The Top 10 Common Errors in the Use of Language

Originally Submitted on 11/22/2001.

The way we speak is usually, except in formal situations, somewhat casual, and we do not expect to be judged on every error. However, the written word is our representative, particularly when we send it winging across the Internet, or set it to speak for us at our websites. Similarly, one might hope that both spoken and written media would use their language correctly so as to provide us with good models. There are some errors that occur time after time, and that proclaim, sometimes falsely, that our command of the English language is less than we might wish. Here are some of the most common errors:

1. Your instead of YOU'RE

"Your welcome to browse," proclaims the website. The message is intended to be an abbreviation of "You are welcome..." Hence, the correct version is "You're welcome...," with the apostrophe substituting for the omitted "a."

2. Irregardless instead of REGARDLESS

When we write "He pushed forward, regardless of public opinion..." we are saying that he gave no regard to public opinion. The suffix, "less" tell us this. Why, then, should an additional negative be added with the prefix "Ir?" Yes, I know it's in the dictionary, but it is marked as "non-standard," and the double negative really makes it meaningless, so why not stick with "regardless?"

3. Peaked instead of PIQUED

"Your article peaked my interest," does make sense, for perhaps it raised the writer's interest to a peak that it had never before reached. Nonetheless, the word piqued means sharpened, aroused, excited, intensified, and this is the correct usage.

4. Authoritative as a negative instead of AUTHORITARIAN

Authoritarian means favoring blind and complete compliance to authority and is generally regarded as a negative. Authoritative means having authority or being based on solid knowledge, i.e. knowing what you are talking about. We often hear news media people using the word authoritative when they mean the more negative authoritarian.

5. Mixing singular and plural verbs and nouns

The sentence starts out with a singular subject, but somewhere before its ending the verb becomes plural. Or vice versa. This may be done as a quick-and-easy way to avoid using the gender-specific "he" or "she" but there are better ways. It is often easiest to use plural forms for both subject and verb.

6. Disinterested instead of UNINTERESTED

Disinterested means that you are impartial, you do not have a vested interest in the issue. It is often wrongly used when the speaker actually means that the person is uninterested, i.e. feels that the topic is of no interest. We hope that all judges will be interested in their cases, but at the same time disinterested so that they are unbiased and have no conflict of interest.

7. Could care less versus COULDN'T CARE LESS

I could care less, taken literally, means that it would be possible for me to care about whatever the topic is much less than I do. It is usually used (especially by teenagers) to mean the reverse. Correctly, the meaning that they intend is "I couldn't care less."

8. There's lots of... instead of THERE ARE LOTS OF...

"There's" is an abbreviation of "there is." We would not say "There is lots of car dealerships on this road." Correctly, "There are lots of...."

9. Affect and effect

Complicated, because both words can be used correctly as a noun or as a verb but the meanings are very different. "Effect" as a noun - the result of something: "The effect of the lack of rain was that the wheat crop was very sparse." "Effect" as a verb - to bring about: "It is your job to effect the changes on which the Board has agreed." "Affect" as a noun - your outward show of emotion (used mainly by psychologists): "She thought he would be angry, but he maintained such a flat affect that it did not appear that he was concerned." "Affect" as a verb - when something causes a change, i.e. the lack of rain severely affected the wheat crop.

10. Different than/DIFFERENT FROM and looking to/PLANNING TO

I give up on these two, because the incorrect versions have become so commonly used that they are probably now listed as common usage. However, if you really want to use your words correctly, "different from" is more correct than "different than." Likewise, "hoping to" or "planning to" give far more meaning to your words than the ubiquitous (but, if you think about it, actually meaningless) "looking to."

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