Common_Errors_in_English_usage

DRIPS AND DRABS/DRIBS AND DRABS
Something doled out in miserly amounts is provided in "dribs and drabs."
A drib is a smaller relative of a dribble. Nobody seems to be sure what
a drab is in this sense, except that it's a tiny bit larger than a drib.
Since the origin of the phrase is obscure, people try to substitute a
more familiar word for the unusual word "drib" by writing "drips and
drabs." But that's not the traditional formula.
DRIVE/DISK
A hard drive and a hard disk are much the same thing; but when it comes
to removable computer media, the drive is the machinery that turns and
reads the disk. Be sure not to ask for a drive when all you need is a
disk.
DRUG/DRAGGED
"Well, look what the cat drug in!" Unless you are trying to render
dialectical speech to convey a sense of down­home rusticity, use
"dragged" as the past tense of "drag."
DUAL/DUEL
"Dual" is an adjective describing the two­ness of something­­dual
carburetors, for instance. A "duel" is a formal battle intended to
settle a dispute.
DUCK TAPE/DUCT TAPE
A commercial firm has named its product "Duck Tape," harking back to
the original name for this adhesive tape (which was green), developed by
Johnson & Johnson during World War II to waterproof ammunition cases. It
is now usually called "duct tape," for its common use in connecting
ventilation and other ducts (which match its current silver color). Note
that modern building codes consider duct tape unsafe for sealing ducts,
particularly those that convey hot air.
DUE TO THE FACT THAT/BECAUSE
Although "due to" is now a generally acceptable synonym for "because,"
"due to the fact that" is a clumsy and wordy substitute that should be
avoided in formal writing. "Due to" is often misspelled "do to."
DYEING/DYING
If you are using dye to change your favorite t­shirt from white to blue
you are dyeing it; but if you don't breathe for so long that your face
turns blue, you may be dying.
E.G./I.E.
When you mean "for example," use e.g. It is an abbreviation for the