Common_Errors_in_English_usage

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Something grows exponentially when it repeatedly grows by multiples of some factor in a rapidly accelerating fashion. Don't use the word loosely to refer to ordinary rapid, but steady, growth. See also "orders of magnitude." EXPRESSED/EXPRESS One of the meanings of "express" is "explicit": "Izaak claimed that his old boss had given him express permission to shop on eBay for fishing rods during work hours." Some people feel the word should be "expressed," and that form is not likely to get anyone into trouble; but if you use it you should not presume to correct others who stick with the traditional form: "express permission" (or orders, or mandate, or whatever). EXPRESSES THAT/SAYS THAT "In her letter Jane expresses that she is getting irritated with me for not writing" should be corrected to "In her letter Jane says that. . . " You can express an idea or a thought, but you can't ever express that. In technical terms, "express" is a transitive verb and requires an object. EXPRESSO/ESPRESSO I've read several explanations of the origin of this word: the coffee is made expressly for you upon your order, or the steam is expressed through the grounds, or (as most people supposeand certainly wrongly) the coffee is made at express speed. One thing is certain: the word is "espresso," not "expresso." While you're at an American espresso stand, you might muse on the fact that both "biscotti" and "panini" are plural forms, but you're likely to baffle the barista if you ask in correct Italian for a biscotto or a panino. EXTEND/EXTENT People often write "to a great extend" or "to a lesser extend." "Extend" is a verb only, and should not be used as a noun. It's "to a great extent," and "to a lesser extent." EXTRACT REVENGE/EXACT REVENGE The use of a rare sense of "exact" confuses people, but the traditional phrase is "exact revenge", not the seemingly more logical "extract revenge" or "enact revenge." IN THE FACT THAT/BY THE FACT THAT The correct phrase is "by the fact that," not "in the fact that." While we're at it, "infact" is not a word; "in fact" is always a twoword phrase.
FACTOID The "oid" ending in English is normally added to a word to indicate that an item is not the real thing. A humanoid is not quite human. Originally "factoid" was an ironic term indicating that the "fact" being offered was not actually factual. However, CNN and other sources have taken to treating the "oid" as if it were a mere diminutive, and using the term to mean "trivial but true fact." As a result, the definition of "factoid" is hopelessly confused and it's probably better to avoid using the term altogether. FAIR/FARE When you send your daughter off to camp, you hope she'll fare well. That's why you bid her a fond farewell. "Fair" as a verb is a rare word meaning "to smooth a surface to prepare it for being joined to another." FAR BE IT FOR ME/FAR BE IT FROM ME The mangled expression "far be it for me" is probably influenced by a similar saying: "it's not for me to say." The standard expression is "far be it from me" (may this possibility be far away from me). FARTHER/FURTHER Some authorities (like the Associated Press) insist on "farther" to refer to physical distance and on "further" to refer to an extent of time or degree, but others treat the two words as interchangeable except for insisting on "further" for "in addition," and "moreover." You'll always be safe in making the distinction; some people get really testy about this. FASTLY/FAST "Fastly" is an old form that has died out in English. Interest in soccer is growing fast, not "fastly." FATAL/FATEFUL A "fatal" event is a deadly one; a "fateful" one is determined by fate. If there are no casualties left lying at the scenewhether mangled corpses or failed negotiationsthe word you are seeking is "fateful." The latter word also has many positive uses, such as "George fondly remembered that fateful night in which he first met the woman he was to love to his dying day." FAZE/PHASE "Faze" means to embarrass or disturb, but is almost always used in the negative sense, as in "the fact that the overhead projector bulb was burned out didn't faze her." "Phase" is a noun or verb having to do with an aspect of something. "He's just going through a temperamental phase." "They're going to phase in the new accounting procedures gradually."
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Common Errors in English by Paul Br
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But you made a mistake yourself! We
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ABSORBTION/ABSORPTION Although it's
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ACCURATE/PRECISE In ordinary usage,
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ADVOCATE FOR/ADVOCATE When they are
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as believers do not need to be able
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captivity. There is no such word as
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(notice, no "N") and "auteur" (in f
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with each other. Your greatgrandm
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"This pizza is really expensive
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ARTIC/ARCTIC Although some brand na
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To "assure" a person of something i
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AVENGE/REVENGE When you try to get
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concealing. It seems more likely th
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long this had been the custom and w
Page 32 and 33: the last word to "pail." The area o
Page 34 and 35: past tense of "bear": "My brother's
Page 36 and 37: "Breech" however, refers to rear en
Page 38 and 39: Side note: Britons laughed themselv
Page 40 and 41: weather, so we shouldn't be surpris
Page 42 and 43: not cast in stone." They may be inf
Page 44 and 45: lounge), resulting in the mispronun
Page 46 and 47: You cite the author in an endnote;
Page 48 and 49: trouble with commas if they deal wi
Page 50 and 51: CONCENSUS/CONSENSUS You might suppo
Page 52 and 53: COME WITH In some American dialects
Page 54 and 55: More on COULD CARE LESS" People who
Page 56 and 57: There are several words with Latin
Page 58 and 59: it just a goofy typo? DAMP SQUID/DA
Page 60 and 61: with short deadlines but not da
Page 62 and 63: degree" and "doctor of philosophy d
Page 64 and 65: substituting "do" for "due" (owing)
Page 66 and 67: established, if unusual. However, t
Page 68 and 69: applied to plans and activities, no
Page 70 and 71: Latin phrase exempli gratia. When y
Page 72 and 73: "burned/burnt" and "kneeled/knelt."
Page 74 and 75: You can pronounce the last two syll
Page 76 and 77: Originally these two words were syn
Page 78 and 79: An epigraph is a brief quotation us
Page 80 and 81: But when something happens only occ
Page 84 and 85: Unfortunately, Star Trek has confus
Page 86 and 87: FIRSTABLE/FIRST OF ALL The odd word
Page 88 and 89: fortunate chance event. It is nonst
Page 90 and 91: FORBIDDING/FOREBODING/FORMIDABLE "F
Page 92 and 93: popularly as "Frankenstein's monste
Page 94 and 95: FUSHIA/FUCHSIA The flowers known as
Page 96 and 97: When "God" is the name of a god, as
Page 98 and 99: There are just two syllables in "gr
Page 100 and 101: safer using "disability" than "hand
Page 102 and 103: Heal is what you do when you get be
Page 104 and 105: A simple test is to substitute "us"
Page 106 and 107: HONE IN/HOME IN You home in on a ta
Page 108 and 109: (theoretically the width of a lette
Page 110 and 111: are expressing their own ignorance.
Page 112 and 113: of vague ways, often clumsily. Here
Page 114 and 115: "infamy." Humorists have for a coup
Page 116 and 117: INTERCESSION/INTERSESSION In theolo
Page 118 and 119: down to earth. Similarly in standar
Page 120 and 121: In electronics, a jack is a female
Page 122 and 123: JUDGEMENT/JUDGMENT In Great Britain
Page 124 and 125: might lead people to think of relax
Page 126 and 127: the standard spelling for those lit
Page 128 and 129: or "It feels like spring." In expre
Page 130 and 131: are less common now. LOGON/VISIT Yo
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spell his title with a double "L."
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MEDIOCRE Although some dictionaries
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AB "minus" 231. In the model name "
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"motherload" is a mistake which is
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people want to vomit, and it temper
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hilariously mistaken "nip it in the
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is singular, is the subject. If you
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OLDTIMER'S DISEASE/ALZHEIMER'S DI
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lose a shirt. Strictly speaking, "I
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ORIENTATE/ORIENT Although it is sta
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Some people derive the noun "paraly
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in the apartment." PAST TIME/PASTIM
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to "you peoples" indicated illitera
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PHANTOM/FATHOM Brianna exclaims con
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PLAYS A FACTOR/PLAYS A ROLE Some pe
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US from Hawaii. POPULACE/POPULOUS T
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part of a team. Don't write "preM
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law or doctrine: "The workers fough
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PUNDINT/PUNDIT "Pundit" is one of t
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quoted words and phrases within quo
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wrecked. If things are wrecked, the
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come, she's ravenous. REACTIONARY/R
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REDICULOUS/RIDICULOUS You may ridic
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the quality of being truly religiou
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RESPOND BACK/RESPOND, REPLY It's po
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People unfamiliar with the French
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"Salsa" is Spanish for "sauce," so
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Those are pearls that were his eyes
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these two up it will not sit well w
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SILICON/SILICONE Silicon is a chemi
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centuries, but has become widely us
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SPECIALLY/ESPECIALLY In most contex
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militant. A golfer wanting to impro
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expression has nothing to do with t
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called "suspicious." But "suspect"
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THAN/THEN When comparing one thing
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them," the traditionally correct ph
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Although most other translations us
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as "in today's modern society" or "
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Although in baseball a homerun hi
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The adjective "undue" is the opposi
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When you have vanity you are concei
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A truthful person has "veracity." "
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sound "wah," as it usually does in
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etter" or "very much better." In fo
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date or time known, use "when." WHE
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There is another sort of question i
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The standard way to talk about some
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point is that if you eat your cake
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http://www.bartleby.com/64/C001/050
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they mean to say they're healthy. F
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For most Americans, the natural thi
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different. "You've got mail" should
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This saying belongs to the same gen
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secretary, seize, sentence, separat
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y in large or enlarge by and large
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end justifies the meaning enervate
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if I don't say so imbedded impaling
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new leash on life neck in neck nitc
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ebel rouser recreate the wheel repe
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two sense worth turpentime tyrannic
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language. Try one of them instead.
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as to which one prefers. My goal is
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