Common_Errors_in_English_usage

to say that their numbers have increased by an order of magnitude, and
when they have increased to some millions, that their numbers have
increased by four orders of magnitude.
Number language generally confuses people. Many seem to suppose that a
100% increase must be pretty much the same as an increase by an order of
magnitude, but in fact such an increase represents merely a doubling of
quantity. A "hundredfold increase" is even bigger: one hundred times as
much. If you don't have a firm grasp on such concepts, it's best to
avoid the expression altogether. After all, "Our audience is ten times
as big now as when the show opened" makes the same point more clearly
than "Our audience has increased by an order of magnitude."
Compare with "quantum leap."
ORDINANCE/ORDNANCE
A law is an ordinance, but a gun is a piece of ordnance.
OREGON
Oregon natives and other Westerners pronounce the state name's last
syllable to sound like "gun," not "gone."
ORGANIC
The word "organic" is used in all sorts of contexts, often in a highly
metaphorical manner; the subject here is its use in the phrase "organic
foods" in claims of superior healthfulness. Various jurisdictions have
various standards for "organic" food, but generally the label is applied
to foods that have been grown without artificial chemicals or
pesticides. Literally, of course, the term is a redundancy: all food is
composed of organic chemicals (complex chemicals containing carbon).
There is no such thing as an inorganic food (unless you count water as a
food). Natural fertilizers and pesticides may or may not be superior to
artificial ones, but the proper distinction is not between organic and
inorganic. Many nitrogen­fixing plants like peas do a great job of
fertilizing the soil with plain old inorganic atmospheric nitrogen.
When it comes to nutrition, people tend to generalize rashly from a
narrow scientific basis. After a few preservatives were revealed to have
harmful effects in some consumers, many products were proudly labeled
"No Preservatives!" I don't want harmful preservatives in my food, but
that label suggests to me a warning: "Deteriorates quickly! May contain
mold and other kinds of rot!" Salt is a preservative.
ORIENTAL/ASIAN
"Oriental" is generally considered old­fashioned now, and many find it
offensive. "Asian" is preferred, but not "Asiatic." it's better to write
the nationality involved, for example "Chinese" or "Indian," if you
know it. "Asian" is often taken to mean exclusively "East Asian," which
irritates South Asian and Central Asian people.