Over the years I have written a number of blog posts lamenting the poor English usage that I see and hear all around me every day. Yes, the language is alive and constantly growing and evolving, so I do try to let a lot of things go. I do understand that new words and terms are constantly coming into use and becoming part of the “living language”. However, that doesn’t mean that long-time accepted words and terms, and their proper usage, have to go out the proverbial window.
It particularly drives me to distraction when I read or hear words and terms being used incorrectly by people who should know better. I’m talking about folks who use words every day while practicing their profession, such as: journalists, writers, broadcasters, academics, and politicians, to name a few. Sadly, in my daily life, while listening to the radio, watching TV, and/or reading newspapers and magazines, I hear or read egregious errors in word usage and/or grammar almost every single day!
So, I went back over my blog posts of the past five years or so, and I came up with the top 15 or so of what I consider to be the most common errors in English that I still regularly encounter in my everyday life. Here’s that list below, in alphabetical order:
advice, advise
“Advice” is a noun, and “advise” is a verb.
Example:
I advise you to follow Frank’s advice.
My advice to you is to hire an expert to advise you on the matter.
amount, number [see “fewer, less” below]
Use “amount” with quantities that can’t be counted.
Use “number” with things that can be counted.
Examples:
The amount of money we collect will depend on the number of people who attend.
There are a number of recipes in the book that call for a large amount of salt.
A large amount of contraband was seized during a number of overnight raids.
bad, badly
“Bad” is an adjective, “badly is an adverb.
Examples:
They felt bad about being late. His leg hurt badly after his accident.
It was a bad game; I played very badly.
bored “with”, bored “of”
I am bored “with” school is correct; NOT – I am bored “of” school.
Examples:
I am tired of school. I am sick of school.
I am bored with having to eat the same food every day.
bring, take
Use “bring” when an object is being brought/moved “towards” where you are now.
Use “take” when an object is being taken/moved “away” from where you are now.
Examples:
Bring the tickets with you when you come to join us.
We will take the car to the club after we finish dinner.
I will take the money to the bank, but first I need you to bring the deposit slips to me here.
complement, compliment
“Complement” with an “e” means “to go with or complete” something.
“Compliment” withan “i” means “to flatter”.
Examples:
His lyrics complement her playing.
The maestro complimented her on her musicianship.
fewer, less [see “amount, number” above]
“Fewer” refers to items that can be counted. “Less” refers to quantities.
Examples:
Because fewer people were there, we collected less money.
Even though there was less rain this time, fewer cars were on the roads.
I have less money than when I left home but I have fewer items left to buy.
There were fewer players on the field, so their chance of winning was less.
good, well
“Good” is an adjective; It does not stand alone; it needs to modify or describe something else.
“Well” is an adverb that can stand alone as the object of a phrase or sentence.
Examples:
She hasn’t felt good about her game since late last season.
She performed well in the final event of the competition.
Tiger played good golf last weekend; he knows he played well.
NOT: Tiger played good last weekend! INSTEAD, USE: Tiger played well last weekend.
its, it’s
Confusing these two is an error I often make when writing something in a rush.
“its” is a possessive pronoun; used to indicate that something belongs to something else.
“it’s”, with an apostrophe, is a contraction for the phrase “it is”.
Examples:
We inspected every square inch of its hull and didn’t find anything.
It’s going to be a very long trip.
laptop, labtop
“labtop” with a “b” is NOT a word!
Many people use it incorrectly when they mean “laptop”; a computer that fits on one’s “lap”.
loose, lose
“Loose” is an adjective that means “not securely attached”.
“Lose” means “to misplace” something or “to be deprived of, or “not to win”.
Examples:
The muffler was so loose that I feared we would soon lose it.
When you lose your focus, sometimes you lose the game.
If you play too fast and loose, you are sure to lose.
myself, me
“Myself” is a reflexive or intensive pronoun.
Examples:
I hurt myself [reflexive]. I drove myself [intensive].
She gave the books to Francis and me [NOT myself].
As for me, [NOT myself] I’m always available.
practice, practise
“practice” with a “c” is a noun that refers to “a way of doing things”.
“practise” with an “s” is a verb.
Examples:
He wanted to practise his song, but the practice was canceled.
It was his practice to go for a drink after band practice was over.
principal, principle
“Principal” can be a noun or adjective and can mean different things in different contexts.
As a noun, it can mean “the head of a school” or “a sum of money”.
As an adjective, “principal” means “most important”.
On the other hand, “principle” is a noun that means “basic truth or law”.
Examples:
Mary Stone is the principal of our high school.
My monthly loan payment includes principal plus interest.
The main principle behind his argument is equality for all.
relation, relationship
“Relation” describes a connection between things.
“Relationship” refers to a connection between people.
Example:
He studied the relation between income and intellect.
Their relationship soured after the company went broke.
“sneaked” vs. “snuck”
Believe it or not, it is still ok to say we “sneaked” in through the back door.
In fact, in my opinion, it is better to say “we sneaked in”, rather than to say “we snuck in”.
The above are just a few examples of dubious English usage that grate on my nerves whenever I hear or read them. I’m sure you can probably think of others as well. English is a beautifully precise language; try to be precisely right whenever you speak it or write it.
Listen up folks! Just because you hear something on the radio or television, or you read it in a newspaper or magazine, doesn’t make it correct! Really. This is especially true these days when journalists and writers copy and paste a good deal of their columns from facebook posts and twitter tweets. So what if Joe and Marjorie, living goodness knows where, with goodness knows what education level, spouted their opinion on whatever subject online! Does that mean we should all accept their grammar, phrasing and and/or spelling at face value? I don’t think so!
Again, I do understand that the English language is constantly growing and evolving. However, it’s not a total free-for-all out there folks! All I ask is that you at least wait until your “word” is listed as standard usage in major dictionaries before using it. This is especially important if you want to be taken seriously in business or academic circles. You must be careful not to fall into the trap of using popular jargon just because you heard or saw someone else use it; especially when writing.
So, whenever you are about to use a particular word or term, and any doubt about it creeps into your mind, check it out first before using it. Nine times out of ten, when you check your dictionary or style manual, you will find that your initial gut feeling was right. Don’t embarrass yourself unnecessarily just because you didn’t check; especially in a professional situation.
Hi Shaun
Great list – thanks.
One set of words that are often misused are: ‘bought’ and ‘brought’
Cheers
Dawn
Those are wonderful examples. I wonder if you would you discuss the use of apostrophes? I am thinking about traveling around to various signs to wipe out the apostrophe (‘) before an “s” when it is not used to determine possessive case. I am so tired of seeing “The Waite’s” on a mailbox–obviously, it belongs to them, but is there only one “Waite” or is the family named “Waite”? In that case, it should say “The Waites”. I am sure you have done this in past blogs; if so, please refer to the date of that blog so we can all review it! Thanks!
Hi Shaun,
Shaun, I’ve enjoyed reading your blog for quite some time, and this month I particularly enjoyed reviewing the correct use of “practice/practise.” Would the same rule apply to “licence/license”? “Licence” looks odd for some reason.
Thank you for this list, Shaun!
Saw and seen is one I hear people mix up frequently.
I often hear people say, “I seen” instead of I saw or I have seen.
Thanks!
Hi Shaun,
Thanks for this month’s interesting post on Misused Words.
I often see people confuse the word ” Liaze ” & ” liaise”. Both words meaning the same!!!
Thanks again for your continuing and keeping us to be part of your contact!
Regards, Mariam
Dear Sir,
Thanks for the corrections you made. It really help us in improving ourselves.
Thanks
Thanks mrwritinghelpguy! My pet peeve right now is the use of country names as adjectives when describing footballers. For example, “The England player Wayne Rooney was sent off for a second yellow card against France.” Now, Rooney is English, and his national team is therefore England, but should it not be, “The English player, Wayne Rooney, was sent off”, because this calls for an adjective?
Hi Shaun,
Thank you for bringing this “Misused Words” topic forward. It’s really helpful in day-to-day personal interactions.
Thank you.
Nice post. Thanks Shaun. Can you do one on the use of who and whom? It always gets me confused and I know many people make the mistake as well.
Hi Shaun
Thanks for the list of most misused words. It’s really good reminding us how to use these words.
Those are a few important words to note carefully. Thanks for the refresher. Jim
Hi Shaun,
I found this post really relevant and helpful.
Thank you, and congratulations on your forthcoming audio book.
Thank you for the clarification, Shaun.
I’m sure you have probably already treated “me” and “I” but it is a pet peeve of mine that I hear on television almost every day by people who should know better.
I enjoyed your page, It is the first time I have seen it.
Thank you! I owed you this “thank you” for a long time.
Dear Shaun,
Thank you for reminding about usage of the “most misused words”.
Regards,
Gul Khoso
It is very interesting and useful. Thank you very much for your efforts. We are very glad to learn from you. I believe you are helping me and many others in the world.
Thank you again and please continue to help us.
Beat regards,
Omar Liban
Hi Shaun,
I want to thank you immensely for these interesting articles. I am more confident when I write and its also a pleasure for me to draw these points/corrections with my co-workers. I am able to assist my daughter with her assignments as a result of your articles. Continue doing what you do best Shaun it is greatly appreciated.
brilliantly sorted list
Thank you for the list. People often say “between you and I” instead of “between “you and me”.
I am very happy to see this blog, as I am able to know many things, and correct my errors. Thanks a lot for you, and good wishes for your efforts.
Thanks Shaun. My biggest pet peeve, for years, has been the overuse of, “myself.” It seems for about 20 years people have completely forgotten the proper use of, “me.” Another funny one is seeing a billboard for a service company that says, “No job to small.” One thing I always get confused on is the use of who and whom. I would appreciate a good lesson on that. Keep up the great and valuable work!
I always learn something from you…thanks
Thank Mr. Shaun.
Thank you for your post!
I have a question. In the end of your post you said “IF YOU have any pet peeves…” As I understand, if we use ‘any’, the noun following must be singular, instead of plural? it it true?
Thank you!
First of all, hats off to you Sir/Madam.
Most of the time while speaking or writing or questioning we make misuse of spelling mistakes etc., source for practical writing really helps a lot for all of those who make mistakes. By practicing our pronunciation; conversations, we become perfect and permanent in communication.
Once again my BIG HATS OFF
Good knowledge for me. Thanks.
Dear Shaun,
This is quite educating.It is rich and superb.I’m sorry for the late response.
Thanks a million.
Hi Shaun,
This is nice list and you have good explanations. Like several other readers, I feel that the words “who and whom” would be good additions.
There was one word you mentioned that I had never seen in my 64 years. That was the word “practise”. A quick Google search showed that it’s a British term and is not used in the United States. We use the word “practice” as both a noun and a verb.
I agree with others that the word “me” seems to be forgotten about these days. Every day I hear or read statements in which “I” is used instead of “me” as an object in sentences such as “Sara bought a gift for Ted and I.” This comes from professional writers and commentators, too. I hear it so often that I’ve begun to wonder whether I was taught incorrectly or not.
A Very happy new year Shawn..
It is very interesting and helpful.
Thanks a lot
Thanks a lot, Shaun.
This is very helpful. My students always get confused with the use and form of adjective and adverb, especially the words “good” and “well”.
Have the most wonderful New Year 2016!
Kannawee