thusly/thus
“Thusly” has been around for a long time, but it is widely viewed as nonstandard. It’s safer to go with plain old “thus.”
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
under weigh/under way: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, September 29, 2014
under weigh/under way
The original expression for getting a boat moving has nothing to do with weighing anchor and is “getting under way,” but so many sophisticated writers get this wrong that you’re not likely to get into trouble if you imitate them.
When “underway” is used elsewhere as an adjective or adverb, by far the most common spelling is as a single word, as in “our plans are underway”; though some authorities argue that the adverbial form should be spelled as two words: “under way.”
The original expression for getting a boat moving has nothing to do with weighing anchor and is “getting under way,” but so many sophisticated writers get this wrong that you’re not likely to get into trouble if you imitate them.
When “underway” is used elsewhere as an adjective or adverb, by far the most common spelling is as a single word, as in “our plans are underway”; though some authorities argue that the adverbial form should be spelled as two words: “under way.”
Friday, September 26, 2014
meteor/meteorite/meteoroid: The Weekend Edition—Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday–Sunday, September 26–28, 2014
meteor/meteorite/meteoroid
A chunk of rock out in space is a “meteoroid.” If it plummets down through the earth’s atmosphere, the resulting streak of light is called a “meteor.” And if it lands on the ground, the chunk of stone is called a “meteorite.”
Don’t confuse meteors with comets, which are masses of ice and dust whose tails are produced not inside our atmosphere, but out in space. When a comet gets too close to the Sun its warmth and the pressure of the solar wind cause some of the comet to evaporate and stream out to form a tail.
___________
The Week’s End Extra from the Archives: “Winching in an Entry, Wincing at the Results” (December 2, 2013).
A chunk of rock out in space is a “meteoroid.” If it plummets down through the earth’s atmosphere, the resulting streak of light is called a “meteor.” And if it lands on the ground, the chunk of stone is called a “meteorite.”
Don’t confuse meteors with comets, which are masses of ice and dust whose tails are produced not inside our atmosphere, but out in space. When a comet gets too close to the Sun its warmth and the pressure of the solar wind cause some of the comet to evaporate and stream out to form a tail.
___________
The Week’s End Extra from the Archives: “Winching in an Entry, Wincing at the Results” (December 2, 2013).
Thursday, September 25, 2014
awe, shucks/aw, shucks: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, September 25, 2014
awe, shucks/aw, shucks
“Aw, shucks,” is a traditional folksy expression of modesty. An “aw-shucks” kind of person declines to accept compliments. “Aw” is an interjection roughly synonymous with “oh.” “Awe” is a noun which most often means “amazed admiration.” So many people have begun to misspell the familiar phrase “awe, shucks,” that some writers think they are being clever when they link it to the current expression “shock and awe.” Instead, they reveal their confusion.
“Aw, shucks,” is a traditional folksy expression of modesty. An “aw-shucks” kind of person declines to accept compliments. “Aw” is an interjection roughly synonymous with “oh.” “Awe” is a noun which most often means “amazed admiration.” So many people have begun to misspell the familiar phrase “awe, shucks,” that some writers think they are being clever when they link it to the current expression “shock and awe.” Instead, they reveal their confusion.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
visable/visible: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, September 24, 2014
visable/visible
To make things clearly visible, you need both your eyes, and both its I’s.
To make things clearly visible, you need both your eyes, and both its I’s.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
World Wide Web: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, September 23, 2014
World Wide Web
“World Wide Web” is a name that most of us feel needs to be capitalized, like “Internet.” It is made up of Web pages and Web sites (or, less formally, Websites).
“World Wide Web” is a name that most of us feel needs to be capitalized, like “Internet.” It is made up of Web pages and Web sites (or, less formally, Websites).
Monday, September 22, 2014
minuet/minute: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, September 22, 2014
minuet/minute
Shakespeare’s colleague and popular comic actor Will Kemp was famous for his stunt of dancing the jig from London to Norwich (about 80 miles). That’s what I think of when I see real estate ads boasting “only five minuets from downtown!”
This is one of those silly typos that your spelling checker won’t catch, because “minuet” is a real word.
Shakespeare’s colleague and popular comic actor Will Kemp was famous for his stunt of dancing the jig from London to Norwich (about 80 miles). That’s what I think of when I see real estate ads boasting “only five minuets from downtown!”
This is one of those silly typos that your spelling checker won’t catch, because “minuet” is a real word.
Friday, September 19, 2014
on the contraire/au contraire, on the contrary, to the contrary: The Weekend Edition—Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday–Sunday, September 19–21, 2014
on the contraire/au contraire, on the contrary, to the contrary
People who like to show off their French sometimes use the expression au contraire when they mean “on the contrary” or “to the contrary.” People who don’t know any better mix up French and English by saying “on the contraire.”
“On the contrary” is the earliest form. It means “it’s the opposite”: “I thought you liked sweet pickles.” “On the contrary, I prefer dills.”
“To the contrary” means “to the opposite effect,” “in opposition”: “No matter what my neighbor says to the contrary, I think it’s his dog that’s been pooping on my petunias.”
___________
The Week's End Extra from the Archives: “‘Who that?’ (And other non-errors)” (January 18, 2013).
People who like to show off their French sometimes use the expression au contraire when they mean “on the contrary” or “to the contrary.” People who don’t know any better mix up French and English by saying “on the contraire.”
“On the contrary” is the earliest form. It means “it’s the opposite”: “I thought you liked sweet pickles.” “On the contrary, I prefer dills.”
“To the contrary” means “to the opposite effect,” “in opposition”: “No matter what my neighbor says to the contrary, I think it’s his dog that’s been pooping on my petunias.”
___________
The Week's End Extra from the Archives: “‘Who that?’ (And other non-errors)” (January 18, 2013).
Thursday, September 18, 2014
going forward: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, September 18, 2014
going forward
Speakers in the business world and in government are fond of saying “going forward” to mean “from now on,” “in the future,” or even “now.” It gives a sense of action, purpose, and direction that appeals to many people.
However, many other people find it pretentious and annoying, especially when it is used simply to indicate that the future is being talked about. Since in English our verbs do this job nicely, “going forward” is often superfluous. In a statement like “Going forward, we’re going to have to budget more for advertising,” the sentence would be just as clear and less cluttered if the first two words were dropped.
____________
You may say that Paul Brians has built a great resource with Common Errors in English Usage, but please don't say he has architected a great resource, though that would technically not be an error. His latest blog post explains why.
Speakers in the business world and in government are fond of saying “going forward” to mean “from now on,” “in the future,” or even “now.” It gives a sense of action, purpose, and direction that appeals to many people.
However, many other people find it pretentious and annoying, especially when it is used simply to indicate that the future is being talked about. Since in English our verbs do this job nicely, “going forward” is often superfluous. In a statement like “Going forward, we’re going to have to budget more for advertising,” the sentence would be just as clear and less cluttered if the first two words were dropped.
____________
You may say that Paul Brians has built a great resource with Common Errors in English Usage, but please don't say he has architected a great resource, though that would technically not be an error. His latest blog post explains why.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
weak/week: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, September 17, 2014
weak/week
People often absentmindedly write “last weak” or “next weak.” Less often they write “I feel week.” These mistakes will not be caught by a spelling checker.
“Weak” is the opposite of “strong.” A week is made up of seven days.
____________
What station was your station wagon born to? A new blog post by Paul Brians notes some confusion about the word "hybrid."
People often absentmindedly write “last weak” or “next weak.” Less often they write “I feel week.” These mistakes will not be caught by a spelling checker.
“Weak” is the opposite of “strong.” A week is made up of seven days.
____________
What station was your station wagon born to? A new blog post by Paul Brians notes some confusion about the word "hybrid."
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
attribute/contribute: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, September 16, 2014
attribute/contribute
When trying to give credit to someone, say that you attribute your success to their help, not contribute. (Of course, a politician may attribute his success to those who contribute to his campaign fund, but probably only in private.)
When trying to give credit to someone, say that you attribute your success to their help, not contribute. (Of course, a politician may attribute his success to those who contribute to his campaign fund, but probably only in private.)
Monday, September 15, 2014
all of the sudden/all of a sudden: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, September 15, 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014
PC computer/PC: The Weekend Edition—Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday–Sunday, September 12–14, 2014
PC computer/PC
The phrase “PC computer” is a bit awkward and redundant since “PC” stands for “personal computer.” The problem is that originally the label “PC” meant not personal computers generally, but computers compatible with the IBM PC introduced in 1981. By the time IBM adopted the abbreviation for a specific model there had been many earlier personal computers like the Commodore PET and the Apple II. Now IBM doesn’t make PCs and none of today’s popular personal computers is compatible with the original PC. The label is still used to distinguish between computers running some version of Microsoft’s Windows operating system and the Macintosh computers made by Apple, even though Macs are certainly personal computers and the newer ones can also run Windows. No wonder people forget what “PC” stands for. If you want to use the abbreviation to indicate that your computer is not a Mac, “PC” alone will do, despite its literal inaccuracy.
___________
The Week's End Extra from the Archives: "Whim and a Prayer" (April 18, 2011).
The phrase “PC computer” is a bit awkward and redundant since “PC” stands for “personal computer.” The problem is that originally the label “PC” meant not personal computers generally, but computers compatible with the IBM PC introduced in 1981. By the time IBM adopted the abbreviation for a specific model there had been many earlier personal computers like the Commodore PET and the Apple II. Now IBM doesn’t make PCs and none of today’s popular personal computers is compatible with the original PC. The label is still used to distinguish between computers running some version of Microsoft’s Windows operating system and the Macintosh computers made by Apple, even though Macs are certainly personal computers and the newer ones can also run Windows. No wonder people forget what “PC” stands for. If you want to use the abbreviation to indicate that your computer is not a Mac, “PC” alone will do, despite its literal inaccuracy.
___________
The Week's End Extra from the Archives: "Whim and a Prayer" (April 18, 2011).
Thursday, September 11, 2014
bon a petite/bon appétit: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, September 11, 2014
bon a petite/bon appétit
The traditional French phrase to utter when you serve the food is bon appétit: “good appetite” (and pronounced “bone ah-puh-TEE”). It implies “may you enjoy your food with a good appetite.” (For some reason I think this is fine but get irritated when a waiter tells me “enjoy!”)
You see all sorts of misspellings of this phrase: “bon a petite,” “bon à petite,” “bon á petite,” “bona petite,” “bonapetite,” “bon a petit,” etc. All of these are bon à rien—good for nothing.
The traditional French phrase to utter when you serve the food is bon appétit: “good appetite” (and pronounced “bone ah-puh-TEE”). It implies “may you enjoy your food with a good appetite.” (For some reason I think this is fine but get irritated when a waiter tells me “enjoy!”)
You see all sorts of misspellings of this phrase: “bon a petite,” “bon à petite,” “bon á petite,” “bona petite,” “bonapetite,” “bon a petit,” etc. All of these are bon à rien—good for nothing.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
here’s/here are: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, September 10, 2014
here’s/here are
Sentences like “here’s the gerbil” are shortened ways of saying “here is the gerbil.” But “here’s the gerbils” is wrong because “here’s” is not a contraction of “here are.” In speaking we might say “here’re the gerbils,“ but we probably would not use the contracted form in writing unless we were trying to convey the effect of spoken English. Instead write “here are the gerbils.”
Sentences like “here’s the gerbil” are shortened ways of saying “here is the gerbil.” But “here’s the gerbils” is wrong because “here’s” is not a contraction of “here are.” In speaking we might say “here’re the gerbils,“ but we probably would not use the contracted form in writing unless we were trying to convey the effect of spoken English. Instead write “here are the gerbils.”
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
licence/license: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, September 9, 2014
licence/license
In the UK, the noun is “licence”: “here is my driving licence.” But when it is a verb, the spelling is “license”: “she is licensed to drive a lorry.”
In contrast, Americans use the spelling “license” in all contexts and the spelling “licence” is considered a spelling error.
__________
Would you be so kind as to read Paul Brians’ latest blog post?
In the UK, the noun is “licence”: “here is my driving licence.” But when it is a verb, the spelling is “license”: “she is licensed to drive a lorry.”
In contrast, Americans use the spelling “license” in all contexts and the spelling “licence” is considered a spelling error.
__________
Would you be so kind as to read Paul Brians’ latest blog post?
Monday, September 8, 2014
knots per hour/knots: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, September 8, 2014
knots per hour/knots
A knot equals one nautical mile per hour, so it makes no sense to speak of “knots per hour.” Leave off “per hour” when reporting the speed of a vessel in knots.
A knot equals one nautical mile per hour, so it makes no sense to speak of “knots per hour.” Leave off “per hour” when reporting the speed of a vessel in knots.
Friday, September 5, 2014
shined/shone: The Weekend Edition—Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday–Sunday, September 5–7, 2014
shined/shone
The transitive form of
the verb “shine” is “shined.” If the context describes something shining on
something else, use “shined”: “He shined his flashlight on the skunk eating
from the dog dish.” You can remember this because another sense of the word
meaning “polished” obviously requires “shined”: “I shined your shoes for you.”
___________
The Week's End Extra from the Archives: "Belgium Chocolate" (May
15, 2011).
Thursday, September 4, 2014
youse/you: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, September 4, 2014
youse/you
The plural form of “you” pronounced as “youse” is heard mainly in satire on the speech of folks from Brooklyn. It’s not standard English, since “you” can be either singular or plural without any change in spelling or pronunciation.
The plural form of “you” pronounced as “youse” is heard mainly in satire on the speech of folks from Brooklyn. It’s not standard English, since “you” can be either singular or plural without any change in spelling or pronunciation.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
build off of/build on: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, September 3, 2014
build off of/build on
You build on your earlier achievements, you don’t build off of them.
You build on your earlier achievements, you don’t build off of them.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
along the same vein/in the same vein, along the same line: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, September 2, 2014
along the same vein/in the same vein, along the same line
The expressions “in the same vein” and “along the same line” mean the same thing (“on the same subject”), but those who cross-pollinate them to create the hybrid “along the same vein” sound a little odd to those who are used to the standard expressions.
The expressions “in the same vein” and “along the same line” mean the same thing (“on the same subject”), but those who cross-pollinate them to create the hybrid “along the same vein” sound a little odd to those who are used to the standard expressions.
Monday, September 1, 2014
basises/bases: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, September 1, 2014
basises/bases
The plural of “basis” is “bases,” pronounced “BAY-sees” (not to be confused with Baywatch).
The plural of “basis” is “bases,” pronounced “BAY-sees” (not to be confused with Baywatch).
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