We probably all have friends, acquaintances or colleagues who use common words incorrectly. Perhaps we ourselves are guilty of less-than-precise word use. And I’m betting that some of us may be less than precise because we don’t want to appear to be either prissy or pedantic.
In a wonderful post that dates a year or so back, Kristin Piombino of Ragan’s “R Daily” reminds us of a few of these words and sets us straight about their use. Following are five word pairs she has written about, and I confess that she’s set me straight on a couple of them.
- Anticipate/expect: Who knew that “anticipate” includes the element of preparation. So, if you anticipate something, you need to be specific. Ms. Piombino’s example is “I anticipate 15 people will come to my New Year’s Eve Party, so I should buy more confetti poppers.” (And make sure the Dyson is in working order, eh?)
- Convince/persuade: Boy, this is one I’ve never run into. Seems that you convince people of the worthiness of your ideas but you persuade them to take action. I’m betting you can get away with incorrect usage here, but that out of pride you will try to use this pair correctly.
- Need to/have to: I frequently see “need to” in the content I edit. It’s always seemed a bit clunky, so I usually substitute one word for it. “Must” is my word of choice, but Ms. Piombino also suggests “should,” “ought to,” or “have to,” because “need to” refers to a basic human need such as breathing or drinking water.
- Since/because and while/although: Man oh Manischewitz, we consistently misuse these pair. “Since” and “while” refer to time. “Because” refers to cause and effect. And “although” means “despite the fact that.”
- Might/may: Use “may” when you mean permission. As in “Yes, you may take another chocolate chip cookie.” Use “might” when you’re talking about possibility. As in “I might do that, or then again, I might not.”
Talking about words and how they’re used is a prime pleasure for writers. We spend our days ruminating over just the right word to use, the sound of words, the rhythms they create in a piece of prose. We love and cherish them, but even we are not exempt from the occasional mistake. Now, deliberately misusing a word? That another story. And you have my permission to yell at me when I use one of my favorite non-words, which is “irregardless.” (Yes, it’s egregiously bad but so colorful. Doesn’t it conjure up images of fedora-topped guys smoking big cigars?)
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