dozen of/dozen
Why isn’t it “a dozen of eggs” when it’s standard to say “a couple of eggs”? The answer is that “dozen” is a precise number word, like “two” or “hundred”; we say “two eggs,” “a hundred eggs,” and “a dozen eggs.”
“Couple” is often used less precisely, to mean “a few,” so it isn’t treated grammatically as an exact number. “A couple eggs” is less standard than “a couple of eggs.”
“Dozens of eggs” is standard because you’re not specifying how many dozens you’re talking about.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
valuble/valuable: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, October 28, 2014
valuble/valuable
Few of us pronounce the second A in “valuable” distinctly; just be sure to include it when writing the word.
Few of us pronounce the second A in “valuable” distinctly; just be sure to include it when writing the word.
Monday, October 27, 2014
try and/try to: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, October 27, 2014
try and/try to
Although “try and” is common in colloquial speech and will usually pass unremarked there, in writing try to remember to use “try to” instead of “try and.”
Although “try and” is common in colloquial speech and will usually pass unremarked there, in writing try to remember to use “try to” instead of “try and.”
Friday, October 24, 2014
oeuvre: The Weekend Edition—Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday–Sunday, October 24–26, 2014
oeuvre
In French oeuvre means “work” in many different ways. In English we use the word only in the specialized sense “the body of work produced by an individual creator.” Unfortunately, “oeuvre” begins with a vowel sound we don’t have in English and ends in a French R that also does not correspond to any English sound. The result is often grotesque mispronunciations like “oove.” It’s better to avoid foreign words like this if you haven’t mastered the accent. “Body of work” or “output” will do fine.
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The Week's End Extra from the Archives: "Sure it's no good, but is it non-grammatical?" (February 22, 2013).
In French oeuvre means “work” in many different ways. In English we use the word only in the specialized sense “the body of work produced by an individual creator.” Unfortunately, “oeuvre” begins with a vowel sound we don’t have in English and ends in a French R that also does not correspond to any English sound. The result is often grotesque mispronunciations like “oove.” It’s better to avoid foreign words like this if you haven’t mastered the accent. “Body of work” or “output” will do fine.
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The Week's End Extra from the Archives: "Sure it's no good, but is it non-grammatical?" (February 22, 2013).
Thursday, October 23, 2014
in tact/intact: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Thursday, October 23, 2014
in tact/intact
Often common two-word phrases are smooshed into a single word (“anymore,” “alot,” “everytime,” “incase,” “infact”). Here’s an example where some people err in the other direction. When something survives undamaged, whole, it is not “in tact” but “intact”—one word, unbroken.
Often common two-word phrases are smooshed into a single word (“anymore,” “alot,” “everytime,” “incase,” “infact”). Here’s an example where some people err in the other direction. When something survives undamaged, whole, it is not “in tact” but “intact”—one word, unbroken.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
wont/won’t: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, October 22, 2014
wont/won’t
People often leave the apostrophe out of “won’t,” meaning “will not.” “Wont” is a completely different and rarely used word meaning “habitual custom.” Perhaps people are reluctant to believe this is a contraction because it doesn’t make obvious sense like “cannot” being contracted to “can’t.” The Oxford English Dictionary suggests that “won’t” is a contraction of a nonstandard form: “woll not.”
People often leave the apostrophe out of “won’t,” meaning “will not.” “Wont” is a completely different and rarely used word meaning “habitual custom.” Perhaps people are reluctant to believe this is a contraction because it doesn’t make obvious sense like “cannot” being contracted to “can’t.” The Oxford English Dictionary suggests that “won’t” is a contraction of a nonstandard form: “woll not.”
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
vunerable/vulnerable: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Tuesday, October 21, 2014
vunerable/vulnerable
“Vulnerable” is often mispronounced, and sometimes misspelled, without its first L.
“Vulnerable” is often mispronounced, and sometimes misspelled, without its first L.
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