpleasures,
like"sensuousmusic."Thetwowordsdooverlapagooddeal.Theleather
seatsinyournewcarmaybesensuous;butiftheyturnyouon,they
mightbesensual."Sensual"oftenhasaslightlyracyorevenjudgmental
tonelackingin"sensuous."
SENTENCEFRAGMENTS
Thereareactuallymanyfineusesforsentencefragments.Here'sabrief
scenefromanimaginaryGreektragedycomposedentirelyoffragments:
Menelaus:Aha!Helen!Helen(startled):Belovedhusband!Menelaus:Slut!
Paris(entering,seeingMenelaus):Oops.'Bye.Menelaus:Notsofast!
(stabsParis).Paris:Arrggh!
Somepeoplegetintotroublebybreakingaperfectlygoodsentencein
two:"Wedidsomeresearchinnewspapers.LiketheNationalInquirer."
Thesecondphrasebelongsinthesamesentencewiththefirst,not
danglingoffonitsown.
Amorecommonkindoftroublesomefragmentisawouldbesentence
introducedbyawordorphrasethatsuggestsit'spartofsomeother
sentence:"Bypickingupthegarbagethefraternityhadstrewnaround
thestreettheweekendbeforegotthegroupafavorablestoryinthe
paper."Justlopoff"by"toconvertthisintoapropercomplete
sentence.
SERGEANTOFARMS/SERGEANTATARMS
Theofficerchargedwithmaintainingorderinameetingisthe"sergeant
atarms,"not"ofarms."
SERVICE/SERVE
Amechanicservicesyourcarandastallionservicesamare;butmostof
thetimewhenyouwanttotalkaboutthegoodsorservicesyousupply,
thewordyouwantis"serve":"Ourfirmservesthehotelindustry."
SET/SIT
Insomedialectspeoplesay"comeoninandsetaspell,"butin
standardEnglishthewordis"sit."Yousetdownanobjectorachild
youhappentobecarrying;butthoseseatingthemselvessit.Ifyoumix

thesetwoupitwillnotsitwellwithsomepeople.
SETUP/SETUP
Technicalwriterssometimesconfuse"setup"asanoun("checkthe
setup")withthephrase"setup"("setuptheexperiment").
SHALL/WILL
"Will"hasalmostentirelyreplaced"shall"inAmericanEnglishexcept
inlegaldocumentsandinquestionslike"Shallwehaveredwinewith
theduck?"
SHEAR/SHEER
Youcancutthroughclothwithapairofshears,butiftheclothis
translucentit'ssheer.Peoplewhowriteabouta"shearblouse"doso
outofsheerignorance.
SHEATH/SHEAF
Ifyoutakeyourknifeoutofitssheath(case)youcanuseittocuta
sheaf(bundle)ofwheattoserveasacenterpiece.
SHERBERT/SHERBET
ThenamefortheseicydessertsisderivedfromTurkish/Persian
"sorbet,"butthe"R"inthefirstsyllableseemstoseducemany
speakersintoaddingoneinthesecond,whereitdoesn'tbelong.A
Californiachaincalled"Herbert'sSherbets"hadmeconfusedonthis
pointforyearswhenIwasgrowingup.
SHIMMY/SHINNY
Youshinnyorshin(climb)upatreeorpole;butonthedancefloor
orinavibratingvehicleyoushimmy(shake).
SHOEIN/SHOOIN
Aracehorsesofastthatyoucanmerelyshooitacrossthefinishline
ratherthanhavingtourgeitonwithstrongermeasuresisa"shooin":
aneasywinner.Itisparticularlyunfortunatewhenthisexpressionis
misspelled"shoein"becauseto"shoehorn"somethinginistosqueezeit
inwithgreatdifficulty.
SHOOK/SHAKEN
ElvisPresleycouldn'thaveverywellsung"I'mallshakenup,"butthat
isthegrammaticallycorrectform."Shook"isthesimplepasttenseof
"shake,"andquitecorrectinsentenceslike"Ishookmypiggybankbut
allthatcameoutwasapaperclip."Butinsentenceswithahelping
verb,youneed"shaken":"Thequarterbackhadshakenthechampagne
bottlebeforeemptyingitonthecoach."

SHRUNK/SHRANK
Thesimplepasttenseformof"shrink"is"shrank"andthepast
participleis"shrunk";itshouldbe"Honey,IShranktheKids,"not
"Honey,IShrunktheKids."(Thanksalot,Disney.)
"Honey,I'veshrunkthekids"wouldbestandard,andalsogrammatically
acceptableis"Honey,I'veshrunkenthekids"(thoughdeplorablefroma
childrearingpointofview).
SHUTTERTOTHINK/SHUDDERTOTHINK
Whenyouaresohorrifiedbyathoughtthatyoutrembleatit,you
shuddertothinkit.
SICK/SIC
Thecommandgiventoadog,"sic'em,"derivesfromtheword"seek."The
1992punkrockalbumtitled"Sick'Em"hashelpedpopularizethecommon
misspellingofthisphrase.Unlessyouwanttotellhowyouincitedyour
pitbulltovomitonsomeone'sshoes,don'twrite"sick'em"or"sick
thedog."
Thestandardspellingoftheingformofthewordis"siccing."
Inadifferentcontext,theLatinwordsic("thus")insertedintoa
quotationisaneditorialcommentcallingattentiontoamisspellingor
othererrorintheoriginalwhichyoudonotwanttobeblamedforbut
areaccuratelyreproducing:"SheactedlikearealpreMadonna(sic)."
Whencommentingonsomeoneelse'sfaultywriting,youreallywantto
avoidmisspellingthiswordassick.
Althoughit'soccasionallyusefulinpreventingmisunderstanding,"sic"
isusuallyjustawayofbeingsnottyaboutsomeoneelse'smistake,
largelyreplacednowby"lol."Sometimesit'sappropriatetocorrectthe
mistakesinwritingyou'requoting;andwhenerrorsabound,youneedn't
markeachonewitha"sic"yourreaderswillnotice.
SIERRANEVADAMOUNTAINS/SIERRANEVADAS
SierraisSpanishfor"sawtoothmountainrange,"soknowledgeable
Westernersusuallyavoidaredundancybysimplyreferringto"theSierra
Nevadas"orsimply"theSierras."Transplantedweatherforecastersoften
getthiswrong.
Someobjecttothefamiliarabbreviation"Sierras,"butthisform,like
"Rockies"and"Smokies"istoowellestablishedtobeconsidered
erroneous.
SIGNALEDOUT/SINGLEDOUT
Whenasingleindividualisseparatedoutfromalargergroup,usually
bybeingespeciallynoticedortreateddifferently,thatindividualis
being"singledout."Thisexpressionhasnothingtodowithsignalling.

SILICON/SILICONE
Siliconisachemicalelement,thebasicstuffofwhichmicrochipsare
made.Sandislargelysilicon.Siliconesareplasticsandother
materialscontainingsilicon,themostcommonlydiscussedexamplebeing
siliconebreastimplants.Lessusedbythegeneralpublicis"silica":
anoxideofsilicon.
SIMPLISTIC
"Simplistic"means"overlysimple,"andisalwaysusednegatively.Don't
substituteitwhenyoujustmeantosay"simple"oreven"verysimple."
SINGLEQUOTATIONMARKS
InstandardAmericanwriting,theonlyuseforsinglequotationmarksis
todesignateaquotationwithinaquotation.Studentsareexposedby
PenguinBooksandotherpublisherstotheBritishpracticeofusing
singlequotesfornormalquotationsandbecomeconfused.Somestrange
folkloricprocesshasconvincedmanypeoplethatwhileentiresentences
andlongphrasesaresurroundedbyconventionaldoublequotationmarks,
singlewordsandshortphrasestakesinglequotationmarks."Wrong,"I
insist.
SISTERINLAWS/SISTERSINLAW
Yourspouse'sfemalesiblingsarenotyoursisterinlaws,butyour
sistersinlaw.Thesamepatternappliestobrothersinlaw,
fathersinlaw,andmothersinlaw.
SKIDDISH/SKITTISH
Ifyounervouslyavoidsomethingyouarenot"skiddish"aboutit;the
wordis"skittish."
SLIGHTOFHAND/SLEIGHTOFHAND
"Sleight"isanoldwordmeaning"cleverness,skill,"andtheproper
expressionis"sleightofhand."it'seasytounderstandwhyit's
confusedwith"slight"sincethetwowordsarepronouncedinexactlythe
sameway.
SLOGITOUT/SLUGITOUT
Sloggingisaslow,messybusiness,typicallytrampingthroughsticky
mudormetaphoricallystrugglingwithotherdifficulttasks.Youmight
slogthroughapileofreceiptstodoyourtaxes.Ifyouareengagedin
afiercebattlewithanadversary,however,youslugitout,likeboxers
sluggingeachother.Thereisnosuchexpressionas"slogitout."
SLOWGIN/SLOEGIN
AsmallEuropeanplumnameda"sloe"isusedtoflavortheliqueur

called"sloegin."Youshouldprobablysipitslowly,butthathas
nothingtodowithitsname.
SLUFFOFF/SLOUGHOFF
Youusealoofahtosloughoffdeadskin.
SNUCK/SNEAKED
InAmericanEnglish"snuck"hasbecomeincreasinglycommonasthepast
tenseof"sneak."Thisisoneofmanycasesinwhichpeople'shumorously
selfconscioususeofdialecthasinfluencedotherstoadoptitas
standardanditisnowoftenseeneveninsophisticatedwritinginthe
USButitissafertousethetraditionalform:"sneaked."
SOMETIME/SOMETIME
"Let'sgettogethersometime."Whenyouusetheonewordform,it
suggestssomeindefinitetimeinthefuture."Sometime"isnotwrongin
thissortofcontext,butitisrequiredwhenbeingmorespecific:
"Choosesometimethatfitsinyourschedule.""Some"isanadjective
heremodifying"time."Thesamepatternappliesto"someday"(vague)and
"someday"(specific).
SO/VERY
Originallypeoplesaidthingslike"Iwassodelightedwiththewrapping
thatIcouldn'tbringmyselftoopenthepackage."Butthentheybegan
tolazilysay"Youmademesohappy,"nolongerexplainingjusthow
happythatwas.Thispatternofusing"so"asasimpleintensifier
meaning"very"isnowstandardincasualspeech,butisoutofplacein
formalwriting,where"very"oranotherintensifierworksbetter.
Withoutvocalemphasis,the"so"conveyslittleinprint.
SOFUN/SOMUCHFUN
Strictlyayoungperson'susage:"Thatpartywassofun!"Ifyoudon't
wanttobeperceivedasagumchewingairhead,say"somuchfun."
SOAR/SORE
Byfarthemorecommonwordis"sore"whichreferstoaches,painsand
wounds:sorefeet,sorebacks,soresonyourskin.Themoreunusualword
usedtodescribetheactofglidingthroughtheairorswoopingup
towardtheheavensisspelled"soar."Thissecondwordisoftenused
metaphorically:eagles,spirits,andpricescanallsoar.Ifyouknow
yourpartsofspeech,justkeepinmindthat"soar"isalwaysaverb,
and"sore"canbeeitheranoun("runningsore")oranadjective("sore
loser")butneveraverb.InarchaicEnglish"sore"couldalsobean
adverbmeaning"sorely"or"severely":"theyweresoreafraid."
SOCIAL/SOCIETAL
"Societal"asanadjectivehasbeeninexistenceforacoupleof

centuries,buthasbecomewidelyusedonlyintherecentpast.People
whoimaginethat"social"hastoomanyfrivolousconnotationsofmere
partyingoftenresorttoittomaketheirlanguagemoreseriousand
impressive.Itisbestusedbysocialscientistsandothersinreferring
totheinfluenceofsocieties:"societalpatternsamongtheIboof
easternNigeria."Usedinplaceof"social"inordinaryspeechand
writingitsoundspretentious.
SOJOURN/JOURNEY
Althoughthespellingofthiswordconfusesmanypeopleintothinkingit
means"journey,"asojournisactuallyatemporarystayinoneplace.If
you'reconstantlyonthemove,you'renotengagedinasojourn.
SOLE/SOUL
Thebottomofyourfootisyoursole;yourspiritisyoursoul.
SOMEWHATOFA/SOMEWHAT,SOMETHINGOFA
Thiserroristheresultofconfusingtwoperfectlygoodusages:"Sheis
somewhatawkward,"and"Heissomethingofaklutz."Useoneorthe
otherinstead.
SOMEWHERE/SOMEWHERE
"Somewhere,"like"anywhere"and"nowhere,"isalwaysoneword.
SONG/WORKORCOMPOSITION
Whenyou'rewritingthatculturaleventreportbasedonlastnight's
symphonyconcert,don'tcallthemusicperformed"songs."Songsare
strictlypiecesofmusicwhicharesungbysingers.Instrumental
numbersmaybecalled"works,""compositions,"oreven"pieces."Be
careful,though:asinglepiecemayhaveseveraldifferentmovements;
anditwouldbewrongtorefertotheAdagioofBeethoven'sMoonlight
Sonataasa"piece."It'sjustapieceofapiece.
Seealsomusic/singing.
SOONER/RATHER
"I'dsoonerstarvethaneatwhattheyserveinthecafeteria"isless
formalthan"I'dratherstarve."
SOONERTHANLATER/SOONERRATHERTHANLATER
Thetraditionalexpression"soonerratherthanlater"isnowcommonly
abbreviatedtothelesslogical"soonerthanlater."Theshorterformis
verypopular,butismorelikelytocauseraisedeybrowsthanthe
similarlyabbreviatedexpression"longstoryshort."
See"longstoryshort."

SOUPDUJOUROFTHEDAY/SOUPOFTHEDAY
"Soupedujour"(notethe"E"ontheendof"soupe")means"soupofthe
day."Ifyou'regoingtouseFrenchtobepretentiousonamenu,it's
importanttolearnthemeaningofthewordsyou'reusing.Oftenwhatis
offeredispotage,anyway.Keepitsimple,keepitinEnglish,andyou
can'tgowrong.
SORTAFTER/SOUGHTAFTER
Somethingpopularwhichmanypeoplearesearchingforis"soughtafter".
Ifyouaresortingathing,you'vepresumablyalreadyfoundit.When
thisphraseprecedesanounornounphrasewhichitmodifies,ithasto
behyphenated:"ActionComics#1isamuchsoughtaftercomicbook
becauseitwasthefirsttofeatureSuperman."
SOURGRAPES
InafamousfablebyAesop,afoxdeclaredthathedidn'tcarethathe
couldnotreachanattractivebunchofgrapesbecauseheimaginedthey
wereprobablysouranyway.Youexpresssourgrapeswhenyouputdown
somethingyoucan'tget:"winningthelotteryisjustabigheadache
anyway."Thephraseismisusedinallsortsofwaysbypeoplewhodon't
knowtheoriginalstoryandimagineitmeanssomethingmoregenerallike
"bitterness"or"resentment."
SOWCOW/SALCHOW
There'safancyturningjumpiniceskatingnamedafterSwedishfigure
skaterUlrichSalchow;buteveryWinterOlympicsmillionsofpeople
thinktheyhearthecommentatorssaying"sowcow"andthat'showthey
proceedtomisspellit.
SPACESAFTERAPERIOD
Intheolddaysoftypewritersusingonlymonospacedfontsinwhicha
periodoccupiedasmuchhorizontalspaceasanyotherletter,itwas
standardtodoublespaceaftereachonetoclearlyseparateouteach
sentencefromthefollowingone.However,whenjustified,variablewidth
typeissetforprintingithasalwaysbeenstandardtouseonlyone
spacebetweensentences.Moderncomputersproducetypethatismorelike
print,andmostmodernstylescallforonlyonespaceafteraperiod.
Thisisespeciallyimportantifyouarepreparingatextforpublication
whichwillbelaidoutfromyourelectroniccopy.Ifyoufindit
difficulttoadopttheonespacepattern,whenyouarefinishedwriting
youcandoaglobalsearchandreplacetofindalldoublespacesand
replacethemwithsinglespaces.
SPADED/SPAYED
Ifyouhaveneuteredyourdog,you'vespayedit;savethespadinguntil
itdies.

SPECIALLY/ESPECIALLY
Inmostcontexts"specially"ismorecommonthan"especially,"butwhen
youmean"particularly""especially"worksbetter:"Iamnotespecially
excitedaboutinheritingmygrandmother'sneuroticSiamesecat."
"Especial"intheplaceof"special"isveryformalandrather
oldfashioned.
SPECIE/SPECIES
InboththeoriginalLatinandinEnglish"species"isthespellingof
boththesingularandpluralforms.Amphiprionocellarisisonespecies
ofclownfish.Manyspeciesoffishareendangeredbyoverfishing.
Specieisatechnicaltermreferringtothephysicalformofmoney,
particularlycoins.
SPICKET/SPIGOT
Afaucetisa"spigot,"nota"spicket."
SPICY
"Spicy"hastwodifferentmeanings:intenselyflavoredandpeppery.
Someonewhoasksforfoodthatisnotspicyintendingtoavoidonly
peppermaygetbland,flavorlessfoodinstead.It'sgoodtobespecific
aboutwhatyoudislike.SouthAsiancooksaskedtoavoidpepperhave
beenknowntoomitonlyseedpepperanduseafreehandwithchopped
greenorredchilies.Ifyouaresuchacook,beawarethattimid
Americandinersmeanby"pepper"allbiting,hotspicesandtheywill
probablynotenjoychilipeppersorlargeamountsofginger,thoughthey
maylovecardamom,cumin,coriander,cinnamon,etc.
Whenyouseetheword"chilli"onanIndianmenu,thespellingbeing
usedisthatoftheBritish.
SPAN/SPUN
Don'tsay"thedemonspanherheadaround."Thepasttenseof"spin"in
thissenseis"spun."
SPAREOFTHEMOMENT/SPUROFTHEMOMENT
Youdon'tseepeoplewearingspursmuchanymore,whichmayexplainwhy
somearevagueaboutthesignificanceofmetaphoricalspurs.Anything
thatpromptsyoutodosomethingcanbeaspurtoaction.Wesayof
peoplethatarepromptedinthiswaythattheyare"spurredon"byfear,
ambition,greed,orsomeothercause.
Soamomentaryimpulsewhichcausesyoutoactwithoutadvanceplanning
canresultinadecisionmade"onthespurofthemoment."
Thenthereistheexpression"sparemoment":"Sorry,Honey,whenIwas
gettingthekidsreadyforschoolIcouldn'tspareamomenttocleanup

themessthedogmadeinthekitchen."
Thislatterpatternseemstoleadsomepeopletomistakenlyimaginethat
theexpressionis"onthespareofthemoment."
SPIRITUALISM/SPIRITUALITY
Themostcommonmeaningof"spiritualism"isbeliefinthepossibility
ofcommunicationwiththespiritsofthedead.
Abettertermforotherreligiousbeliefsandactivitiesis
"spirituality,"asin"I'mgoingtotheashramtoexploremy
spirituality."
SPOKE/SAID
Novicewritersoffictionaldialoguesometimesbecomewaryofrepeating
"said"toooften,resultinginoddconstructionslikethis:"'You'vegot
gravyonyourshirt,'shespoke."
Youcanspeakalanguageorspeakwithsomeone,butyoucan'tspeaka
speech.
Ifyougettiredof"said"youcouldhaveyourcharacterswhisper,
shout,hiss,orgrumble;butyoushouldn'tbeafraidofhavingthem
simplysaythings.Itwon'tboreyourreaders;theywon'tevennotice.
SPREE
Itusedtobethataspreewasmainlyunderstoodasawilddrinking
carouse,withtheemphasisonspontaneityandabandon.Thenitwasused
metaphorically,asina"shoppingspree."
Americanjournalistsbegantowriteof"killingsprees"bymurderers
recklesslykillingpeopleatrandom("spree"fitssonicelyin
headlines).
Buttheygotoofarwhentheyrefertoterroristbombingsprees.
Targeted,purposefulactsliketheselacktheelementofspontaneityand
disorderthatcharacterizeaspree.Dotheymeanperhapsa"spate"?
STAID/STAYED
"Staid"isanadjectiveoftenusedtolabelsomebodywhoisrather
stodgyanddull,astickinthemud."ButinmodernEnglishthepast
tenseoftheverb"stay"is"stayed":"Istayedattheofficelate
hopingtoimpressmyboss."
STAND/STANCE
Whenyoucourageouslyresistopposingforces,youtakeormakea
stand.Themetaphorisamilitaryone,withthedefendingforces
refusingtofleefromtheattacker.Yourstance,ontheotherhand,is
justyourpositionliteralorfigurativewhichmaynotbeparticularly

militant.Agolferwantingtoimproveherdrivesmayadoptadifferent
stance,oryourstanceoncojackmaybethatitdoesn'tbelongona
gourmetcheeseplatter;butifyouorganizeagrouptoforcethe
neighborstogetridofthehippothey'vetetheredintheirfrontyard,
you'retakingastand.
STATES/COUNTRIES
CitizensoftheUnitedStates,wherestatesaresmallersubdivisionsof
thecountry,aresometimessurprisedtosee"states"referringinstead
toforeigncountries.NotethattheUSDepartmentofStatedealswith
foreignaffairs,notthoseofUSstates.Clearlydistinguishthesetwo
usesof"state"inyourwriting.
STATIONARY/STATIONERY
Whensomethingisstandingstill,it'sstationary.Thatpieceofpaper
youwritealetteronisstationery.Letthe"E"in"stationery"remind
youof"envelope."
STINT/STENT
Whenthetimetoworkcomes,you'vegottodoyourstint;butthe
medicaldeviceinstalledtokeepanarteryopenisa"stent."Even
peopleinthemedicalprofessionwhoshouldknowbetteroftenuse
"stint"whentheymean"stent."
STEREO
"Stereo"refersproperlytoameansofreproducingsoundintwoormore
discretechannelstocreateasolid,apparentlythreedimensionalsound.
Becauseintheearlydaysonlyfanciersofhighfidelity(orhifi)
equipmentcouldaffordstereophonicsound,"stereo"cametobeusedasa
substitutefor"highfidelity,"andeven"recordplayer."Stereo
equipment(forinstanceacheapportablecassetteplayer)isnot
necessarilyhighfidelityequipment.Visualtechnologycreatingasense
ofdepthbyusingtwodifferentlensescanalsousetheroot"stereo"as
in"stereoscope."
STOMP/STAMP
"Stomp"iscolloquial,casual.Aprofessionalwrestlerstompshis
opponent.Inmoreformalcontexts"stamp"ispreferred.Butyouwill
probablynotbeabletostampoutthespreadof"stomp."
STRAIGHT/STRAIT
Ifsomethingisnotcrookedorcurvedit'sstraight.
Ifitisanarrowpassagewaybeweentwobodiesofwater,it'sastrait.
Placenameslike"BeringStrait"arealmostalwaysspelled"strait."
STRAIGHTJACKET/STRAITJACKET

Theoldword"strait"("narrow,tight")hassurvivedonlyasanounin
geographyreferringtoanarrowbodyofwater("theBeringStrait")and
inafewadjectivalusessuchas"straitjacket"(anarrowlyconfining
garment)and"straitlaced"(literallylaceduptightly,butusually
meaningnarrowminded).Itsunfamiliaritycausesmanypeopleto
mistakenlysubstitutethemorecommon"straight."
STATUEOFLIMITATIONS/STATUTEOFLIMITATIONS
Whatwouldastatueoflimitationslooklike?Acopstoppingtraffic?
TheVenusdeMilo?Hermissingarmswoulddefinitelylimitherability
toscratchwhatitches.Thelegalphraselimitingtheperiodafterwhich
anoffensecannolongerbeprosecutedisthestatute(law)of
limitations.
STEEPLEARNINGCURVE
Thephrase"steeplearningcurve"todescribeadifficulttomaster
skillismathematicalnonsense.Ifthehorizontalaxisofthegraph
representstime,thentheverticalaxisisprobablysupposedto
representeffortexpended.Ifataskbeginsbybeingverydifficultand
continuesbeingsoforalongtime,thenthecurvewouldbeginhigh
abovethezeropointontheverticalaxisanddescendverygradually,
producingashallowlearningcurve,notasteepone.
Mostpeopleimagineasteeplearningcurveasdescribingasharply
inclinedslopebeginningatzero;butlogicallythatsortofcurvewould
describeataskthatbeginsbybeingveryeasyandwhichrapidlybecomes
harderandhardernotwhatpeoplemean.Theconfusioniscausedby
people'stendencytothinkofthecurveasifitwereahilltobe
climbed.
Analternativewayofunderstandingthisphrasewouldbetoimaginethat
theverticalaxisrepresentsdegreeofmastery;butinthatcasea
difficulttaskwouldbeginatzeroandriseveryslowlyovertimeagain
ashallowcurve,notasteepone.
Theproblemisthatmostpeople'sinterpretationbeginswiththe
verticalaxismeasuringmasteryachieved(zerotobeginwith),butas
theymovealongthehorizontalaxisintimetheyunconsciouslyswitchto
itsopposite:remainingmasteryneeded(alot,rightaway).Thismakes
nosense.Thelineneedstostandforthesamevariablealongitswhole
lengthtomakeasensiblechart.
There'slittlehopeofabolishingthisubiquitousbitofpretentious
jargon,butyoushouldavoidusingitaroundmathematically
sophisticatedpeople.
STOCKANDTRADE/STOCKINTRADE
Inthiscontext,"trade"means"business."Theitemsabusinesstrades
inareitsstockintrade.Metaphorically,thestuffneededbypeopleto
carryontheiractivitiescanalsobecalledtheirstockintrade:
"Bushyeyebrows,cigars,andquipswereGroucho'sstockintrade."This

expressionhasnothingtodowithtradingstock,asonastockexchange,
anditshouldnotbetransformedinto"stockandtrade."
STRESSON/FEELSTRESS
"Stresson"iscommonlymisusedusedtomean"toexperiencestress"as
in"I'mstressingonthetermpaperIhavetodo."Stillinformal,but
better,is"I'mstressedabout...."Inamoreformalcontextyou
couldexpressthesameideabysaying"I'manxiousabout...."
Itisperfectlyfine,however,tosaythatyouplacestresson
something,with"stress"beinganounratherthanaverb.
STRICKEN/STRUCK
Mostofthetimethepastparticipleof"strike"is"struck."The
exceptionsarethatyoucanbestrickenwithguilt,amisfortune,a
woundoradisease;andapassageinadocumentcanbestrickenout.The
restofthetime,stickwith"struck."
STRONGSUITE/STRONGSUIT
"Strongsuit"isanexpressionderivedfromcardplaying,inwhich
hearts,diamonds,clubsandspadesarethesuits.Whenyouputyourbest
footforwardyourplayyourstrongsuit.
SUBMITTAL/SUBMISSION
"Submittal"istheactofsubmitting;itshouldnotbeusedtodescribe
thethingbeingsubmitted,asin"clipafivedollarbilltoyour
submittalanditwillreceiveourearliestattention."Inalmostall
cases"submission"isclearerandmoretraditionalthan"submittal."
SUBSTANCEFREE
Anadministratoratouruniversityonceannouncedthathisgoalwasa
"substancefree"campus,whichIsupposefitinwiththefadofthe
periodfor"virtualeducation."Whathereallymeantwas,ofcourse,a
campusfreeofillegaldrugsandalcohol,designated"controlled
substances"inthelaw.Thisisaverysillyexpression,butifhe'd
justsaid"soberandstraight"hewouldhavesoundedtoocensorious.How
about"drugandalcoholfree"?
SUBSTITUTEWITH/SUBSTITUTEFOR
Youcansubstitutepecansforthewalnutsinabrownierecipe,butmany
peoplemistakenlysay"substitutewith"instead,perhapsinfluencedby
therelatedexpression"replacewith."it'salways"substitutefor."
SUFFERWITH/SUFFERFROM
Althoughtechnicalmedicalusagesometimesdiffers,innormalspeechwe
saythatapersonsuffersfromadiseaseratherthansufferingwithit.

SUIT/SUITE
Yourbedroomsuiteconsistsofthebed,thenightstand,andwhatever
otherfurnituregoeswithit.Yourpajamaswouldbeyourbedroomsuit.
SULKING/SKULKING
Thatguysneakingfurtivelyaroundtheneighborhoodisskulkingaround;
thatteenagerbroodinginhisbedroombecausehegotgroundedis
sulking."Sulkingaround"isnotatraditionalphrase.
SUMMARY/SUMMERY
Whentheweatheriswarmandsummeryandyoudon'tfeellikespendinga
lotoftimereadingthatlongreportfromtherestructuringcommittee,
justreadthesummary.
SUPEDUP/SOUPEDUP
Thecaryou'vesoupedupmaybesuper,butit'snot"supedup."
SUPERCEDE/SUPERSEDE
"Supersede,"meaningtoreplace,originallymeant"tosithigher"than,
fromLatinsedere,"tosit."Inthe18thcentury,richpeoplewereoften
carriedaboutastheysatinsedanchairs.Don'tbemisledbythefact
thatthiswordrhymeswithwordshavingquitedifferentroots,suchas
"intercede."
SUPPOSABLY,SUPPOSINGLY,SUPPOSIVELY/SUPPOSEDLY
"Supposedly"isthestandardform."Supposably"canbeusedonlywhen
themeaningis"capableofbeingsupposed,"andthenonlyintheUS
Youwon'tgetintotroubleifyoustickwith"supposedly."
SUPPOSETO/SUPPOSEDTO
BecausetheDandtheTareblendedintoasingleconsonantwhenthis
phraseispronounced,manywritersareunawarethattheDiseven
presentandomititinwriting.You'resupposedtogetthisonerightif
youwanttoearntherespectofyourreaders.Seealso"useto."
SUPREMIST/SUPREMICIST
AneoNaziisawhitesupremacist,not"supremist."
SUSPECT/SUSPICIOUS
Ifyourbossthinksyoumayhavedippedintopettycashtopayyour
gamblingdebts,youmaybesuspect(or"asuspect").Butifyouthink
somebodyelsedidit,youaresuspiciousofthem.Confusingly,ifthe
policesuspectyouofacrime,youcanbedescribedasa"suspicious
person"andifyouconstantlysuspectothersofcrimes,youcanalsobe

called"suspicious."
But"suspect"isnotsoflexible.Asuspectisapersonsomebodyis
suspiciousof,neverthepersonwhoisdoingthesuspecting.Itnever
makessensetosay"Iamsuspectthat...."
SURFINGTHEINTERNET
"Channelsurfing"developedasanironictermtodenotethevery
unathleticactivityofrandomlychangingchannelsonatelevisionset
witharemotecontrol.Itsonlysimilaritytosurfboardingonrealsurf
hastodowiththeestheticof"goingwiththeflow."TheInternetcould
beafearsomelydifficultplacetonavigateuntiltheWorldWideWebwas
invented;casualclickingonWeblinkswasnaturallyquicklycomparedto
channelsurfing,sotheexpression"surfingtheWeb"wasanatural
extensionoftheearlierexpression.ButtheWebisonlyoneaspectof
theInternet,andyoulabelyourselfasterminallyuncoolifyousay
"surfingtheInternet."(Coolpeoplesay"Net"anyway.)Itmakesno
sensetorefertotargeted,purposefulsearchesforinformationas
"surfing";forthatreasonIcallmyclassesonInternetresearch
techniques"scubadivingtheInternet."
However,JeanArmourPolly,whoclaimstohaveoriginatedthephrase
"surfingtheInternet"in1992,maintainsthatsheintendedittohave
exactlytheconnotationsitnowhas.Seeherpageonthehistoryofthe
term:(http://www.netmom.com/about/surfing_main.htm).
SWAM/SWUM
Theregularpasttenseof"swim"is"swam":"Iswamtotheisland."
However,whenthewordisprecededbyahelpingverb,itchangesto
"swum":"I'veswumtotheislandeveryday."The"'ve"standsfor
"have,"ahelpingverb.
TABLE
IntheUKifyoutableanissueyouplaceitonthetablefor
discussion;butintheUSthephrasemeanstheopposite:you
indefinitelypostponediscussingtheissue.
TADBIT/TAD,BIT
A"tad"wasoriginallyasmallboy,butthiswordevolvedintothe
expression"atad"meaning"verysmall"or"veryslightly":"Themovie
wasatadlongformytaste."
Somepeoplecombinethiswiththeequivalentexpression"abit"andsay
"atadbit."Thisisredundant.Justsay"abit"or"atad."
TAKEADIFFERENTTACT/TAKEADIFFERENTTACK
Thisexpressionhasnothingtodowithtactfulnessandeverythingtodo
withsailing,inwhichitisadirectiontakenasonetacksabruptly
turnsaboat.To"takeadifferenttack"istotryanotherapproach.

TAKENBACK/TAKENABACK
Whenyou'restartledbysomething,you'retakenabackbyit.Whenyou're
remindedofsomethingfromyourpast,you'retakenbacktothattime.
TWOTOTANGLE/TWOTOTANGO
A1952songpopularizedthephrase"ittakestwototango";anditwas
quicklyappliedtoeverythingthatrequiredtwoparties,fromromanceto
fighting.Later,peoplebaffledbyhearingthephraseusedofconflicts
imaginedthattheproperwordmustbe"tangle."Perhapsiftheyhad
thoughtofthefiercechoreographyofParisianapachedancingtheywould
nothavebeensoconfused."Ittakestwototangle"willseemthenormal
phrasetosomepeople,aclevervariationtoafew,andanembarrassing
mistaketomanypeopleyoumightwanttoimpress.
TATTLETAIL/TATTLETALE
Somebodywhorevealssecretstattling,tellingtalesisatattletale,
oftenspelledasoneword:"tattletale."
TAUGHT/TAUT
Studentsaretaught,ropesarepulledtaut.
TAUNT/TAUT/TOUT
Iamtoldthatmedicalpersonneloftenmistakenlyrefertoapatient's
abdomenas"taunt"ratherthanthecorrect"taut.""Taunt"("tease"or
"mock")canbeaverbornoun,butneveranadjective."Taut"means
"tight,distended,"andisalwaysanadjective.
Don'tconfuse"taunt"with"tout,"whichmeans"promote,"asin"Senator
BilgewaterhasbeentoutedasaPresidentialcandidate."Youtout
somebodyyouadmireandtauntsomeonethatyoudon't.
TENANT/TENET
ThesetwowordscomefromthesameLatinroot,"tenere,"meaning"to
hold";buttheyhaveverydifferentmeanings."Tenet"istherarerof
thetwo,meaningabeliefthatapersonholds:"Avoidingporkisatenet
oftheMuslimfaith."Incontrast,thepersonleasinganapartmentfrom
youisyourtenant.(Sheholdsthelease.)
TENDERHOOKS/TENTERHOOKS
A"tenter"isacanvasstretcher,andtobe"ontenterhooks"meanstobe
astensewithanticipationasacanvasstretchedonone.
TENTATIVE
Oftenalltootentativelypronounced"tennative."Soundallthree"T's."

THAN/THEN
Whencomparingonethingwithanotheryoumayfindthatoneismore
appealing"than"another."Than"isthewordyouwantwhendoing
comparisons.Butifyouaretalkingabouttime,choose"then":"First
youseparatetheeggs;thenyoubeatthewhites."Alexisissmarterthan
I,not"thenI."
THANKSGOD
Isupposeifyouwantedtoexpressyourgratitudedirectlytothedeity
youmightappropriatelysay"Thanks,God,forhelpingourteamwinthe
biggame."Moreappropriateissomethingmoreformal,like"Thankyou,
God."Inanycase,thegeneralexpressionwhenit'snotspecifically
meantasaprayerisnot"thanksGod,"but"thankGod."Not"ThanksGod
Emilyhitahomerinthislastinning,"but"thankGod"shedid.
THANKYOU/THANKYOU,THANKYOU
Whenyouaregratefultosomeone,tellthem"thankyou."Thanksare
oftencalled"thankyous,"andyoucanwrite"thankyounotes."Butthe
expressionshouldneverbewrittenasasingleunhyphenatedword.
THAT/THAN
Peoplesurprisinglyoftenwrite"that"whentheymean"than"invarious
standardphrases.Examples:"harderthatIthought,""bettersafethat
sorry,"and"closerthattheyappear."Inallthesecases,"that"should
be"than."
THAT/WHICH
ImustconfessthatIdonotmyselfobservethedistinctionbetween
"that"and"which."Furthermore,thereislittleevidencethatthis
distinctionisorhaseverbeenregularlymadeinpastcenturiesby
carefulwritersofEnglish.However,asmallbutimpassionedgroupof
authoritieshasurgedthedistinction;sohereistheinformationyou
willneedtopacifythem.
Ifyouaredefiningsomethingbydistinguishingitfromalargerclass
ofwhichitisamember,use"that":"Ichosethelettucethathadthe
fewestwiltedleaves."Whenthegeneralclassisnotbeinglimitedor
definedinsomeway,then"which"isappropriate:"Hemadeaniceberg
lettuceCaesarsalad,whichdidn'ttasteright."Notethat"which"is
normallyprecededbyacomma,but"that"isnot.
THATKIND/THATKINDOF
Althoughexpressionslike"thatkindthing"arecommoninsomedialects,
standardEnglishrequires"of"inthiskindofphrase.
THEBOTHOFTHEM/BOTHOFTHEM
Youcansay"thetwoofthem,"asin"thetwoofthemmakean

interestingcouple";butnormally"the"isnotusedbefore"both,"asin
"bothofthemhavepurplehair."
THEIRSELVES/THEMSELVES
Thereisnosuchwordas"theirselves"(andyoucertainlycan'tspellit
"theirselfs"or"thierselves");it's"themselves."Andthereisno
correctsingularformofthisnonword;insteadof"theirself"use
"himself"or"herself."
THEM/THOSE
Oneuseof"them"for"those"hasbecomeastandardcatchphrase:"how
doyoulikethemapples?"Thisisdeliberatedialecticalhumor.But"I
likethemlittlecanapeswiththeshrimpontop"isgauche;sayinstead
"Ilikethoselittlecanapes."
THEORY
Inordinaryspeech,atheoryisjustaspeculation.Thepoliceinspector
inaMissMarplemysteryalwayshasatheoryaboutwhocommittedthe
murderwhichturnsouttobewrong.
Butinsciencetheword"theory"playsaverydifferentrole.Whatmost
ofuscall"theories"aretermed"hypotheses"untilenoughevidencehas
beenaccumulatedtovalidatethemandallowthemtoassumethestatusof
theories:scientificallyacceptableexplanationsofphenomena.Examples:
thetheoryofgravity,thewavetheoryoflight,chaostheory.
Foesofevolutionaryscienceofteninsistthatthetheoryofevolution
isinvalidbecauseitis"onlyatheory."Thismerelydemonstratestheir
lackofknowledgeofscientificusageandhencewillnotimpressany
scientificallyliterateperson.
THEREFOR/THEREFORE
Theformwithoutafinal"E"isanarchaicbitoflegalterminology
meaning"for."Thewordmostpeoplewantis"therefore."
THERE'S
Peopleoftenforgetthat"there's"isacontractionof"thereis"and
mistakenlysay"there'sthreeburrscaughtinyourhair"whentheymean
"there're"("thereare").Use"there's"onlywhenreferringtooneitem.
Rememberifyoudon'tcontract"thereis"thatitalsocanonlybeused
withsomethingsingularfollowing.It'snot"Thereismanymistakesin
thispaper"but"therearemanymistakesinthispaper."
Seealso"THERE'S."
THESEARETHEM/THESEARETHEY
Althoughonlythepickiestlistenerswillcringewhenyousay"theseare

them,"thetraditionallycorrectphraseis"thesearethey,"because
"they"isthepredicatenominativeof"these."However,ifpeoplearound
youseemmorecomfortablewith"it'sme"than"it'sI,"youmightas
wellstickwith"thesearethem."
THESEKIND/THISKIND
Inasentencelike"Ilovethiskindofchocolates,""this"modifies
"kind"(singular)andnot"chocolates"(plural),soitwouldbe
incorrecttochangeitto"Ilovethesekindofchocolates."Onlyif
"kind"itselfispluralizedinto"kinds"should"this"shiftto"these":
"Youkeepmakingthesekindsofmistakes!"
THESEONES/THESE
Byitself,there'snothingwrongwiththeword"ones"asaplural:
"surroundedbyherlovedones."However,"thisone"shouldnotbe
pluralizedto"theseones."Justsay"these."Thesamepatternapplies
to"those."
THEY/THEIR(SINGULAR)
Usingthepluralpronountorefertoasinglepersonofunspecified
genderisanoldandhonorablepatterninEnglish,notanewfangledbit
ofdegeneracyorapoliticallycorrectplottoavoidsexism(thoughit
oftenservesthelatterpurpose).Peoplewhoinsistthat"Everyonehas
broughthisownlunch"istheonlycorrectformdonotreflecttheusage
ofcenturiesoffinewriters.Agoodgeneralruleisthatonlywhenthe
singularnoundoesnotspecifyanindividualcanitbereplaced
plausiblywithapluralpronoun:"Everybody"isagoodexample.Weknow
that"everybody"issingularbecausewesay"everybodyishere,"not
"everybodyarehere"yetwetendtothinkof"everybody"asagroupof
individuals,soweusuallysay"everybodybroughttheirowngrievances
tothebargainingtable.""Anybody"istreatedsimilarly.
However,inmanywrittensentencestheuseofsingular"their"and
"they"createsanirritatingclashevenwhenitpassesunnoticedin
speech.Itiswisetoshunthispopularpatterninformalwriting.Often
expressionscanbepluralizedtomakethe"they"or"their"indisputably
proper:"Allofthemhavebroughttheirownlunches.""People"canoften
besubstitutedfor"each."Americansseldomavailthemselvesofthe
otherwiseveryhandyBritish"one"toavoidspecifyinggenderbecauseit
soundstoourearsratherpretentious:"One'shoundshouldretrieveonly
one'sowngrouse."Ifyoudecidetotry"one,"don'tswitchto"they"in
midsentence:"Onehastobecarefulabouthowtheyspeak"soundsabsurd
becausetheword"one"soemphaticallycallsattentiontoits
singleness.TheBritishalsoquitesensiblytreatcollectivebodieslike
governmentalunitsandcorporationsasplural("Parliamenthaveapproved
theiragenda")whereasAmericansinsistontreatingthemassingular.
THEY'RE/THEIR/THERE

Manypeoplearesospookedbyapostrophesthatawordlike"they're"
seemstothemasifitmightmeanalmostanything.Infact,it'salways
acontractionof"theyare."Ifyou'vewritten"they're,"askyourself
whetheryoucansubstitute"theyare."Ifnot,you'vemadeamistake.
"Their"isapossessivepronounlike"her"or"our":"Theyeattheir
hotdogswithsauerkraut."Everythingelseis"there.""Theregoesthe
ball,outofthepark!Seeit?Rightthere!Therearen'tverymanyhome
runslikethat.""Thier"isacommonmisspelling,butyoucanavoidit
byrememberingthat"they"and"their"beginwiththesamethree
letters.Anotherhint:"there"has"here"buriedinsideittoremindyou
itreferstoplace,while"their"has"heir"buriedinittoremindyou
thatithastodowithpossession.
THINKON/THINKABOUT
Anarchaicformthatpersistsinsomedialectsisseeninstatements
like"I'llthinkonit"whenmostpeoplewouldsay"I'llthinkabout
it."
THOUGH/THOUGHT/THROUGH
Althoughmostofusknowthedifferencesbetweenthesewordspeople
oftentypeoneofthemwhentheymeananother.Spellingcheckerswon't
catchthissortofslip,solookoutforit.
THREW/THROUGH
"Threw"isthepasttenseoftheverb"throw":"Thepitcherthrewa
curveball.""Through"isneveraverb:"Theballcamethroughmyliving
roomwindow."Unlessyoursentenceinvolvessomeonethrowing
somethingevenfiguratively,asin"shethrewouttheideacasually"
thewordyouwantis"through."
THRONE/THROWN
Athroneisthatchairakingsitson,atleastuntilhegetsthrownout
ofoffice.
THROUGHAMIRROR,DARKLY/INAMIRROR,DARKLY
Here'sanerrorwithaverydistinguishedheritage.
Whenin1Corinthians13:12Paultriestoexpresstheimperfectionof
mortalunderstanding,hecomparesourearthlyvisiontothedimand
waveryviewreflectedbyatypicalRomanerapolishedbronzemirror.
Unfortunately,theclassicKingJamestranslationrenderedhismetaphor
ratherconfusinglyas"Fornowweseethroughaglass,darkly."Bythe
timeoftheRenaissance,mirrorsweremadeofglassandsoitwas
naturalforthetranslatorstocallthemirrora"glass,"thoughbyso
doingtheyobscuredPaul'spoint.Whytheyshouldhaveused"through"
ratherthanthemorelogical"in"isunclear;butithasmademany
peoplethinkthattheimageisoflookingthroughsomekindofmagical
glassmirrorlikethatinLewisCarroll's"ThroughtheLookingGlass."

Althoughmostothertranslationsusemoreaccuratephrasing("asina
mirror,""ablurredimageinamirror,"etc.),theKingJamesisso
influentialthatitsmisleadingrenderingoftheverseisoverwhelmingly
morepopularthanthemoreaccurateones.It'snotreallyanerrorto
quotetheKJV,butifyouusetheimage,don'tmakethemistakeof
suggestingithastodowithadirtywindowratherthanadimmirror.
THROWSOFPASSION/THROESOFPASSION
Adyingperson'sfinalagonycanbecalled"deaththroes."Theonly
othercommonuseforthiswordis"throesofpassion."Throwsare
wrestlingmovesorthoselittleblanketsyoudrapeonthefurniture.
THUSFAR/THUSFAR
Somecommonphrasesgetfusedinpeople'smindsintosinglewords.The
phrase"thusfar"isfrequentlymisspelled"thusfar."Hardlyanybody
writes"sofar"insteadof"sofar"justtreat"thusfar"inthesame
way.
THUSLY/THUS
"Thusly"hasbeenaroundforalongtime,butitiswidelyviewedas
nonstandard.It'ssafertogowithplainold"thus."
TIC/TICK
Thewordforaspasmodictwitchorhabitualquirkofspeechorbehavior
isspelledtheFrenchway:"tic."YoumayhavetoworryaboutLyme
diseaseifyougetabitefromatickonyourface,butthatspasmin
yourleftcheekwhenevertheteachercallsonyouisafacialtic.
TIMBER/TIMBRE
Youcanbuildahouseoutoftimber,butthatqualitywhich
distinguishesthesoundproducedbyoneinstrumentorvoicefromothers
istimbre,usuallypronounced"TAMbruh,"sothecommonexpressionis
"vocaltimbre."
TIMEPERIOD
Theonlykindsofperiodsmeantbypeoplewhousethisphraseare
periodsoftime,soit'saredundancy.Simplysay"time"or"period."
TIMESSMALLER
Mathematicallyliteratefolksobjecttoexpressionslike"mypaycheckis
threetimessmallerthanitusedtobe"because"times"indicates
multiplicationandshouldlogicallyapplyonlytoincreasesinsize.Say
"onethirdaslarge"instead.
TIRIMISU/TIRAMISU
TiramisuisItalianfor"pickmeup",andisthenameofapopular

modernItaliandessert,commonlymispelledastirimisu,whichgivesita
slightlyJapaneseair.TheJapaneselovetiramisu;butalthoughthey
sometimesmakeitwithgreentearatherthancoffeethismisspelling
isn'ttheirfault.
TO/TOO/TWO
Peopleseldommix"two"upwiththeothertwo;itobviouslybelongswith
wordsthatalsobeginwithTW,like"twice"and"twenty"thatinvolve
thenumber2.Buttheothertwoareconfusedallthetime.Justremember
thattheonlymeaningsof"too"are"also"("Iwantsomeicecreamtoo")
and"inexcess"("Yourwalkmanisplayingtooloudly.")Notethatextra
O.Itshouldremindyouthatthiswordhastodowithaddingmoreonto
something."To"istheproperspellingforalltheotheruses.
TOHOME/ATHOME
Insomedialectspeoplesay"Istayedtohometowaitforthemail,"but
instandardEnglishtheexpressionis"stayedathome."
TOTHEMANORBORN/TOTHEMANNERBORN
HamletcomplainsofthedrunkencarousingatElsinoretohisfriend
Horatio,whoasks"Isitacustom?"Hamletrepliesthatitisandadds,
"buttomymind,thoughIamnativehereandtothemannerborn,itis
acustommorehonour'dinthebreachthantheobservance."
"Asiftothemannerborn"isusedtopraisesomeone'sskill:"Reginald
drivestheMaseratiasiftothemannerborn"(asifhewerebornwith
thatskill).
"TotheManorBorn"wasthepunningtitleofapopularBBCcomedy,which
greatlyincreasedthenumberofpeoplewhomistakenlysupposedthe
originalexpressionhadsomethingtodowithbeingbornonamanor.
Perhapsbecauseofthepoeticallyinvertedwordorderin"mannerborn"
theexpressiontendstooccurinrathersnootycontexts.Nevertheless,
thecorrectexpressionis"tothemannerborn."
TOWHERE/SOMUCHTHAT,TOTHEPOINTTHAT
ComplainsFred,"MackeptborrowingmytoolstowhereIcouldn'tfinish
fixingthefrontporch."Thissortofuseof"towhere"tomean"somuch
that"or"tothepointthat"isnotstandardEnglish.Themeaningis
moreaboutwhenthanwhere.
TODAY'SDAYANDAGE/THISDAYANDAGE
Thetraditionalexpressionis"inthisdayandage,"meaning"rightat
thismomentandduringaconsiderablestretchoftimearoundthis
moment.""Today'sday"isredundant:"today"alreadyhas"day"init.
TODAY'SMODERNSOCIETY/TODAY
Peopleseekingtobeuptotheminuteoftenindulgeinsuchredundancies

as"intoday'smodernsociety"or"inthemodernsocietyoftoday."This
isemptyarmwavingwhichsaysnothingmorethan"now"or"today."A
reasonablesubstituteis"contemporarysociety."Suchphrasesare
usuallyindulgedinbypeoplewithaweakgraspofhistorytosubstitute
forsuchmorepreciseexpressionsas"forthepastfiveyears"or"this
month."See"sincethebeginningoftime."
TOLLED/TOLD
Somepeopleimaginethattheexpressionshouldbe"alltolled"asif
itemswerebeingtickedofftothetollingofabell,orinvolvedthe
payingofatoll;butinfactthisgoesbacktoanoldmeaningof
"tell":"tocount."Youcould"tellover"yourbeadsifyouwere
countingtheminarosary."Alltold"means"allcounted."
Thisoldermeaningof"tell"isthereasonthatpeoplewhocountmoney
outbehindbankwindowsarecalled"tellers."
TOOKEN/TOOK/TAKEN
"Hey,Tricia!Tedcouldn'tfindhisparrotsohe'stookenyourtoucanto
showandtell!""Tooken"isanonstandardformof"taken."
Infact,therearetwopasttenseformsof"take"whichshouldn'tbe
mixedupwitheachother.Forthesimplepastyouneed"took":"Beau
tookacourseinacoustics."Butifahelpingverbprecedesit,theword
youneedis"taken":"hehastakensomeothercoursestoo."
TOUNGE/TONGUE
"Tounge"isacommonmisspellingof"tongue."
TONGUEANDCHEEK/TONGUEINCHEEK
Whenpeoplewanttoshowtheyarekiddingorhavejustknowinglyuttered
afalsehood,theysticktheirtonguesintheircheeks,soit's"tongue
incheek,"not"tongueandcheek."
TOEHEADED/TOWHEADED
Lightcoloredropeiscalled"tow"andsomeonewithveryblondhairis
calleda"towhead."Towheadedchildrenarecute,butatoeheadedone
wouldbeseriouslydeformed.
TORTUROUS/TORTUOUS
Apathwithaconfusingproliferationofturnsistortuous(froma
Frenchrootmeaning"twisted").But"torturous"(meaningpainfulor
unpleasant,liketorture)isveryfrequentlyconfusedwithit.Sooften
has"tortuouslogic"(tangled,twistedlogic)beenmisspelledas
"torturouslogic"thatithasgivenrisetoanowindependentformwith
itsownmeaning,"torturedlogic."Fewpeopleobjecttothelatter;but
ifyouwanttodescribeyourslowprogressalongatwistingpath,the
wordyouwantis"tortuous."

TOWTHELINE/TOETHELINE
"Toetheline"hastodowithliningyourtoesuponaprecisemark,not
withpullingonarope.
Howeverifyouhavetotakeyourkidsalongwhenyouvisitfriends,you
havethemnot"intoe,"but"intow."
TOWARD/TOWARDS
Thesetwowordsareinterchangeable,but"toward"ismorecommoninthe
USand"towards"intheUK
TRACKHOME/TRACTHOME
Commutersfromatracthomemaywellfeelthattheyareengagedinarat
race,butthatdoesnotjustifythemindescribingtheirhousing
developmentasa"track.""Tract"heremeansanareaoflandonwhich
cheapanduniformhouseshavebeenbuilt.Incidentally,notethatthe
phraseis"digestivetract,"not"digestivetrack."
TRADEGY/TRAGEDY
Notonlydopeopleoftenmisspell"tragedy"as"tradegy,"they
mispronounceitthatwaytoo.Justrememberthattheadjectiveis
"tragic"torecallthatit'stheGthatcomesaftertheA.
TRAGEDY/TRAVESTY
"Travesty"hasfarcicalconnotations;it'sactuallyrelatedto
"transvestite."Adisasterthatcouldbedescribedasafarceora
degradedimitationmaybecalledatravesty:"Thetrialsincethe
defenselawyersleptthroughmostofitwasatravestyofjustice."A
tragedyisanaltogethermoreseriousmatter.
TRITEANDTRUE/TRIEDANDTRUE
Ideasthataretritemaywellbetrue;buttheexpressionis"triedand
true":ideasthathavebeentriedandturnedouttobevalid.
TROOP/TROUPE
Agroupofperformersisatroupe.Anyothergroupofpeople,military
orotherwise,isatroop.Apoliceofficer,memberofamountedmilitary
grouporsimilarpersonisatrooper,butagunghoworkerisareal
trouper.
Troopsarealwaysgroups,despitethecurrentvogueamongjournalistsof
sayingthingslike"twotroopswerewoundedinthebattle"whenthey
mean"twosoldiers.""Twotroops"wouldbetwogroupsofsoldiers,not
twoindividuals.
TOUCHBASES/TOUCHBASE

Althoughinbaseballahomerunhitterhastotouchallfourbaseswhile
whizzingpast,whenyouproposetolingerwithsomeonelongenoughto
comparenotes,youdoallyourchattingatasinglebase.Theexpression
is"let'stouchbase."
TRANSITION
Peopleinbusiness,politics,andeducationlovetoturnnounsinto
verbs;butmanyoftheirtransformationsirritateagoodnumberof
listeners.Highonthelistofdislikedtermsis"transition"asaverb:
"Overthenextmonthwearegoingtotransitionourpayrollsystemfrom
cashtopizzadiscountcoupons."Youcansay"makethetransition,"but
oftenplain"change"worksfine.
TRYAND/TRYTO
Although"tryand"iscommonincolloquialspeechandwillusuallypass
unremarkedthere,inwritingtrytoremembertouse"tryto"insteadof
"tryand."
TUSSLED/TOUSLED
Evenifyourhairgetsmessedupinatusslewithafriend,itgets
tousled,nottussled.
UFO
"UFO"standsfor"UnidentifiedFlyingObject,"soifyou'resurethat
silverydiskisanalienspacecraft,there'snopointincallingita
"UFO."IlovethesignIoncesawinaSeattlebookstorelabelingthe
alieninvasionsection:"IncorrectlyIdentifiedFlyingObjects."
UGLYAMERICAN
Theterm"uglyAmerican"usedtodescribeboorishpeoplefromtheUS
insensitivetothoseinothercountriesbothersfansofthe1958novel
TheUglyAmerican,whosetitlecharacterwasactuallysensitiveand
thoughtfulhejustlookedugly.Thepopularizersofthisphrasehadn't
readthebook,andjudgeditsmessagetooquicklybyitstitle.
THEUKRAINE/UKRAINE
Somecountrynamesareprecededbyanarticlelike"TheUnitedStates"
and"LaFrance"butmostarenot.Sometimesitdependsonwhatlanguage
youarespeaking:inEnglishwecallthelattercountrysimply"France"
and"LaRepublicaArgentina"isjust"Argentina"althoughinthe
nineteenthcenturytheBritishoftenreferredtoitas"TheArgentine."
Whentheregionformerlyknownas"TheUkraine"splitofffromtheold
SovietUnion,itdeclareditspreferencefordroppingthearticle,and
thecountryisnowproperlycalledsimply"Ukraine."
UNCONSCIENCE/UNCONSCIOUS

Dopeopleconfusetheunconsciouswithconsciencebecausethestuff
fermentinginone'sunconsciousisoftenstuffthatbothersone's
conscience?Whateverthecause,thereisnosuchwordas"unconscience."
Andwhilewe'reonthesubject,"subconscious"isnotusedinFreudian
psychology;itimpliessomethingthatismerelynotconsciouslythought
of,ratherthansomethingthatissuppressed.Thetermis,however,used
byJungians.
UNDERTHEGUISETHAT/UNDERTHEGUISEOF
Phishingemailstrytoextractvaluableinformationfromyousothey
canrobyouundertheguiseofprotectingyouronlinesecurity.Theyare
disguisingtheirtheftasprotection.Thereareotherrelatedphrases,
mostlyendingin"that,"suchas"underthepretextthat"and"withthe
excusethat";but"undertheguise"requires"of,"usuallyfollowedbya
gerundendingin"ing."
UNDERWEIGH/UNDERWAY
Theoriginalexpressionforgettingaboatmovinghasnothingtodowith
weighinganchorandis"gettingunderway,"butsomanysophisticated
writersgetthiswrongthatyou'renotlikelytogetintotroubleifyou
imitatethem.
When"underway"isusedelsewhereasanadjectiveoradverb,byfarthe
mostcommonspellingisasasingleword,asin"ourplansare
underway";thoughsomeauthoritiesarguethattheadverbialformshould
bespelledastwowords:"underway."
UNDERESTIMATED
Enthusiasticsportscastersoftensayofasurprisinglytalentedteam
that"theycannotbeunderestimated"whenwhattheymeanis"theyshould
notbeunderestimated."
UNDERLINING/UNDERLYING
Youcanstresspointsbyunderliningthem,butit's"underlying"in
expressionslike"underlyingstory,""underlyingmotive,"and
"underlyingprinciple."
UNDERMIND/UNDERMINED
Somepeoplebelieveinamysticalovermind,butnoteventheybelievein
an"undermind."Thewordis"undermined."Ifyoudigunderacastlewall
topreparetobreachitsdefenses,youareunderminingit,digginga
mineunderit.Themetaphorappliestoallsortsofweakeningof
opposingpositions,mostofteninarguments.
UNDO/UNDUE
Theverb"undo"istheoppositeof"do."Youundoyourtypingerrorson
acomputerorundoyourshoelacestogowading.

Theadjective"undue"istheoppositeof"due"andmeans"unwarranted"
or"improper."Itisusedinphraseslike"undueinfluence,""undue
burdens,"and"undueexpense."
UNDOUBTABLY/UNDOUBTEDLY
Doubtlessthespellingof"presumably"influencesthemisspelling
"undoubtably."Thewordis"undoubtedly."Whensomethingisundoubtedly
true,itisundoubted.
UNKEPT/UNKEMPT
"Unkempt"isanoldversionof"uncombed."Thestandardexpressionfora
sloppylookingpersonisnot"unkept,"but"unkempt."
UNREST
Journalistsoftenusethismildtermtodescribeallmannerofcivil
disorders,butit'ssillytocallmayhemorchaosmerely"unrest"when
therearebulletsflyingaboutandbodieslyinginthestreets.
UNTHAW/THAW
"Unthaw"isanotherillogicalnegative.Use"thaw."
UNTRACKED/ONTRACK
Whenthingsbeginrunningsmoothlyandsuccessfully,theyget"on
track."Somepeopleoddlysubstitute"untracked"forthisexpression,
perhapsthinkingthattobe"tracked"istobestuckinarut.
UPMOST/UTMOST
"Upmost"canmean"uppermost,"referringtosomethingontop.But
usuallythiswordisamistakefor"utmost,"meaning"mostextreme."
"Utmost"isrelatedtowordslike"utter,"asin"Thebirthdaypartywas
utterchaos."
UPTO/UPTO
Notuptoalotlately?Youmightusesomeofyoursparetimememorizing
thefactthat"upto"isatwowordphrase,asis"alot."
URINEANALYSIS/URINALYSIS
Thetechnicaltermforthetestyouusetokickthedruggiesoffthe
teamisnot"urineanalysis"but"urinalysis."
USE/USAGE
"Use"and"usage"overlapsomewhat,buttheyarenotentirely
synonymous.Manypeopletreat"usage"asifitwerejustafancierform

of"use"inphraseslike"makeusageof,"where"makeuseof"isthe
standardexpression.Asaruleofthumb,ifeither"use"or"usage"
seemsappropriate,gowith"use."
USETO/USEDTO
BecausetheDandtheTareblendedintoasingleconsonantwhenthis
phraseispronounced,manywritersareunawarethattheDiseven
presentandomititinwriting.Seealso"supposeto."
USEDTOCOULD/USEDTOBEABLE
"Iusedtocouldliftahaybalewithmyteeth,"saysJeb,meaning"I
usedtobeableto."
UTILIZE/USE
Thebestusefor"utilize"istomean"makeuseof":"Ryanutilizedhis
laptopinthelibrarymainlyasapillowtoresthisheadon."Inmost
contexts,"use"issimplerandclearer.Manyreadersconsider"utilize"
pretentious.
VAGUEREFERENCE
Vaguereferenceisacommonprobleminsentenceswhere"this,""it,"
"which"orothersuchwordsdon'treferbacktoanyonespecificwordor
phrase,butawholesituation."Ihitchhikedbacktotown,gotpickedup
byanalienspacecraftandwassubjectedtohumiliatingmedical
experiments,whichiswhyIdidn'tgetmypaperdoneontime."In
conversationthissortofthinggoesunnoticed,butmorecareneedsto
betakeninwriting.Therearelotsofwaystoreorganizethissentence
toavoidthevaguereference.Youcouldbeginthesentencewith
"because"andreplace"whichiswhy"with"so,"forinstance.
Sometimesthereferentisonlyunderstoodandnotdirectlyexpressedat
all:"Changingyouroilregularlyisimportant,whichisonereasonyour
engineburnedup."The"which"referstoanimpliedfailuretochange
oilregularly,butdoesn'tactuallyreferbacktoanyofthespecific
wordsusedearlierinthesentence.
Sometimesthereisnologicalreferent:"Inthebookitsaysthat
Shakespearewasinlovewithsome'darklady'."Thisisacasualwayof
using"it"thatisnotacceptableinformalwrittenEnglish.Write
instead"ArthurO.WilliamssaysinTheSonnetsthatShakespeare...."
Areferencemaybeambiguousbecauseit'snotclearwhichoftwo
referentsismeant:"Mostwomenareattractedtoguyswithagoodsense
ofhumorunlesstheyareintopracticaljokes."Does"they"referto
"women"or"guys"?Itwouldbeclearerifthesentencesaid"Mostwomen
areattractedtoguyswithagoodsenseofhumor,thoughnotusuallyto
practicaljokers."
VAIN/VANE/VEIN

Whenyouhavevanityyouareconceited:youarevain."You'resovain
youprobablythinkthissongisaboutyou."Thisspellingcanalsomean
"futile,"asin"Allmylove'sinvain"(fruitless).Notethatwhen
Ecclesiastessaysthat"allisvanity"itdoesn'tmeanthateverything
isconceited,butthateverythingispointless.
Avaneisabladedesignedtomoveorbemovedbygasesorliquid,like
aweathervane.
Aveinisaslenderthreadofsomething,likebloodinabodyorgoldin
amine.Itcanalsobealineofthought,asin"Afterdescribinghis
dog'shabitofchewingonthesofa,Carloswentoninthesameveinfor
severalminutes."
VARIOUS/SEVERAL
Manypeoplesay"sheheardfromvariousofthecommitteemembersthat
theywantedtocancelthenextmeeting.""Severalofthecommittee
members"wouldbebetter.
VARY/VERY
"Vary"means"tochange."Don'tsubstituteitfor"very"inphraseslike
"verynice"or"veryhappy."
VEILOFTEARS/VALEOFTEARS
Theexpression"valeoftears"goesbacktopioussentimentsthat
considerlifeonearthtobeaseriesofsorrowstobeleftbehindwhen
wegoontoabetterworldinHeaven.Itconjuresupanimageofa
sufferingtravelerlaboringthroughavalley("vale")oftroublesand
sorrow."Veiloftears"ispoeticsounding,butit'samistake.
VENDOR
Somewritersareturning"vendor"intoaverbmeaning"tosell,"writing
thingslike,"hewasvendoringcomicbooksoneBay."Since"vend"is
alreadyaverbmeaning"sell"and"vendor"isnormallyanoun,this
soundsveryoddtomanyreaders.
Otherpeopleuseformsofthewordmean"tobecertifiedasavendor":
"Personswishingtobevendoredmustcompletetheappropriateform."
Thisprocessisalsoreferredtoas"vendorization."
Thispatternisprobablyinspiredbythewidespreaduseof"vendor"to
labelsuppliersoncommercialWebsites.Insteadofthinkingofvendors
asmeremerchants,dealers,orsellers,somespecialqualityisbeing
attributedtothem.
NoneofthisisstandardEnglish.
VERBTENSE

Ifthesituationbeingdescribedisanongoingorcurrentone,the
presenttenseisneeded,eveninapasttensecontext:"Lastweekshe
admittedthatsheisreallyabrunette"(not"was").
Pairsofverbsthatgotogetherlogicallyhavetobekeptinthesame
tense.Incorrect:"PatriciadescribedhertriptoChinaandwritesthat
theGreatWallreallyimpressedher."Since"described"isinthepast
tense,andthewritingcontainsherdescriptions,"writes"shouldbe
"wrote."
Lotsofpeoplegetintotroublewithsentencesthatdescribea
hypotheticalsituationinthepast:"Ifhewouldhavepackedhisown
suitcase,hewouldhavenoticedthatthecatwasinit."Thatfirst
"wouldhave"shouldbeasimple"had":"Ifhehadpackedhisown
suitcasehewouldhavenoticedthatthecatwasinit."Also"Thegame
wouldhavebeenmorefunifwehad[not"wouldhave"]won."Thissortof
constructionconsistsoftwoparts:ahypotheticalcauseinthepastand
itslogicaleffect.Thehypotheticalcauseneedstobeputintothepast
tense:"had."Onlytheeffectismadeconditional:"wouldhave."Note
thatinthesecondexampleabovetheeffectisreferredtobeforethe
cause.
Studentssummarizingtheplotofaplay,movie,ornovelareoften
unfamiliarwiththetraditionofdoingsointhepresenttense:"Hester
embroidersan"A"onherdress."Thinkoftheeventsinapieceof
fictionashappeningwheneveryoureadthemtheyexistinaneternal
presenteveniftheyarenarratedinthepasttense.Eventhosewhoare
familiarwiththispatterngettrippedupwhentheybegintodiscussthe
historicalorbiographicalcontextofawork,properlyusingthepast
tense,andforgettoshiftbacktothepresentwhentheyreturntoplot
summary.Here'showit'sdonecorrectly:"MarkTwain'sdaysonthe
MississippiwerelongpastwhenhewroteHuckleberryFinn;butHuck's
loveforlifeontheriverclearlyreflectshisyouthfulexperienceasa
steamboatpilot."Theverb"reflects"isinthepresenttense.Oftenthe
author'sactivityinwritingisrenderedinthepresenttenseaswell:
"TwaindepictsPapasadisgustingdrunk."Whataboutwhenyouare
comparingeventsthatoccurattwodifferenttimesinthesame
narrative?Youstillhavetosticktothepresent:"TomputsJimthrough
alotofunnecessarymiserybeforetellinghimthatheisfree."Just
rememberwhenyougofromEnglishtoyourhistoryclassthatyouhaveto
shiftbacktothepasttensefornarratinghistoricalevents:"Napoleon
lostthebattleofWaterloo."
VERBAGE/VERBIAGE
"Verbiage"isaninsultingtermusuallymeanttodisparageneedlessly
wordyprose.Don'tuseittomeansimply"wording."Thereisnosuch
wordas"verbage."
VERACIOUS/VORACIOUS
Ifyouareextremelyhungry,youmayhavea"voracious"appetite(think
oftheOasanopenmouth,readytodevouranything)."Veracious"isan
unusualwordmeaning"truthful,honest"(thinkabouttheEin"verify").

Atruthfulpersonhas"veracity.""Voracity,"meaning"extremeappetite"
isararewordyouareunlikelytohaveausefor;"voraciousness"is
morecommon.
VERSE/PLAYAGAINST
Someyoungpeopleuse"verse"asaverbmeaning"toplayagainst,"asin
"I'llverseyouatbasketballafterschool."Computergamersare
particularlyfondofvirtualopponentsversingeachother.Presumably
thisbitofslangderivesfromtheword"versus,"butit'snotstandard
Englishandislikelytoconfuseoutsiders.
VERSES/VERSUS
The"vs."inalawcaselike"Brownvs.TheBoardofEducation"stands
forLatinversus(meaning"against").Don'tconfuseitwiththewordfor
linesofpoetry"verses"whendescribingotherconflicts,likethe
upcomingfootballgamefeaturingOakesdaleversusPinewood.
Notethatinformallegalcontextstheusualabbreviationisusually
just"v.",asin"Brownv.TheBoardofEducation."
VERYUNIQUE/UNIQUE
"Unique"singlesoutoneofakind.That"un"atthebeginningisaform
of"one."Athingisunique(theonlyoneofitskind)oritisnot.
Somethingmaybealmostunique(thereareveryfewlikeit),butnothing
is"veryunique."
VICIOUS/VISCOUSCIRCLE/CYCLE
Theterm"viciouscircle"wasinventedbylogicianstodescribeaform
offallaciouscircularargumentinwhicheachtermoftheargumentdraws
ontheother:"Democracyisthebestformofgovernmentbecause
democraticelectionsproducethebestgovernments."Thephrasehasbeen
extendedinpopularusagetoallkindsofselfexacerbatingprocesses
suchasthis:poorpeopleoftenfindthemselvesborrowingmoneytopay
offtheirdebts,butintheprocesscreateevenmoreonerousdebtswhich
intheirturnwillneedtobefinancedbyfurtherborrowing.Sensing
vaguelythatsuchdestructivespiralsarenotclosedloops,peoplehave
transmuted"viciouscircle"into"viciouscycle."Theproblemwiththis
perfectlylogicalchangeisthatalotofpeopleknowwhattheoriginal
"correct"phrasewasandarelikelytoscornusersofthenewone.They
gobeyondscorntocontempthowevertowardthosepoorsoulswhorender
thephraseas"viscouscycle."Don'tusethisexpressionunlessyouare
discussingaHarleyDavidsonindireneedofanoilchange.
VIDEO/FILM
Manyofuscanrememberwhenportabletransistorizedradioswere
ignorantlycalled"transistors."Wehaveatendencytoabbreviatethe
namesofvarioussortsofelectronictechnology(see"stereo"and
"satellite"),oftenintheprocessconfusingthemediumwiththe
content.Videoistheelectronicreproductionofimages,andappliesto

broadcastandcabletelevision,prerecordedvideocassetterecordings
(madeonavideocassetterecorder,orVCR),andrelatedtechnologies.
MTVappropriatedthisbroadtermforaverynarrowmeaning:"videotaped
productionsofvisualmaterialmeanttoaccompanypopularmusic
recordings."Thisisnowwhatmostpeoplemeanwhentheyspeakof"a
video,"unlesstheyare"rentingavideo,"inwhichcasetheymeana
videocassetteorDVDrecordingofafilm.Onealsohearspeople
referringtotheatricalfilmsthattheyhappenedtohaveviewedin
videotapedreproductionas"videos."Thisissimplywrong.Afilmisa
film(ormovie),whetheritisprojectedonascreenfrom35or70mm
filmorbroadcastviatheNTSC,SECAMorPALstandard.OrsonWelles'
"CitizenKane"isnotnowandneverwillbea"video."
VINEGARETTE/VINAIGRETTE
Naivedinersandrestaurantworkersalikecommonlymispronouncethe
classicFrenchdressingcalled"vinaigrette"asifitwere
"vinegarette."Tobemoresophisticated,say"vinuhGRETT"(thefirst
syllablerhymeswith"seen").
VINTAGEPOINT/VANTAGEPOINT
Thespotfromwhichyouhaveagoodviewisavantagepoint.
VIRII/VIRUSES
Hackersliketouse"virii"asthepluralformof"virus,"butLatin
scholarsobjectthatthisinventedtermdoesnotfollowstandard
patternsinthatlanguage,andthatthereisalreadyaperfectlygood
pluralinEnglish:"viruses."
VITAE/VITA
Unlessyouaregoingtoclaimcreditforaccomplishmentsinprevious
incarnations,youshouldrefertoyour"vita,"notyour"vitae."All
kiddingaside,the"ae"in"vitae"supposedlyindicatesthegenitive
ratherthantheplural;butthederivationof"vita"from"curriculum
vitae"ispurelyspeculative(seetheOxfordEnglishDictionary),and
"vitae"onitsownmakesnosensegrammatically.
"Resume,"bytheway,isaFrenchwordwithboth"Es"accented,and
literallymeans"summary."InEnglishoneoftenseesitwithoutthe
accents,orwithonlythesecondaccent,neitherofwhichisaserious
error.Butifyou'retryingtoshowhowmultilingualyouare,remember
thefirstaccent.
VIOLA/VOILA
Aviolaisafloweroramusicalinstrument.Theexpressionwhichmeans
"behold!"is"voila."ItcomesfromaFrenchexpressionliterally
meaning"lookthere!"InFrenchitisspelledwithagraveaccentover
theA,butwhenitwasadoptedintoEnglish,itlostitsaccent.Such
barbarousmisspellingsas"vwala"areevenworse,causedbythe
reluctanceofEnglishspeakerstobelievethat"OI"canrepresentthe

sound"wah,"asitusuallydoesinFrench.
VOLUMN/VOLUME
ThereareafewunusualwordsinEnglishwhenendingin"MN"inwhich
the"N"issilent,suchas"hymn"and"column,"but"volume"isnotone
ofthem.
VOLUMPTUOUS/VOLUPTUOUS
Giventhecurrentmaniaforslim,tautbodies,itisunderstandableif
amusingthatsomefolksshouldconfusevoluptuousnesswithlumpiness.
Infact,"voluptuous"isderivedfromLatin"voluptas,"whichrefersto
sensualpleasureandnottoshapeatall.Avoluptuousbodyisa
luxuriousbody.
WAIL/WHALE
Oneinformalmeaningof"whale"is"tobeat."HuckFinnsaysofPapthat
"Heusedtoalwayswhalemewhenhewassober."
Althoughthevocalistinabandmaywailasong,thedrummerwhaleson
thedrums;andleadguitaristswhentheythrashtheirinstrumentswildly
whaleonthem.
Althoughthisusagedatesbacktothe18thcenturyandusedtobecommon
inBritainandAmerica,itisnowconfinedmostlytotheUS,andeven
therepeopleoftenmistakenlyuse"wail"forthismeaning.
WAITON/WAITFOR
Insomedialectsit'scommontosaythatyou'rewaitingonpeopleor
eventswheninstandardEnglishwewouldsayyou'rewaitingforthem.
Waiterswaitonpeople,soit'sallrighttosay"I'mtiredofwaiting
onyouhandandfoot";butyoushouldn'tsay"I'mwaitingonyoudown
hereatthepolicestation;bringthebailmoneysoIcancomehome."
WALKTHETALK/WALKTHEWALK
Aristotle'sfollowersaresaidtohavediscussedphilosophywhile
walkingaboutwithhimhencetheirname:"peripatetics."Isupposethey
couldbehavebeensaidto"walkthetalk."
Fortherestofus,thesayingis"ifyou'regoingtotalkthetalk,
you'vegottowalkthewalk"amodernversionofoldsayingslike
"actionsspeaklouderthanwords"and"practicewhatyoupreach."
Anotherearlyformoftheexpressionwas"walkitlikeyoutalkit."
Manypeoplenowcondensethisto"walkthetalk,"whichmakesasortof
sense(actonyourspeech),butstrikesthosewhoaremorefamiliarwith
theoriginalformasconfused.
WANDER/WONDER

Ifyouidlytravelaround,youwander.Ifyourealizeyou'relost,you
wonderwhereyouare.
WARMONGERER/WARMONGER
"Monger"isaveryoldwordfor"dealer."Anironmongersellsmetalor
hardware,andafishmongersellsfish.Warmongersdonotliterallysell
wars,buttheyadvocateandpromotethem.Forsomereasonlotsofpeople
tackanunneededextra"er"ontotheendofthisword.Whywouldyou
say"mongerer"whenyoudon'tsay"dealerer"?
WARY/WEARY/LEERY
Peoplesometimeswrite"weary"(tired)whentheymean"wary"(cautious)
whichisaclosesynonymwith"leery"whichinthepsychedelicerawas
oftenmisspelled"leary";butsinceTimothyLearyfadedfrompublic
consciousness,thecorrectspellinghasprevailed.
WARRANTEE/WARRANTY
Confusedbythespellingof"guarantee,"peopleoftenmisspellthe
relatedword"warrantee"ratherthanthecorrect"warranty.""Warrantee"
isararelegaltermthatmeans"thepersontowhomawarrantismade."
Although"guarantee"canbeaverb("weguaranteeyoursatisfaction"),
"warranty"isnot.Therarelyusedverbformis"towarrant."
WAS/WERE
Inphrasesbeginningwith"there"manypeopleoverlooktheneedto
chooseapluralorsingularformoftheverb"tobe"dependingonwhat
follows."Therewereseveralgoodlookingguysattheparty"[plural];
"unfortunatelyoneofthemwasmyhusband"[singular].
WASH
Inmymother'sOklahomadialect,"wash"waspronounced"warsh,"andI
wasembarrassedtodiscoverinschoolthattheinclusionofthe
superfluous"R"soundwasconsideredignorant.Thishasmademeallthe
moresensitivenowthatIliveinWashingtontothemispronunciation
"Warshington."Somepeopletellyouthatafteryou"warsh"youshould
"wrench"("rinse").
WAX
Anunusualuseoftheword"wax"is"tochangemannerofspeaking,"as
in"shewaxedeloquentonthecharmsofNewJersey"or"hewaxedpoetic
onvirtuesoftubeamplifiers."Theseexpressionsmeanthatshebecame
eloquentandhebecamepoetic.Itisanerrortosayinstead"shewaxed
eloquently"or"hewaxedpoetically."
WAY/FAR,MUCHMORE
Youngpeoplefrequentlyusephraseslike"waybetter"tomean"far

better"or"verymuchbetter."Informalwriting,itwouldbegaucheto
saythatImpressionismis"waymorepopular"thanCubisminsteadof
"muchmorepopular."
WAYS/WAY
Insomedialectsit'scommontosay"you'vegotawaystogobefore
you'vesavedenoughtobuyaMiata,"butinstandardEnglishit's"away
togo."
WEAK/WEEK
Peopleoftenabsentmindedlywrite"lastweak"or"nextweak."Lessoften
theywrite"Ifeelweek."Thesemistakeswillnotbecaughtbya
spellingchecker.
"Weak"istheoppositeof"strong."Aweekismadeupofsevendays.
WEATHER/WETHER/WHETHER
Theclimateismadeupof"weather";whetheritisniceoutdependson
whetheritisrainingornot.Awetherisjustacastratedsheep.
WEINER/WIENER
TheViennasausagefromthecitytheAustrianscallWieninspiredthe
Americanhotdog,orwiener.Americansaren'tusedtotheEuropean
pronunciationofIEas"ee"andoftenmisspellthewordas"weiner."
WENSDAY/WEDNESDAY
WednesdaywasnamedaftertheGermanicgod"Woden"(or"Wotan").Almost
noonepronouncesthisword'smiddlesyllabledistinctly,butit's
importanttorememberthecorrectspellinginwriting.
WENT/GONE
Thepastparticipleof"go"is"gone"soit'snot"Ishouldhavewentto
theparty"but"Ishouldhavegonetotheparty."
WE'RE/WERE
"We're"isacontractionofthephrase"weare":theapostrophestands
fortheomittedletterA."Were"issimplyapluralpasttenseformof
theverb"are."Totalkaboutsomethinghappeningnoworinthefuture,
use"we're";buttotalkaboutsomethinginthepast,use"were."Ifyou
can'tsubstitute"weare"forthewordyou'vewritten,omitthe
apostrophe.
"Weweregoingtogotothepartyasaprinceandprincess,butDerek
cuthimselfshaving,sowe'regoinginsteadasafemalewerewolfandher
victim."

WERE/WHERE
Sloppytypistsfrequentlyleavethe"H"outof"where."Spelling
checkersdonotcatchthissortoferror,ofcourse,solookforitas
youproofread.
WETYOURAPPETITE/WHETYOURAPPETITE
Itisnaturaltothinkthatsomethingmouthwatering"wetsyour
appetite,"butactuallytheexpressionis"whetyourappetite"sharpen
yourappetite,asawhetstonesharpensaknife.
WHACKY/WACKY
Althoughtheoriginalspellingofthiswordmeaning"crazy"was
"whacky,"thecurrentdominantspellingis"wacky."Ifyouusetheolder
form,somereaderswillthinkyou'vemadeaspellingerror.
WHAT/THAT
Insomedialectsitiscommontosubstitute"what"for"that,"asin
"Youshoulddancewithhimwhatbroughtyou."Thisisnotstandard
usage.
WHEAT/WHOLEWHEAT
Waitersroutinelyask"Wheatorwhite?"whenbreadisordered,butthe
whitebreadisalsomadeofwheat.Thecorrecttermis"wholewheat,"in
whichthewholegrain,includingthebranandgerm,hasbeenusedto
maketheflour."Wholewheat"doesnotnecessarilyimplythatnowhite
flourhasbeenusedinthebread;mostwholewheatbreadsincorporate
somewhiteflour.
WHEELBARREL/WHEELBARROW
Oneveryoldmeaningoftheword"barrow"isanopencontainerfor
carryingpeopleorgoods.Theearliestbarrowswerecarriedbytwo
peopleholdinghandlesoneitherend.Addawheeltooneendandyou
haveawheelbarrowwhichcanbehandledbyasingleperson.Thewordis
alsosometimesappliedtotwowheeledversions.
Thewordhasnothingtodowithbarrels.
WHENEVER/WHEN
"Whenever"hastwomainfunctions.Itcanrefertorepeatedevents:
"WheneverIputthebabydownforanapthephoneringsandwakesher
up."Oritcanrefertoeventsofwhosedateortimeyouareuncertain:
"WheneveritwasthatIfirstworemynewcashmeresweater,Iremember
thebabyspituponit."Insomedialects(notablyinNorthernIreland
andTexas)itiscommontosubstitute"whenever"for"when"in
statementsaboutspecificeventsoccurringonlyonceandwhosedateis
known:"Wheneverwegotmarried,Johnwassonervoushedroppedthering
downmydecolletage."Thisisnonstandard.Ifaneventisuniqueandits

dateortimeknown,use"when."
WHEREABOUTSARE/WHEREABOUTSIS
Despitethedeceptive"S"ontheendoftheword,"whereabouts"is
normallysingular,notplural."Thewhereaboutsofthestolendiamondis
unknown."Onlyifyouweresimultaneouslyreferringtotwoormore
personshavingseparatewhereaboutswouldthewordbeplural,andyou
arequiteunlikelytowanttodoso.
WHEREIT'SAT
Thisslangexpressiongainedwidespreadcurrencyinthesixtiesasahip
wayofstatingthatthespeakerunderstoodtheessentialtruthofa
situation:"Iknowwhereit'sat."Ormorecommonly:"Youdon'tknow
whereit'sat."Itisstillheardfromtimetotimewiththatmeaning,
buttheuserrisksbeinglabeledasaquaintoldBoomer.However,
standardusageneveracceptedtheliteralsenseofthephrase.Don't
say,"IputmypursedownandnowIdon'tknowwhereit'sat"unlessyou
wanttoberegardedasuneducated."Whereitis"willdofine;the"at"
isredundant.
WHEREFORE
WhenJulietsays"WhereforeartthouRomeo?"shemeans"Whydoyouhave
tobeRomeowhycouldn'tyouhaveanamebelongingtosomefamilymy
folksarefriendlywith?"SheisnotaskingwhereRomeois.Soifyou
misusethewordinsentenceslike"Whereforeartthou,StevieWonder?"
(youwishhe'dmakeanothergreatalbumlikeheusedto),youmake
yourselfsoundilliterateratherthansophisticated.
WHETHER/WHETHERORNOT
"Whether"worksfineonitsowninmostcontexts:"IwonderwhetherI
forgottoturnoffthestove?"Butwhenyoumean"regardlessofwhether"
ithastobefollowedby"ornot"somewhereinthesentence:"Weneedto
leavefortheairportinfiveminuteswhetheryou'vefoundyourteddy
bearornot."
Seealso"if/whether."
WHILST/WHILE
Although"whilst"isaperfectlygoodtraditionalsynonymof"while,"in
Americanusageitisconsideredpretentiousandoldfashioned.
WHIMANDAPRAYER
A1943hitsongdepictedabomberpilotjustbarelymanagingtobring
hisshotupplanebacktobase,"comin'inonawingandaprayer"
(lyricsbyHaroldAdamson,musicbyJimmyMcHugh).Somepeoplewhodon't
gettheallusionmanglethisexpressionas"awhimandaprayer."
Whimsicalityandferventprayerfulnessdon'tgotogether.

WHIMP/WIMP
Theoriginalandstillbyfarthemostcommonspellingofthiscommon
bitofslangmeaning"weakling,coward,"is"wimp."Ifyouusethemuch
lesscommon"whimp"insteadpeoplemayregardyouasalittlewimpy.
WHOAISME/WOEISME
"Whoa"iswhatyoutellahorsetogetittostop,extendedincasual
speechtoaninterjectionmeanttomakesomeonepausetothinkinthe
middleofaconversationsometimesmisspelled"woah."Thestandard
woefullamentis"Woeisme."
WHIPCREAM/WHIPPEDCREAM
Youwhipcreamuntilitbecomeswhippedcream;andthat'swhatyou
shouldwriteonthemenu.
WHISKY/WHISKEY
Scotspreferthespelling"whisky";AmericansfollowinsteadtheIrish
spelling,soKentuckybourbonis"whiskey."
WHO'S/WHOSE
Thisisoneofthosecaseswhereitisimportanttorememberthat
possessivepronounsnevertakeapostrophes,eventhoughpossessivenouns
do(seeit's/its)."Who's"alwaysandforevermeansonly"whois,"asin
"Who'sthatguywiththedroopymustache?"or"whohas,"asin"Who's
beeneatingmyporridge?""Whose"isthepossessiveformof"who"andis
usedasfollows:"Whosedirtysocksaretheseonthebreakfasttable?"
WHO/WHOM
"Whom"hasbeendyinganagonizingdeathfordecadesyou'llnotice
therearenoWhomsinDr.Seuss'sWhoville.Manypeopleneverusethe
wordinspeechatall.However,informalwriting,criticalreaders
stillexpectittobeusedwhenappropriate.Thedistinctionbetween
"who"and"whom"isbasicallysimple:"who"isthesubjectformofthis
pronounand"whom"istheobjectform."Whowaswearingthatawfuldress
attheAcademyAwardsbanquet?"iscorrectbecause"who"isthesubject
ofthesentence."TheMCwassostartledbythenecklinethatheforgot
towhomhewassupposedtogivetheOscar"iscorrectbecause"whom"is
theobjectofthepreposition"to."Sofarsogood.
Nowconsiderthissortofquestion:"Whoareyoustaringat?"Although
strictlyspeakingthepronounshouldbe"whom,"nobodywhowantstobe
takenseriouslywoulduseitinthiscase,thoughitistheobjectof
thepreposition"at".(Botheredbyendingthesentencewitha
preposition?Seemy"NonErrors"section.)"Whom"isveryrarelyused
evenbycarefulspeakersasthefirstwordinaquestion,andmany
authoritieshavenowconcededthepoint.

Thereisanothersortofquestioninwhich"whom"appearslaterinthe
sentence:"Iwonderwhomhebribedtogetthecontract?"Thismayseem
atfirstsimilartothepreviousexample,buthere"whom"isnotthe
subjectofanyverbinthesentence;ratheritispartofthenoun
clausewhichitselfistheobjectoftheverb"wonder."Hereanold
genderbiasedbuteffectivetestfor"whom"canbeused.Tryrewriting
thesentenceusing"he"or"him."Clearly"Hebribedhe"isincorrect;
youwouldsay"hebribedhim."Where"him"istheproperwordinthe
paraphrasedsentence,use"whom."
Instancesinwhichthedirectobjectappearsatthebeginningofa
sentencearetrickybecauseweareusedtohavingsubjectsinthat
positionandarestronglytemptedtouse"who":"WhomeverSusanadmired
mostwaslikelytogetthejob."(Test:"Sheadmiredhim."Right?)
Wherethingsgetreallymessyisinstatementsinwhichtheobjector
subjectstatusofthepronounisnotimmediatelyobvious.Example:"The
policegaveticketstowhoeverhadparkedinfrontofthefirehydrant."
Theobjectofthepreposition"to"istheentirenounclause,"whoever
hadparkedinfrontofthefirehydrant,"but"whoever"isthesubject
ofthatclause,thesubjectoftheverb"hadparked."Here'sacase
wherethetemptationtouse"whomever"shouldberesisted.
Confused?Justtrythe"heorhim"test,andifit'sstillnotclear,go
with"who."You'llbotherfewerpeopleandhaveafairchanceofbeing
right.
WHOLEHARDILY/WHOLEHEARTEDLY
Ifyouwanttoconveyyourheartycongratulationstosomeone,youdoso
not"wholehardily"but"wholeheartedly"withyourwholeheart.
AWHOLE'NOTHER/ACOMPLETELYDIFFERENT
Itisonethingtousetheexpression"awhole'nother"asaconsciously
slangyphrasesuggestingrusticcharmandacompletelydifferentmatter
touseitmistakenly.The"A"atthebeginningofthephraseisthe
commonarticle"a"butisheretreatedasifitweresimultaneouslythe
firstletterof"another,"interruptedby"whole."
WHO'SEVER/WHOEVER'S
Inspeechpeoplesometimestrytotreattheword"whoever"astwowords
whenit'susedinthepossessiveform:"Whoseeverdeliciousplumsthose
wereintherefrigerator,Iatethem."Occasionallyit'sevenmisspelled
as"whoseever."Thestandardformis"whoever's,"asin"Whoever'splums
thosewere...."
WILEAWAY/WHILEAWAY
"Waitingformyphysicalatthedoctor'soffice,Iwhiledawaythetime
readingthedessertrecipesinanoldcopyofGourmetmagazine."The
expression"whileawaythetime"istheonlysurvivingcontextfora
veryolduseof"while"asaverbmeaning"tospendtime."Manypeople

substitute"wile,"buttowilepeopleistolureortricktheminto
doingsomethingquitedifferentfromsimplyidlingawaythetime.Even
thoughdictionariesaccept"wileaway"asanalternative,itmakesmore
sensetostickwiththeoriginalexpression.
WISE
Inpoliticalandbusinessjargonitiscommontoappend"wise"tonouns
tocreatenoveladverbs:"Revenuewise,lastquarterwasadisaster."
Criticsoflanguageareunitedinobjectingtothispattern,anditis
oftenusedinfictiontosatirizelessthaneloquentspeakers.
WITHIN/AMONG
"Within"meansliterally"insideof,"butwhenyouwanttocompare
similaritiesordifferencesbetweenthingsyoumayneed"among"instead.
It'snot"Therearesomeentertainingmovieswithinthecurrent
releases,"but"amongthecurrentreleases."Butyoucanuse"within"by
rewritingthesentencetolumpthemoviestogetherintoasingleentity:
"Therearesomeentertainingmovieswithinthecurrentbatchof
releases."Abatchisasinglething,andtheindividualfilmsthatmake
ituparewithinit.
WOMAN/WOMEN
Thesingular"woman"probablygetsmixedupwiththeplural"women"
becausealthoughbotharespelledwithanOinthefirstsyllable,only
thepronunciationoftheOreallydifferentiatesthem.Justremember
thatthiswordistreatednodifferentlythan"man"(oneperson)and
"men"(morethanoneperson).Awomanisawomanneverawomen.
WONT/WONT
Peopleoftenleavetheapostropheoutof"won't,"meaning"willnot."
"Wont"isacompletelydifferentandrarelyusedwordmeaning"habitual
custom."Perhapspeoplearereluctanttobelievethisisaqcontraction
becauseitdoesn'tmakeobvioussenselike"cannot"beingcontractedto
"can't."TheOxfordEnglishDictionarysuggeststhat"won't"isa
contractionofanonstandardform:"wollnot."
WORLDWIDEWEB
"WorldWideWeb"isanamethatneedstobecapitalized,like
"Internet."ItismadeupofWebpagesandWebsites(or,lessformally,
Websites).
WORSECOMESTOWORSE/WORSTCOMESTOWORST
Thetraditionalidiomis"ifworstcomestoworst."Themodernvariation
"worsecomestoworst"isalittlemorelogical."Worsecomestoworse"
isjustamistake.
WOULDHAVE/HAD

Thestandardwaytotalkaboutsomethinginthepastthat'sdifferent
fromwhatreallyhappenedistouse"had,"asin"Therobberwishedhe
hadgiventhebankclerkafakewhensheaskedforhisIDcard."People
oftensayinstead"wishedhewouldhave,"butthispatternisnot
acceptableinstandardwrittenEnglish.
WOULDHAVELIKEDTOHAVE/WOULDHAVELIKED
"Shewouldlikedtohavehadanotherglassofchampagne"shouldbe"she
wouldhavelikedtohaveanotherglass...."
WRANGLE/WANGLE
Ifyoudeviouslymanagetoobtainsomethingyouwangleit:"Iwangledan
invitationtoJessica'spartybyhintingthatIwouldbeinvitingherto
ourhouseonthelakethissummer."Butifyouarguewithsomeone,you
wranglewiththem:"OnceIgottotheparty,Jessica'sattitude
irritatedmesomuchthatwewoundupwranglingconstantlyduringit."
Ofcoursecowboyswranglecattle,andspecialistswrangleotheranimal
speciesinfilms.
WRAPPED/RAPT
Whenyougetdeeplyinvolvedinaproject,youmaysayyou'rewrappedup
init;butifyouareentrancedorenrapturedbysomethingyouare
"rapt,"not"wrapped."Thewordmeans"carriedaway"andisusedin
expressionslike"listeningwithraptattention,""raptexpression,"and
"raptinconversation."
WRECKLESS/RECKLESS
Thiswordhasnothingtodowithcreatingthepotentialforawreck.
Ratheritinvolvesnotreckoningcarefullyallthehazardsinvolvedin
anaction.Thecorrectspellingistherefore"reckless."
WRITEME
ManyUKEnglishspeakersandsomeAmericanauthoritiesobjectstrongly
tothecommonAmericanexpression"writeme,"insistingthatthecorrect
expressionis"writetome."But"writeme"issocommoninUSEnglish
thatIthinkfewAmericanswilljudgeyouharshlyforusingit.After
all,wesay"callme"whynot"writeme"?Butifyou'reanAmerican
tryingtopleaseforeignersorparticularlypickyreaders,youmight
keepthe"writeme"phobiainmind.
Ifyoudisagree,pleasedon'twriteme.
WRITTING/WRITING
OneofthecommentsEnglishteachersdreadtoseeontheirevaluations
is"Theprofessorreallyhelpedmeimprovemywritting."When"ing"is
addedtoawordwhichendsinashortvowelfollowedonlybyasingle
consonant,thatconsonantisnormallydoubled,but"write"hasasilent
EontheendtoensurethelongIsoundintheword.DoublingtheTin

thiscasewouldmakethewordrhymewith"flitting."
WONDERKIND/WUNDERKIND
Weborrowedtheterm"wunderkind,"meaning"childprodigy,"fromthe
Germans.Wedon'tcapitalizeitthewaytheydo,butweusethesame
spelling.WhenwritinginEnglish,don'thalftranslateitas
"wonderkind."
YA'LL/Y'ALL
"Howy'alldoin'?"IfyouarerenderingthiscommonSouthernismin
print,becarefulwhereyouplacetheapostrophe,whichstandsforthe
secondandthirdlettersin"you."Notethat"y'all"standsfor"you
all"andisproperlyapluralform,thoughmanysouthernspeakerstreat
itasasingularformandresortto"ally'all"fortheplural.
YE/THE
ThosewhostudythehistoryofEnglishknowthatthewordoftenmisread
as"ye"inMiddleEnglishisgoodold"the"spelledwithanunfamiliar
charactercalleda"thorn"whichlooksvaguelylikea"Y"butwhichis
pronounced"TH."Soallthosequaintshopnamesbeginning"YeOlde"are
basedonaconfusion:peopleneversaid"ye"tomean"the."However,if
you'dratherbecutethanhistoricallyaccurate,goahead.Veryfew
peoplewillknowanybetter.
YEA/YEAH/YAY
"Yea"isaveryoldfashionedformalwayofsaying"yes,"usedmainlyin
voting.It'stheoppositeofandrhymeswith"nay."Whenyouwantto
writethecommoncasualversionof"yes,"thecorrectspellingis"yeah"
(soundslike"yeh").Whenthethirdgradeteacherannouncedaclasstrip
tothezoo,weallyelled"yay!"(theoppositeof"boo"!).Thatwasback
whenIwasonlyyaybig.
YINGANDYANG/YINANDYANG
ThepairoffemaleandmaletermsinChinesethoughtconsistsof"yin
andyang,"not"yingandyang."
YOKE/YOLK
Theyellowcenterofaneggisitsyolk.Thelinkthatholdstwooxen
togetherisayoke;theyareyoked.
YOUCAN'THAVEYOURCAKEANDEATITTOO/YOUCAN'TEATYOURCAKEANDHAVE
ITTOO
Themostpopularformofthissaying"Youcan'thaveyourcakeandeat
ittoo"confusesmanypeoplebecausetheymistakenlysupposetheword
"have"means"eat,"asin"Haveapieceofcakefordessert."Amore
logicalversionofthissayingis"Youcan'teatyourcakeandhaveit
too,"meaningthatifyoueatyourcakeyouwon'thaveitanymore.The

pointisthatifyoueatyourcakerightnowyouwon'thaveittoeat
later."Have"means"possess"inthiscontext,not"eat."
YOUR/YOU
"Iappreciateyourcleaningthetoilet"ismoreformalthan"I
appreciateyoucleaningthetoilet."
YOUR/YOU'RE
"You're"isalwaysacontractionof"youare."Ifyou'vewritten
"you're,"trysubstituting"youare."Ifitdoesn'twork,thewordyou
wantis"your."Yourwritingwillimproveifyou'recarefulaboutthis.
Ifsomeonethanksyou,writeback"you'rewelcome"for"youare
welcome."
YOURGUYS'S/YOUR
Manylanguageshaveseparatesingularandpluralformsforthesecond
person(waysofsaying"you"),butstandardEnglishdoesnot."You"can
beaddressedtoanindividualorawholeroomfullofpeople.
Incasualspeech,Americanshaveevolvedtheslangyexpression"you
guys"tofunctionasasecondpersonplural,formerlyusedofmalesonly
butnowextendedtobothsexes;butthisisnotappropriateinformal
contexts.Dinersinfinerestaurantsareoftenirritatedbyclueless
waiterswhoask"CanIgetyouguysanything?"
Theproblemismuchmoreseriouswhenextendedtothepossessive:"You
guys'sdessertwillbereadyinaminute."Somepeopleevencreatea
doublepossessivebysaying"yourguys'sdessert...."Thisis
extremelyclumsy.Whendealingwithpeopleyoudon'tknowintimately,
it'sbesttostickwith"you"and"your"nomatterhowmanypeople
you'readdressing.
YOURSELF
InformalEnglishit'ssafesttouse"yourself"onlyafterhaving
earlierinthesamesentenceused"you."WhentheBritishreplytoa
querylike"Howareyou?"with"Fine,andyourself?"theyareactually
pointingbacktothe"you"inthequery.
ItusedtobecommontoaddresssomeoneinBritishEnglishas"Yourgood
self"andsomepeoplehavecontinuedthistraditionbycreatingtheword
"goodself,"commonespeciallyinSouthAsia;butthisisnonstandard.
YOUSE/YOU
Thepluralformof"you"pronouncedas"youse"isheardmainlyinsatire
onthespeechoffolksfromBrooklyn.It'snotstandardEnglish,since
"you"canbeeithersingularorpluralwithoutanychangeinspellingor
pronunciation.

YOU'VEGOTANOTHERTHINGCOMING/YOU'VEGOTANOTHERTHINKCOMING
Here'sacaseinwhicheagernesstoavoiderrorleadstoerror.The
originalexpressionisthelastpartofadeliberatelyungrammatical
joke:"Ifthat'swhatyouthink,you'vegotanotherthinkcoming."
ZEROSCAPE/XERISCAPE
IfyounukeyourfrontlawnIsupposeyoumightcallita"zeroscape,"
butthetermforanaridclimategardenrequiringlittleornowatering
is"xeriscape"(xeriisaGreekrootmeaning"dry").
ZEROSUMGAIN/ZEROSUMGAME
Theconceptofazerosumgamewasdevelopedfirstingametheory:what
onesidegainstheotherloses.Whenappliedtoeconomicsitisoften
contrastedwitha"winwin"situationinwhichbothsidescanmakegains
withoutanyonelosing.Peoplewhoareunawareofthephrase'sorigins
oftenmistakenlysubstitute"gain"for"game."
ZOOLOGY
BothO'sin"zoo"areneededtocreatethe"oo"soundinthisword;but
thesameisnottrueofwordslike"zoology"and"zoologist."Hereeach
Ohasitsownsound:"oh"followedby"ah."Thefirsttwosyllablesrhyme
with"boa."
Thenthereisawholeclassoftechnicalwordslike"zooplankton"where
bothO'sarepronounced"oh,"thoughthesecond"oh"ispronouncedso
weaklyitcomesoutmorelike"uh"Butifyouneedtospeaksuchwords,
youprobablyknowhowtopronouncethemalready.

NONERRORS:(Thoseusagespeoplekeeptellingyouarewrongbutwhich
areactuallystandardinEnglish.)
Splitinfinitives
Forthehypercritical,"toboldlygowherenomanhasgonebefore"
shouldbe"togoboldly...."Itisgoodtobeawarethatinserting
oneormorewordsbetween"to"andaverbisnotstrictlyspeakingan
error,andisoftenmoreexpressiveandgracefulthanmovingthe
interveningwordselsewhere;butsomanypeopleareoffendedbysplit
infinitivesthatitisbettertoavoidthemexceptwhenthealternatives
soundstrainedandawkward.
Endingasentencewithapreposition
Afineexampleofanartificial"rule"whichignoresstandardusage.The
famouswitticismusuallyattributedtoWinstonChurchillmakesthepoint
well:"ThisisthesortofpedantryupwithwhichIcannotput."
See"TheAmericanHeritageBookofEnglishUsage"at

http://www.bartleby.com/64/C001/050.html.JackLynchhassomesensible
commentsonthisissue:
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/p.html#prepend.
ThesayingattributedtoWinstonChurchillrejectingtheruleagainst
endingasentencewithaprepositionmustbeamongthemostfrequently
mutatedwitticismsever.Ihavereceivedmanynotesfromcorrespondents
claimingtoknowwhatthe"originalsaying"was,butnoneofthemcites
anauthoritativesource.
Thealt.english.usageFAQstatesthatthestoryoriginatedwithan
anecdoteinSirErnestGowers'PlainWords(1948).Supposedlyaneditor
hadclumsilyrearrangedoneofChurchill'ssentencestoavoidendingit
inapreposition,andthePrimeMinister,veryproudofhisstyle,
scribbledthisnoteinreply:"ThisisthesortofEnglishupwithwhich
Iwillnotput."TheAmericanHeritageBookofEnglishUsageagrees.
TheFAQgoesontosaythattheOxfordCompaniontotheEnglishLanguage
(noeditioncited)statesthattheoriginalwas"Thisisthesortof
bloodynonsenseupwithwhichIwillnotput."Tomethissoundsmore
likely,andeagernesstoavoidtheoffensiveword"bloody"wouldhelpto
explaintheproliferationofvariations.
AquicksearchoftheInternetturnedupanastonishingnumber.Inthis
eraofcopyandpasteit'strulyunusualtofindsuchrichvariety.The
narrativecontextvariestoo:sometimesthepersonrebukedbyChurchill
isacorrespondent,aspeecheditor,abureaucrat,oranaudiencemember
ataspeechandsometimesitisaman,sometimesawoman,andsometimes
evenayoungstudent.SometimesChurchillwritesanote,sometimeshe
scribblesthenoteonthecorrectedmanuscript,andoftenheissaidto
havespokentherebukealoud.Thetextconcernedwasvariouslyabook
manuscript,aspeech,anarticle,oragovernmentdocument.
HereisjustasampleofthevariationscirculatingontheNet:
1.
ThatisaruleupwithwhichIwillnotput.2. Thisisthe
kindofarrantpedantryupwithwhichIwillnotput.3.
Thisisthe
typeofarrantpedantryupwithwhichIwillnotput.4.
Notendinga
sentencewithaprepositionisabitofarrantpedantryupwithwhichI
willnotput.5. ThatisthesortofnonsenseupwithwhichIwill
notput6. Thisisinsubordination,upwithwhichIwillnotput!
7.
ThisisthesortofnonsenseupwithwhichIwillnotput.
8.
ThisisthesortofthingupwithwhichIwillnotput.
9.
Madame,thatisaruleupwithwhichIshallnotput.
Onepoorsoul,unfamiliarwiththeword"arrant,"cameupwith:"Thatis
thesortoferrantcriticismupwithwhichIwillnotput."
Thentherearethosewhogetitsoscrambleditcomesoutbackward:
1.
EndingasentencewithaprepositionissomethingupwithwhichI
willnotput.2. Endingasentencewithaprepositionissomethingup
withwhichwewillnotput.3.Fromnowon,endingasentencewitha
prepositionissomethingupwithwhichIwillnotput.4.
Please

understandthatendingasentencewithaprepositionissomethingup
withwhichIshallnotput.
IcheckedtheindexesofadozenChurchillbiographies,butnoneofthem
hadanentryfor"prepositions."
BenZimmerhaspresentedevidenceonthealt.usage.englishlistthat
thisstorywasnotoriginallyattributedtoChurchillatall,buttoan
anonymousofficialinanarticlein"TheStrand"magazine.Since
Churchilloftencontributedto"TheStrand,"Zimmerargues,itwould
certainlyhaveidentifiedhimifhehadbeentheofficialinquestion.
ItisnotclearhowtheanecdotecametobeattributedtoChurchillby
Gowers,butitseemstohavecirculatedindependentlyearlier.
Beginningasentencewithaconjunction
ItoffendsthosewhowishtoconfineEnglishusageinalogical
straitjacketthatwritersoftenbeginsentenceswith"and"or"but."
True,oneshouldbeawarethatmanysuchsentenceswouldbeimprovedby
becomingclausesincompoundsentences;buttherearemanyeffectiveand
traditionalusesforbeginningsentencesthus.Oneexampleisthereply
toapreviousassertioninadialogue:"But,mydearWatson,the
criminalobviouslyworeexpensivebootsorhewouldnothavetakensuch
painstoscrapethemclean."Makeitaruletoconsiderwhetheryour
conjunctionwouldreposemorenaturallywithintheprevioussentenceor
wouldloseinusefulemphasisbybeingdemotedfromitspositionatthe
headofanewsentence.
Using"between"foronlytwo,"among"formore
The"tween"in"between"isclearlylinkedtothenumbertwo;but,as
theOxfordEnglishDictionarynotes,"Inallsenses,betweenhas,from
itsearliestappearance,beenextendedtomorethantwo."We'retalking
aboutAngloSaxonhereearly.Pedantshavelaboredtoenforce"among"
whentherearethreeormoreobjectsunderdiscussion,butlargelyin
vain.Eventhepickiestspeakerdoesnotnaturallysay,"Atreatyhas
beennegotiatedamongEngland,France,andGermany."
Overvs.morethan.
Somepeopleinsistthat"over"cannotbeusedtosignify"morethan,"as
in"Overathousandbatontwirlersmarchedintheparade.""Over,"they
insist,alwaysreferstosomethingphysicallyhigher:say,theblimp
hoveringovertheparaderoute.Thisabsurddistinctionignorestherole
metaphorplaysinlanguage.IfIwrite1ontheblackboardand10beside
it,10isstillthe"higher"number."Over"hasbeenusedinthesense
of"morethan"foroverathousandyears.
Feelingbad
"Ifeelbad"isstandardEnglish,asin"Thistshirtsmellsbad"(not
"badly")."Ifeelbadly"isanincorrecthypercorrectionbypeoplewho
thinktheyknowbetterthanthemasses.Peoplewhoarehappycan
correctlysaytheyfeelgood,butiftheysaytheyfeelwell,weknow

theymeantosaythey'rehealthy.
Forwardvs.forwards
Althoughsomestylebooksprefer"forward"and"toward"to"forwards"
and"towards,"noneoftheseformsisreallyincorrect,thoughtheforms
withoutthefinal"S"areperhapsasmidgenmoreformal.Thespelling
"foreword"appliesexclusivelytotheintroductorymatterinabook.
Gender/sex
Whendiscussingmalesandfemales,feministswantingtoremove
referencestosexualityfromcontextswhichdon'tinvolvematingor
reproductionrevivedanoldermeaningof"gender"whichhadcometo
referinmoderntimeschieflytolanguage,asasynonymfor"sex"in
phrasessuchas"Ourgoalistoachievegenderequality."Americans,
alwaysnervousaboutsex,eagerlyembracedthisusage,whichisnow
standard.Insomescholarlyfields,"sex"isusedtolabelbiologically
determinedaspectsofmalenessandfemaleness(reproduction,etc.)while
"gender"referstotheirsociallydeterminedaspects(behavior,
attitudes,etc.);butinordinaryspeechthisdistinctionisnotalways
maintained.Itisdisingenuoustopretendthatpeoplewhouse"gender"
inthenewsensesaremakinganerror,justasitisdisingenuousto
maintainthat"Ms."means"manuscript"(that's"MS").Nevertheless,I
mustadmitIwasstartledtodiscoverthatthetagonmynewtrousers
describesnotonlytheirsizeandcolor,buttheir"gender."
Using"who"forpeople,"that"foranimalsandinanimateobjects.
Infacttherearemanyinstancesinwhichthemostconservativeusageis
torefertoapersonusing"that":"Allthepoliticiansthatwereatthe
partylaterdeniedevenknowingthehost"isactuallysomewhatmore
traditionalthanthemorepopular"politicianswho."Anaversionto
"that"referringtohumanbeingsassomehowdiminishingtheirhumanity
maybepraiseworthilysensitive,butitcannotclaimtheauthorityof
tradition.Insomesentences,"that"isclearlypreferableto"who":
"SheistheonlypersonIknowofthatpreferswhippedcreamonher
granola."Inthefollowingexample,toexchange"that"for"who"would
beabsurd:"Whowasitthatsaid,'Awomanwithoutamanislikeafish
withoutabicycle'?"*
*CommonlyattributedtoGloriaSteinem,butsheattributesittoIrina
Dunn.
"Since"cannotmean"because."
"Since"neednotalwaysrefertotime.Sincethe14thcentury,whenit
wasoftenspelled"syn,"ithasalsomeant"seeingthat"or"because."
Hopefully
Thiswordhasmeant"itistobehoped"foraverylongtime,andthose
whoinsistitcanonlymean"inahopefulfashion"displaymore
hopefulnessthanrealism.

Momentarily
"Theplanewillbelandingmomentarily"saystheflightattendant,and
thegrumpygrammarianinseat36Bthinkstohimself,"Sowe'regoingto
touchdownforjustamoment?"Everyoneelsethinks,"Justamomentnow
beforeweland."Backinthe1920swhenthisuseof"momentarily"was
firstspreadingonbothsidesoftheAtlantic,onemighthavebeen
accusedofmisusingtheword;butbynowit'slistedwithoutcommentas
oneofthestandarddefinitionsinmostdictionaries.
Lendvs.loan
"Loanmeyourhat"wasjustascorrecteverywhereas"lendmeyourears"
untiltheBritishmade"lend"thepreferredverb,relegating"loan"to
thethingbeinglent.However,asinsomanycases,Americanskeptthe
olderpattern,whichinitsturnhasinfluencedmodernBritishusageso
thatthoseinsistingthat"loan"canonlybeanounareintheminority.
Scanvs.skim
Thosewhoinsistthat"scan"canneverbeasynonymof"skim"havelost
thebattle.Itistruethatthewordoriginallymeant"toscrutinize,"
butithasnowevolvedintooneofthoseunfortunatewordswithtwo
oppositemeanings:toexamineclosely(nowrare)andtoglanceat
quickly(muchmorecommon).Itwouldbedifficulttosaywhichofthese
twomeaningsismoreprominentinthecomputerrelatedusage,to"scana
document."
Regimevs.regimen
Somepeopleinsistthat"regime"shouldbeusedonlyinreferenceto
governments,andthatpeoplewhosaytheyarefollowingadietaryregime
shouldinsteaduse"regimen";but"regime"hasbeenasynonymof
"regimen"foroveracentury,andiswidelyacceptedinthatsense.
Nearmiss
Itisfutiletoprotestthat"nearmiss"shouldbe"nearcollision."
Thisexpressionisacondensedversionofsomethinglike"amissthat
cameveryneartobeingacollision,"andissimilarto"narrowescape."
Everyoneknowswhatismeantbyitandalmosteveryoneusesit.It
shouldbenotedthattheexpressioncanalsobeusedinthesenseof
almostsucceedinginstrikingadesiredtarget:"HisCointreausouffle
wasanearmiss."
"None"singularvs.plural
Somepeopleinsistthatsince"none"isderivedfrom"noone"itshould
alwaysbesingular:"noneofusishavingdessert."However,instandard
usage,thewordismostoftentreatedasaplural."Noneofusare
havingdessert"willdojustfine.
Offof

FormostAmericans,thenaturalthingtosayis"Climbdownoffof
[pronounced"offa"]thathorse,Tex,withyourhandsintheair;"but
manyUKauthoritiesurgethatthe"of"shouldbeomittedasredundant.
WhereBritishEnglishreignsyoumaywanttoomitthe"of"as
superfluous,butcommonusageintheUShasrendered"offof"so
standardastogenerallypassunnoticed,thoughsomeAmerican
authoritiesalsodiscourageitinformalwriting.Butif"onto"makes
sense,sodoes"offof."However,"offof"meaning"from"inphrases
like"borrowfivedollarsoffofClarice"is
definitelynonstandard.
Til/until
Sinceitlookslikeanabbreviationfor"until,"somepeoplearguethat
thiswordshouldalwaysbespelled"'til"(thoughnotallinsistonthe
apostrophe).However,"till"hasregularlyoccurredasaspellingof
thiswordforover800yearsandit'sactuallyolderthan"until."Itis
perfectlygoodEnglish.
"Teenage"vs."teenaged"
Somepeopleobjectthatthewordshouldbe"teenaged,"butunlikethe
stillnonstandard"icetea"and"stainglass,""teenage"isalmost
universallyacceptednow.
Don'tuse"reference"tomean"cite."
NounsareoftenturnedintoverbsinEnglish,and"reference"inthe
sense"toprovidereferencesorcitations"hasbecomesowidespreadthat
it'sgenerallyacceptable,thoughsometeachersandeditorsstill
object.
unquote/endquote
Somepeoplegetupsetatthecommonpatternbywhichspeakersframea
quotationbysaying"quote...unquote,"insistingthatthelatter
wordshouldlogicallybe"endquote";butillogicalasitmaybe,
"unquote"hasbeenusedinthiswayforaboutacentury,and"endquote"
isnonstandard.
Persuadevs.convince
Somepeopleliketodistinguishbetweenthesetwowordsbyinsisting
thatyoupersuadepeopleuntilyouhaveconvincedthem;but"persuade"
asasynonymfor"convince"goesbackatleasttothe16thcentury.It
canmeanbothtoattempttoconvinceandtosucceed.Itisnolonger
commontosaythingslike"Iampersuadedthatyouareanilliterate
fool,"buteventhisusageisnotinitselfwrong.
Normalcyvs.normality
Theword"normalcy"hadbeenaroundformorethanhalfacenturywhen
PresidentWarrenG.Hardingwasassailedinthenewspapersforhaving

useditina1921speech.Somefolksarestillupset;butintheUS
"normalcy"isaperfectlynormalifuncommonsynonymfor"normality."
Aggravatevs.irritateSomepeopleclaimthat"aggravate"canonlymean
"makeworse"andshouldnotbeusedtomean"irritate";butthelatter
hasbeenavaliduseofthewordforfourcenturies,and"aggravation"
meansalmostexclusively"irritation."
Youshouldn'tpronouncethe"e"in"notmyforte."
Somepeopleinsistthatit'sanerrortopronouncetheword"forte"in
theexpression"notmyforte"asifFrenchderived"forte"werethesame
astheItalianmusicaltermfor"loud":"fortay."Buttheoriginal
Frenchexpressionis"pasmonfort,"whichnotonlyhasno"e"onthe
endtopronounceithasasilent"t"aswell.It'stoobadthatwhenwe
importedthisphrasewemangleditsobadly,butit'stoolatetodo
anythingaboutitnow.Ifyougoaroundsayingwhatsoundslike"that's
notmyfort,"peoplewon'tunderstandwhatyoumean.
However,thosewhousethephrasetomean"nottomytaste"("Wagnerian
operaisnotmyforte")aredefinitelymistaken.Yourforteiswhat
you'regoodat,notjuststuffyoulike.
"Preventive"istheadjective,"preventative"thenoun.
ImustsayIlikethesoundofthisdistinction,butinfactthetwoare
interchangeableasbothnounsandadjectives,thoughmanyprefer
"preventive"asbeingshorterandsimpler."Preventative"usedasan
adjectivedatesbacktothe17thcentury,asdoes"preventive"asa
noun.
Peoplearehealthy;vegetablesarehealthful.
Logicandtraditionareonthesideofthosewhomakethisdistinction,
butI'mafraidphraseslike"partofahealthybreakfast"havebecomeso
widespreadthattheyarerarelyperceivedaserroneousexceptbythe
hypercorrect.Onarelatedthoughslightlydifferentsubject,itis
interestingtonotethatinEnglishadjectivesconnectedtosensations
intheperceiverofanobjectoreventareoftentransferredtothe
objectoreventitself.Inthe19thcenturyitwasnotuncommonto
refer,forinstance,toa"gratefulshowerofrain,"andwestillsay"a
gloomylandscape,""acheerfulsight"and"ahappycoincidence."
Cropsareraised;childrenarereared.
Oldfashionedwritersinsistthatyouraisecropsandrearchildren;but
inmodernAmericanEnglishchildrenareusually"raised."
Dinnerisdone;peoplearefinished.
Ipronouncethisanantiquateddistinctionrarelyobservedinmodern
speech.Nobodyreallysupposesthespeakerissayingheorshehasbeen
roastedtoaturn.Inolderusagepeoplesaid,"Ihavedone"toindicate
theyhadcompletedanaction."Iamdone"isnotreallysovery

different.
"You'vegotmail"shouldbe"youhavemail."
The"have"contractedinphraseslikethisismerelyanauxiliaryverb,
notanexpressionofpossession.Itisnotaredundancy.Compare:
"You'vesentthemail."
it's"cutthemuster,"not"cutthemustard."
Thisetymologyseemsplausibleatfirst.Itsproponentsoftentraceit
totheAmericanCivilWar.Wedohavetheanalogousexpression"topass
muster,"whichprobablyfirstsuggestedthisalternative;butalthough
theoriginsof"cutthemustard"aresomewhatobscure,thelatteris
definitelytheformusedinallsortsofwritingthroughoutthe
twentiethcentury.Commonsensewouldsuggestthatapersoncuttinga
musterisnotsomeonebeingselectedasfit,butsomeoneeliminatingthe
unfit.
Hereisthearticleon"cutthemustard"fromthe"faq"(frequently
askedquestionslist)oftheUseNetnewsgroupalt.usage.english:
Thisexpressionmeaning"toachievetherequiredstandard"isfirst
recordedinanO.Henrystoryof1902:"SoIlookedaroundandfounda
proposition[awoman]thatexactlycutthemustard."
Itmaycomefromacowboyexpression,"thepropermustard",meaning"the
genuinething",andaresultinguseof"mustard"todenotethebestof
anything.O.HenryinCabbagesandKings(1894)calledmustard"themain
attraction":"I'mnotheadlinedinthebills,butI'mthemustardinthe
saladdressing,justthesame."Figurativeuseof"mustard"asa
positivesuperlativedatesfrom1659inthephrase"keenasmustard",
anduseof"cut"todenoterank(asin"acutabove")datesfromthe
18thcentury.
Othertheoriesarethatitisacorruptionofthemilitaryphrase"to
passmuster"("muster",fromLatin"monstrare"="toshow",means"to
assemble(troops),asforinspection");thatitreferstothepractice
ofaddingvinegartogroundupmustardseedto"cut"thebittertaste;
thatitliterallymeans"cutmustard"asanexampleofadifficulttask,
mustardbeingarelativelytoughcropthatgrowsclosetotheground;
andthatitliterallymeans"cutmustard"asanexampleofaneasytask
(viathenegativeexpression"can'tevencutthemustard"),mustard
beingeasiertocutatthetablethanbutter.
Themoreorlesssynonymousexpression"cutit"(asin"sorry,doesn't
cutit")seemstobemorerecentandmayderivefrom"cutthemustard".
it's"carrotonastick,"not"carrotorstick."
Authoritativedictionariesagree,theoriginalexpressionrefersto
offeringtorewardastubbornmuleordonkeywithacarrotor
threateningtobeatitwithastickandnottoacarrotbeingdangled

fromastick.
TheUsenetNewsgroupalt.usage.englishhasdebatedthisexpression
severaltimes.Noonetherepresenteddefinitiveevidence,but
dictionariesagreetheproperexpressionis"thecarrotorthestick".
OnepersonontheWebmentionsanold"LittleRascals"shortinwhichan
animalwastemptedtoforwardmotionbyacarrotdanglingfromastick.
Ithinktheimageismucholderthanthat,goingbacktooldmagazine
cartoons(certainlyolderthantheanimatedcartoonsreferredtoby
correspondentsonalt.usage.english);butI'llbetthatthecartoonidea
stemmedfromlooseassociationwiththeoriginalphrase"thecarrotor
thestick"ratherthantheotherwayaround.Anoddvariantistheclaim
broadcastonNationalPublicRadioMarch21,1999thatoneZebediah
Smithoriginatedthistechniqueofmotivatingstubbornanimals.Thisis
almostcertainlyanurbanlegend.
Notethatthepeoplewhoarguefor"carrotonastick"neverciteany
documentableearlyuseofthesupposed"correct"expression.Forthe
record,here'swhattheSupplementtotheOxfordEnglishDictionaryhas
tosayonthesubject:"carrot,sb.Add:1.a.fig.[Withallusionto
theproverbialmethodoftemptingadonkeytomovebydanglingacarrot
beforeit.]Anenticement,apromisedorexpectedreward;freq.
contrastedwith"stick"(=punishment)asthealternative."
[Skippingreferencestousesasearlyas1895whichreferonlytothe
carrotsodon'tclearuptheissue.]
"1948Economist11Dec.957/2Thematerialshrinkingofrewardsand
lighteningofpenalties,thewhittlingawayofstickandcarrot.[Too
badtheEconomist'swriterswitchedtheorderinthesecondpartofthis
example,butthedistinctionisclear.]
"1954J.A.C.BrownSocialPsychol.ofIndustryi.15Thetacit
implicationthat...mostmen...are...solelymotivatedbyfear
orgreed(amotivenowdescribedas"thecarrotorthestick")
"1963Listener21Feb.321/2OnceGomulkahadthrownawaythestickof
collectivization,hewascompelledtorelyonthecarrotofaprice
systemfavourabletothepeasant."
Thedebatehasbeenconfusedfromtimetotimebyimaginingonestick
fromwhichthecarrotisdangledandanotherkeptinreserveasawhip;
butIimaginethattheoriginalimageinthemindsofthosewho
developedthisexpressionwasadonkeyormuleladenwithcargorather
thanbeingridden,withitsmasteralternatelyholdingacarrotinfront
oftheanimal'snose(byhand,notonastick)andthreateningitwitha
switch.Twosticksaretoomanytomakeforaneatexpression.
Forme,theclincheristhatnooneactuallycitestheformofthe
"originalexpression."Inwhatimaginablecontextwoulditpossiblybe
wittyormemorabletosaythatsomeoneorsomethinghadbeenmotivated
byacarrotonastick?Whynotanappleonastick,orabagofoats?
Boring,right?Notsomethinglikelytopassintopopularusage.

Thissayingbelongstothesamegeneralfamilyas"youcandrawmore
flieswithhoneythanwithvinegar."Itisneverusedexceptwhensuch
contrastisimplied.
Thisandotherpopularetymologiesfitundertheheadingaptlycalledby
theEnglish"toocleverbyhalf."
Peopleshouldsayabookistitledsuchandsuchratherthan"entitled."
NolessawriterthanChauceriscitedbytheOxfordEnglishDictionary
ashavingused"entitled"inthissense,theveryfirstmeaningofthe
wordlistedbytheOED.Itmaybeatouchpretentious,butit'snot
wrong.
"Spittingimage"shouldbe"spitandimage."
AccordingtotheOxfordEnglishDictionarytheearlierformwas"spitten
image,"whichmayindeedhaveevolvedfrom"spitandimage."it'sa
crudefigureofspeech:someoneelseisenoughlikeyoutohavebeen
spatoutbyyou,madeoftheverystuffofyourbody.Intheearly20th
centurythespellingandpronunciationgraduallyshiftedtotheless
logical"spittingimage,"whichisnowstandard.it'stoolatetogo
back.Thereisnohistoricalbasisfortheclaimsometimesmadethatthe
originalexpressionwas"spiritandimage."
"Lion'sshare"meansallofsomething,notthelargerpartofsomething.
Eventhoughtheoriginalmeaningofthisphrasereflectedtheideathat
thelioncantakewhateverhewantstypicallyalloftheslaughtered
game,leavingnothingforanyoneelseinmodernusagethemeaninghas
shiftedto"thelargestshare."Thismakesgreatsenseifyouconsider
thewayhyenasandvulturesswarmovertheleftoversfromatypical
lion'skill.
"Connoisseur"shouldbespelled"connaisseur."
WhenweborrowedthiswordfromtheFrenchinthe18thcentury,itwas
spelled"connoisseur."IsitourfaulttheFrenchlaterdecidedtoshift
thespellingofmanyOIwordstothemorephoneticallyaccurateAI?Of
thoseFrancophonepuristswhoinsistweshouldfollowtheirexampleI
say,let'emeat"bifteck."

OTHERCOMMONLYMISSPELLEDWORDS
HereisalistofsomeofthemostcommonlymisspelledwordsinEnglish
whichIconsidernotinterestingenoughtowriteupasseparateentries.
Thesearethecorrectspellings.Readingoverthelistprobablywon't
improveyourspellingmuch,butchoosingafewwhichyoufind
troublesometowriteoutcorrectlyafewtimesmay.
absence,abundance,accessible,accidentally,acclaim,accommodate,

accomplish,accordion,accumulate,achievement,acquaintance,across,
address,advertisement,aggravate,alleged,annual,apparent,
appearance,argument,atheist,athletics,attendance,auxiliary,
balloon,barbecue,barbiturate,bargain,basically,beggar,beginning,
believe,biscuit,bouillon,boundary,Britain,business,calendar,
camouflage,cantaloupe,cemetery,chagrined,challenge,characteristic,
changing,chief,cigarette,climbed,collectible,colonel,colossal,
column,coming,committee,commitment,comparative,competent,
completely,concede,conceive,condemn,condescend,conscientious,
consciousness,consistent,continuous,controlled,convenient,coolly,
corollary,correlate,correspondence,counselor,courteous,courtesy,
criticize,deceive,defendant,deferred,dependent,descend,
description,desirable,despair,desperate,develop,development,
difference,dilemma,dining,disappearance,disappoint,disastrous,
discipline,disease,dispensable,dissatisfied,doesn't,dominant,
drunkenness,easily,ecstasy,efficiency,eighth,either,eligible,
enemy,entirely,equipped,equivalent,especially,exaggerate,exceed,
excellence,excellent,exhaust,existence,expense,experience,
experiment,explanation,extremely,exuberance,fallacious,fallacy,
familiar,fascinate,fictitious,finally,financially,fluorescent,
forcibly,foreign,forfeit,formerly,forty,fourth,fulfill,
fundamentally,gauge,generally,genius,government,governor,grievous,
guarantee,guerrilla,guidance,handkerchief,happily,harass,height,
heinous,hemorrhage,heroes,hesitancy,hindrance,hoarse,hoping,
humorous,hypocrisy,hypocrite,ideally,idiosyncrasy,ignorance,
imaginary,immediately,implement,incidentally,incredible,
independence,independent,indicted,indispensable,inevitable,
influential,information,inoculate,insurance,intelligence,intercede,
interference,interrupt,introduce,irrelevant,irresistible,island,
jealousy,judicial,knowledge,laboratory,legitimate,leisure,length,
lenient,liaison,license,lieutenant,lightning,likelihood,likely,
longitude,loneliness,losing,lovely,luxury,magazine,maintain,
maintenance,manageable,maneuver,marriage,mathematics,medicine,
millennium,millionaire,miniature,minuscule,minutes,mischievous,
missile,misspelled,mortgage,mosquito,mosquitoes,murmur,muscle,
mysterious,narrative,naturally,necessary,necessity,neighbor,
neutron,ninety,ninth,noticeable,nowadays,nuisance,obedience,
obstacle,occasion,occasionally,occurred,occurrence,official,
omission,omit,omitted,opinion,opponent,opportunity,oppression,
optimism,ordinarily,origin,original,outrageous,overrun,panicky,
parallel,parliament,particularly,pavilion,peaceable,peculiar,
penetrate,perceive,performance,permanent,permissible,permitted,
perseverance,persistence,physical,physician,picnicking,piece,
pilgrimage,pitiful,planning,pleasant,portray,possess,possessive,
potato,potatoes,practically,prairie,preference,preferred,
prejudice,preparation,prescription,prevalent,primitive,privilege,
probably,procedure,proceed,professor,prominent,pronounce,
pronunciation,propaganda,psychology,publicly,pursue,quandary,
quarantine,questionnaire,quizzes,realistically,realize,really,
recede,receipt,receive,recognize,recommend,reference,referred,
relevant,relieving,religious,remembrance,reminiscence,renege,
repetition,representative,resemblance,reservoir,resistance,
restaurant,rheumatism,rhythm,rhythmical,roommate,sacrilegious,
sacrifice,safety,salary,satellite,scary,scenery,schedule,secede,

secretary,seize,sentence,separate,sergeant,several,shepherd,
shining,similar,simile,simply,sincerely,skiing,soliloquy,
sophomore,souvenir,specifically,specimen,sponsor,spontaneous,
statistics,stopped,strategy,strength,strenuous,stubbornness,
subordinate,subtle,succeed,success,succession,sufficient,
supersede,suppress,surprise,surround,susceptible,suspicious,
syllable,symmetrical,synonymous,tangible,technical,technique,
temperature,tendency,themselves,theories,therefore,thorough,
though,through,till,tomorrow,tournament,tourniquet,transferred,
truly,twelfth,tyranny,unanimous,unnecessary,until,usage,usually,
vacuum,valuable,vengeance,vigilant,village,villain,violence,
visible,warrant,Wednesday,weird,wherever,wholly,yacht,yield,
zoology

MOREERRORS
Peoplesendmequiteafewwordconfusionswhichdon'tseemworth
writingupbutwhichareneverthelessentertainingorinteresting.I
simplylistanumberofthesebelowforyouramusement.
Whatwassaid

Whatwasmeant

astigmatism

astigmatism

abolishmentabolition
abraded

upbraided

acrosstacross
adhomonymadhominem
aerobicnumbers

Arabicnumbers

affidavid

affidavit

alphabeticalize

alphabetize

altercations

alterations

alteriorulterior
ambliance

ambulance

anachronismacronym
anchorsawayanchorsaweigh
anticlimatic
aperpos

anticlimactic
apropos

applesandorgans

applesandoranges

arm'swayharm'sway
articalarticle
asaposeto

asopposedto

ashfaultasphalt
assessible

accessible

assumablypresumably
atleased
balling

atleast
out

bawlingout

basedaround

basedon

batteraneyelid

bataneyelid

beautifyasaint

beatifyasaint

begsbelief

beggarsbelief

besiege

beseech

beyondapproach

beyondreproach

bidswellbidsfair,bodeswell
bindedbound
bledlikeastuffedpigbledlikeastuckpig
blessingintheskyblessingindisguise
blindsighted

blindsided

aboardofdirector
boomto

amemberofaboardofdirectors

theeconomyboontotheeconomy

boredof

boredwith

bowlinachinashopbullinachinashop
brannew

brandnew

builtoffofbuiltonorupon
BVDplayer

DVDplayer

byinlargeorenlargebyandlarge
Cadillacconvertercatalyticconverter
cardshark

cardsharp

carporttunnelcarpaltunnel
caseandpoint
ceaseanddecease

caseinpoint
ceaseanddesist

ceasethedayseizetheday
cheapathalfthepricecheapattwicetheprice
chalkedfullchockfull
chester

drawerschestofdrawers

chickenpops

chickenpox

chompatthebit

champatthebit

chow

ciao

circussizedcircumcised
clearifiedclarified
collaboratingevidence

corroboratingevidence

componentopponent
conservativeeffort

concertedeffort

conversate

converse

coronatedcrowned
coronetcornet
cortage
coruscating

cortege
excoriating

coupdegrascoupdegrace
acoupleguys

acoupleofguys

creamdemint

cremedementhe

crimpmystylecrampmystyle

crossified

crucified

culvertsackculdesac
cumberbun
cuttothechaff

cummerbund
cuttothechase

darkestbeforethe

darkestbeforethedawnstorm

dayinage

dayandage

deadwringer

deadringer

debockle

debacle

decidated

dedicated

deformationofcharacterdefamationofcharacter
dejavousdejavu
SamuelR.DelaneySamuelR.Delany
detrius
diabolicallyopposed

detritus
diametricallyopposed

dialatedilate
differto

deferto

diswraughtdistraught
doggydogworld

dogeatdogworld

dotodueto
documentateddocumented
downthepipedownthepike
dresserdraw

dresserdrawer

drowndeddrowned
drowndingdrowning
drudgedup

dredgedup

dryreach

dryretch

electorialcollegeelectoralcollege

endjustifiesthe
meaning

endjustifiesthemeans

enervate
escapegoat

energize
scapegoat

esculate

escalate

exasperated

exacerbated

excapeescape
exhilaratoraccelerator
expecially

especially

expeculationspeculation
expediate

expedite

exuberantprice

exorbitantprice

eyesaw

eyesore

fairtomidlandfairtomiddling
farandfewbetween

fewandfarbetween

fastmajority

vastmajority

fateaccommpli

faitaccompli

fathomaguess

hazardaguess

FederalDrugFoodandDrugAdministration
Administration
finalthrowsfinalthroes
firstcome,firstservefirstcome,firstserved
flawintheointment

flyintheointment

flustratedfrustrated
foilage

foliage

foulswoop

fellswoop

FranklinDelanor
Roosevelt
frentic

FranklinDelano
Roosevelt
fanaticorfrenetic

gavemeslack

gavemeflak

genusesgenera
gentilemannersgenteelmanners
gentlelady

gentlewoman

glaucomole

glaucoma

glazeover

glossover

gleamglean
gonearray
gotmydandruffup
grantit

goneawry
gotmydanderup
granted

greatfruitgrapefruit
harbringer

harbinger

harpsback

harksback

hare'sbreath

hair'sbreadth

heared

heard

heartrenderingheartrending
hearst

hearse

HeinekenremoverHeimlichmaneuver
hereonend
highdungeon

hereonin
highdudgeon

hobbiesthobbyist
holddownthefort

holdthefort

howsomeverhowever
hurtlestoovercomehurdlestoovercome
IseenIsaworI'veseen
icetea

icedtea

ideallicidealoridyllic

ifIdon'tsayso

ifIdosayso

imbedded

embedded

impalingdoomimpendingdoom
imput

input

inanotherwordsinotherwords
inlieuof

inlightof

inlooof

inlieuof

inmassenmasse
insink

insynch

intactintact
inthesamevaneorvaininthesamevein
incredulousincredible
indiscrepancy

discrepancy

insinnuendo

insinuationorinnuendo

insuremountable

insurmountable

internallygrateful

eternallygrateful

InternationalWorkersIndustrialWorkersoftheWorld
oftheWorld(IWW)
intragulintegral
IssacIsaac
it'sbeggarsbelief

itbeggarsbelief

ivytowerivorytower
jackofalltraits

jackofalltrades

jaundra
jestoftheidea

genre
gistoftheidea

justassumejustassoon
kindly

kindof

kitgloveskidgloves
KluKluxKlanKuKluxKlan
lacksadaisical

lackadaisical

lamblasted,landblastedlambasted
landup

endup,land

landlover
lapseintoacomma

landlubber
lapseintoacoma

larnyx

larynx

laxidaisical

lackadaisical

livelyhood

livelihood

lovenuts

lugnuts

loveoneandother

loveoneanother

low

andbeholdloandbehold

ludicrust

ludicrous

makeheadortale

makeheadortail

maliceofforethought

maliceaforethought

masonary
makeendsmeat

masonry
makeendsmeet

meantime

meantime

menestratemenstruate
meteroutjusticemeteoutjustice
mixwords

mincewords

misconscrew misconstrue
mistermeaner

misdemeanor

momento

memento

murielmural
myocardialinfractionmyocardialinfarction

newleashonlifenewleaseonlife
neckinneck

neckandneck

nitchniche
nobarsheld

noholdsbarred

Nobellariat

Nobellaureate

notaryrepublicnotarypublic
odiferousodoriferous
offmyownback

offmyownbat

ojectd'art

objetd'art

onmass
onthesamehand

enmasse
ontheotherhand,bythesametoken

onceandawhileonceinawhile
overhaulsoveralls
overjealous

overzealous

pacificspecific
painstakingpainstaking
pairofparenthesis

pairofparentheses

palatablefeeling

palpablefeeling

parodyofvirtue

paragonofvirtue

partinparcelpartandparcel
pastorialpastoral
patriarticle

patriarchal

peacemealpiecemeal
pedastoolpedestal
pension
pentacleofhiscareer
peonofpraise

penchant
pinnacleofhiscareer
paeanofpraise

permiscuouspromiscuous
periphialperipheral
perkupitsears

prickupitsears

perscription

prescription

Peruvianinterest

prurientinterest

perverbialproverbial
phantomit

fathomit

pickfun

pokefunorpickon

pillowtopost

pillartopost

pinafinger

pintheblameon,pointafingerat

playitbyyear

playitbyear

plentitude

plenitude

poisonivorypoisonivy
portentious

portentous

poultrygeist

poltergeist

pratfall

pitfall

predominately

predominantly

prevaricate

procrastinate

prevert

pervert

prolongtheinevitabledelaytheinevitable
protagonist

proponent

punkin,pumkinpumpkin
radicalchick
ramsack

radicalchic
ransack

rankingfile

rankandfile

readdressthebalance

redressthebalance

radioactiveincrease

retroactiveincrease

rebelrouser

rabblerouser

recreatethewheelreinventthewheel
repel

rappel

repungentrepugnant
rockweiler
roilingboil

rottweiler
rollingboil

rotorrodironwroughtiron
rubblerousing

rabblerousing

runrapid

runrampant

seizuresalad

Caesarsalad

selfofsteam

selfesteem

selfdefacing

selfeffacing

senseoffalsesecurity falsesenseofsecurity
sequences

sequins

shockways

shockwaves

shortsided

shortsighted

should'vewentshouldhavegone
shuttertothinkshuddertothink
similiarorsimular

similar

sixandahalfofone,sixofone,adozenoftheotherhalfadozenof
theother
skewertheresults

skewtheresults

skiddishskittish
sleepacnea

sleepapnea

slitherofcake

sliverofcake

smashedpotatoesmashedpotatoes
smokingmirrorssmokeandmirrors

smotheredonions

smotheredwithonions

soakandwet

soakingwet

somethingorrathersomethingorother
somulent

somnolent

sortedpastorstorysordidpastorstory
stainglass

stainedglass

stainlessteal

stainlesssteel

stolled
strident

stole
stringent

strumupsupport

drumupsupport

subsidingon

subsistingon

substantative
sufficivetosay

substantive
itsufficestosay

supremistsupremacist
tactilesquad

tacticalsquad

techknowledgy

technology

terminity

temerity

thankyou

thankyou

TheoloniusMonk

TheloniousMonk

threadafineline

treadafineline

TiajunaTijuana
tiemeover

tidemeover

timesthenumber

multiplythenumber

titteringonthebrink

teeteringonthebrink

toeach'sown
tookitforgranite
tradertothecause

toeachhisown
tookitforgranted
traitortothecause

twosenseworth

twocents'worth

turpentimeturpentine
tyrannicalyolktyrannicalyoke
udderly

utterly

unloosenloosen
uncharteredterritoryunchartedterritory
upandAdamupandat'em
upgradedupbraided
Valentimes

Valentines

valevictorianvaledictorian
vaulted
verbage
verycloseveins
viadock

vaunted
verbiage
varicoseveins
viaduct

visaversaviceversa
vocalchords

vocalcords

voiceterousboisterous
vunerable

vulnerable

waitago

waytogo

weary

wary

wheedledown

whittledown

whelp

welt

wideth

width

Wimbleton

Wimbledon

windshieldfactorwindchillfactor
witch

which

withoutfurtheradieu withoutfurtherado

whoaisme

woeisme

wolfincheapclothingwolfinsheep'sclothing
worldrenown

worldrenowned

worldwind
worsecasescenario

whirlwind
worstcasescenario

worthitsweightinworthitssalt,orworthitsweightingoldsalt
worthwild

worthwhile

CommonlyMadeSuggestions
Iamgettingatremendousamountofmailaboutthissite.Ienjoythe
compliments,trytoanswerthequeries,andignoretheoccasional
insult.(Onewitwroteofmysite:"Icouldcareless!"Cute.)The
volumeofcorrespondencehasexceededmyabilitytorespondtoallof
it;sopleaseforgivemeifyoudon'thearbackfromme.Idoreadyour
letters.
AndalthoughIappreciategoodprose(withrealcapitalletters),don't
beafraidI'llnitpickyourletterforwritingflaws.Idon'tnormally
critiqueotherpeople'swritingunlessI'mhiredto.
Ialsoreceivemanysuggestionsforadditions.Theseareusually
welcome,andIadoptmanyofthem;butatleasthalfmymailinvolves
pointsIhavealreadycoveredinonewayoranother.Ifyouwouldbeso
kind,pleasegothroughthefollowingchecklistbeforewritingme.
Ifyourfirstencounterwithmysitewasthroughalinktothelistof
errors,pleasegototheintroductorypageandreadthatfirst.Ifyou
arecreatingalinktomysite,pleaselinktothatpageat
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/;otherwiseuserswillmissimportant
introductoryremarks.The":8080"stringfoundinsomelinksis
obsolete.
Ifyouthinkacommonerrorismissingfrommylist,usetheGoogle
CustomSearchenginejustabovethealphabeticallistoferrorsto
searchthesite.
ThisisnotageneralEnglishgrammarsite,noramIagrammarian.Iam
aliteratureprofessorinterestedinEnglishusage,someofwhich
involvesgrammar.YouwillfindalistofcomprehensiveEnglishgrammar
andwritingsitesatthebottomofmylistoferrorsunder"OtherGood
Resources."Thesearethefolkstoaskforhelpwithyourwriting.
Thisisnotasiteofferingatutorialserviceforpeoplestudying
English.InmylistoflinksonthemainpageslistingerrorsIinclude
siteswhichdoandwhichdealwithresourcesforEnglishasasecond

language.Tryoneoftheminstead.IamnotanESLspecialistandhavea
fulltimejobwhichdoesnotinvolveonlineinteractiveteaching.Ihope
youfindwhatIhavewrittenusefulandIdoansweroccasional
questions,butthissitedoesnotprovideadetailedquestionandanswer
service.
BeforeyouwritetoinsistthatsomeusageIrecommendagainstis
actuallystandardnow,considerthatalthoughmanydictionariestakeit
astheirtasktokeepupwithpopularusage,myguideismeanttoalert
youtoevenverypopularusagepatternsthatmaygetyouintotrouble
withotherpeopleyouencounter.Nomatterhowmanydictionariessay
that"Icouldcareless"isnowalegitimatevariantonthetraditional
"Icouldn'tcareless,"myjobistoprotectyoufrompeoplewhodonot
agreewiththis.Somedictionaries'approachistotellthe
traditionaliststogetoverit.Thisisnotlikelytowork.Ausage
guide'sapproachistowarnyouthatthisusagemaymakeyouappearless
wellinformedthanthetraditionalone.Whatyoudowiththeinformation
isuptoyou,butatleastyouknowthatifyougowiththenewform
you'retakingarisk.
Ifyouhavecheckedthoroughlyandstillwanttowriteme,pleasefeel
free;butbeawarethatIdonothavetimetodealwithallmy
correspondence."CommonErrors"isnotmymainWebproject,andIwork
onitonlysporadically(sometimesnotformanymonthsatastretch).To
seewhatothersortsofthingsIspendmytimeon,checkoutmyhome
pageandtheWorldCivilizationssiteImanage.
IfyoubelieveIhavenotsentyouaresponseyoudeserve,consider
thesepossibilitiesbeforedecidingthatIamdeliberatelynotanswering
you:1)Imaybetravellingandnotdoingemail,2)yourreturnaddress
maybeincorrect,causingmyrepliestoyouto"bounce"(ifyourarely
getrepliestoyouremails,thisisagoodpossibility),or3)youhave
erredonthesideofcautionbyblockingallincomingcorrespondenceby
peopleunknowntoyou.
Onemoreimportantpoint:thisisahobbyforme,andnotmyjob.Ido
nothavethetimetodealwithlong,complexmessagescoveringa
multitudeofpoints.Short,focusedmessagesaremostlikelytobe
answered.
Beforewritingme,checkthefollowinglistofcommonlymade
suggestions.
Add"wouldof"
Lookunder"C"for"couldof/shouldof/wouldof."
Add"intensivepurposes."
"Forallintensivepurposesislistedunder"F."
Youshouldn'tendasentencewithapreposition.
Nonsense.Seetheseconditemunder"NonErrors."

Youshouldsay"Writetome"ratherthan"Writeme."
SomepeoplefollowingtheBritishtraditionobjecttothisusage;it's
standardintheUSTheexpressionprobablyevolvedinanalogyto
expressionslike"callme,""phoneme"and"tellme."IntheUS,
"writeme"willdojustfineininformalwritingsuchasIuseonthis
site.
Thewordis"pernickety,"not"persnickety."
TheoriginalScottishdialectformwasindeed"pernickety,"but
Americanschangeditto"persnickety"acenturyago,and"pernickety"is
generallyunknownintheUSTheSupplementtotheOxfordEnglish
Dictionarycalls"pernickety"obsolete,butjudgingfrommy
correspondence,it'sstillinwideuseacrosstheAtlantic.
Americanshaveitallwrong,thecorrectusageisEnglish(Canadian,
Australian,etc.).
Readmypagecalled"ThePresident'sEnglish."Notethatitwastitled
duringtheClintonera,isjustajokereferringtothephrase"the
Queen'sEnglish,"andhasnoconnectionwithanyparticularpresident.
AndbeforewritingtotellmethatIshouldnotclaimthatAmerican
EnglishisTHEinternationalstandard,gobackandreadagainwhatI've
written;Idonotclaimthat.
AnamewhichendsinanSneedsanadditionalSaftertheapostrophe
whenitismadepossessive,e.g.,"PaulBrians'sPage."
SomestylescallfortheextraS,somedon't.Iwasforcedbythe
publisherofmysecondbooktofollowthisruleandIsworeIwould
neverdoitagain.Ithinkit'sugly.
Pleaseadd[someparticularlyobscureword].
ThissiteisconcernedwithcommonerrorsinEnglish,notbizarreor
esotericones,althoughIoftenenjoyreadingaboutthem.Iadmitto
discussingsomenotsocommonerrorsifIfindthemamusingenough.
Whatisthecorrectspellingof_________?
Pleasetryadictionaryfirst.ThebestonlineoneistheWWWebster
Dictionary(MerriamWebster)
IwasalwaystaughtXbutalltheauthoritiesI'velookedinsayY.
What'shappeningtotheEnglishlanguage?
It'schangingalwayshaschanged,andalwayswill.Whenyoureachthe
pointthatnobodyseemstoagreewithyourstandardofusageanymore,
youmayhavesimplybeenleftbehind.Thereisnoultimateauthorityin
languagecertainlynotmenoranymeasureofabsolute"correctness."
Thebestguideistheusageofliterateandcarefulspeakersand
writers,andwhentheydifferamongthemselvesonehastomakeachoice

astowhichoneprefers.Mygoalistokeepmyreaders'writingand
speechfrombeinglaughedatorgroanedoverbyaverageliteratepeople.
Howcanyoupossiblyapproveof___________?Youreffronteryincaving
intothisignorantnonsenseisappalling[ranting,raving,foamingat
themouth...].It'soddhowsomepeoplewithhighstandardsof
correctnessseemtohavenonotionofmannersatall.YouandIboth
knowthatIamnotthemostconservativeofcommentatorsonusage.If
youwanttomakealogicalcaseforaruleIdon'taccept,pleasedoso
politely.
Youshouldaddmoreinformationaboutthisword;ithasothermeanings
thantheonesyoudiscuss.
Mygoalistokeeptheentriesascompactaspossible,focusingonlyon
thoseaspectsofthewordsdiscussedwhichlendthemselvestoerror.The
sortofdetaileddiscussionanunabridgeddictionaryprovidesis
inappropriatehere.
Yourlistoftermswouldbeeasiertoreadifitwerearrangedina
bulletedlist.
IndeeditwaswhenIhaditarrangedthatway;butthelistwas
extremelydifficulttonavigatebecausewhenusersreturnedtoitfrom
anindividualpagetheyhadtoscrollupordownalongdistancetofind
wheretheyhadleftofforwantedtogonext.Icouldarrangetheterms
inatable,butsinceIamconstantlyaddingtothelistitwouldcreate
animpossibleamountofworkforme.Ihaveresistedinsertingbreaks
aftereachitemtopromotecompactness.It'sastruggletobalance
betweenlegibilityandnavigationalease.Ihavemadethelistofterms
alphabeticaltomakenavigationabiteasier.Notethatyoucanalways
downloadandprintofftheentiresiteasasingletextdocumentto
peruseatyourleisure.AndrememberthatyoucansearchanyWebpage,
includingmylistoferrors,withthe"Find"commandofyourbrowser.
Itwouldbeeasiertoreadthroughyoursiteifyouputnavigational
linksoneachpagebacktowherethereaderleftoffinthelistof
errors.
Thissiteisdesignedforpurposefulsearches(usetheGoogleCustom
Searchenginejustabovethealphabeticallistoferrorsorjustlook
downthelistfortheappropriateplaceinthealphabet)andcasual
browsing.Fewpeoplesetouttoreadtheirwayinorderthroughallthe
entries.Butifyouwanttodothis,Ihaveprovidedaseparateversion
ofthesiteallononepagewhichismuchmoresuitableforthispurpose
andwillkeepyoufromhavingtoclickthroughoverathousandpages.
Clickonthelinkcalled"Thewholesiteononepage"togoto
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.txt(thispage).
Yoursiteshowsuglygibberishwhereveritshoulddisplayquotation
marksandapostrophes.
Thissiteusesspecialcodestocreateproperlycurledquotationmarks

andapostrophes,andrealdashes.Somebrowsersignorethecodeand
renderthecurledmarksasstraightones;butother,olderonesdisplay
thecodeitself.Therearetwosolutions:1)upgradetoamorerecent
versionofyourfavoritebrowser,or2)usethealltextversionofthe
sitewhichlackstheproblemcharacters.
NotethatwiththousandsofinstancestobechangedIhadtouse
automaticglobalsearchandreplaceroutinestocurlthesemarks,and
sometimestheymisfired.I'vetriedhardtofindtheerrorsthat
resulted(typicallyarightquotationmarkandaspacewherean
apostropheshouldbe),butwheneverIthinkI'vefoundthelastone
somebodypointsoutanother.Keep'emcoming:Idoreallywanttoget
allofthesefixed.
Whydon'tyousaywhenyoulastupdatedyoursite?
You'llfindthelatestrevisiondateatthebottomofthealltext
versionofthesite(thispage).
YoushouldreferyourreaderstotheonlineversionsofStrunkand
Fowler.
Becauseofcopyrightrestrictionsthesearebothveryearlyeditions
(1918and1908!).Ifyou'relookingforconfirmationofyourviewsyou
mayfindsolace,buttheaveragereaderhasnowayofknowingwhether
theiradvicestillmakessensetoday.Wouldyouusea1908dictionaryto
determinethemeaningofawordnow?
Youleftoutoneofmypetpeeves!
Imaysimplynothavegottenaroundtoityet,butremembertotry
theSearchfieldbeforewriting.
Stillwanttowrite?
Myaddressispaulbrians@gmail.com.Pleasedon'tcallme"Brian."Mynameis
PaulBrians.
PaulBrians
ProfessorofEnglish(retired)
WashingtonStateUniversity,Pullman
VersionofJuly26,2008.