Common_Errors_in_English_usage

to "you peoples" indicated illiteracy. If you are not referring to
national or ethnic groups, it is better to avoid "peoples" and use
"people."
See also "behaviors."
PER/ACCORDING TO
Using "per" to mean "according to" as in "ship the widgets as per the
instructions of the customer" is rather old­fashioned business jargon,
and is not welcome in other contexts. "Per" is fine when used in phrases
involving figures like "miles per gallon."
PERCENT/PER CENT
In the US the two­word spelling "per cent" is considered rather
old­fashioned and is rarely used; but in the UK and countries
influenced by it, the two­word form is still standard, though use of
"percent" is spreading fast even there.
PERCENT DECREASE
When something has been reduced by one hundred percent, it's all gone
(or if the reduction was in its price, it's free). You can't properly
speak of reducing anything by more than a hundred percent (unless it's a
deficit or debt, in which case you wind up with a surplus).
PERCIPITATION/PRECIPITATION
Rain, snow, hail, etc. are all forms of precipitation. This word is
often misspelled and mispronounced as "percipitation."
PERNICKETY/PERSNICKETY
The original Scottish dialect form was "pernickety," but Americans
changed it to "persnickety" a century ago. "Pernickety" is generally
unknown in the US though it's still in wide use across the Atlantic.
PEROGATIVE/PREROGATIVE
"Prerogative" is frequently both mispronounced and misspelled as
"perogative." It may help to remember that the word is associated with
PRivileges of PRecedence.
PERPETUATE/PERPETRATE
"Perpetrate" is something criminals do (criminals are sometimes called
"perps" in cop slang). When you seek to continue something you are
trying to perpetuate it.
PERSE/PER SE
This legal term meaning "in, of, or by itself") is a bit pretentious,
but you gain little respect if you misspell per se as a single word.