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Because English is such a complex language, it is fraught with traps that we all frequently fall into. With this list I hope to clear up at least a few of the confusing words we use every day. This is a list of some of the more common errors people make with English.
1. Practice / Practise
In US English, practice is used as either a verb (doing word), or noun (naming word). Hence, a doctor has a practice, and a person practices the violin. In UK english, practice is a noun, and practise is a verb. A doctor has a practice, but his daughter practises the piano.
2. Bought / Brought
Bought relates to buying something. Brought relates to bringing something. For example, I bought a bottle of wine which had been brought over from France. The easy way to remember which is which is that bring start with ‘br’ and brought also does. Buy and bought start with ‘b’ only. This is one of those difficult ones that a spelling checker won’t catch.
3. Your / You’re
Your means “belonging to you”. You’re means “you are”. The simplest way to work out the correct one to use is to read out your sentence. For example, if you say “you’re jeans look nice” expand the apostrophe. The expanded sentence would read “you are jeans look nice” – obviously nonsensical. Remember, in English, the apostrophe often denotes an abbreviation.
4. Its / It’s
As in the case above, the apostrophe denotes an abbreviation: it’s = it is. Its means “belongs to it”. The confusion arises here because we also use an apostrophe in English to denote possession – except in this case; if you want to say “the cat’s bag” you say “its bag” not “it’s bag”. “It’s” always means “it is” or “it has”. “It’s a hot day.” “it’s been fun seeing you.”
5. Two / To / Too
With a ‘w’ it means the number 2. With one ‘o’ it refers to direction: ‘to France’. With two ‘o’s it means “also” or refers to quantity – for example: “There is too much money”. A good way to remember this one is that too has two ‘o’s – ie, it has more ‘o’s than ‘to’ – therefore it refers to quantity.
6. Desert / Dessert
This is a confusing one because in English an ’s’ on its own is frequently pronounced like a ‘z’ and two ’s’s are usually pronounced as a n ’s’ (for example: prise, prissy). In this case, desert follow the rule – it means a large stretch of sand. However, dessert is pronounced “dez-urt” with the emphasis on the second syllable – ie, something we eat as part of our meal. To make matters worse, when a person leaves the army without permission, it is spelt desert. So, let’s sum up:
desert (pronounced dez’-it): dry land
desert (pronounced dez-urt’): abandon
dessert (pronounced dez-urt’): yum yum! – remember, two ’s’s because you want second helpings!
Oh – one more thing – another very common mistake is using the word dessert (two ’s’s) to mean pudding – pudding is a sweet course, often consisting of some kind of cake or icecream. Dessert is fruit or cheese – normally taken after the pudding course.
7. Dryer / Drier
If your clothes are wet, put them in a clothes dryer. That will make them drier. A hair dryer also makes hair drier.
8. Chose / Choose
This is actually quite an easy one to remember – in English we generally pronounce ‘oo’ as it is written – such as “moo”. The same rule applies here: choose is pronounced as it is written (with a ‘z’ sound for the ’s’) – and chose is said like “nose”. Therefore, if you had to choose to visit Timbuktu, chances are you chose to fly there. Chose is the past tense, choose is the present tense.
9. Lose / Loose
This one is confusing. In this case, contrary to normal rules of English, the single ’s’ in loose is pronounced like an ’s’ – as in wearing trousers that are too loose. Lose on the other hand, relates to loss – for example: “I hope we don’t lose this game”. A good way to remember this is that in the word “lose” you have lost the second ‘o’ from loose. If you can’t remember a rule that simple, you are a loser!
10. Literally
This one is not only often used in error, it is incredibly annoying when it is used in the wrong way. Literally means “it really happened” – therefore, unless you live on a parallel universe with different rules of physics, you can not say “he literally flew out the door”. Saying someone “flew out the door” is speaking figuratively – you could say “he figuratively flew out the door” but figuratively is generally implied when you describe something impossible. Literally can only be used in the case of facts – for example: he literally exploded after swallowing the grenade. If he did, indeed, swallow the grenade and explode – that last sentence is perfectly correct. It would not be correct to say “she annoyed him and he literally exploded” unless she is Wonder Woman and her anger can cause people to blow up.
Bonus: I could care less
I have to add this one as a bonus because it is one I especially hate. When you say “I could care less” you are saying “I care a little so I could care less”. Most people when using this horrific sentence mean to say “I couldn’t care less” which means “I care so little I could not care less”.
Bonus 2: Ironic
Isn’t it ironic? Actually, no, most of the time it is not. Irony, in its true form, is when you state something to a person who does not understand what you truly mean, but another person does. Essentially, it makes the hearer the brunt of the joke without their being aware of it. This is called dramatic or tragic irony because it originated on the stage where the audience knew what was happening but the victim on stage did not. The most sustained example of dramatic irony is undoubtedly Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, in which Oedipus searches to find the murderer of the former king of Thebes, only to discover that it is himself, a fact the audience has known all along.
Another form of irony is Socratic irony, in which the person pretends to be ignorant of a subject in order to truly show the ignorance of the person with whom he is arguing.
Unfortunately, poor Alanis Morissette had no clue when she said “it’s a free ride when you’ve already paid” or “it’s like rain on your wedding day”. This is not irony – it is misfortune or coincidence.
To sum it up, basically Irony is a figure of speech in which what is stated is not what is meant. Sarcasm can be a type of Irony.
September 19th, 2007 at 10:16 am
Notable omissions: “Ironic” (on par with “Literally”), i.e. vs. e.g., “They” as a singular pronoun, affect/effect, and misuse of quotation marks to add emphasis (particularly irksome in advertising copy).
September 19th, 2007 at 10:25 am
nice list, especially the “I could care less” bonus statement…I thought I was the only one noticing people say that and how stupid it sounded. Literally.
September 19th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Lie/Lay – This one drives me crazy.
Lie means to recline. “I’m going to lie down.”
Lay means to place something down. “Please lay the blanket on the bed.”
September 19th, 2007 at 10:45 am
Daniel: I knew someone would mention that one
I have added it as Bonus 2.
September 19th, 2007 at 10:46 am
kindmaryjane: thanks for adding that one – too true! Now explain to the user the difference between laid and lain
September 19th, 2007 at 10:47 am
blazak: I like how you slipped the literally in there
September 19th, 2007 at 10:51 am
“Utilise” (US: Utilize)
I hate that word. It has spawned a whole school of neologisms in -ise, too.
It’s really just pompous management-speak. Those who argue it means “to make use of” in some kind of special way should stop reading instruction booklets and pick-up a decent book instead.
Don’t hesitate to interface with me on this one, folks.
September 19th, 2007 at 10:56 am
Nauseous vs Nauseated. Same as poisonous vs poisoned. Most people do NOT want to be considered nauseous.
September 19th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Thanks for adding “Ironic”, jfrater (although, to give Alannis her due, the title of the song was quite wonderfully ironic).
Che, what’s wrong with “Utilise”? I mean, it makes you look like a wanker because there’s almost no occasion on which “use” couldn’t be utilised with equal effect, but it’s still a perfectly legitimate (the urge to say “cromulent” was almost irresistible) word.
September 19th, 2007 at 11:27 am
I’d have to add the one that I hate most: “would (should/could/..) of” instead of “would have”. I read that more often every day.
BTW, I’m German.
September 19th, 2007 at 11:30 am
You know the difference between Alanis Morissette and language proscriptivists? You never see the latter creating poetry, lyrics or enduring literature. Only tiresome essays about how everybody is stupid for ending sentences with prepositions. If Dickens had been a proscriptivist “A Tale of Two Cities” would have began: “Throughout that era there were some very good times interspersed with several bad ones.”
September 19th, 2007 at 11:30 am
Me vs. Myself…? Still don’t know that one.
As in, “If you have questions, please talk to Amy or myself.” o.O How does that one work?
September 19th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Sorry, but most of the above should be easily distinguished by anyone older than ten. I live in Austria and most of my friends have no trouble utilizing any of the supposedly common errors above. Lent/Borrowed, now that’s a problem. Lie/Lay/Lied, tough one indeed.
September 19th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Kelsi: that one is easy – myself is reflexive – it only refers to things you do to yourself (think of it like a reflection) – I bathe myself, I hate myself. In all other cases it is me or I. I is subjective and me is objective – for example: I am happy (I am the subject of that sentence) – or she hits me (she is the subject, me is the object).
In your example, the subject is the person to whom you are speaking (whom is objective incidentally, and who is subjective), Amy and you are the objects – therefore you must say If you have questions, please talk to Amy or me.
September 19th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
batesman: learning English as a second language gives you an advantage – you are learning grammar rules that are no longer taught in most schools.
Lent/borrowed is simple: lend – give to someone else; borrow – take to yourself. A good way to remember is: borrow = bring to me (both start with ‘b’).
Lie – present tense or imperative: I lie down (I am doing it right now) or, lie down! (I command you to do it now).
Lay – you do this to yourself – he lay down to sleep.
Lain – to yourself when another verb is already being used: When I am lain in earth (am – to be – is the extra verb)
Laid – to something else when another verb is already being used – he had laid the table
September 19th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
“Morissette herself does in fact acknowledge that ‘Ironic’ is not filled with ironies and this in itself is what makes it ironic.”
She knows its not irony which makes the song ironic, which is the funny part about it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironic_%28song%29
September 19th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
tjgrs: I think that is cop out!
September 19th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Another bonus: For an outrageous lie, “That was a bald face lie.” as opposed to “That was a bold face lie.”
September 19th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
ferd: excellent addition!
September 19th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Another common mistake is using the correct ‘there’ or ‘their’ or ‘they’re’… there meaning a location, hey look over there… their meaning possession, it’s their computer… and they’re is a conjuction of they are, they’re getting naked.
September 19th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Adam: that is definitely a great addition – you see that all the time.
September 19th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
argh..makes me wish my printer weren’t broken. i’d love to print this off as reference.
September 19th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Cyn: You can always come back
September 19th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
MrDowst: I think you are referring to when people use the abbreviated version of would have which would be would’ve not would of. Or when they say should’ve it probably sounds like should of. But if you are reading it on paper like that it’s definitely wrong =)
September 19th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
When I read would’ve – I always say it with a schwa – should-schwa-v – so it sounds really awful when someone says should-of – it is too many stresses in one word!
September 19th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
with lifelong spelling diffaculties and pronuceating specific formations with the mouth musculse and lyrnex (I geuss) , I am always at arms with the agrivated lot that continually feel as if it is thier purpose in life to constantly correct me, as if I were a child or something. I am what I am…fo real. coloquealisms.
September 19th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
#4 is wrong. The assertion that ” it’s ” does not denote a possessive is correct. However, the part which asserts “It’s” always means “it is” is *INCORRECT!*.
” It’s ” can also mean “it has”. Most people use this every day, as in, ” It’s been fun ” or ” It’s been too long “.
September 19th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
jfrater..oh i know. but the initial post would make a handy reference guide. of course..i’m learning from the comments too. i have been out of school too long and become too lazy and spoiled w/ internet speak. so my writing skills have seriously degraded from lack of proper use. this has been a good reminder.
uh..you ever consider an ebook? list compilation w/ comments all in one place? the lists are terrific in and of themselves but the comments are what make this place so special. just a thought.
September 19th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
How about ‘idol’ and ‘idle’? I often see this on forums, where people refer to their favorite rock stars as ‘idles’..
September 19th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Lol itll make me sound like an immature little teenage video gamer, but i hate when people say snipered, as in he got snipered. Another thing thats ALWAYS bugged me was when people were suppoed to say “the” pronounced thee, as in before a vowel, but only said the the normal way. And, not saying a(n) in the right context. I’m sorta picky in that sense
September 19th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Normally I could care less about engrish, but its would be ironic if you’re practice all the words above bought them into class two literally loose your memory in front of everyone!!!111
September 19th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
We get a glimpse into your pedantic and neurotic side here jfrater! How about a list of unusual words? ‘Defenestration’ is one of my favourites…
Also a list of irritating SMS abbreivations (“c u l8r”) or irritating geek talk (“I pwned him”, “haha!rofl!!!1″ etc)
September 19th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
Pronunciation errors drive me bonkers. Its pronounced favorite not fravorite, height not heigth, and across not acrost. Sheesh.
September 19th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Hopsital full of Skellingtons
September 19th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
i dont care about the rest of them but i hate people who use the word literally when they dont fucking know what it means. thanks for including it in the list.
September 19th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Thank you for the lose/loose explanation. I never saw it much until internet forums took off and suddenly everyone is loosing everything. It figuratively drove m insane.
September 19th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
I disagree with the “I could/couldn’t care less” perspective.
If I said to someone “I could care less” it could simply mean that I care very little and as a sarcastic threat I am offering to care an even smaller amount.
Kind of like if I cooked someone dinner and they complained it was too salty I could sarcastically threaten that “I could add more salt.”
The phrase seems to work both ways, in my opinion.
September 19th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
People using the word barter when they mean bargain. I hate that!
September 19th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
Matt: rectified.
Thanks for the comments guys – there are lots of useful tips here
September 19th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
What about ?
though – (Despite the fact that)
through – (In one side and out the opposite)
tough – (Able to withstand great strain)
thought – (process of thinking)
center – (the middle)
centre – (part of a city or British variation of center)
color – (American version)
colour – (British version)
September 19th, 2007 at 11:56 pm
Here’s something I came across about 20 years ago and I have so far not met anyone who could read it without mistakes. Fits wonderfully with the subject:
Dearest creature of creation
http://mipmip.org/tidbits/pronunciation.shtml
September 20th, 2007 at 12:33 am
Andre – I had no idea that centre was used in American spelling! Interesting.
batesman: I consider my reading abilities to be quite good – but that is a tongue twister!
September 20th, 2007 at 2:15 am
Not unlike the the word pair “theater/theatre”, Americans use “center/centre” in different contexts — and it usually boils down to affectation. You go catch the latest stupid Adam Sandler flick at a “theater”, but that sophisticated Shakespeare play is performed at a “theatre”. Get the idea?
September 20th, 2007 at 2:34 am
“The use of words expressing something other then their literal intention.”
September 20th, 2007 at 5:13 am
My all time linguistic pet peeve is probably the phrase “steep learning curve”.
Think about it.
Draw a graph with time on the horizontal axis and mastery of a skill on the vertical axis.
What does a quickly mastered skill (opening a beer bottle) look like?
What does a hard to acquire skill (playing tournament level chess) look like?
September 20th, 2007 at 5:37 am
OK how about good/well, or lay/lie.
How are you today? I am well. (not good)
I lied out by the pool. (you did not lay, well unless you had a partner)
You also missed the fact that Alanis’ song is perfect since we know what irony is and she does not.
September 20th, 2007 at 6:04 am
good = adjective
well = adverb
You’re not saying that you are a “good” person today, you’re saying that you are doing or feeling “well”.
This is yet another example of why you shouldn’t get too hung up on language. Can you imagine James Brown singing: “Yeee-ooooow! I feel well! da-da da-da da-da da … “?
September 20th, 2007 at 6:06 am
you touched on it in numbers 3 and 4, but my biggest pet peeve is the rampant misuse of apostrophes. i see it on an almost daily basis on permanent signs and printed publications. they are often misused when making plurals of abbreviations or numbers…ex: CD’s or 1980’s. argh! also, to the person who mentioned idle/idol, the worst grammar/punctuation errors that i’ve ever seen are usually on the comments of a celebrity’s web page. i’m not sure what that says…
September 20th, 2007 at 7:35 am
Um … you realize, of course, you just made a grammar rant entirely in lower case, right?
September 20th, 2007 at 7:43 am
48 comments and nobody mentioned my absolute favorite: IRREGARDLESS!!!
Just think about it.
Also, the misuse of the word “Proverbial” which means that what is said is pertaining to a proverb. Saying something like “It’s as cold as the proverbial nun’s box.” is incorrect because there is no mention of a nun’s genitals being cold in any proverb.
And yes, I got that from George Carlin’s book Braindroppings. Interesting if you’re into langusge.
September 20th, 2007 at 8:56 am
Yarr: I hate that too.
September 20th, 2007 at 10:14 am
Another good one- the incorrect use of “Tragic” and “Tragedy”
Tragedy is a literary term meaning that the protagonist of the story did not achieve his or her goal because of a flaw in the character.
Volcanos, car wrecks, and acts of terrorism are not tragic. They are disasters, calamities, or unfortunate incidents.
Shitty, yes. Tragic? No.
September 20th, 2007 at 10:39 am
Yarr: nice one.
September 21st, 2007 at 12:22 am
“Morissette herself does in fact acknowledge that ‘Ironic’ is not filled with ironies and this in itself is what makes it ironic.”
Above situation is an irony becasue most of her fans dont know it isnt an irony but only a few knows. Thats makes it irony, right?
“Irony is the disparity between what you expect will happen and what does happen.”
September 21st, 2007 at 5:53 am
This one must be pretty obscure because no one mentioned it: the use of LESS and FEWER. It’s all about whether the substance being assessed is in units or not. Example: LESS milk, FEWER cookies. I cringe many times a day when I hear things like, “There’s less cookies in this package than that one”. FEWER, not LESS!
September 21st, 2007 at 7:12 am
judy b: excellent addition – I cringe too.
September 21st, 2007 at 8:15 am
“you state something to a person that does not understand…”
I think you should do one on that/which. Shouldn’t that line above say “who” instead of “that”?
I thought “who” referenced a person, and “that” referenced a thing????
September 21st, 2007 at 8:20 am
christa: I bow my head in shame! The worst thing is that for the life of me I can’t work out whether it should be who or whom – because “you” is the subject, a person is the object, which makes me think it must be whom, but whom sounds terribly wrong.
September 21st, 2007 at 6:01 pm
Whom or who? I don’t think anyone says ‘whom’ anymore with a straight face!
I think this list could be way longer! Just look at the way some people write on message boards and forums.
September 21st, 2007 at 6:05 pm
The large number of responses to this list is a delight.
So many grammatical errors can be easily noted in a very short time, even on the national news. I was beginning to think not many people cared.
By the way, in bonus 2 shouldn’t it be a person WHO instead of a person THAT does not understand?
Great list!
September 21st, 2007 at 6:41 pm
Here are two mispronunciations (which lead to misspellings) that make me cringe: Congradulations, and Babdist.
Halloween is close on the calendar. Why has Halloween become Holloween? It gets misspelled, too, even in letters from the SCHOOL.
I am also a person who believes WHOM is going in the right direction: Out.
September 21st, 2007 at 7:05 pm
What about when someone offers a ‘free gift’. What exactly is a free gift? All gifts are free or they would not be gifts.
Also what about ‘viable alternative’. Viable means workable. For something to be an alternative it must be workable, so using the word viable is redundant.
September 21st, 2007 at 7:11 pm
What about when someone offers a ‘free gift’. What exactly is a free gift? All gifts are free or they would not be gifts.
Also what about ‘viable alternative’. Viable means workable. For something to be an alternative it must be workable, so using the word viable is redundant.
Why do people pronounce words that begin with ‘ex’ as if they start with ‘egs’ as in ‘he egits the room’. I see that it is an accepted pronunciation in the dictionary, but why?
Why are works that contain double Ls pronounced as if the Ls are Es? William comes out Wee yum. Billion is bee yun, etc. I thought that this was only common in the South but I hear it on national TV news programs.
September 21st, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Just thought of one:
Effect and Affect. I see people mix those up a lot.
Didn’t read all the comments, if someone already posted it, then apologize for trying to steal your thunder.
September 22nd, 2007 at 12:53 am
crouching_rabbit: ! I do!
Allysn: whom is very useful – equally as useful as its counterparts “me” “her” and so on. Look at how much confusion has been caused since we lost the plural form of the second person pronoun! It would be very handy to have it back. I think we should protect whom from oblivion. And the subjunctive.
Kip: excellent additions for sure. Pronunciation is abysmal on television these days.
Chris: I didn’t do effect/affect – maybe I should do another list.
September 22nd, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Kip- That is accidental Spanish. In Spanish, the double L sounds like an English Y, so Ello (He) sounds like Eyo when it’s pronounced. Newscasters always seem to have an exaggerated Spanish accent when they try to say the names of Hispanic or Latin countries, so they are probably just used to pronouncing the ll as a y.
There is an old Saturday Night Live skit with Dana Carvey that makes fun of them doing that.
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:07 pm
I could care less is intended to be a sarcastic statement. I assume that you are new to English, as sarcasm tends to be difficult to pick up on at the start of assimilating into a culture. We’ll let you slide this time. kthxbai
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:16 am
Hielo: Nah.
No sarcasm. No irony.
Just too lazy to pronounce ‘nt
That’s pretty lazy, and that’s pretty unlazy for you to defend those who might have forgotten.
Kudos to you sir. I might have chosen a better subject, but your defense of a simple contraction is grand.
Grand like the wind!
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:40 am
By the way:
Yarr is very drunk right now.
He thinks your sister is cute.
September 24th, 2007 at 2:44 am
This list has the two errors that grate on me most, “literally” and “I could care less”. I’ve heard defenses of both of these misuses by serious linguists, but neither makes any sense in their misused form. In particular, “I could care less” is a meaningless statement. Anyone who cares at all, including those who care a lot, could care less. The phrase only distinguishes the speaker from those who don’t care at all.
Mike’s illustrative example of sarcasm reinforces why the phrase is annoying. If my food is too salty, why do I want to hear him offer to add more salt?
September 24th, 2007 at 6:07 am
Beirne: well said.
September 25th, 2007 at 1:30 am
Regarding pudding, it is used differently in the UK and the US – as an American expat, I had to get used to this.
In the US, dessert refers to any sweet course at the end of a meal. Pudding is specifically “a thick, soft dessert”; we don’t use it generally in the US as is done here. We would never use “dessert” to refer to a fruit or cheese plate.
Another difference between the Englishes…
September 25th, 2007 at 1:52 am
shaunism: thanks for specifying
September 25th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
One that i’ve noticed with increasing frequency in the last couple of years is “bare in mind” instead of “bear in mind”.
September 27th, 2007 at 10:20 am
Who/whom? Of course no one says whom any more, but I think the distinction should be preserved in writing. To pick the right one, ask yourself your question. If your answer is him, her or them, it’s whom.
Also, am I the only one who shudders hearing “different than?” Doesn’t “than” relate two things that are different FROM each other only by degree? More than, less than, happier than, sadder than. More different than? AAARGH! It is either different from something else or it isn’t.
September 27th, 2007 at 11:35 am
TommoT: nice palindrome
I use whom in speech. We probably all have used it in writing from time to time: “to whom it may concern”. We love poetry with it: “for whom the bell tolls”. Give whom a chance!
September 27th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
How about “reason why”? In the sentence “That’s the reason why he’s not here,” the “why” is redundant, no?
#45 Doghouse Riley: Very nice!
September 27th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
B.S. has identified an excellent and widespread language error.
“Why” is most certainly redundant in the “reason why.”
May I add another misuse heard everywhere: “The reason is because…”.
September 28th, 2007 at 1:14 am
Redundancies are part & parcel in the English vernacular.
September 28th, 2007 at 1:43 am
B.S.: there is a lot of redundancy in spoken English – that is a very good example of it.
Allysn: Another good example.
shaunism: It is probably okay in spoken English – but as I said on the list for improving your English writing – you should remove all redundancy to give clarity and flow when writing..
September 28th, 2007 at 8:07 am
Hey, Allysn, because why? Because of the reason why. *wink*
September 28th, 2007 at 9:35 am
Whom is winking? Was it you, B.S.? Or is it “who” is winking? I know, it was he whom was winking–and all because of the reason.
September 28th, 2007 at 9:57 am
Allysn: Wouldn’t it be: “Who is winking?” “It was he who winked”. And “Who is winking at whom?” “It was John who winked”? In your example you are using whom as the nominative when the nominative is actually “who” – whom is the accusative.
September 28th, 2007 at 10:15 am
Actually, who is the accusative? It is whom.
On accounta how come?
On accounta because.
September 28th, 2007 at 10:31 am
‘Twas I who winked! The question is: at whom?
September 28th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Isn’t it funny how we start speaking Shakespearean when “whom” is mentioned?
September 28th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Yes. How come we to that?
September 28th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
How came it to be that we do that?
September 28th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Seriously speaking, I thank you, Mr. Frater, for your forum, and thanks, also, to all who join the discussion in such good humor and with obvious appreciation of correct usage of the English language. I will break the Shakespearean string and say that this list and discussion is right up my alley!
With respect to “who-whom,” your term accusative is new to me. My Writers, Inc stylebook says: “Who” is used as the subject of a verb; “whom” is used as the object of a preposition or as a direct object. To test for who/whom, arrange the parts of the clause in a subject, verb, object order (who works as the subject, whom as the object).
This is not intended as instruction for those of you who have kindly shared your mastery of “who/whom.”
September 28th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
TommoT, BS: methinks it is because it be the context in which we most are familiar with the aforementioned behaviour!
Allysn: your terms are correct – just different. Nominative = subjective; accusative = objective. They are different terms for the same thing – so we are on the same page
Your book is correct – who does and whom is done to. It is identical to I and me: I = who; me = whom. I tend to use nominative/subjective and accusative/objective interchangeably.
September 28th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
jfrater: I was going to mention context, too…but I’m not sure what you just said!
Allysn: I agree, this is the most pleasant board I’ve seen in a long time.
September 28th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
This is Allysn speaking.
Re #30, ben: Should we say I hate it when instead of I hate when?
Re #41, batesman: If anyone hasn’t gone to the website you cite to read “Dearest creature in creation…,” then something quite special has been missed. Go see, everyone.
Re #74, jon: It must be wicked, but I keep getting the giggles over the word picture conveyed by “bare in mind.”
Re #75, Tommot: Sorry I hadn’t read your presentation on who/whom until today, and I apologize to all of you for saying whom ought to be on the way out, even if it does generate funny looks from people when I use it in conversation.
Re Bonus No 1 I could care less: It was a very good thing to include it in the list. What I think about this ugly statement is that it is just plain rude.
September 28th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
Allysn: you hit the nail on the head with “I could care less” – regardless of grammar it is just plain rude and should be avoided.
September 30th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
How about “all of the sudden” instead of the correct “all of a sudden”?
October 1st, 2007 at 1:26 am
I agree with Allysn, this discussion is right up my alley (hmmm… I wonder why it’s not down my alley?).
Not meaning this as a plug or anything, but I am curious how many of you have read Bill Bryson’s “Mother Tongue”. He delights in English and its quirkiness as much as we, and it is probably my favourite book.
Cheers,
Shaun
October 1st, 2007 at 1:35 am
Sorry for another posting so soon, just reading my morning mail…
Re: Allysn’s comment: Re #75, Tommot: Sorry I hadn’t read your presentation on who/whom until today, and I apologize to all of you for saying whom ought to be on the way out, even if it does generate funny looks from people when I use it in conversation.
This is another interesting debate – when an “incorrect” usage becomes the norm, how long do we consider it incorrect for before we accept is at language evolving? It grates on me every time I hear somebody say “If I was there..”, but I think it’s only me and two or three other pedantic folk for (who? whom? which?) that might be true.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:06 am
Shaun: I haven’t read the book but it sounds interesting – thanks for mentioning it. I am with you on the “If I was” as well – I do make the mistake sometimes but I try to use “were” in that context whenever possible.
October 1st, 2007 at 9:41 am
Hey all,
I don’t know if many of you are up for a forum for these kind of discussions, but I thought I’d create a Google group for those who might be:
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/grammarphiles/
I’m definitely keen on these kinds of things and would enjoy continuing once this thread dies down. If you would too, come sign up!
Cheers,
Shaun
October 1st, 2007 at 10:35 am
shaunism: Thanks for that – I should probably point out that we do have forums here if you all want to use them – the address is listverse.com/forums.
October 1st, 2007 at 10:36 am
Ah, I did not know that! Well, hope making the Google one didn’t step on your toes… just so easy to set up there I did.
Cheers,
Shaun
October 1st, 2007 at 10:47 am
shaunism: definitely not! I have no objections at all
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:43 pm
i have been an editor for close to 30 years and it drives me crazy when i hear someone say “i could care less” when they mean the exact opposite. also, the word “ironic” is misused 99% of the time. two more that are misused a great deal are “amount” when the proper word is “number” and “less” when the proper word is “fewer”.
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:26 am
2overpar: I have to admit, until reading this I was unaware of the correct sense of ironic, and I am more in tune with these things than most. This harks back to my statement a few days – at what point does an “error” become so widespread that it’s actually the language evolving? There’s certainly no shortage of examples of words changing meaning over time, surprisingly frequently to their exact opposites!
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:24 am
2overpar: I totally agree with you. It is even more annoying when people try to justify their error!
shaunism: I will grant you that “ironic” has virtually evolved to mean “coincidence” – but “I could care less” is simply wrong – all you have to do is think for a moment and you can see the lack of logic in the statement.
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:33 am
jfrater: I agree with you, “I could care less” is wrong. I just chalk it up to an idiom that doesn’t mean what it says.
You know, in German, when someone “dumps” you, you say “They gave me a basket.” I wonder how that came to be…
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:53 am
shaunism: that is really weird – I wonder if it has something to do with giving someone a basket of bread or food as a parting gift.
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:58 am
Shaunism, you wondered why it was right up my alley instead of down my alley. I liked an archived posting on another UK board by whozthis on this question, though at one point I believe he said up when he meant down.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/36/messages/284.html
October 3rd, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Shaunism, you wondered about up vs. down my alley. I like the archived posting by whozthis on the question, though at one point I believe he said up when he meant down.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/36/messages/284.html
October 5th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Hah, so my sense of humor is called Socratic irony. I did not know that. Seriously.
October 5th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
TMo: ah – such a wit
October 6th, 2007 at 7:03 am
I particularly hate when people say “SUPPOSEBLY” (say it out loud, I bet you’ve heard it somewhere) and leave the letter K out of know. Another that I find annoying is through vs threw vs thru.
October 6th, 2007 at 7:21 am
Brandi: I hate that a lot as well – incredibly annoying.
October 19th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
A bit late to the game, but my pet peeves:
‘Just between you and I,’ which is supposed to be ‘Just between you and me.’
Failure to make subject-verb agreement, e.g., ‘My pain and sadness is more sad and painful than yours.’ Where do I even start?
I also agree with the queen of lists about apostrophes.
October 24th, 2007 at 8:16 am
Improper use of the word “got” annoys me more than any of the above. As in, “I have got to do this.” Just leave it out…you’ll sound less ignorant if you say, “I have to do this.” Same meaning, no meanigless words
October 24th, 2007 at 8:21 am
Poor spelling annoys me, such as “meanigless” instead of meaningless. lol. :sigh:, grammar Nazis, who needs them?
and also Linda, I think the reason people use got, like the example you used, “I have got to do this.” Is to add emphasis, especially when spoken. As in, “I have GOT to do this”. To me, it conveys more importance or possibly a time restriction on the whatever the “this” activity is. “CRAP! Taxes are due tomorrow. I have GOT to do this!”
October 24th, 2007 at 8:31 am
Linda: Re: got: Interesting that you bring this up… Back when I lived in Paris in 1993 the only English media I got was the BBC World Service radio broadcast. They had shows discussing the English language, primarily meant for ESL learners. They actually had a show that discussed “I have to” versus “I’ve got to”. Apparently, in the UK there is a difference. Through the haze of time I can’t tell you which is which anymore, but one of them means ‘I have to right now’, whereas the other one means ‘I have to in general’. So, in the UK at least, saying “I’ve got to” is not necessarily improper.
October 24th, 2007 at 8:33 am
thanks Shaunism, thats what I was trying to say.
October 24th, 2007 at 8:34 am
evan- i agree that most people are probably using it in that context but I would argue that one can just as easly place the stress on the word “have” to convey the same meaning. I should have probably mentioned this in my original comment. Good point! Please though, let’s make a distinction between poor spelling due to ignorance and typing errors due to haste.
October 24th, 2007 at 8:37 am
I know, I know. I just couldn’t resist pointing it out.
October 24th, 2007 at 8:38 am
Evan: Sorry, I was writing my response while yours was posted and didn’t see it! Now I know which is which, though, eh? “I’ve got to” means “I have to right now”.
October 24th, 2007 at 8:46 am
I would agree – growing up speaking Commonwealth (but not British) English, “I have got to” is immediate and “I have to” is not.
October 24th, 2007 at 9:09 am
My favorite misuses are [they're], [there] and [their]. [Their] is also among the most often misspelled words, often being spelled {thier].
October 24th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
A financial expert on a major morning TV show twice clearly said ‘orright’ for ‘all right,’ and capped it off with ‘lemme’ for ‘let me.’
November 7th, 2007 at 11:04 am
What about people who use the word “impact” when they mean “affect”? As in, “…the news that impacts your life.” That should be “..the news that affects your life,” meaning things happening that have an influence over what goes in your life, what happens to you, what matters to you, etc. Where did we get this idea of everyone being “impacted” (a coined verb that sets my teeth on edge)?
November 7th, 2007 at 11:09 am
teeth on edge? perhaps you have an impacted molar?
:rim shot: oh! ill be here all week folks, remember to tip your waitress.
November 8th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
One that I absolutely hate: “kernal”.
Nothing to confuse, so either they mean kernel panic, or the biological kernel… in either case, they can’t spell. Every time I see or hear “kernal” my inner nerd cries.
November 10th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Good point about “literally.” I thought I was the only one who noticed people doing that. A couple months back HBO had a documentary about how the NY Yankees rallied the city of NY with their pennant chase following the attacks of 9/11. One Yankee fan, an attractive and otherwise intelligent woman, described a great defensive play by Derek Jeter saying…”Jeter came out of nowhere…literally.” Unless you’ve been beamed there by Scotty, you can’t literally come out of nowhere.
November 22nd, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Alanis Morissette’s song indeed was not Ironic. “It’s like rain on your wedding day” isn’t ironic, like you said it’s bad luck.
“It’s like rain on your wedding day when you are getting married to a meteorologist who predicted a dry day with occasional hazy sunshine” doesn’t quite have the same ability as a lyric.
November 24th, 2007 at 9:47 am
actually, i think that “i could care less” originated as a sarcastic remark
November 25th, 2007 at 7:51 am
Here’s a bit of irony: mistakes in grammar in your Bonus 2: Ironic:
1.”… when you state something to a person that does not understand…” The word “who” should replace the word “that”.
2. “…without them being aware of it…” Adding ‘ing” to a verb (be – being) forms what is called a gerund. Gerunds take the possessive form before them. The word “them” should be “their”.
3.”…in order to truly show the ignorance…”. You have split an infinitive. Shame on you.
November 25th, 2007 at 7:57 am
Judy: thank you for the corrections – I have updated the article. I have, however, not changed my split infinitive
They have their place in our language 
November 25th, 2007 at 8:20 am
“… in order truly to show…” adds more emphasis to the word “truly” which you may want to do, otherwise why put it in the sentence in the first place?
The split infinitive that is really annoying to me these days is “to better…” (“…serve our customers” seems to be the most popular expression, and funnily, ironic).
November 25th, 2007 at 8:22 am
Judy: you are right – it is redundant. And I also hate “to better serve”.
November 25th, 2007 at 9:11 am
I’m done curmudgeoning. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Cheers.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:27 am
To jfrater & Judy: I remember reading somewhere that some committee who looks at this kind of thing declared the split infinitive to be acceptable in English as the rule against it originated in Latin and really had no basis to be applied in English.
At the least, once again, this is so common one has to ask whether it’s really a mistake or the language evolving…
November 26th, 2007 at 2:42 am
shaunism: I think it is generally considered acceptable now – I am not sure where it originated from though – I don’t think you can split a Latin infinitive as (like French) they are one word, not two like ours (to praise – laudare).
November 26th, 2007 at 2:48 am
jfrater: I think that’s exactly it though; you can’t go willy-nilly sticking things in the middle of verbs in Latin, so you shouldn’t in English.
Somewhat related, I wonder if our ease with split infinitive rises from a kinship with our cousin German’s separable prefixes (abfahren, fehrnsehen). I think these are more akin to phrasal verbs, but if we’re comfortable with ‘turn the light off’ why wouldn’t we be comfortable with ‘to boldly go’?
November 26th, 2007 at 3:37 am
shaunism: oh I see! That could well be the source of it then. I definitely believe we should manipulate the language as much as we see fit – just as long as we know the rules first
December 1st, 2007 at 3:43 pm
What I understand of the American language:
1. “u” is the enemy.
2. “z” is much cooler than “s” (and that’s “zee” not “zed”).
3. Americans breathe A LOT while they’re writing (I’m referencing comma placement).
4. “Y’all” is perfectly acceptable, and used in abundance.
What I find amusing is when people write “I shutter at the thought …” They must be either confused or half-human, half-camera.
Also, Americans give me odd looks when I use the word “learnt” instead of “learned”. Of course, I’m a Brit living in the US, so maybe they’re looking at me oddly because I “talk funny”
December 1st, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Re: “To better serve”
As bad as this is, it seems to be an improvement over “to better service.” In commercial offerings there is no lack of companies who offer to service us. Yikes.
December 7th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Thank you for including “I could care less.” That one has always gotten to me. I try to remedy it by stating “I couldn’t possibly care any less.”
Other ones that get me are
“anyways” (the S is not necessary)
“then”/”than” (I have been seeing this quite a bit lately, and it shocks me. I really thought most people would know better.)
“irregardless” (I think someone else touched on that one.)
“conversate” (NOT a word. I think you mean “converse”.)
December 10th, 2007 at 2:20 am
I use irregardless all the time (but I do so with a ‘(sic)’ afterwards – I do it for colour).
Question: is ‘ironical’ acceptable? I don’t think so at all, but someone whose language I respect used it it without any sense of humour or lightness and it threw me off.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:34 am
“i look forward to” often mutates into “i’m looking forward to”…the former is the correct expression.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:38 am
one more thought…”put the pedal to the meddle” often appears as “put the pedal to the metal”
December 12th, 2007 at 3:01 am
Re: “i look forward” vs. “i’m looking forward to” – why aren’t both correct? Aren’t they just different tenses?
December 12th, 2007 at 6:41 am
The verb is “to look forward to”. The expression, “I look forward to” and the expression, ” I am looking forward to” are both correct. One could also say, ” I was looking forward to”, “I had been looking forward to”, “I shall look forward to”, “I used to look forward to”, and so on.
December 12th, 2007 at 6:48 am
“put the pedal to the metal” means to give one final push to speed up and finish something. What does “put the pedal to the meddle” mean?
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Here are two errors that drive me nuts:
1) “They/them” in the singular. “If anyone wants to come, have them call me.” This is the result of political correctness. We hate to acknowledge the generic “he”. “… have him call me.”
2) “Period of time”. A period is a span of time, this is an annoying expression from the Department of Redundancy Dept.
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I catch the Docklands Light Rail (between the City of London and the docklands financial district) twice a day. One thing that drives me absolutely bananas is the atrocious grammar in the annoyingly repetitive announcement that precedes the train stopping at each station.
The (recorded) announcement, spoken pleasantly by a woman with a reasonably neutral Southern English accent is as follows :
“…upon leaving the train, please remember to take all your belongings with you.”
…and I sit there inwardly screaming “all *of* your belongings !!! all *of* your belongings !!!”
It’s funny, what can rub you up the wrong way…
January 4th, 2008 at 2:41 am
Re: “them” vs. “he” – I think using the plural form for the gender-neutral singular has become so common that it’s basically how English works now.
I’ve always thought that maybe we should adopt the slang “yous” for the plural you as well. Though that sounds a bit, well, daft, I think it could be better than the “you guys”, “you all” and “y’all” people resort to now to emphasise the plural.
January 4th, 2008 at 2:42 am
Re: “all of your belongings” – please cure my ignorance – why is the ‘of’ necessary?
January 4th, 2008 at 5:23 am
shaunism – I was taught that when using “of” in a Distributive context, then “all of” should be used except when making a generic/class reference (recognising that there will always be exceptions).
eg. I would say “remember to take all belongings with you” (no *of* in here, as we are referring to belongings as a general class).
But, I would say “remember to take all *of your* belongings with you” because I am being specific in referring to *your* belongings.
I cannot say for certain that the “of” is grammatically essential in all such cases, particularly as I have noticed that Americans, in particular, have a strong tendency to omit the “of” in this – and other – circumstances.
For example, I might refer to “a couple of apples”; yet I might hear “a couple apples” from Americans.
Having said this, usage defines the grammatical rules…not the other way around; so whilst I cannot say that the omission of the “of” breaks any grammatical rules, I can say for certain that the train announcement makes me cringe every time I hear it (it’s what your ears are accustomed to, I guess).
January 4th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
I suppose, shaunism, that the use of “they/them” in the singular has grown into “standard” English, but is still wrong, and annoying. Especially when the speaker uses a plural form of a verb. Even more annoying is when I say “he” and someone corrects me: “or she”. It is the same politically correct, feminist nonsense that brought us such words as “chairperson”, “Congressperson”, and “wymin”. Yawn.
January 4th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
i see these two all the time:
capital: the city that serves as the government seat. also, first or foremost (as in capital letters)
“The capital of Arizona is Phoenix.”
capitol: the building that the government meets in. Capitol (with a big C), the building where US Congress meets.
“The capitol building in Phoenix is on Washington Street.”
principle: a basic truth or law
“Newton and Galileo worked with the principles of science.”
principal: the head administrator of a school. also, first or foremost (see capital above)
“The principal rule of volleyball is to get the ball over the net.”
January 6th, 2008 at 4:03 am
There is at least one ironic line in the Alanis song…
Using the 1.d. definition of irony from the The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition: incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs.
“It’s like rain on your wedding day” – Although this sounds bad, rain on your wedding day is supposed to be good luck–opposite of what is expected.
Just thought I’d throw that out there.
January 7th, 2008 at 12:19 am
@dwa: Of course! Clearly, there is NO way that women can be accommodated in English speech, and I applaud you for disliking such cumbersome words as chairperson and congressperson. An extra syllable goes a long way when you’re trying to talk really fast, of course; those feminists just can’t stand efficiency. I agree, and since neither he-or-she nor the singular they seems to please your grammar-esthetics, why can’t we just eliminate the feminine third person pronoun altogether? In fact, all words relating to females can be tossed, and a marker used with their male equivalents. Thus “makeup” becomes “woman paint”, “menstrual cramps” become “woman stomachaches”, and “mother” becomes “woman father.” It makes so much sense!
*cough*
In speech, this principle/rule annoys me greatly, but I thought it was–dare I say–ironic that the first sentence of an English Language blog post ended with a preposition. Just to let you know.
January 7th, 2008 at 2:25 am
Re: he/they: It may be striclty incorrect, but the idiomatic sense can become the real sense after enough time.
German has something that, though not exactly the same, is similar. Sie/sie can mean ’she’, ‘you’ (formal) or ‘they’ depending on how it’s used. There’s no problem with the same word being singular and plural depending on the context.
January 7th, 2008 at 3:06 am
Re: gender-specific nouns: I am not bothered with chairwoman or the like; curious though, why women have started calling themselves actors in these mysogophilic times?
January 7th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Re: Actor
Well, “Acting person” doesn’t really make sense… the -ess /-ix suffix has long been used as a feminizing diminutive, not just an indicator of gender.
In Spanish, the feminine word “la poeta” can be used for males, and the equivalent “la poetesa” is like “woman poet.” Interestingly enough, “el poeteso” is a HUGE insult for a man–it’s the diminutive “poetesa” with switched grammatical gender. If that’s the case, why shouldn’t a female poet call herself “una poeta”? This is the closest equivalent to the English actor/actress thing that I can think of.
Oh! Would a female CEO appreciate being called an “executrix”? Not if she’s worked to break through that glass ceiling. That’s the example I wanted.
January 7th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Shaunism: I think the feminists reject any previously acceptable female terms (like actress) and reject all other male-only terms (like Policeman). I think it is a bit of a case of hypocrisy which shows their true colors (this is a reference to militant feminism incidentally).
January 7th, 2008 at 10:14 am
“Militant” feminism? You want to talk about language? How’s Feminazi for an unacceptable neologism?
I don’t think that’s hypocritical at all. Woman are trying to get rid of -diminutive- female gender distinction, such as the aforementioned -ess and -trix suffixes, and also attempting to replace male-specific words with gender neutral ones. The ideal is a world where a name of an occupation will not imply gender; is this in itself unreasonable?
January 7th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Re: Maya’s comment about a CEO: the E is for executive, not executor, so executrix is not relevant here. The feminine form, if there is one, would be for the word Officer, as in Chief Executive Officer.
January 10th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Dude what about there, they’re, and their?
January 11th, 2008 at 7:26 am
There, they’re, their: surely these things are still taught in schools!
January 14th, 2008 at 2:56 am
I love this list. I am so petty that I collect these things through the day and even write them down so I can remember them. Many of my favorites have been mentioned.
I received a printed invitation to a High School Graduation once. On the front in big letters it said:
” Your Invited!”
A lot of people here say “pacific” when they mean “specific”. Drives me crazy.
Misuse of quotation marks…where do I begin?
More people say “supposibly” than the correct word. Recently I heard a woman I know graduated from college say it.
And “nauseous”?? Really? You are?
And last, all those people being interviewed on the news or testifying in court, with their “…then I proceeded to the stop light…” , ect. While I’m sure it’s okay grammar, why do people start using big words they think sound smarter or more law abiding in these situations?
January 14th, 2008 at 2:58 am
Oh, one more thing, big thumbs up on Bryson’s “Mother tongue”. Great book.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:45 am
An example I find repeatedly is the mixup of “there”, “their”, and “they’re”.
“There” – refers to a location
“Their” – is the possessive form of “them”
“They’re” – is a contraction of “They are”
e.g. They’re going there to get their facts straight.
March 12th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Wow. Recently, we were studing apostrophe use in my English class. We were told to sign a letter from our family. So, say my last name was Smith, I was supposed to sign the letter “From the Smiths.”
You would be surprised how many people screwed it up. They would use an apostrophe, making their last name plural possessive. It would be like me signing “From the Smiths’.”
p.s. Bravo on the “I could care less” segment. I was just thinking about how many people realize how stupid they sound by saying that.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
I like the dessert one it makes you click like “oh that’s right” lOl but yeah it’s cool.
March 22nd, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Good list. I hate it when people write e.g. your instead of you’re. If English is your mother tongue, it should just come naturally. Well, maybe I’m being a bit harsh, but I can’t help noticing that people just don’t learn their grammar anymore. Come on people! Just learn it once, and you’ll remember it for the rest of your life. Of course everybody makes mistakes, but you should still know when to use your instead of you’re. And by the way, I’m a 16-year-old girl from Finland. (I’m not trying to be arrogant.)
March 24th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Hi this is Munni.I am a student of computer dep. Tell me something about ielts & how should I prepared for that.My listening & writing is not bad.But speaking & reading are my problem.
March 26th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I cannot stand people who say “literally” all the time, It makes me want to literally rip their f**kin head off =D and if the line between serious and sarcastic is Irony then I wonder what I am trying to imply by my statement ;P
March 30th, 2008 at 10:45 am
“ValenTIMES” day. I want to punch people in the nose when I hear that.
March 30th, 2008 at 10:50 am
I am wholly annoyed also when people type “Yeah!” in an email when they are actually trying to say “YAY!” (I’m not even sure about the spelling of that one, but I know its not “yeah.”
April 2nd, 2008 at 2:18 am
also some people say, “i don’t have no pen.”, which means that they have a pen as 2 negatives make a positive here……I have heard that mainly from americans.
April 2nd, 2008 at 9:31 am
program. programme.
i have to live in Denmark. Nobody knows.
feedback on poor capitalisation is not required. neither notes on Z and S…
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
I’m very disappointed that “affect vs effect” wasn’t on here!
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:38 pm
177 postings and no one’s mentioned the near-universal misuse of “imply” and “infer.” A speaker implies something with what he or she says, and a listener infers the meaning thereof. Now most people use “infer” to mean “imply.”
Another one that makes me want to heave is the insertion of the word “of” where it doesn’t belong, as in “not that big of a deal.” Where did that solecism come from? Nobody said that twenty years ago.
April 5th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
There is a legitimate use of “loose” as a verb, and that is to say “to release,” but you don’t see that usage very often and most of the time when people use “loose” as a verb they mean to say “lose.”
Just wanted to point that out.
And yeah, where’s affect/effect? People misuse that one like nobody’s business! Affect is a verb, effect is a noun (exception: “to effect a change”). It is not difficult to keep that straight.
April 12th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
How about effective versus efficacious? Some people with whom I verbally spar often eschew direc, easily understandable and effective language with pompous periphrasis such as: “I found it to be a quite efficacious remedy.”
April 13th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
“I couldn’t care less”. I wrote that on a story once and my English teacher said it should be “I could care less”, well, then again, he was a grade 4 math teacher and it must be different to sub in for grade 10 english.
April 13th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
This one drives me up the wall, and I hear it A LOT!
“He did it on accident.”
You can’t do something “on accident,” it happens “by accident.” I correct my students (I teach high school science) and my co-workers. I tried not to correct the other teachers, but it’s so rampant that I just can’t hold myself back any more!
April 23rd, 2008 at 11:58 am
wow
April 25th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
This is great! My husband and I are both English teachers. We all should understand that the majority of these errors occur because reading has grown SO unfashionable.
May 4th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
“Literally” is nothing more than a nitpick. Have you never heard of exaggeration? “It’s ten million degrees Fahrenheit outside!” “She nags me every waking moment!” “He literally flew out the door!”
Uh. Hyperbole, much?
May 4th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Oh, and “them” has historically been used as the singular gender-neutral pronoun. And then people designated it incorrect.
(I’m just surprised that you can have such prescriptivist items here when you also have the one talking about splitting infinitives and the like.)
May 9th, 2008 at 4:25 am
I’m not brilliant when it comes to grammar, but even I spotted this cringe worthy mistake.
I received a letter from my son’s school, it was about an after school grammar class ran by some parents, this is what was said,”I will learn your children good English.” Just reading this made me cringe.
June 7th, 2008 at 9:55 am
I wanted to include “decimate” as the original meaning was to reduce by one tenth. However, Webster’s online provides additional definitions as “to reduce drastically especially in number” and “to cause great destruction or harm to” . How unfortunate that a term with a specific amount of harm (10%) has become the common way to denote anything from great to complete ruin. I still like to tweek someone complaining of “decimation” by pointing out that there is still 90% left.
June 10th, 2008 at 3:53 am
HI tehre, I would like to comment on literally, its just a quick comment, I havent read it fully. Actually literally can be used to exaggerate somehting. As in : he literally exploded. It’s correct to use it like that. I will try to come back and add more comments
June 10th, 2008 at 4:23 am
Are you sure about that? It’s one of my pet peeves when people misuse “literally.” Like a reporter the other day said two ladies “literally” broke the glass ceiling.” Well, not they didn’t.
June 10th, 2008 at 4:24 am
I mean no they didn’t. You know what I mean.
June 10th, 2008 at 4:24 am
Lenin: while it may be becoming common to use literally in that way, I think there is always a better way to emphasize something in English – and many people still find that use of “literally” abhorrent. Incidentally, I deleted the URL you added as we don’t permit advertising or signatures in comments here.
June 10th, 2008 at 4:26 am
rushfan: if you look it up in the dictionary, some are now saying you can use it as a tool for exaggeration – I still think it is wrong and would never do it myself. In fact, when people do, I literally blush with annoyance
June 10th, 2008 at 4:26 am
BTW rushfan, did you get your username stuff sorted for the forums?
June 10th, 2008 at 4:30 am
jfra~unfortunately not. i just tried again, and it says “You have specified an incorrect or inactive username, or an invalid password”
June 10th, 2008 at 4:33 am
I love this list, bad grammar has bothered me since childhood. I live in a town where English is not most people’s first language, so you get a lot of Tex-Mex and made up phrasiology. People here say “get off” the car instead of “get out.” Stuff like that.
June 10th, 2008 at 5:25 am
Good more comments have come! great. You are right about it jfrater. Literally is bad to use to mean emphasis, but ppl continue to use it. The better alternative is “virtually” I wasnt advertising my website, just thought some people may fing it useful. Also, I am not subscribing to the comments here, so if someone wants to reply to my comment, I thought, leaving my website is a good way.
June 14th, 2008 at 6:13 am
Is there any difference between “let” and “rent”? some sign boards read “to let” some “for rent”.
June 14th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Depending which reference book you use, “bald-faced” and “bold-faced” lies are both okay.
June 17th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
what about people who write “alot” instead of “a lot” or people who write “awhile” instead of “a while” (in this case, in the latter example, both are correct when used properly).
i hate people who do this!!! the too/two/to or ESPECIALLY loose/lose… think about it…
“did you lose her?” is completely normal.
“did you loose her?” is now smutty. UGH people pay attention in class!
and thank you jamie for this list, most refreshing that someone actually listened in class…
June 17th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Catachresis? I could go on for hours. I won’t, but here are 2 examples that cause me pain:
‘Credence’ (= belief) & ‘credibility’ (= the quality of being believable) seem to have become more or less interchangeable. I suspect politicians, asking for people’s trust & capitalising on their credulity (= willingness to believe; gullibility) are largely to blame for this, as for so much else.
In the last few years ‘begs the question’ has come to mean something along the lines of ‘poses the question’ or ‘demands that the question should be asked’, as in formulations like: ‘The recent sharp rise in inflation begs the question of whether the Bank of England will be forced to raise the base rate in the near future.’ I read similarly horrible sentences every day. But ‘begging the question’ is in fact the English equivalent of ‘petitio principii’, or circular reasoning — the logical fallacy of assuming in the premise of an argument its conclusion. Thus: ‘He’s a good footballer because he scores so many goals; he scores so many goals because he’s a good footballer.’
But what the hell? Language changes & we’re stuck with it.
June 25th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
The one common phrase that really annoys me is when someone will say ‘I’m so unique,’ or ‘I’m very unique’. Please look up the meaning of unique! Having said that (or more precisely written that
)something I’ve always had difficulty with though is the correct usage of ‘which’ vs ‘that’.
June 26th, 2008 at 12:53 am
tropical: It’s always interesting, the “wrong” versus “evolution” debate when it comes to language. Others share your view, but the word seems to have changed more than a century ago:
—Usage note:
Many authors of usage guides, editors, teachers, and others feel strongly that such “absolute” words as complete, equal, perfect, and especially unique cannot be compared because of their “meaning”: a word that denotes an absolute condition cannot be described as denoting more or less than that absolute condition. However, all such words have undergone semantic development and are used in a number of senses, some of which can be compared by words like more, very, most, absolutely, somewhat, and totally and some of which cannot.
The earliest meanings of unique when it entered English around the beginning of the 17th century were “single, sole” and “having no equal.” By the mid-19th century unique had developed a wider meaning, “not typical, unusual,” and it is in this wider sense that it is compared: The foliage on the late-blooming plants is more unique than that on the earlier varieties. The comparison of so-called absolutes in senses that are not absolute is standard in all varieties of speech and writing.
See also a1, complete, perfect.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
I have trouble with which/that/who as well, even though I have looked it up before. Does anyone have a useful trick for remembering?
June 27th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Yes! The loose/lose thing drives me crazy!
July 20th, 2008 at 11:07 am
I didn’t read every comment, but here are a few errors that annoy me:
“Different than” is incorrect – one thing is different FROM another.
“Irregardless” sounds like a real word, but it’s actually a tautological error. “Irregardless” would mean without without regard – the correct word is regardless.
Though it’s recently been formally entered into standard dictionaries, the word “enthused” means virtually the same thing as enthusiastic, from which the word was derived. I suppose “to enthuse” someone is technically possible, but it sounds silly to me.
I know these are a bit pedantic, but they annoy the hell out of me. I’m sure I’ll think of a few more to add to the list.
September 6th, 2008 at 5:04 am
My biggest pet peeve is when people use irony incorrectly, it drives me insane.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Agreed. Everyone throws irony around like it’s nothing.
September 11th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
their vs. there vs. they’re
September 17th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
@Tropical… I agree buddy! Being “very” unique is indeed a pain!
Great forum guys! It’s nice to see someone posting something useful for a change!
September 18th, 2008 at 7:45 am
shaunism: That was a very interesting read. Thanks! And could somebody please explain the correct usage of ‘that’ vs. ‘which’.
Chia: You may be ‘very’ unique but I am uniquely unique!
September 21st, 2008 at 12:39 am
Hi Tropical.
Q: “…could somebody please explain the correct usage of ‘that’ vs. ‘which’. …”
A: This website might help.
http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/agcomm/ontarget/0509/that_vs_which.htm
By the way people, I love the differences Americans and British have for the same thing.
EG:
For my two weeks’ vacation in the USA: Arriving at my hotel in Los Angeles, I get out of the cab, step off the sidewalk and into the lobby (which is on the first floor), where I approach the desk to check my reservation. I take my suitcase into the elevator and get off on the second floor. Once in my room, I throw my overcoat on the sofa and use the in the bathroom before freshening up. I turn on the hot water faucet and let it run in the sink. Later, I venture out to a local diner for something to eat where I inquire about hiring a car and how much gas costs, then ask for the check and tip the waitress because the poor girl’s wages partly depend on it. On the walk back, I buy some aspirin at the drugstore for a headache. Back in my hotel, I’m absolutely beat so I take a shower and hit the hay at a quarter ‘til eleven.
For my fortnight’s holiday in Britain: Arriving at my hotel in London, I get out of the taxi, step off the pavement and into the foyer (which is on the ground floor), where I approach the reception to confirm my booking. I take my suitcase into the lift and get off on the first floor. Once in my room, I throw my mackintosh on the couch and use the toilet in the bathroom before freshening up. I turn on the hot water tap and let it run in the basin. Later, I venture out to a local caff for something to eat where I inquire about hiring a car and how much petrol costs, then ask for the bill and tip the waiter – but only because I feel I ought to. On the walk back, I buy some aspirin at the chemist’s for a headache. Back in my hotel, I’m absolutely knackered so I have a shower and hit the hay at a quarter to eleven.
October 4th, 2008 at 5:39 am
Alanis knew the examples in her song weren’t ironic. That’s why the songs called Ironic. it’s Ironic that the songs called Ironic, when she doesn’t speak of ironice things.
Crafty. To this day, she is still asked that question, and she still responds the same way she did before “Ironic” was released as a single. (see above)
December 1st, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I’ve found that the most effective way of correcting someone on the “could care less” error is to respond with, “Well, then you must care some!” It gets the point across without coming off as a grammar nazi.
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Are they really common errors made by the people? What level are you talking about? Even for a second language learner, these words are so common that a secondary school guy can easily differentiaie between them. Look for some other words which are really confusing in the fullest sense of the term. Best of luck!
December 4th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Bonus 2.
So glad you mentioned the Alanis Morissette song ‘Ironic’. It’s just about bad luck and I have real difficulty explaining why to people!
December 28th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Bonus 2.
It’s ironic that in beating up on “poor Alanis Morissette” for her use of the word ironic, you commit a similar faux pas in your use of the word brunt, one which is unfortunately even more common and has always made me nuts. Brunt is defined as “the main impact or force, as of an attack”, not as “target or victim”. You can’t BE the brunt of a joke, you can only BEAR the brunt of a joke.
But at least you’re not one of those nimrods who uses brunt as the past tense of bring. I actually heard this exchange inside the front door of a store as we all stared out into the pouring rain:
LITTLE BOY, HOLDING HANDS WITH LITTLE SISTER: “Boy, it’s sure a good thing we brought the car instead of the truck today, huh Mom? Otherwise the groceries would have gotten wet.”
MOM: ” No it’s a good thing we brunt the car instead of the truck, otherwise you kids would be getting wet.”
You can already tell, those kids are doomed.
And yes, the store we were in rhymes with Small Fart.
January 3rd, 2009 at 8:59 pm
‘For all intensive purposes’ – there’s nothing ‘intensive’ about a purpose. The correct phrase is: for all intents and purposes. And even at that it is mildly redundant and wholly useless as a phrase irregardless of the number of times people choose to use it.
Yes, if you noticed it – that part was a joke.
No love (or hate I suppose) for pronunciation? Nothing irks me more than listening to some reporter dipshit on CNN pronounce the word ‘human’ as ‘yuman’ – as if it has become vulgar to actually pronounce the ‘h’? Makes me want to stab them in the face… Literally.
I’ve heard the h/y switch in other words as well but can’t think of any others at the moment. I don’t know if it’s a broadcasting thing like how singers don’t like to vocalise the ending ’s’ in any words. I haven’t heard anyone say ‘yuman’ to me in person yet so I haven’t had the opportunity to punch anyone in the face yet. Literally. I mean, isn’t it ironic?
January 8th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
I like all these, but I’m disappointed there wasn’t any mention of unnecessary apostrophes.
“I got some game’s” makes me want to kill someone.
GET IT, PEOPLE?
January 8th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Adam (217), it’s a New Jersey thing, the dropped H. I think it’s when words have “hu” in the beginning. “Huge” is another word where they do it. I hate it too.
January 15th, 2009 at 7:12 am
Saying, “he literally flew out the door” is not a misuse of the word, “literally.” It is an example of exaggerating to make a point and it is a figure of speech known as hyperbole.
February 11th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
TO everyone that is trying to learn English, don’t stress out over this list, (especially if you live in America)…you can say just about anything! I can lie down or lay down on the bed (still doesn’t matter!). This list should be more for people who are native English speakers…because these are common mistakes we make daily. Literally!
February 13th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Oh, how much I want to shove this list under the noses off those who still can’t remember these simple rules.
Yeah, I am a language lover, and I am easily irritated by mistakes like these – and I am not even native English.
March 31st, 2009 at 10:13 am
The grammar, mechanics, and syntax used in this list are absolutely abhorrent. Please make sure to be well-versed in the intricacies of any given language before deciding to teach it to anyone.
April 14th, 2009 at 3:44 am
This is a great list! I live in West Virginia, I hear the English language butchered quite often. I also love the post about “I could care less”. It made me laugh.
April 20th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
English is my second language. Originally I learned proper English. But after living in the US for 6 years I learned to say “literally, like, I could care less and similar expressions”, which made me think that I am conforming with the local “slang”. But now my brain is exploding. I really like saying “I could care less” than saying “I couldn’t care less” because I think people will find it weird. Probably it all depends on the audience.
May 10th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Batesman..
That pronunciation thing is great!
Being English, I thought I’d find it easy but it really does trip you up in parts!
I was shocked to see how confusing and contradictary the English language is and for people who speak English as a second language, well bloody done!
May 17th, 2009 at 10:42 am
How about the usage of “irregardless” rather than “regardless”
May 20th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
You cannot forget Their/They’re/There which is one of my biggest peeves.
May 20th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Huh, even when I was younger I’ve never had problems with these. Maybe I’m just special, that or the fact that my mother would figuratively – not literally of course – kill me if I made any errors in my work.
May 26th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Very entertaining read! Here are a few I’d like to add as my pet peeves:
- “definately” (should be definitely)
- mixing up e.g. (“for example”)and i.e.(“in other words”)
- using “ect.” to abbreviate et cetera (should be “etc.”)
- how many times have you heard someone “axe” a question about “nukular” energy?
- and what about “orientating” when it should be “orienting”; or should I do some more “explanating”?
May 26th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
230. Carl : To orientate yourself is to assertain your position relative to your surroundings. Therefore, when we use this as a verb – i.e. When someone is doing it – in present tense, we get orientating.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
231. Afraid not, Mark! One has to orient oneself to the surroundings to ascertain one’s orientation.
Try this Google search to convince yourself:
“definition orientated”
June 1st, 2009 at 8:33 pm
232 Carl : Are you American per-chance? I know that orient is preferred in the USA, but here in Australia – and by extenstion the UK I believe – orient would be the mistake and orientate is the correct word. Orient and orientate are alternative words, either can technically be correctly used.
June 14th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
233 Mark: I’m Canadian, and we tend to use UK English as well.
Just to be sure, I did some further searching and found one article which appears to confirm what you claim, although it is a little confusing:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/podcasts/grammar_grater/archive/2008/02/21/
So I will concede to you on this one ;o)
June 14th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
@Carl (234): Damn straight… vowel raisin’ Canadian…
My Chem teacher’s Canadian. He just gave me 2 A’s and 5 C’s on an assignment
Not cool
June 27th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Jesus. You are all insane.
July 26th, 2009 at 11:50 am
the one that drives me insane is one that i hear people misuse all the time. news casters right on down to everyone else misuse the words “anxious” and “eager”. anxious means worried and nervous. eager means you are looking forward to an event. however, i hear people every day say they are “anxious” for something they are looking forward to: “i am anxious for christmas to come.” that means they are worried and nervous for chrismas to come and that isn’t what they meant.
July 29th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
What I tend to hear the most, and which drives me absolutely crazy is the use of “there’s” when referring to the plural.
“There’s loads of people down at the station”. Arrgghhh!!
That’s like saying, “There is ten people at the station”.
There ARE for crying out loud.
Oh yes, and something else which makes me grind my teeth is the use of “might” when referring to present or future constructions: “I might go and check on Alice tomorrow…”. Might should be used only with the past tense, may for the present or future. However, this is quite an arcane rule so I suppose I shouldn’t get too uspet.
Oh yes, virtually everyone uses the plural verb conjugation for “none”. It should be singular… i.e. “None of those answers IS correct”.
Ah, of course, “only”… yet another word no one seems to use correctly. “I was only gone for two days”…
It should, of course, be, “I was gone for only two days”.
And then there’s the palaver people seem to have with “me” and “I”.
“He invited my wife and I to dinner”, “I” is a subject pronoun, and should not be used to the contrary.
And speaking of pronouns, I nearly keel over upon hearing people use objective pronouns in place of subjective ones:
“Him and Tom are going to the cinema…”.
Sentences like that grate the ear like sandpaper… literally… (<– sorry, couldn't resist!).
Hmm what else… the use of adding "and" in constructions such as "I'll go and try help him", which makes it sound as though there are two separate components to the sentence. I will go, and I will try… when in reality, there is one.
Oh, how could I forget! Poor old "shall" and "will" are abused no end. Although, it's probably not surprising, the rule IS somewhat odd.
Wow, didn't realise how much I had rambled on! I could go on forever as well, but I shall — not will! — stop now.
September 19th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
This is a good list. One which drives me nuts, and didn’t make the list, is “more unique”. Something can’t be more unique, since being unique is being the only one. Therefore, something can’t be more than just the only one.
September 25th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
A little late, but I actually find “I could care less” the makes more sense to me after reading funny article talking about how saying “I couldn’t care less” doesn’t make any sense because you CAN care less, by not bringing the subject up at all, or not responding.
September 28th, 2009 at 3:45 am
THIS IS A GOOD PROM
October 4th, 2009 at 11:56 am
You should look at the french language for errors, it’s even worse. French is a really complicated language, especially with all the grammatical conjugations. JE VOUS LE DIS, C’EST À DEVENIR FOU!!!
October 15th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
One that confuses me is whose and who’s.
I would be grateful for an explanation of correct useage of these words.
Thankyou.
PS Great site.
October 23rd, 2009 at 6:00 am
When people use “ignorant” the wrong way, it drives me crazy.
Most people around here use it as another word for “stupid”
Ugh.
October 25th, 2009 at 11:25 am
If that list you printed comprises the most common errors, then we live in a nation of illiterates. Some things I hate include the over use (and blatant misuse) of “hopefully,” the mistaking of “begging the question” for “raising the question,” and the unnecessary (and most annoying) splitting of infinitives, of which the writer of the above articleis guilty.
October 26th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Could you include ‘anyways’? I hate when people use that. its not in the dictionary. It’s not a word!
the wrong way: Yes, I did see that movie. I hate going to the movies, every time I see my feet get stuck on the floor from spilled soda I just want to kill someone!! Anyways, it was a great movie
right way: Anyway, it was a great movie.
October 28th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Alanis Morissette’s song literally makes me want to kill her. Yes, literally. The word she was looking for was “typical” as in “It’s raining on my wedding day! That’s just typical…”
November 3rd, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Just wanted to let you know that these rules of grammar are still alive and well in schools. I’m currently in an Education program to teach at the Elementary level. I was recently given a list with these words, and more, that are commonly misused. Assumptions are never good to make. It’s most likely negligence that has developed over the years into ignorance.
December 8th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
I’m sooo glad you mentioned the “literally” and “ironic” errors, as those are immensely irritating and I hear them misused on a daily basis.
December 10th, 2009 at 2:54 am
Great list (great for us non-native speakers).
One thing that I always mix up is ’send’ and ’sent’. Would love to see that in this list.
December 16th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Ok, I haven’t read all 250 comments so sorry if this is already mentioned. I can’t stand when people confuse idea and ideal. Ideal, as in that is the ideal situation means optimum, the best situation to be in. An idea is something you think of, I have a great idea or I have no idea. I hate it when people say I have no ideal.
December 19th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
lol I used to mix up Verses and Versus all the time until this year I realized the difference haha.
December 28th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
There are two redundancies I despise. The first is “period of time”. My question here is: Is there any other kind of period. (Excepting the one at the end of this sentence, fortunately it’s called a “full stop” in British English).
The second is the redundant “do”, as in “do come”, where it replaces “please”.
I also hate “in terms of” when one can use the more elegant “with respect to” or just “regarding”. I think it is sloppy English in the same mould as “provides the user with the ability to”, which is just a verbose and obfuscating way of saying “you can”.
December 28th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Sorry, I missed a question mark.