Name: Janny Carlo P.

Serrano – JD 1 Date: 16 February 2020

Professor: Prosecutor Jenifer Bagay Subject: English Law II

10 Examples of Words and Expressions Commonly Misused

1. Appraise means to ascertain the value of and does not mean to apprise or to

inform.

Correct: "I appraised the jewels." / "I apprised him of the situation."

2. As far as means the same as but cannot be used the same way as as for.

Correct: "As far as the money is concerned ..." / As for the money ...

3. Cliché is a noun and is not an adjective.

Correct: "Shakespeare used a lot of clichés." / The plot was so clichéd.

4. Criteria is the plural, not the singular of criterion.

Correct: These are important criteria.

5. Depreciate means to decrease in value and does not mean to deprecate or to

disparage.
Correct: My car has depreciated a lot over the years. / She deprecated his
efforts.

6. Disinterested means unbiased and does not mean uninterested.

Correct: "The dispute should be resolved by a disinterested judge." / Why are

you so uninterested in my story?

7. Flaunt means to show off and does not mean to flout.

Correct: "She flaunted her abs." / "She flouted the rules."

8. Fortuitous means coincidental or unplanned and does not mean fortunate.

 Correct: Running into my old friend was fortuitous. / It was fortunate that I had a
good amount of savings after losing my job.

9. Homogeneous is pronounced as homo-genius and "homogenous" is not a

word but a corruption of homogenized.
Correct: The population was not homogeneous; it was a melting pot.

10. Hung means suspended and does not mean suspended from the neck until

dead.

Correct: I hung the picture on my wall. / The prisoner was hanged.