The WMF Archives: Top Ten Most Annoyingly Misused Homonyms and Fake Words

Monday, February 8, 2010

Top Ten Most Annoyingly Misused Homonyms and Fake Words

3:25 PM

By Angela Atkinson

Part of the reason I enjoy my editorial work is that it comes so naturally to me. I literally (LITERALLY) sight-edit every single piece of text that comes into my scope of vision--from TV ads to billboards to websites to books and magazines. And I find lots of mistakes.

While this is a great skill to have as a writer and editor, it can sometimes make me seem a little obsessive, especially if you have the nerve to ask me to edit your work. I will find and point out every single error, no matter how small. It's just who I am, and I've learned to handle the name-calling and annoyed colleagues. (One of my closest friends calls me "Anal Angie," which, despite the way it sounds, is not a name that links me to the porn industry.)

As I struggle to ignore glaring grammatical goof-ups and painful punctuation problems that assault my sensibilities every day, I thought I'd share a bit of insight with my fellow writers. In addition to habitually misplaced apostrophes and just plain old bad grammar--misused homonyms and mispronounced or misspelled words make me absolutely insane. Maybe you can relate?

But besides making some random editor crazy, writers who use improper language are at risk of detracting from their own credibility. Whether you're writing conversationally for a blog, or you're writing something more formal, your readers are likely to notice "the little things," and, if they're like me, they'll judge you and assume that your information is as unreliable as your sense of the language. At best, you'll lose one reader--and at worst, they'll tell their friends.

Let's discuss, shall we?

1. Supposably vs. Supposedly--Supposably is not a word. You mean supposedly.

Example: The dog was supposedly potty trained, but he still poops in the house.

2. Anyways vs. Anyway--Anyway is right, anyways is wrong.

Example: I told her she could go out, but she stayed home anyway.

3. Accept vs. Except--Accept is a verb meaning "agree with" or "receive." Except is a preposition meaning "apart from."

Example: I accept your decision to be a content mill writer. or The editor accepted my submission!
Example: Everyone understood her decision, except for her mother.

4. Affect vs. Effect--Affect is a verb meaning "to influence or change." Effect is a noun meaning "the result of" and also a verb meaning "to cause something to occur."

Example: Your bad attitude doesn't affect the way I feel about you.
Example: My positive outlook had no effect on his negative one. or We can effect change by changing our minds.

5. Complementary vs. Complimentary--Complementary refers to things (or people) which go well together. Complimentary indicates that something is free, or refers to saying nice things about someone else (giving praise.)

Example: The bridesmaids' dresses are complementary to the overall theme of the wedding.
Example: We got complimentary lollipops from the tellers at the bank. or The client was very complimentary about your work.

6. Of vs. Have--In American English, many people say "of" when they mean "have" simply because they sound similar when we speak. "Of" is a preposition with many connotations--but usually it links a noun to another noun. Have is a verb, meaning to possess, to occupy, to hold or to exhibit in action. It can also mean to receive, to accept, to take or suffer from, among other things.

Example: You are full of great ideas!
Example: Have you heard the news? or I have three kids. or I won't have you in my house when you're behaving that way! or I have CRS disease. or I would have asked her, but I thought she wouldn't listen anyway.

7. You're vs. Your--Your is a possessive pronoun. You're is a contraction, meaning "you are."

Example: Your children are driving me batty.
Example: You're being a little ridiculous, aren't you?

8. There vs. Their vs. They're--There is a noun that refers to a specific or general place or can be used as a pronoun. Their is a plural possessive pronoun, referring to something that belongs to a group of people. They're is a contraction for "they are."

Example: There is no way I'm going over there.
Example: I heard that their house will be on the market soon.
Example: They're crazy if they think I'm paying $50 for a piece of cardboard.

9. Passed vs. Past--Passed is the past tense of "to pass." Past refers to something that happened before or can indicate that something has been moved beyond.

Example: I passed the test with flying colors. or Even though she was the most highly qualified candidate, she was passed over in favor of the hiring manager's friend.
Example: In the past, Johnny walked to school, but now he rides the bus. or When I walked past your house, I saw you undressing with the window open.

10. Than vs. Then--Than is a preposition or a grammatical particle and is used to compare two or more things. Then is a noun or an adverb, meaning next or at that time. It can also mean "also" or "besides" and can be used to balance or qualify a statement, or as a consequence.

Example: I'd rather have a Klondike bar than a stick of celery.
Example: I went to class, and then I went to lunch. or I'll see Billy tonight, so I'll ask him about the tickets then. or She had to pay $20 for the shirt, and then another $5 to have her name printed on the back. or I am freaking out about this beauty pageant, but then what 34 year old wouldn't freak about being in a beauty pageant? or Your own perception, then, is the reason for your unhappiness.

So there we have it--my list of the top ten most annoyingly misused homonyms and fake words. Do you have any homonym struggles, or are there any fake words that drive you nuts? Tell us what you think!

Labels: Angela Atkinson, commonly misued words and phrases, fake words, homonyms, The Grammar Police

20 comments:

RediscoveringGrandma said...: You've listed some good ones. I couldn't make a list like this wihtout including the following:

everyday/every day
lightning/lightening
breath/breathe

One of my favorite incorrect constructions is "try and," as in, "I'm going to try and do that today." No, you are going to try TO do it today. If you stop to think about it, the first version doesn't even make sense.; February 8, 2010 6:21 PM
Lisa Russell said...: AMEN

I was on a writer's message board the other day and I actually saw another writer say "I wanted to do it 'coz it..." Since when is 'coz a word?; February 8, 2010 7:35 PM
Valerie Alexander said...: Loose vs. lose. I see this all the time from even skilled writers. And honestly - it is visually jarring.; February 8, 2010 9:34 PM
Beth said...: I once received a job application package from a "writer" that contained the following sentence:
"I have a flare for writing."

Needless to say, she did NOT get the job.; February 9, 2010 8:27 AM
Stuart said...: I might be the only person with this opinion, but to me these examples are basic education standard.; February 9, 2010 10:21 AM
Colette said...: I thought I posted this yesterday, but will try again.

Angela, I am so with you on this! Can I add to the list? Insure versus ensure is one that drives me completely nuts!; February 9, 2010 10:37 AM
Angela Atkinson said...: @Stuart--Agreed, they are basic stuff. But I can't tell you how often I see these types of mistakes, even from people who claim to be seasoned writers!; February 9, 2010 10:40 AM
Kim Bluth said...: I found another the other day; it was one I never expected: tenant vs. tenet.

It's all a result of lack of attention to the details. What a shame!; February 9, 2010 11:48 AM
AKM said...: Good one. I am dating myself here but one of my favorite Chandler lines from the sitcom Friends was when he complains "What if I meet the woman of my dreams and she says 'supposably?'" Followed by Joey "Yeah, so, what's wrong with that? Supposably." I once got a note from a guy I was totally hot for in college and he wrote "I missed you last night. (Sigh!)I wish you could 'of' been there." (Darn!) Then there is the professionally made sign for Boar's Head in a local store that reads "Boar's Head. When you know 'your' getting the best." Do you know how many sandwich shops advertise their delicious 'heroes?' Uh oh, I have to stop. I hear your pain.; February 9, 2010 1:53 PM
Dorit said...: Sometimes, if you're very 'sheikh', you can be 'sort' after...; February 9, 2010 2:14 PM
Robert Earle Howells said...: It's always nervy and nerve-racking to publicly declare yourself a grammar zealot, but I'm with you, Angela. (So what does "site-edit" mean?)

Your list is composed of (NOT comprised of!) fairly low-hanging fruit. Still, we see and hear such mistakes all the time. Did you notice that "complimentary/complementary" got airplay in a Super Bowl commercial?

But I'm more interested in dumb mistakes made by people who fancy themselves as pretty language savvy.

Tack/tact is a good example. I heard Grant Barrett, co-honcho of the public-radio show "A Way with Words," suggest that someone "take a different tact" with her grandmother. Ouch.; February 9, 2010 2:30 PM
Angela Atkinson said...: @Robert--Agreed, the list is basic, and for a reason--I see these types of mistakes all the time from seemingly intelligent folks. Of course, as you so eloquently pointed out, no one is perfect. ;)

I missed the Super Bowl, but I'll have to see if I can find that commercial online. Thanks for reading! :); February 9, 2010 4:17 PM
Anonymous said...: It's and its are often abused.; February 9, 2010 4:32 PM
Swati Nitin Gupta said...: Hi Angie,

I totally agree with all the posts here. And yes the most abused ones are loose/lose, its/it's, your/you're. Apart from that what pisses me off as a writer is use of two negatives in a sentence like I ain't got nothing. What does this mean? I have heard it so many times from people trying to act sophisticated.; February 9, 2010 6:19 PM
Breeze said...: I had someone correct my face book status when I accidentally posted mail instead of male..now I know the difference but being heavy in edits on my novel I really don't have time to proof read face book these days. So I don't judge too harshly because sometimes even when you know better you screw up. :) My fingers have a mind of their own and I've typed the wrong its/it's and even the wrong your/you're etc. But I do know the difference.

That said, I read a blog post yesterday from a writer who was telling about an accident she had in which she described her panic describing in detail that she was "cluster-phobic."

And my friend constantly spells "nodda" for no and signs her emails "chow baby" and it makes me crazy.; February 10, 2010 9:08 AM
Carrie Pauling said...: "Alot" drives me insane. I'm somewhat pesky with my editorial comments to friends who didn't ask. I don't mean to be but I can't help it! Lynne Truss is one of my heroes.; February 10, 2010 3:25 PM
Totalastronomy said...: What about the difference between that and which?

The book that is on the table, is not,

The book which is on the table

Simon http://bit.ly/TOTast; February 12, 2010 2:23 PM
patrickjoneill said...: Thanks to the interesting post and all the responses. It drives me crazy when people use "between" instead of "among" when more than two objects are involved. Many people also use "between you and I," instead of the correct "between you and me."; February 15, 2010 2:12 PM
Desolie Page said...: I'm also an editor and have the same problem - everything is scrutinised, and often recorded for use in my articles or workshops. But I have one regular client who appreciates my comments when I edit her work, then tries to apply what she's learning. That makes it worth the gritted teeth.
For me, the functionality of the words is basic, so I'm prepared to accept clumsy constructions (at times) if the writer's message and voice are still heard. It's a fine line.
Desolie Page (Accredited Editor, Brisbane, Australia); February 15, 2010 2:28 PM
Kerrie McLoughlin said...: I like volumptuous. And every single time I'm on Facebook I see someone using "your" wrong. Don't get me started on how texting is going to ruin the English language (which is crazy enough anywayses).; February 28, 2010 7:24 AM