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.