Common_Errors_in_English_usage

The slangy phrase "not all that" as in "the dessert was not all that
tasty" doesn't belong in formal writing. "Not very" would work, but
something more specific would be even better: "the pudding tasted like
library paste."
NOT HARDLY/NOT AT ALL
"Not hardly" is slang, fine when you want to be casual­­but in a formal
document? Not hardly!
NOTATE/NOTE
To notate a text is to write annotations about it. This technical term
should not be used as a synonym for the simple verb "note." It is both
pretentious and incorrect to write "notate the time you arrived in your
log."
NOTORIOUS
"Notorious" means famous in a bad way, as in "Nero was notorious for
giving long recitals of his tedious poetry." Occasionally writers
deliberately use it in a positive sense to suggest irony or wit, but
this is a very feeble and tired device. Nothing admirable should be
called "notorious."
The same goes for "notoriety," which also indicates a bad reputation.
NOW AND DAYS/NOWADAYS
Although it used to be hyphenated on occasion as "now­a­days," this
expression is nowadays usually rendered as a single unhyphenated word.
Some folks mistakenly think the expression is "now and days," which
makes no sense.
NUCLEAR
This isn't a writing problem, but a pronunciation error. President
Eisenhower used to consistently insert a "U" sound between the first and
second syllables, leading many journalists to imitate him and say
"nuk­yuh­lar" instead of the correct "nuk­lee­ar." The confusion extends
also to "nucleus." Many people can't even hear the mistake when they
make it, and only scientists and a few others will catch the
mispronunciation; but you lose credibility if you are an anti­nuclear
protester who doesn't know how to pronounce "nuclear." Here's one way to
remember: we need a new, clear understanding of the issues; let's stop
saying "Nuke you!"
NUMBER OF VERB
In long, complicated sentences, people often lose track of whether the
subject is singular or plural and use the wrong sort of verb. "The
ultimate effect of all of these phone calls to the detectives were to
make them suspicious of the callers" is an error because "effect," which