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Thursday Thirteen - 13 (MORE!) Frequently Misused/Confused Words

10/1/2013

24 Comments

 
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Ciao a tutti! Hello, everybody! You know what? It's that time of year again - time for me to drag out a few more corrections on the grammar front! I keep hoping these posts will become unnecessary, but, alas, they do not.

So this week, I must present to you

13 (MORE!) Frequently Misused/Confused Words

1) Formerly and Formally -
Formerly means what something (or someone) *used* to be. 

ex: the Artist Formerly Known as Prince.

Formally means with ceremony or with respect:
We were introduced formally at the reception.


2) too, to, two -
too: also
to: from one point to another point in time or space
two: the number 2.
3) infer/imply -
To infer means to take information and come to a conclusion.
To imply means to subtly give evidence to lead someone to a conclusion.

The television series The Big Bang Theory illustrated this well. Toward the end of the clip below, around 1:35, this exchange takes place:

Zack: I don't get it.

Leonard: A dolphin might.

Zack: Oh, I see. You guys are inferring that I'm stupid.

Sheldon: That's not correct. We were implying it. You then inferred it.


4) Exciting and Exiting -
Exciting: a person, place or thing which stirs excitement in an individual. Exiting: the act of leaving a place; to go out from someplace or something.
"I don't know why you're exiting this exciting online conversation!"
"Dude, I gotta PEE!"

5) As a general rule, it's Grammar, not Grammer.
If you're talking about writing, speaking and so on, you want to use proper grammar. You always want to get an "A" (two, actually) in grammar!
Now, if you're talking about the star of the television series Frasier?

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Grammer.
6) Principle and Principal -
Principle is a noun, referring to a fundamental standard, law, rule or doctrine. It only means this.
Principal can be a noun with many different meanings (the principal of a school; the amount of financing; the primary person in a given role - acting or otherwise; and so on), an adjective meaning of the greatest significance or importance ("My principal objection is to the blatant sexism shown here!"), or even an adverb, "principally", meaning "for the most part".

7) It's Separate NOT Seperate -
Separate in its verb form means to part or divide, to section off. In its adjective form, it describes something cut off from other things, set apart.
Seperate means NOTHING!!! IT IS NOT A WORD!
*ahem*

Just remember: There's always "A RAT" in a "SepARATion"!
8) It's Milquetoast, not "Milk Toast" -
The term "milquetoast" is used to described an ineffectual and timid person, someone unlikely to raise a fuss in any circumstance. It is derived from the name of a comic strip character from the 1920s. Which character? Well, I'm going to cheat here and use Wikipedia:
"Caspar Milquetoast was a comic strip character created by H. T. Webster for his cartoon series, The Timid Soul. Webster described Caspar Milquetoast as "the man who speaks softly and gets hit with a big stick". The character's name is a deliberate misspelling of the name of a bland and fairly inoffensive food, milk toast. Milk toast, light and easy to digest, is an appropriate food for someone with a weak or "nervous" stomach.


So:
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Milquetoast (see how meek and mild he is?)
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Milk toast.
9) Expatriate not Ex-patriot -
I'm sure you've heard me call myself this from time to time, most likely using the abbreviation "Expat".
An expatriate is someone who lives in a country other than the one they are born in, whether temporarily or permanently. It derives from the Latin words "ex" (out of) and "patria" (country, fatherland).

Ex-patriot doesn't exist. It's not a word.
Well, unless you're referring to a former member of the New England Patriots Football team.

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Rodney Harrison. And yes, I totally had to Google "Former New England Patriot" to find something for this.
10) Supposedly not supposably -
Both of these terms are adverbs, derived from the word "supposed". However, there is still a lot of debate about the veracity of "supposably" (and as I write this, it keeps getting highlighted as an error).

Supposed means to assume something for the sake of argument, or to consider something to be truth. So, "supposedly" can mean an action is expected to turn out a certain way.
"Suppose we were to just take that short cut. What's the worst that could happen?"
"Supposedly, we could get lost in the woods, that's what! I'm not doing it!"

Supposably simply means that something is conceivable. And aside from the whole "i before e, except after c (or sounded as 'a' as in neighbor and weigh)" thing, "conceivable" is probably the better word to use if that is what you're trying to convey.

11) Breath and breathe -
Breath is a noun and means the air taken in or expelled by the lungs.
Breathe is a verb, and means to take air in and then expel it from the lungs.
"He has such bad breath. I wish he wouldn't breathe on me!"
12) Council and counsel -
Council: A group of people gathered to regulate or advise others.
Counsel: to give advice.

"The council gave fair counsel on the subjects at hand."
13) Hoard and horde -
"Hoard" is a noun, referring to a collection of something for future use, and as a verb, to "Hoard" is to collect obsessively.
A "Horde" is a large number of people, frequently used in reference to invading armies.
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Hoard.
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Horde.
And there you have them: 13 MORE Frequently Misused/Confused Words.





I hope this has proven helpful for some of you.














At the very least, I hope it was mildly entertaining.



















Now I need to take a little break and get on with some writing.






















Feel free to come back from time to time if you need a refresher, of course.





















Or, you know...















Whatever.
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Ciao for now!
24 Comments
CountryDew link
10/1/2013 05:07:27 am

Excellent list of misused words. I love the Big Bang! My biggest problem still tends to be with lie/lay - we all have our issues, I guess. I actually rewrite sentences so that I don't use that particular verb.

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Kimberly Menozzi link
10/1/2013 05:25:06 am

I'm glad you liked the list. I do one every year in January because I "collect" words/phrases I stumble across on the internet.

Needless to say, I keep pretty busy with that.

And I know what you mean about rewriting to avoid tricky words. Sometimes I just go for it and let my editor handle 'em, sometimes I try to find a different way to say what I wanted to convey.

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sandy kessler link
10/1/2013 06:16:25 am

great list

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Kimberly Menozzi link
10/1/2013 06:33:25 am

Thank you! :)

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Mia Celeste link
10/1/2013 06:20:16 am

Thanks. I can always use the grammar review. :)

http://otherworlddiner.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-day-for-oddballs-fruit-loops-and.html

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Kimberly Menozzi link
10/1/2013 06:34:05 am

You're welcome, Mia - and we can all use a refresher now and then. Heh.

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Ron. link
10/1/2013 07:03:12 am

Some of my favorite pet peeves as well, esp "supposably," which really rankles.

And another one, common to writing if not so much to speech: Breath (which is what it is) vs Breathe (which is what you do)

Reply
Kimberly Menozzi link
10/1/2013 08:10:35 am

I threw that one (breath/breathe) in at number eleven because I'd seen it so often in 2012. It drives me crazy - especially when I find it in books (and I do, every so often). AUGH!!!

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Jennifer Leeland link
10/1/2013 08:43:14 am

I will totally admit that I have done some of these. Expatriate is one that I screw up frequently. Breath and Breathe I have to stop and think (which in erotic romance is constantly. LOL!). And I believe I messed up milquetoast once and was so embarrassed when corrected I haven't since. Kind of like the first time I pronounced Faux Pas as Fax Pass. Yeah. I did it. LOL!!!

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Kimberly Menozzi link
10/1/2013 09:47:34 am

When I'm typing in a frenzy I'll make some of these mistakes myself - but when editing, it's something to keep an eye open for. ;) Faux pas was a problem for me when I was younger, I admit. I had no idea it was a French word or what it meant. I guess from context and kept going. When I finally heard it pronounced, I was surprised, and after that I made a point of following up on words I didn't understand or know how to say.

Of course now I have the new adventure of hearing Italian pronunciation in my head when I'm reading some words which aren't Italian but spelled the same. Heh.

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Alice Audrey link
10/1/2013 09:05:22 am

OMG, you just saved me. I just fixed my hordes in a dragon book.

I've always wondered about the history of Milquetoast, Thanks.

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Kimberly Menozzi link
10/1/2013 09:49:16 am

Yay! I've been helpful! Wooot!

And I'm glad to educate/entertain whenever I can, of course. :)

You're most welcome! :)

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colleen link
10/1/2013 09:38:17 am

I definitely needed clarification on #3. Still get confused about affected and effected. I like to read these kinds of tips. Thanks.

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Kimberly Menozzi link
10/1/2013 09:52:54 am

Glad to help! And just for you - Affected v. Effected:

http://www.diffen.com/difference/Affected_vs_Effected

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Heather link
10/1/2013 12:46:50 pm

You know I love this post, and some of your examples cracked me up (such as 5 and 9). Also, number 3? That is one of my favorite exchanges from BBT.

Number 10 reminded me of an early "Friends" episode..."The One Where Heckles Dies" (totally had to Google this) -- Chandler and Joey are talking and Chandler says, "What if I never find someone? Or worse, what if I've found her, but I dumped her because she pronounced it ‘supposably?’"

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Kimberly Menozzi link
10/1/2013 03:04:57 pm

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Heather - and would you believe I remember that Friends episode? Chandler was always my favorite. ;)

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Shelley Munro link
10/1/2013 12:59:27 pm

Great list, although I've never come across the milk toast one. One I saw this week in a published book is rein/reign.

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Kimberly Menozzi link
10/1/2013 03:08:30 pm

I actually saw the milk toast one on Facebook a couple of weeks ago. I nearly blew a gasket, then I just shook my head and whimpered.

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Paige Tyler link
10/1/2013 01:05:19 pm

Those are fun! Love Dr. Who and the eye candy! Oh, wait a minute! Dr. Who is totally eye candy!

*hugs*
Paige

My TT is at http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/

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Kimberly Menozzi link
10/1/2013 03:13:37 pm

You're right about that, darlin'! ;)

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Stephanie Sullivan link
10/1/2013 02:03:10 pm

Yes, these all look like errors I'm very familiar with. LOL. My editor hates me...seriously. Thank you for the lesson, Kimberly! Happy Thursday!

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Kimberly Menozzi link
10/1/2013 03:14:49 pm

We all have our foibles - I'm the comma queen, myself. LOL! Happy Thursday to you, too!

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Harriet link
10/1/2013 03:28:58 pm

Let's just vent on those peeves- I could add a few myself.
Have a great rest of your week!

Reply
Rekaya Gibson link
13/1/2013 09:18:03 am

I definitely needed that refresher, especially today. Thank you for sharing.

The Food Temtpress

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