Common English usage misconceptions: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:13, 1 November 2023

Revision as of 20:19, 18 December 2023

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* '''Misconception:''' ''Some commonly used words are not "real words."''

Common examples of words described as "not real" include "funnest", "impactful", and "mentee",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/is-funnest-a-word.aspx|title=Is "Funnest" a Word?|first=Mignon|last=Fogarty|date=2008-09-12|access-date=2012-09-25|archive-date=2014-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427083003/http://bridgingtheunbridgeable.com/2012/03/21/thusly-is-not-a-word-2/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.volokh.com/posts/1187887242.shtml|title=Is Not A Word|first=Eugene|last=Vokloh|date=2007-08-23|access-date=2012-09-25}}</ref> all of which are in common use, appear in numerous dictionaries as English words,<ref>[[#Dictionary.com|Dictionary.com]]. "Conversate"; [[#AllWords|AllWords.com]]. "Conversate"; [[#Lexicus|Lexicus]]. "Conversate".</ref><ref>[[#Dictionary.com|Dictionary.com]]. "Funnest"; [[#Oxford|Oxford English Dictionary]]. "Fun" [[#Scrabble|Scrabble Word Finder]]. "Funnest"; [[#AllWords|AllWords.com]]. "Funnest"; [[#Lexicus|Lexicus]]. "Funnest".</ref><ref>[[#Dictionary.com|Dictionary.com]]. "Impactful"; [[#Oxford|Oxford English Dictionary]]. "Impactful"; [[#Scrabble|Scrabble Word Finder]]. "Impactful"; [[#Collins|Collins Dictionaries]]. "Impactful"; [[#Lexicus|Lexicus]]. "Impactful".</ref><ref>[[#FreeDictionary|Free Dictionary]]. "Mentee"; [[#Dictionary.com|Dictionary.com]]. "Mentee"; [[#Oxford|Oxford English Dictionary]]. "Mentee"; [[#YourDictionary|YourDictionary.com]]. "Mentee"; [[#Scrabble|Scrabble Word Finder]]. "Mentee"; [[#AllWords|AllWords.com]]. "Mentee"; [[#Vocabulary.com|Vocabulary.com]]. "Mentee"; [[#Collins|Collins Dictionaries]]. "Mentee"; [[#Lexicus|Lexicus]]. "Mentee".</ref> and follow standard rules for constructing English words from [[Morpheme|morphemes]].

* '''Misconception:''' ''"Inflammable" can only mean "flammable." / "Inflammable" can only mean "not flammable."''

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{{Refbegin|30em}}

* {{cite book|title= Language Myths|editor1-first= Laurie|editor1-last= Bauer|editor2-first= Peter|editor2-last= Trudgill|year= 1998|publisher= Penguin Books|___location= London|isbn= 978-0-14-026023-6|ref= Bau98|url= https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780140260236}}

* {{cite web |url=http://www.crivoice.org/symbols/xmasorigin.html |title=The Origin of "Xmas" |access-date=10 June 2011 |publisher=CRI / Voice, Institute |author=Bratcher, Dennis |date=3 December 2007 |ref=Bra07 }}

* {{cite book |title= Common Errors in English Usage|edition= 2nd|last= Brians|first= Paul|year= 2009|publisher= William, James & Company|___location= Wilsonville |ref=Bri09}}

* {{cite book |editor-last=Burchfield |editor-first= R. W. |title=Fowler's Modern English Usage |year= 1996 |publisher=Oxford University Press |___location= Oxford |isbn=0-19-869126-2|ref=Bur96|title-link= Fowler's Modern English Usage }}

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* {{cite book |title=Oxford Guide to Plain English|edition= Third|last= Cutts|first= Martin|year= 2009|publisher= Oxford University Press|___location= Oxford|isbn= 978-0-19-955850-6|ref=Cut09}}

* {{cite book |title= The Elements of Typographic Style|last= Bringhurst|first=Robert|year= 2005|publisher= Hartley and Marks|___location= Vancouver|isbn= 0-88179-206-3|ref=Bri05}}

* {{cite web |url= http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/speeches/quotations/famous-quotations-and-stories |title= Famous Quotations and Stories |author= The Churchill Centre and Museum at the Churchill War Rooms, London |date= March 2009 |access-date= 30 August 2011 |ref= Chu11 }}

* {{cite web |url= http://www.creativepro.com/article/double-space-or-not-double-space|title= To Double-Space or Not to Double-Space|author= Felici, James|date= 24 August 2009|work= CreativePro.com|publisher= Printingforless.com and CreativePro.com31 March 2010|ref= Fel09}}

* {{cite book|title= Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing|author-link= Mignon Fogarty|last= Fogarty|first= Mignon|year= 2008|publisher= Holt Paperbacks|___location= New York|isbn= 978-0-8050-8831-1|ref= Fog08|url-access= registration|url= https://archive.org/details/grammargirlsquic0000foga}}

* {{cite web |url= http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/active-voice-versus-passive-voice.aspx|title= Active Voice Versus Passive Voice|author-link= Mignon Fogarty|last= Fogarty|first= Mignon|date= 22 July 2010|work= Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing|access-date= 28 May 2011|ref= Fog10a}}

* {{cite web |url= http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/top-ten-grammar-myths.aspx|title= Top Ten Grammar Myths|author-link= Mignon Fogarty|last= Fogarty|first= Mignon|date= 4 March 2010|work= Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing|access-date= 28 May 2011|ref= Fog10}}

* {{cite book |title= Grammar Girl Presents the Ultimate Writing Guide for Students |author-link=Mignon Fogarty|last= Fogarty|first= Mignon|year= 2011|publisher= Henry Holt & Company|___location= New York|isbn= 978-0-8050-8943-1|pages= 45–46|ref=Fog11}}

* {{cite book |author-link=Bryan A. Garner |last=Garner |first= Bryan A. |title=Garner's Modern American Usage |year= 2003 |publisher=Oxford University Press |___location= New York |isbn=0-19-516191-2|ref=Gar03|title-link=Garner's Modern American Usage }}

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* {{cite book |title= About Face: Reviving the Rules of Typography|last= Jury|first= David|year= 2004|publisher= Rotovision SA|___location= Switzerland|isbn= 2-88046-798-5 |ref=Jur04}}

* {{cite book |title= We Who Speak English: and Our Ignorance of Our Mother Tongue|last= Lloyd|first= Charles Allen|year= 1938|publisher= Thomas Y. Crowell|___location= New York |ref=Llo38}}

* {{cite web |url= http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irregardless|title= Irregardless|author= Merriam-Webster|year= 2011|publisher= Merriam-Webster|access-date= 27 October 2011 |ref= MW11}}

* {{cite book |title= Merriam Webster Dictionary of English Usage|author= Merriam-Webster|year= 1995|publisher= Merriam-Webster |ref=MW1995}}

* {{cite web |url= http://grammar.about.com/od/yourwriting/tp/phonyrules.htm|title= Top Five Phony Rules of Writing|author= Nordquist, Richard|year= 2011|work= About.com|publisher= New York Times Company|access-date= 8 June 2011|ref= Nor11|archive-date= 4 September 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110904033758/http://grammar.about.com/od/yourwriting/tp/phonyrules.htm|url-status= dead}}

* {{cite book |title= Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language|last1= O'Conner|first1= Patricia T.|last2= Kellerman|first2= Stewart|year= 2009|publisher= Random House|___location= New York|isbn= 978-1-4000-6660-5|ref=CK09}}

*{{cite book |title= Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English|edition= Third|last= O'Conner|first= Patricia T. |year= 2009|publisher= Riverhead Books|___location= New York|isbn= 978-1-59448-890-0|ref=O'C09}}

* {{cite magazine |url= http://chronicle.com/article/50-Years-of-Stupid-Grammar/25497|title= 50 Years of Stupid Grammar Advice |author-link= Geoffrey K. Pullum|last= Pullum|first= Geoffrey K. |date= 17 April 2009|magazine= The Chronicle Review|publisher= The Chronicle of Higher Education|access-date= 28 May 2011|ref= Pul09}}

* {{cite web |url= http://typedesk.com/2011/05/24/the-curious-misconception-surrounding-sentence-spacing/|title= The Curious Misconception Surrounding Sentence Spacing |author= Spencer, David|date= 24 May 2011|work= Type Desk|publisher= Matador|access-date= 27 May 2011|ref= Spe11|archive-date= 10 June 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110610152438/http://typedesk.com/2011/05/24/the-curious-misconception-surrounding-sentence-spacing/|url-status= dead}}

* {{cite book |title= Type Rules!: The Designer's Guide to Professional Typography|edition= 3rd|last= Strizver|first= Ilene|year= 2010|publisher= John Wiley & Sons|___location= New Jersey|isbn= 978-0-470-54251-4|ref=Str10}}

* {{cite book |author=University of Chicago Press |title=The Chicago Manual of Style |edition=16th |year= 2010 |publisher=Univ. of Chicago Press |___location= Chicago |isbn=978-0-226-10420-1|ref=Chi10}}

* {{cite web |url= http://writing-program.uchicago.edu/resources/grammar.htm |title= Grammar Resources |author= University of Chicago Writing Program |work= University of Chicago Writing Program |publisher= University of Chicago |access-date= 25 October 2011 |ref= Uni00 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111026033926/http://writing-program.uchicago.edu/resources/grammar.htm |archive-date= 26 October 2011 }}

* {{cite book|title= The Elephants of Style: A Trunkload of Tips on the Big Issues and Gray Areas of Contemporary American English|last= Walsh|first= Bill|year= 2004|publisher= McGraw Hill|___location= New York|isbn= 978-0-07-142268-0|ref= Wal04|url= https://archive.org/details/elephantsofstyle00wals}}

* {{cite web |url= http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/paragraphs.html|title= Paragraph Development|author= The Writing Center |publisher= University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|access-date= 27 May 2011|ref= UNC11}}

{{Refend}}

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==External links==

* {{cite web |url= http://www.grammarphobia.com/grammar.html|title= Grammar Myths|author= Patricia T. O'Conner and Stewart Kellerman|year= 2003|work= Grammarphobia.com|publisher= Grammarphobia.com|access-date= 4 June 2011}}

* {{cite web |url= http://grammar.about.com/od/grammarfaq/f/terminalprepositionmyth.htm|title= Is It Wrong to End a Sentence in a Preposition?|author= Richard Nordquist|year= 2011|work= About.com|publisher= New York Times Company|access-date= 8 June 2011|archive-date= 24 August 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110824015431/http://grammar.about.com/od/grammarfaq/f/terminalprepositionmyth.htm|url-status= dead}} Lists additional published sources that comment on ending a sentence with a preposition.

[[Category:English language]]