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“Mongoloid” is an outdated anthropological term referring to certain peoples from central and eastern Asia.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.”
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
permiscuous/promiscuous: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, October 8, 2014
permiscuous/promiscuous
The influence of “permissiveness” may influence this misspelling of “promiscuous.”
The influence of “permissiveness” may influence this misspelling of “promiscuous.”
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
phoney/phony: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, October 7, 2014
phoney/phony
The usual spelling in the US is “phony”; the usual spelling in the UK and in some countries influenced by it is “phoney.”
The usual spelling in the US is “phony”; the usual spelling in the UK and in some countries influenced by it is “phoney.”
Monday, October 6, 2014
women/woman: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, October 6, 2014
women/woman
The singular “woman” probably gets mixed up with the plural “women” because although both are spelled with an O in the first syllable, only the pronunciation of the O really differentiates them. Just remember that this word is treated no differently than “man” (one person) and “men” (more than one person). A woman is a woman—never a women.
The singular “woman” probably gets mixed up with the plural “women” because although both are spelled with an O in the first syllable, only the pronunciation of the O really differentiates them. Just remember that this word is treated no differently than “man” (one person) and “men” (more than one person). A woman is a woman—never a women.
Friday, October 3, 2014
timber/timbre: The Weekend Edition—Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday–Sunday, October 3–5, 2014
timber/timbre
You can build a house out of timber, but that quality which distinguishes the sound produced by one instrument or voice from others is timbre, usually pronounced “TAM-bruh,” so the common expression is “vocal timbre.”
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The Week's End Extra from the Archives: "Cartel Flip-Flop" (June 19, 2012).
You can build a house out of timber, but that quality which distinguishes the sound produced by one instrument or voice from others is timbre, usually pronounced “TAM-bruh,” so the common expression is “vocal timbre.”
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The Week's End Extra from the Archives: "Cartel Flip-Flop" (June 19, 2012).
Thursday, October 2, 2014
expecially/especially: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, October 2, 2014
expecially/especially
“Expecially” is a common mispronunciation of “especially.”
“Expecially” is a common mispronunciation of “especially.”
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
almost: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, October 1, 2014
almost
Like “only,” “almost” must come immediately before the word or phrase it modifies: “She almost gave a million dollars to the museum” means something quite different from, “She gave almost a million dollars to the museum.” Right? So you shouldn’t write, “There was almost a riotous reaction when the will was read” when what you mean is, “There was an almost riotous reaction.”
Like “only,” “almost” must come immediately before the word or phrase it modifies: “She almost gave a million dollars to the museum” means something quite different from, “She gave almost a million dollars to the museum.” Right? So you shouldn’t write, “There was almost a riotous reaction when the will was read” when what you mean is, “There was an almost riotous reaction.”
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