The Eclectic Writing Ward

Most Common Misused English Words of All Time Part 10

Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 08:00 Written by Ward Tipton Monday, 25 May 2009 06:57

Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar Help - Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar Help

User Rating: / 0
PoorBest 

You may believe that even a professional writer would tired of writing about the same subject after ten pages. However, you can rest assured that even though you may be opposed to the idea, there are only two more pages after this one regarding the most commonly misused words of all time in the English Language.

Oppose and Appose



Appose is to apply something to another thing and oppose is to contradict something or go against it. This is just one of many errors that many grammar checks will miss since they only look at the actual type of word and are not reading the sentence as humans will.



Or and And

“And” and “Or” are both conjunctions used to join phrases or to create compound sentences. “And” means an addition to and not a limitation of where “Or” will indicate only one of a number of choices. Thus; You may have to select one “or” the other when you are constructing a complex sentence “and” then you can get on with your writing. Also, “And” can only be used if both statements are either true or false. Thus you cannot win the lottery with this ticket “And” that ticket unless both tickets have some combination of winning numbers. (You will not win with one “or” the other since both of them are winning tickets and are those, both 'true') You can win with one “or” the other ticket if only one of them have a winning combination of numbers. (You cannot win with one “and” the other in this case)



Other Times and At Other Times



Sometimes, you think you are writing everything down properly because there are no pretty little green or red lines on your document using the word-processor that you use. Some people may actually write “Other times, you should not be so sure of yourself.” because that sentence is actually incorrect. You should always write “At other times” and should never use “other times” if you want your sentence to be correct.



Out Loud and Aloud



You may actually believe that you can say things “out loud” but the truth of the matter is that grammatically at least, you can only say them “Aloud” and that is all there is to it. Still, in the world today, the right answer is not always the only one so you can say “out loud” now and not many people will think any less of you.



PM and AM



Before we get started, AM is Anti-Meridian and PM is Post-Meridian. That being said, AM and PM should only be used in conjunction with numbers. You do not go anywhere in the AM or in the PM but you may go anywhere in the morning or in the afternoon or evening. You may have done something at TEN AM or at TEN PM and that is fine, but only as long as AM or PM are used with the numbers and not as a grammatically incorrect substitute for the time of day.



Per Cent (Or Percent) and Percentage



“Percent” or “Per cent” is used only in relation to actual numbers. Thus, “Ninety percent of the people” would be right but that would not make it okay to say “A large percent of the people are right.” because there are no numbers.



In that case, you should note that percent is a contracted version of the word “Percentage” and the entire word should be used if you want it to be grammatically correct. Thus; “If ninety percent of the people are right, there is a large percentage of the population in question that is correct.”



Percentage and Per Cent (Or Percent)



“Percent” or “Per cent” is used only in relation to actual numbers. Thus, “Ninety percent of the people” would be right but that would not make it okay to say “A large percent of the people are right.” because there are no numbers.



In that case, you should note that percent is a contracted version of the word “Percentage” and the entire word should be used if you want it to be grammatically correct. Thus; “If ninety percent of the people are right, there is a large percentage of the population in question that is correct.”



Phase and Faze



You may be fazed by all of this information in this phase of your English studies but do not let it worry you. To “Faze” something is to stun it or possibly even to astound it while a “Phase” is only a period of time that is passed for better or for worse. If you are still having difficulties understanding this, just remember, it is only a phase that you are going through so you should not let it faze you any okay?



Phenomena and Phenomenon



“Phenomena” is the plural form of the singular word “Phenomenon”.



Possessive Forms and Of



This is another one that will be of interest to mainly writers. In the example that was given to me by my Writing Mentor, you never write down “The truck's cab” when doing formal writing or writing for a book, magazine article or newspaper. Any time that there is a possessive involved, you would write it out the long way so that it would be “The cab of the truck.” Avoiding this will be just one of many steps in helping you to avoid trouble with your editor or publisher.



Precede and Proceed



This lesson will precede your proficiency in the field of writing. Your actual writing will be preceded by your research. If something precedes something else, it very simply comes before it. To proceed, means to continue something. Therefore, once you understand these two words, you can proceed with your writing and do so with far fewer grammatical errors.



Principal and Principle



Your principal may or may not have had principles that (Not which) he or she lived by but you will have to know the difference in order to be able to write it down correctly. A “Principle” is a basic truth, law or set standard of right and wrong. Everything else can go back to your principal in whatever school you were in … and it would be even better if you can get them to pay off any principal amounts that you owe on any debts.



Proceed and Precede



This lesson will precede your proficiency in the field of writing. Your actual writing will be preceded by your research. If something precedes something else, it very simply comes before it. To proceed, means to continue something. Therefore, once you understand these two words, you can proceed with your writing and do so with far fewer grammatical errors.



Quiet and Quite



You can cause quite a stir if you get these confused and it does not quiet you down. Quiet is silence and Quite a bit of silence can be perturbing to some people.



Raise and Rise



This is another easy one to explain. “Raise” is what is known as an intransitive verb and “Rise” is grammatically speaking, a transitive verb.



Now that you know that, you should be all set right?



To raise something means to lift it up or make it and it requires an object in the sentence. Thus, you could say “Raise my hand if you believe in mental telepathy.” and it would be grammatically correct. When “Raise” is used in a sentence, it requires the presence of an object. In other words, there has to be an object in the sentence that is raised.



Rise is an intransitive verb and can be used without an object. Thus; “I rise early in the morning.” is a complete and grammatically correct sentence.



Refer and Allude



When you “Allude” to something, you are stating it in such a way that it is almost an implication or implied. You can speak about how much you love pie and I may know that you are alluding to my sister's pecan pie because that is your favorite pie. However, when you refer to something, you are making a direct reference to it. Therefore, when you want a slice of pie, I would refer you to my sister, who makes an excellent pecan pie.



Regardless and Irregardless



Regardless of the fact that “Irregardless” is not even a word, you should not use it if you want your writing to look proper. The prefix “Ir” means “Not” and if it is “Not regardless” of something, how can it be regardless? Regardless of what you think, you should never use irregardless even if it has come to be accepted to some degree.



Revenge and Avenge



To avenge something is to right a wrong, whether it is real or perceived. To seek revenge is to pay back or return damage for damage or for any perceived insult.