anteclimax/anticlimax: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, December 31, 2014

anteclimax/anticlimax
When an exciting build-up leads to a disappointing end, the result is an anticlimax—the opposite of a climax. The prefix “anti-” is used to indicate opposition whereas the prefix “ante-” is used to indicate that something precedes something else; so be careful not to misspell this word “anteclimax.”

yoke/yolk: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, December 30, 2014

yoke/yolk
The yellow center of an egg is its yolk. The link that holds two oxen together is a yoke; they are yoked.

on the same token/by the same token: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, December 29, 2014

on the same token/by the same token
When we compare things with each other, we often say “on the one hand” and “on the other hand.” These phrases mean “on this side” and “on the other side.”

But it is a mistake to say “on the same token,” meaning “in the same regard.” The standard expression is “by the same token.”

 












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Read about the 2015 calendar here.

dispose/dispose of: The Weekend Edition—Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday–Sunday, December 26–28, 2014

dispose/dispose of
If you want to get rid of your stuff you may dispose of it on Freecyle or Craigslist. A great many people mistakenly dispose of the “of” in this phrase, writing sentences like “Dispose your unwanted mail in the recycling bin.” You can also use “dispose of” to mean “deal with” (“you can dispose of your royalties as you see fit”) or “demolish an opposing argument” (“the defense attorney disposed of the prosecutor’s case in less than five minutes”).

“Dispose” without “of” works differently, depending on the meaning. Whereas to dispose of your toy soldiers you might take them to a pawnshop, to dispose your toy soldiers you would arrange them for battle. Most politicians are disposed to talk at length.

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The Week’s End Extra from the Archives: “Rivera and Shakespeare: Perfect in every way” (July 17, 2013).

you’ve got mail/you have mail: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, December 25, 2014

you’ve got mail/you have mail
The “have” contracted in phrases like this is merely an auxiliary verb, not an expression of possession. It is not a redundancy. Compare: “You’ve sent the mail.”

wreath/wreaths/wreathe/wreathes: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, December 24, 2014

wreath/wreaths/wreathe/wreathes
One circle of greens is a wreath (rhymes with “teeth”). The plural is “wreaths” (rhymes with “heaths”). In both cases the TH is unvoiced (like the TH in “both”).

To decorate something with wreaths is to wreathe it (rhymes with “breathe” with a voiced TH like the one at the end of “bathe”). He or she wreathes it (also with a voiced TH).

quay/cay/key: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, December 23, 2014

quay/cay/key
You tie your boat up at a quay built next to the shore; you can take your boat out to explore a cay or key—a small island or reef. Cays and keys are natural; quays are always built by human beings.

Romainian/Romanian: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, December 22, 2014

Romainian/Romanian
The ancient Romans referred to what we call “the Roman Empire” as Romania (roh-MAHN-ee-ya). The country north of Bulgaria borrowed this ancient name for itself. Older spellings—now obsolete—include “Roumania” and “Rumania.” But although in English we pronounce “Romania” roh-MAIN-ee-ya, it is never correct to spell the country’s name as “Romainia,” and the people and language are referred to not as “Romainian” but as “Romanian.”

Ancient Romans were citizens of the Roman empire, and today they are inhabitants of the city of Rome (which in Italian is Roma). Don’t confuse Romans with Romanians.

realms of possibility/realm of possibility: The Weekend Edition—Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday–Sunday, December 19–21, 2014

realms of possibility/realm of possibility 
We say of something that is not impossible that it is “within the realm of possibility,” or “within the realm of the possible.” The plural form “realms” is so popular in the worlds of fantasy fiction and gaming that it is understandable that many people would refer to “realms of possibility,” but the realm of the possible contains everything that is possible. That’s what its name means. The idea of plural possibilities is already inherent in the word “realm.”

When even serious physicists speculate about multiple “universes” the concept of multiple realms of possibility may sound all right, but it’s neither logical nor traditional.

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The Week’s End Extra from the Archives: “Sorta Speak” (June 18, 2012).

Something is a-SKU in the comics, according to Paul Brians' latest blog post.

cowered/coward: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, December 18, 2014

cowered/coward
“Coward” and “cower” may seem logically connected. But “coward”—a noun used to scornfully label a fearful person—is derived from a French root, and “cower”—a verb meaning to crouch down, often fearfully—is derived from an entirely different Nordic one. “Cowered” is just the past tense of “cower” and should not be used as a spelling for the label given to a timid person. It’s always “a coward” and “the coward.”

“Cowered” is also occasionally used improperly when “cowed”—meaning “intimidated”—is meant. It is not related etymologically to either “coward” or “cowered.”

assess: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, December 17, 2014

assess
“Assess” is a transitive verb; it needs an object. You can assess your team’s chances of winning the bowl game, but you cannot assess that they are playing better than last year. “Assess” is not an all-purpose synonym of “judge” or “estimate.” Most of the time if you write “assess that” you are making a mistake. The errors arise when “that” is being used as a conjunction. Exceptions arise when “that” is a pronoun or adverb: “How do you assess that?” “I assess that team’s chances as good.”

extended, extensive: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, December 16, 2014

extended, extensive 
“Extended” has to do with time, “extensive” with space. An extended tour lasts a long time; an extensive tour covers a lot of territory.

molten/melted: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, December 15, 2014

molten/melted
“Molten” is now usually used to describe hard materials like lava, glass, and lead liquefied by very high heat. Most other substances are “melted,” though some people like to refer to “molten cheese” and a popular dessert is called “molten chocolate cake,” perhaps to emphasize its gooey, lava-like character.

disembark the vessel/disembark: The Weekend Edition—Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday–Sunday, December 12–14, 2014

disembark the vessel/disembark
Announcements on many boats and ships tell passengers when to “disembark the vessel.” This wording makes some of those listening wince.

To “disembark” is to get off a marine vessel or put something or someone off a vessel. The crew disembarks the passengers. On a cargo vessel they may disembark the cargo. It’s the stuff on the ship, not the ship itself, which gets disembarked.

People sensitive to the history of words know that a “bark” is a boat or ship. The word is related etymologically to “barge.”

It would be better to simply tell the passengers to get off the vessel, leave it, or go ashore. But “disembark the vessel” is so well established in the industry that it’s not likely to go away any time soon. Meantime, it can bother you too.

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The Week’s End Extra from the Archives: “Common Errors in English Usage 2nd Edition: It’s a book that deserves its reputation” (October 28, 2008).

Mongoloid: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, December 11, 2014

Mongoloid
“Mongoloid” is an outdated anthropological term referring to certain peoples from central and eastern Asia. Its use to label people with Down Syndrome is also dated and highly offensive. Avoid the term entirely. If you have cause to refer to people from Mongolia the proper term is “Mongolian.”

coffee clutch/coffee klatsch, coffee klatch: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, December 10, 2014

coffee clutch/coffee klatsch, coffee klatch
“Coffee klatsch” comes from German Kaffeeklatsch meaning “coffee chat.” This is a compound word of which only one element has been translated, with the other being left in its original German spelling.

Many people anglicize the spelling further to “coffee klatch” or “coffee clatch.” Either one is less sophisticated than “coffee klatsch,” but not too likely to cause raised eyebrows.

“Coffee clutch” is just a mistake except when used as a deliberate pun to label certain brands of coffee-cup sleeves or to name a cafe.

you know/know what I’m sayin’: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, December 9, 2014

you know/know what I’m sayin’
In casual speech it’s fine to say things like “You know, I really liked that blouse you were wearing yesterday.” But some people fall into the habit of punctuating their speech with “you know” so frequently that it becomes irritating to the listener. Most people do this unconsciously, not meaning anything by it. If you become aware that you have this habit your friends and colleagues will be grateful if you try to overcome it.

Hip-hop popularized a similar formula—“know what I’m sayin’?”—frequently used when there is little or no doubt about what is being said. It means something like “right?” It’s time to retire this worn-out phrase—know what I’m sayin’?

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Lo and behold, Paul Brians investigates a misheard phrase in his latest blog post.

depravation/deprivation: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, December 8, 2014

depravation/deprivation
There is a rare word spelled “depravation” which has to do with something being depraved, corrupted, perverted.

But the spelling you’re more likely to need is “deprivation,” which has to do with being deprived of desirable things like sleep or chocolate.

mispell/misspell: The Weekend Edition—Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday–Sunday, December 5–7, 2014

mispell/misspell
Your spelling checker should catch this one, but judging by the popularity of “mispell,” “mispelled,” and “mispelling” on the Web, it slips by many people. These words need two S’s: one to end “mis-” and another to begin “-spell.” So the words are “misspell,” “misspelled,” and “misspelling.” This ranks as an embarrassing spelling mistake right up there with “writting.”

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The Week’s End Extra from the Archives: "Notes on the Third Edition: Most Things Are Still All Right" (November 21, 2013).

hyperdermic/hypodermic: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, December 4, 2014

hyperdermic/hypodermic
Do you get a little hyper when you have to go to the doctor for a shot? The injection is made with a hypodermic needle. The prefix hypo- means “under,” and the needle slides under your skin (your epidermis).

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You may get a little excited, but no need to get hyper about the continuing sale on the Common Errors in English Usage book. This offer will expire over the weekend, so take advantage of it now.

appraise/apprise: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, December 3, 2014

appraise/apprise
When you estimate the value of something, you appraise it. When you inform people of a situation, you apprise them of it.


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Of countries and birds: Paul Brians’ most recent blog post addresses the topic of what happens when place names get exported to other languages.

ball/bawl: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, December 2, 2014

ball/bawl
To “bawl” is to cry out loudly, so when you break down in tears you bawl like a baby and when you reprimand people severely you bawl them out. Don’t use “ball” in these sorts of expressions. It has a number of meanings, but none of them have to do with shouting and wailing unless you’re shouting “play ball!”

undoubtably/undoubtedly: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, December 1, 2014

undoubtably/undoubtedly
Doubtless the spelling of “presumably” influences the misspelling “undoubtably.” The word is “undoubtedly.” When something is undoubtedly true, it is undoubted.