Common_Errors_in_English_usage

PHANTOM/FATHOM
Brianna exclaims confusedly, "I can't phantom why he thought I'd want a
coupon for an oil change for Valentine's Day!" A phantom is a ghost, but
a fathom is nautical measure of depth. When you can't understand
something­­being unable to get to the bottom of it­­you should say "I
can't fathom it." "Phantom" is not a verb.
PHENOMENA/PHENOMENON
There are several words with Latin or Greek roots whose plural forms
ending in "A" are constantly mistaken for singular ones. See, for
instance, "criteria" and "media" and "data." it's "this phenomenon," but
"these phenomena."
PHILIPPINES/FILIPINOS
The people of the Philippines are called "Filipinos." Don't switch the
initial letters of these two words.
PHYSICAL/FISCAL
In budget matters, it's the fiscal year, relating to finances with an
"F."
PICARESQUE/PICTURESQUE
"Picaresque" is a technical literary term you are unlikely to have a use
for. It labels a sort of literature involving a picaro (Spanish), a
lovable rogue who roams the land having colorful adventures. A landscape
that looks as lovely as a picture is picturesque.
PICKUP/PICK UP
The noun is spelled "pickup" as in "drive your pickup" or "that coffee
gave me a pickup," or "we didn't have a real date; it was just a
pickup." If it's a thing, use the single­word form. But if it's an
action (verb­plus­adverb phrase) then spell it as two words: "pick up
your dirty underwear."
There's also the adjectival form, which has to be hyphenated: "Jeremy
tried out one of his corny pick­up lines on me at the bar." According to
this rule, it should be a "pick­up game" but you're unlikely to get into
trouble for writing "pickup game."
PICTURE
The pronunciation of "picture" as if it were "pitcher" is common in some
dialects, but not standard. The first syllable should sound like "pick."
PIN number/PIN
Those who object to "PIN number" on the grounds that the N in "PIN"
stands for "number" in the phrase "personal identification number" are