COMMON
GRAMMAR
MISTAKES
G'day folks,
Well, here we go again. I make heaps of mistakes with grammar. What about you? Here are some classics, courtesy of Jon Gingerich. I hope they help some of you.
Since and Because
“Since”
refers to time. “Because” refers to causation. e.g., Since I quit drinking
I’ve married and had two children. e.g., Because I quit drinking I no
longer wake up in my own vomit.
Disinterested and Uninterested
Contrary
to popular usage, these words aren’t synonymous. A “disinterested” person is
someone who’s impartial. For example, a hedge fund manager might take interest
in a headline regarding the performance of a popular stock, even if he's never
invested in it. He’s “disinterested,” i.e., he doesn’t seek to gain financially
from the transaction he’s witnessed. Judges and referees are supposed to be
"disinterested." If the sentence you’re using implies someone who
couldn't care less, chances are you’ll want to use “uninterested.”
Anxious
Unless
you’re frightened of them, you shouldn’t say you’re “anxious to see your
friends.” You’re actually “eager,” or "excited." To be “anxious”
implies a looming fear, dread or anxiety. It doesn’t mean you’re looking
forward to something.
Different Than and Different From
This is a
tough one. Words like “rather” and “faster” are comparative adjectives, and are
used to show comparison with the preposition “than,” (e.g., greater than, less
than, faster than, rather than). The adjective “different” is used to draw
distinction. So, when “different” is followed by a preposition, it should
be “from,” similar to “separate from,” “distinct from,” or “away from.” e.g., My
living situation in New York was different from home. There are rare cases
where “different than” is appropriate, if “than” operates as a conjunction.
e.g., Development is different in New York than in Los Angeles. When in
doubt, use “different from.”
Bring and Take
In order
to employ proper usage of “bring” or “take,” the writer must know whether the
object is being moved toward or away from the subject. If it is toward, use
“bring.” If it is away, use “take.” Your spouse may tell you to “take your
clothes to the cleaners.” The owner of the dry cleaners would say “bring your
clothes to the cleaners.”
Impactful
It isn't
a word. "Impact" can be used as a noun (e.g., The impact of the
crash was severe) or a transitive verb (e.g., The crash impacted my
ability to walk or hold a job). "Impactful" is a made-up
buzzword, colligated by the modern marketing industry in their endless attempts
to decode the innumerable nuances of human behavior into a string of mindless
metrics. Seriously, stop saying this.
Affect and Effect
Here’s a
trick to help you remember: “Affect” is almost always a verb (e.g., Facebook
affects people’s attention spans), and “effect” is almost always a noun
(e.g., Facebook's effects can also be positive). “Affect” means to
influence or produce an impression — to cause hence, an effect. “Effect” is the
thing produced by the affecting agent; it describes the result or outcome.
There are some exceptions. “Effect” may be used as a transitive verb, which
means to bring about or make happen. e.g., My new computer effected a
much-needed transition from magazines to Web porn. There are similarly rare
examples where “affect” can be a noun. e.g., His lack of affect made him
seem like a shallow person.
Irony and Coincidence
Too many
people claim something is the former when they actually mean the latter. For
example, it’s not “ironic” that “Barbara moved from California to New York,
where she ended up meeting and falling in love with a fellow Californian.” The
fact that they’re both from California is a "coincidence."
"Irony" is the incongruity in a series of events between the expected
results and the actual results. "Coincidence" is a series of events
that appear planned when they’re actually accidental. So, it would be
"ironic" if “Barbara moved from California to New York to escape
California men, but the first man she ended up meeting and falling in love with
was a fellow Californian.”
Nauseous
Undoubtedly
the most common mistake I encounter. Contrary to almost ubiquitous misuse, to
be “nauseous” doesn’t mean you’ve been sickened: it actually means you possess
the ability to produce nausea in others. e.g., That week-old hot dog is
nauseous. When you find yourself disgusted or made ill by a nauseating
agent, you are actually “nauseated.” e.g., I was nauseated after falling
into that dumpster behind the Planned Parenthood. Stop embarrassing
yourself.
Clancy's comment: Mm ... When I first learnt the Thai language, several words kept popping up that caused me grief. It's a tonal language so you have to do your best to get it right. One such word was khao, which can have up to nine different meanings from glass and rice; even mountain. However, over time I quickly learnt to restructure what I was about to say very quickly to avoid any embarrassment on my part, or confusion on the part of my listener. Hence, when I'm writing, if I come across some confusing grammars such as above, I quickly learn an easier way to say it. Makes for a better book, and your reader unknowingly appreciates it. I hope!
I'm ....
