Saturday, March 31, 2012

faithful/fateful: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Saturday, March 31, 2012

faithful/fateful
That decisive, highly significant day is not “faithful” but “fateful.” Although the phrase “fateful day” can refer to a day significant in a positive way (“the fateful day that I first met the my lovely wife”), “fatal” is always negative (“the fatal day that I first tried to ride my bike ‘no hands’”).


Friday, March 30, 2012

might ought/might, ought: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday, March 30, 2012

might ought/might, ought
In some dialects it’s common to say things like “you might ought to (pronounced “oughta”) turn off the engine before changing the spark plugs.” If you want to sound educated, you might want to avoid this combination. If you want to sound sophisticated you definitely ought to.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

primer: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, March 29, 2012

primer
When this word is used in the US to mean “elementary textbook” it is pronounced with a short I: “primmer” (rhymes with “dimmer”). All other meanings are pronounced with a long I: “prymer” (rhymes with “timer”).






Wednesday, March 28, 2012

conjunction, beginning a sentence with a: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, March 28, 2012

conjunction, beginning a sentence with a
It offends those who wish to confine English usage in a logical straitjacket that writers often begin sentences with “and” or “but.” True, one should be aware that many such sentences would be improved by becoming clauses in compound sentences; but there are many effective and traditional uses for beginning sentences thus. One example is the reply to a previous assertion in a dialogue: “But, my dear Watson, the criminal obviously wore expensive boots or he would not have taken such pains to scrape them clean.” Make it a rule to consider whether your conjunction would repose more naturally within the previous sentence or would lose in useful emphasis by being demoted from its position at the head of a new sentence.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

warrantee/warranty: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, March 27, 2012

warrantee/warranty
Confused by the spelling of “guarantee,” people often misspell the related word “warrantee” rather than the correct “warranty.” “Warrantee” is a rare legal term that means “the person to whom a warrant is made.” Although “guarantee” can be a verb (“we guarantee your satisfaction”), “warranty” cannot. The rarely used verb form is “to warrant.”




Monday, March 26, 2012

jewelry: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, April 3, 2012

jewelry
Often mispronounced “joolereee.” To remember the standard pronunciation, just say “jewel” and add “-ree” on the end. The British spelling is much fancier: “jewellery.”

sick/sic: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, March 26, 2012

sick/sic
The command given to a dog, “sic ’em,” derives from the word “seek.” The 1992 punk rock album titled Sick ’Em has helped popularize the common misspelling of this phrase. Unless you want to tell how you incited your pit bull to vomit on someone’s shoes, don’t write “sick ’em” or “sick the dog.”

The standard spelling of the “-ing” form of the word is “siccing.”

In a different context, the Latin word sic (“thus”) inserted into a quotation is an editorial comment calling attention to a misspelling or other error in the original which you do not want to be blamed for but are accurately reproducing: “She acted like a real pre-Madonna (sic).” When commenting on someone else’s faulty writing, you really want to avoid misspelling this word as sick.

Although it’s occasionally useful in preventing misunderstanding, sic is usually just a way of being snotty about someone else’s mistake, largely replaced now by “lol.” Sometimes it’s appropriate to correct the mistakes in writing you’re quoting; and when errors abound, you needn’t mark each one with a sic—your readers will notice.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

chute/shoot: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Sunday, March 25, 2012

chute/shoot
It is not uncommon to see people writing “down the shoot” when they mean “down the chute.”

A chute is a sloping channel things move down along. It comes from the French word for “to fall.”

But if you are a shipper of Chinese grocieries you could shoot cans of bamboo shoots down a chute to the loading dock.

“Chute” is also short for “parachute,” but people rarely misspell it that sense.


Saturday, March 24, 2012

samwich: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Saturday, March 24, 2012

samwich
In some dialects, “sandwich” is pronounced “samwich.” In standard English the first syllable is pronounced exactly the way it’s spelled, like the word for sand at a beach.

Friday, March 23, 2012

number of verb: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday, March 23, 2012

number of verb
In long, complicated sentences, people often lose track of whether the subject is singular or plural and use the wrong sort of verb. “The ultimate effect of all of these phone calls to the detectives were to make them suspicious of the callers” is an error because “effect,” which is singular, is the subject. If you are uncertain about whether to go with singular or plural condense the sentence down to its skeleton: “The effect . . . was to make them suspicious.”

Another situation that creates confusion is the use of interjections like “along with,” “as well as,” and “together with,” where they are often treated improperly as if they meant simply “and.” “Aunt Hilda, as well as her pet dachshund, is coming to the party” (not “are coming”).

A compound subject requires a plural verb even if the words which make it up are themselves singular in form: “widespread mold and mildew damage (not “damages”) the resale value of your house.”

If the title of a work is in the plural, you still use a singular verb because it is just one work: “My copy of Great Expectations has the original illustrations in it.” That much seems obvious, but it might not seem quite so obvious that Plutarch’s Lives is a single work, or that Shakespeare’s Sonnets is. Of course if you are not referring to the book as a whole but to the individual poems they are “Shakespeare’s sonnets,” and take a plural verb.

Amounts of money and periods of time are usually considered singular: ten dollars is not a lot of money to lend someone, and five years is a long time to wait to be repaid.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

hark/hearken: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, March 22, 2012

hark/hearken
One old use of the word “hark” was in hunting with hounds, meaning to turn the dogs back on their course, reverse direction. It was this use that gave rise to the expression “hark back.” It refers to returning in thought to an earlier time or returning to an earlier discussion: “That tie-died shirt harks back to the days we used to go to rock festivals together.”

The expression is not “hearkens back.” Although “hark” and “hearken” can both mean “listen,” only “hark” can mean “go back.”


Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

fiscal/physical: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, March 20, 2012

fiscal/physical
In budget matters, it’s the fiscal year, relating to finances with an F. The middle syllable of “physical” is often omitted in pronunciation, making it sound like the unrelated word “fiscal.” Sound that unaccented I distinctly.


Monday, March 19, 2012

so fun/so much fun: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, March 19, 2012

so fun/so much fun
Strictly a young person’s usage: “That party was so fun!” If you don’t want to be perceived as a gum-chewing airhead, say “so much fun.”

Sunday, March 18, 2012

self-steam/self-esteem: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Sunday, March 18, 2012

self-steam/self-esteem
If you bask in the sauna, you may self-steam. But the expression labeling people’s opinions of their own worth is “self-esteem.”

“Self-esteem” is also sometimes misspelled “self of steam.”

Saturday, March 17, 2012

whisky/whiskey: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Saturday, March 17, 2012

whisky/whiskeyScots prefer the spelling “whisky”; Americans follow instead the Irish spelling, so Kentucky bourbon is “whiskey.”

Friday, March 16, 2012

wax: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday, March 16, 2012

wax
 An unusual use of the word “wax” is “to change manner of speaking,” as in “she waxed eloquent on the charms of New Jersey” or “he waxed poetic on virtues of tube amplifiers.” These expressions mean that she became eloquent and he became poetic. It is an error to say instead “she waxed eloquently” or “he waxed poetically.”


Thursday, March 15, 2012

precurse/foretell, foreshadow, preface, anticipate, precede: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, March 15, 2012

precurse/foretell, foreshadow, preface, anticipate, precede
Tempted to “precurse” that guy who looks like he might be going to cut into the lane ahead of you? Until recently “precurse” as a verb was a rare archaic word, but lately people have been using it to mean “be a precursor to.” Use a more ordinary and precise word like “foretell,” “foreshadow,” “preface,” “anticipate,” or “precede.”


Wednesday, March 14, 2012

foot/feet: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, March 14, 2012

foot/feet
You can use eight-foot boards to side a house, but “foot” is correct only in this sort of adjectival phrase combined with a number (and usually hyphenated). The boards are eight feet (not foot) long. It’s always x feet per second and x feet away.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

social/societal: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, March 13, 2012

social/societal
“Societal” as an adjective has been in existence for a couple of centuries, but has become widely used only in the recent past. People who imagine that “social” has too many frivolous connotations of mere partying often resort to it to make their language more serious and impressive. It is best used by social scientists and others in referring to the influence of societies: “societal patterns among the Ibo of eastern Nigeria.” Used in place of “social” in ordinary speech and writing it sounds pretentious.

Monday, March 12, 2012

veil of tears/vale of tears: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, March 12, 2012

veil of tears/vale of tears
The expression “vale of tears” goes back to pious sentiments that consider life on earth to be a series of sorrows to be left behind when we go on to a better world in heaven. It conjures up an image of a suffering traveler laboring through a valley (“vale”) of troubles and sorrow. “Veil of tears” is poetic sounding, but it’s a mistake.


Sunday, March 11, 2012

nothing (singular): Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Sunday, March 11, 2012

nothing (singular)
In formal English, “nothing” is always singular, even when it’s followed by a phrase stating an exception which contains a plural noun: “Nothing but weeds grows [not grow] in my yard” and “nothing except desserts appeals [not appeal] to Jennifer.” This pattern is seldom followed in more casual speech and writing, but you can see its logic if you move “nothing” to immediately precede its verb: “Nothing appeals to Jennifer except desserts.”


Saturday, March 10, 2012

creeped/crept: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Saturday, March 10, 2012

creeped/crept
The standard past tense of “creep” is “crept.” “Creeped” is used mostly in the slang expression “creeped out” to describe the reaction of someone to something weird or disgusting.

Friday, March 9, 2012

two to tangle/two to tango: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday, March 9, 2012

two to tangle/two to tango
A 1952 pop song popularized the phrase “it takes two to tango”; and it was quickly applied to everything that required two parties, from romance to fighting. Later, people baffled by hearing the phrase used of conflicts, imagined that the proper word must be “tangle.” Perhaps if they had remembered the fierce choreography of Parisian apache dancing they would not have been so confused. “It takes two to tangle” will seem the normal phrase to some people, a clever variation to a few, and an embarrassing mistake to many people you might want to impress.


Thursday, March 8, 2012

aisle/isle: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, March 8, 2012

aisle/isle
An aisle is a narrow passageway, especially in a church or store; an isle is an island. Propose to the person you’re stranded on a desert isle with and maybe you’ll march down the aisle together after you’re rescued.

__________
Speaking of desert isles, Paul Brians explains an unusual spelling in his latest blog post.


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

creeped/crept: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Saturday, March 10, 2012

creeped/crept
The standard past tense of “creep” is “crept.” “Creeped” is used mostly in the slang expression “creeped out” to describe the reaction of someone to something weird or disgusting.

priority: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, March 7, 2012

priority
It is common to proclaim, “In our business, customer service is a priority,” but it would be better to say “a high priority,” since priorities can also be low.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

indepth/in depth: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, March 6, 2012

indepth/in depth
You can make an “in-depth” study of a subject by studying it “in depth,” but never “indepth.” Like “a lot” this expression consists of two words often mistaken for one. The first, adjectival, use of the phrase given above is commonly hyphenated, which may lead some people to splice the words even more closely together. “Indepth” is usually used as an adverb by people of limited vocabulary who would be better off saying “profoundly” or “thoroughly.” Some of them go so far as to say that they have studied a subject “indepthly.” Avoid this one if you don’t want to be snickered at.

__________________
The latest blog post by Paul Brians looks at an expression that has been cut short—too short.

Monday, March 5, 2012

confident/confidant/confidante: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, March 5, 2012

confident/confidant/confidante
In modern English “confident’ is almost always an adjective. Having studied for a test you feel confident about passing it. You’re in a confident frame of mind. This spelling is often misused as a noun meaning “person you confide in,” especially in the misspelled phrase “close confident.”

The spelling “confidante” suggests that such a close friend might be a female, and conservatives prefer to confine its use to refer to women. But this spelling is also very common for males, and the spelling “confidant” is also used of both males and females. Either one will do in most contexts, but the person you trust with your deep secrets is not your “confident.”

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Caucasian: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Sunday, March 4, 2012

Caucasian
“Caucasian” is an outdated term originally used to refer to some or all of the people of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and Central and South Asia. It was invented by in the early 19th century Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, who felt the Caucasian “race” was best exemplified by people from people living in the Caucasus mountains of Georgia. It is widely misused today as a synonym for “white.” Although the concept of “race” is still widely popular, contemporary scientists have generally rejected the concept as simplistic and misleading.

The term is better avoided except in reference to people actually from the Caucasus.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Cracker Jacks/Cracker Jack: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Saturday, March 3, 2012

Cracker Jacks/Cracker Jack
“Crackerjack” is an old slang expression meaning “excellent,” and the official name of the popcorn confection is also singular: “Cracker Jack.” People don’t pluralize its rival Poppycock as “Poppycocks,” but they seem to think of the individual popped kernels as the “jacks.” A similarly named candy is “Good and Plenty.” All three have descriptive names describing qualities and shouldn’t be pluralized. A way to remember this: in “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” “Cracker Jack” rhymes with “back.”

Friday, March 2, 2012

deviant/deviate: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday, March 2, 2012

deviant/deviate
The technical term used by professionals to label someone whose behavior deviates from the norm is “deviate,” but if you want to tease a perv friend you may as well call him a “deviant”—that’s what almost everybody else says. In your sociology class, however, you might want to stick with “deviate.”

Thursday, March 1, 2012

accept/except: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, March 1, 2012

accept/except
If you offer me Godiva chocolates I will gladly accept them—except for the candied violet ones. Just remember that the X in “except” excludes things—they tend to stand out, be different. In contrast, just look at those two cozy Cs snuggling up together. Very accepting. And be careful; when typing “except” it often comes out “expect.”