SpikeTheLobsterCommon Mistakes
February 27th 2009 11:46
Go on. Click it. You know you want to.
There are some words which suffer terrible abuse from writers. Frequently, marketing consultants pick these poor, defenceless pieces of text out of a dark, slimy part of their brain and dump them onto paper. There, the words are slapped around and told that they have new meanings or are forced to wear the horrible, fluorescent pink and green "Operation Buzzword" uniform.
In an attempt to help these over-worked, under-appreciated little pixel pals, Wordophilia proudly presents the real definitions and usages of some of the more battered among them.
Unique: one of a kind. Cannot be qualified - in other words, an object cannot be 'very unique' or 'quite unique' - it is either unique or it is not. No middle ground.
Irrespective: without regard for. Ugly and over-used. You're better off with the far more handsome 'regardless'.
Perfect: without flaw. Another absolute, like unique. Something is either perfect or it is not: there is no "very perfect". Often used to express a liking for something ('almost perfect for me' and the like), but is better replaced with more expressive words.
Capitol: a building where the state legislature meets. The Capitol (with a capital) is the one in Washington, D.C. (which is the capital).
etc.: et cetera, literally 'and the others' or 'and the rest' (yes, I studied Latin and yes, it should have a period after it). Horribly abused when writers run out of examples. This abbreviation should never appear at the end of a phrase which starts "for example": that's a total cop-out. Give a few examples and end the phrase. Should also never be used mid-sentence.
Worthwhile: returns value for the time spent. Should only be used before a verb, as it is a measure of the value of an action. "A worthwhile film" is an impossibility: the film makes worthwhile viewing, perhaps. Few people will complain about this one, except poor little Worthwhile herself. She really hates that pink-and-green suit.
Literally: in a strict sense. "He arrived home and was literally dead from exhaustion" is a phrase to end a novel, since the character is no longer living. Modern usage allows the variation of meaning to include "virtually" or "almost", but many people consider this incorrect. Find another expression to use.
Peruse: read thoroughly and carefully. Frequently misused in the place of "skim", which is appropriate for reading a document quickly. "Scan", bizarrely, can have both meanings.
Could care less: an expression rather than a word. This one always amuses me: "I could care less," they say. Well, that's good - it shows they are at least a little interested. If they'd said "I couldn't care less", I'd have been upset.
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Comment by Morgan Bell
Science News
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
1 a: to examine or consider with attention and in detail : study b: to look over or through in a casual or cursory manner
2: read ; especially : to read over in an attentive or leisurely manner
i had always used it to mean "gain an overview" of a document or "flick over the parts to form an opinion on the whole" or something like that . . . maybe "pay keen attention but not read every word"?
i think it implies examining a document with a critical eye to identify errors in theme or structure, as opposed to a proofread of spelling and grammar
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Comment by Spike 2
Wordophilia
Qwerk
Peanut Butter
You know, Peter Cushing looking through ye olde tome of vampirism: he's not reading every word, but he's reading it intently, looking either for something specific or to understand the whole without having to memorise it.
My guess is that the M-W definition is affected by modern usage, so covers both. Much like a lot of other words, meanings change slightly with time and 'peruse' is oft-used, especially in letters. It's darned confusing, though: how does a reader know which one you mean?
Comment by Morgan Bell
Science News
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
the evolution of the English language is fascinating . . . i hope you do many more so i can learn a few more things
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Teresa Ralton
MRS SMITH
READ THIS
SISTERS IN CRIME
Comment by Spike 2
Wordophilia
Qwerk
Peanut Butter