Common_Errors_in_English_usage

But you made a mistake yourself!
We all do, from time to time. Drop me a line if you think you've found
an error in my own writing. If I think you're right, I'll correct it;
but be prepared to be disagreed with. If you write me, please don't call
me "Brian." My given name is Paul.
For instructions on how to write me, see the bottom of this page.
This resource is copyrighted by Paul Brians. Permission is granted to
reprint or photocopy small numbers of it in its entirety or in part for
all local nonprofit, educational purposes provided that the author is
cited and the URL http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/ is included. As a
courtesy, please notify the author if you copy or link to this material.
Because the content changes frequently, and I need to maintain control
over the site, requests to create Web mirrors of the site are usually
declined.
Recommended in "Yahoo Internet Life Magazine," July, 1997, pp. 82­83 and
cited as a Yahoo "Site of the Week." It has also been recommended in the
pages of "The Weekend Australian," "The Bangkok Post," the "Los Angeles
Times," the "Seattle Times," the "Indianapolis Star­Tribune," the
"Halifax Chronicle­Herald," Ziff­Davis' "Inside the Internet"
newsletter, "Netsurfer Digest," and "The Web" magazine.
100s/hundreds
It looks cheesy to spell "hundreds" as "100's"; and it isn't really
logical because "100" doesn't mean "hundred"­­it means specifically "one
hundred."
360 DEGREES/180 DEGREES
When you turn 360 degrees you've completed a circle and are back where
you started. So if you want to describe a position that's diametrically
opposed to another, the expression you want is not "360 degrees away"
but "180 degrees away."
A/AN
If the word following begins with a vowel sound, the word you want is
"an": "Have an apple, Adam." If the word following begins with a
consonant, but begins with a vowel sound, you still need "an": "An X­ray
will show whether there's a worm in it." It is nonstandard and often
considered sloppy speech to utter an "uh" sound in such cases.
When the following word definitely begins with a consonant sound, you
need "a": "A snake told me apples enhance mental abilities."
See also "an historic."
A.D.