Common Errors C

CACHE/CACHET

"Cache" comes from the French verb "cacher," meaning "to hide," and in
English is pronounced exactly like the word "cash." But reporters
speaking of a cache (hidden hoard) of weapons or drugs often
mispronounce it to sound like cachet--"ca-SHAY"--a word with a very
different meaning: originally a seal affixed to a document, now a
quality attributed to anything with authority or prestige. Rolex watches
have cachet.

CADDY-CORNER/CATTY-CORNER, CATER-CORNER, KITTY-CORNER

This expression, meaning "diagonally opposite," was formed from a
misspelling in English of the French word quatre ("four") prefixed to
"corner." Although the word has nothing to do with cats or kittens, in
various dialects all three spellings are acceptable: "catty," "cater" or
"kitty."

But unless you have somebody holding your golf clubs permanently
stationed in the corner of your room, you shouldn't use the spelling
"caddy corner."

CALL THE QUESTION

This is more a matter of parliamentary procedure than of correct
English, but people are generally confused about what "calling the
question" means. They often suppose that it means simply "let's vote!"
and some even imagine that it is necessary to call for the question
before a vote may be taken. You even see deferential meeting chairs
pleading, "Would someone like to call for the question?"

But "calling the question" when done properly should be a rare
occurrence. If debate has dragged on longer than you feel is really
warranted, you can "call the question," at which time the chair has to
immediately ask those assembled to vote to determine whether or not
debate should be cut off or continue. The motion to call the question is
itself not debatable. If two-thirds of those voting agree that the
discussion should have died some time ago, they will support the call.
Then, and only then, will the vote be taken on the question itself.

Potentially this parliamentary maneuver would be a great way to shut
down windy speakers who insist on prolonging a discussion when a clear
consensus has already been arrived at; but since so few people
understand what it means, it rarely works as intended.

Chairs: when someone "calls the question," explain what the phrase means
and ask if that is what's intended. Other folks: you'll get further most
of the time just saying "Let's vote!"

CALLOUS/CALLUSED

Calling someone callous is a way of metaphorically suggesting a lack of
feeling similar to that caused by calluses on the skin; but if you are
speaking literally of the tough build-up on a person's hand or feet, the
word you need is "callused."

CALLS FOR/PREDICTS

Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep.

Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man; But will they come when you
do call for them?

Shakespeare: Henry IV, Part 1

Newspeople constantly joke that the weather service is to blame for the
weather, so we shouldn't be surprised when they tell us that the
forecast "calls for rain" when what they mean is that it "predicts"
rain. Remember, wherever you live, the weather is uncalled for.

CALM, COOL, AND COLLECTIVE/CALM, COOL, AND COLLECTED

Unless you're living in an unusually tranquil commune, you wouldn't be
"calm, cool, and collective." The last word in this traditional phrase
is "collected," in the sense of such phrases as "let me sit down a
minute and collect my thoughts." If you leave out "cool" the last word
still has to be "collected."

CALVARY/CAVALRY

"Calvary," always capitalized, is the hill on which Jesus was crucified.
It means "hill of skulls." Soldiers mounted on horseback are cavalry.

CAN GOODS/CANNED GOODS

Is there a sign at your grocery store that says "can goods"? It should
say "canned goods."

CANADIAN GEESE/CANADA GEESE

"Canadian geese" would be any old geese that happen to be in Canada.
What people usually mean to refer to when they use this phrase is the
specific species properly called "Canada geese."

CANON/CANNON

"Canon" used to be such a rare word that there was no temptation to
confuse it with "cannon": a large piece of artillery. The debate over
the literary canon (a list of officially-approved works) and the
popularity of Pachelbel's Canon (an imitative musical form related to
the common "round") have changed all that--confusion is rampant. Just
remember that the big gun is a "cannon." All the rest are "canons." Note
that there are metaphorical uses of "cannon" for objects shaped like
large guns, such as a horse's "cannon bone."

CANNOT/CAN NOT

These two spellings are largely interchangeable, but by far the most
common is "cannot"; and you should probably use it except when you want
to be emphatic: "No, you can not wash the dog in the Maytag."

See also "may/might."

CANVAS/CANVASS

Heavy cloth, whether in the frame of a painting or on the floor of a
boxing ring, is canvas, with one S.

To survey ballots or voters is to canvass them, with two S's.

CAPITAL/CAPITOL

A "capitol" is almost always a building. Cities which serve as seats of
government are capitals spelled with an A in the last syllable, as
are most other uses of the word as a common noun. The only exceptions
are place names alluding to capitol buildings in some way or other, like
"Capitol Hill" in DC, Denver, or Seattle (the latter named either after
the hill in Denver or in hopes of attracting the Washington State
capitol building). Would it help to remember that Congress with an O
meets in the Capitol with another O?

CAPITALIZATION

Proper nouns (names of people and places: "Frederick," "Paris") and
proper adjectives ("French," "Biblical") must be capitalized. Many
people used to casual e-mail patterns have begun to omit capital letters
throughout their writing, even at the beginning of sentences when
writing in more formal contexts. Unless your correspondent is someone
that you know prefers the all-lower-case approach, to be taken seriously
you should take the trouble to hit that Shift key when necessary.

Particularly watch out for this sloppy habit in writing timed
examinations. A teacher who has devoted 20 years to the study of Chinese
art flinches when she sees her cherished subject demoted to "chinese."

CARAMEL/CARMEL

Take Highway 1 south from Monterey to reach the charming seaside town of
Carmel, of which Clint Eastwood was formerly mayor. Dissolve sugar in a
little water and cook it down until the sugar turns brown to create
caramel. A nationwide chain uses the illiterate spelling
"Karmelkorn(TM)," which helps to perpetuate the confusion between these
two words.

CARAT/CARET/CARROT/KARAT

"Carrots" are those crunchy orange vegetables Bugs Bunny is so fond of,
but this spelling gets misused for the less familiar words which are
pronounced the same but have very different meanings. Precious stones
like diamonds are weighed in carats. The same word is used to express
the proportion of pure gold in an alloy, though in this usage it is
sometimes spelled "karat" (hence the abbreviation "20K gold"). A caret
is a proofreader's mark showing where something needs to be inserted,
shaped like a tiny pitched roof. It looks rather like a French
circumflex, but is usually distinct from it on modern computer
keyboards. Carets are extensively used in computer programming. Just
remember, if you can't eat it, it's not a carrot.

CAREER/CAREEN

A truck careening down the road is swerving from side to side as it
races along, whereas a truck careering down the road may be simply
traveling very fast. But because it is not often clear which meaning a
person intends, confusing these two words is not likely to get you into
trouble.

CARING

Most people are comfortable referring to "caring parents," but speaking
of a "caring environment" is jargon, not acceptable in formal English.
The environment may contain caring people, but it does not itself do the
caring.

CAST IN STONE/CAST IN CONCRETE, CARVED IN STONE

People expressing flexibility say that their ideas or rules are "not
cast in concrete," meaning they have not hardened into rigidity. You
cast concrete in a mold by pouring it in and letting it set; so the
expression can also be "not set in concrete."

A similar expression is "not carved in stone" (like the Ten
Commandments).

People frequently mix these two expressions up and say things like "It's
not cast in stone." They may be influenced by the unrelated Christian
saying, "Don't cast [throw] the first stone."

CAST DISPERSIONS/CAST ASPERSIONS

"Aspersions" is an unusual word whose main meaning is "false or
misleading accusations," and its only common use is in the phrase "cast
aspersions." To disperse a crowd is to break it up and scatter it, which
perhaps leads some people to mistakenly associate "cast" ("throw") with
"disperse" but the expression is "cast aspersions."

CATCH-22/CATCH

People familiar with Joseph Heller's novel are irritated when they see
"Catch-22" used to label any simple hitch or problem rather than this
sort of circular predicament: you can't get published until you have an
agent, and you can't get an agent until you've been published. "There's
a catch" will do fine for most other situations.

CD-ROM disk/CD-ROM

"CD-ROM" stands for "compact disc, read-only memory," so adding another
"disc" or "disk" is redundant. The same goes for "DVD" (from Digital
Video Disc" or "Digital Versatile Disc"--there are non-video versions).
Don't say "give me that DVD disk," just "give me that DVD."

CEASAR/CAESAR

Did you know that German "Kaiser" is derived from the Latin "Caesar" and
is pronounced a lot more like it than the English version? We're stuck
with our illogical pronunciation, so we have to memorize the correct
spelling. (The Russians messed up the pronunciation as thoroughly as the
English, with their "Czar.") Thousands of menus are littered with
"Ceasar salads" throughout America which should be "Caesar
salads"--named after a restaurateur, not the Roman ruler (but they both
spelled their names the same way).

CELIBATE/CHASTE

Believe it or not, you can be celibate without being chaste, and chaste
without being celibate. A celibate person is merely unmarried, usually
(but not always) because of a vow of celibacy. The traditional
assumption is that such a person is not having sex with anyone, which
leads many to confuse the word with "chaste," denoting someone who does
not have illicit sex. A woman could have wild sex twice a day with her
lawful husband and technically still be chaste, though the word is more
often used to imply a general abstemiousness from sex and sexuality. You
can always amuse your readers by misspelling the latter word as
"chased."

CELTIC

Because the Boston Celtics basketball team pronounces its name as if it
began with an S, Americans are prone to use this pronunciation of the
word as it applies to the Bretons, Cornish, Welsh, Irish and Scots; but
the dominant pronunciation among sophisticated US speakers is "keltik."
Just remember: "Celts in kilts."

Interestingly, the Scots themselves often use the "S" pronunciation,
notably in referring to the Glasgow soccer team, the "Celtic Football
Club."

CEMENT/CONCRETE

People in the building trades distinguish cement (the gray powder that
comes in bags) from concrete (the combination of cement, water, sand,
and gravel which becomes hard enough in your driveway to drive your car
on). In contexts where technical precision matters, it's probably better
to speak of a "concrete sidewalk" rather than of a "cement sidewalk."

CENSOR/CENSURE/SENSOR/CENSER

To censor somebody's speech or writing is to try to suppress it by
preventing it from reaching the public. When guests on network TV utter
obscenities, broadcasters practice censorship by bleeping them.

To censure someone, however, is to officially denounce an offender. You
can be censured as much for actions as for words. A lawyer who destroyed
evidence which would have been unfavorable to his client might be
censured by the bar association.

A device which senses any change like changes in light or electrical
output is a sensor. Your car and your digital camera contain sensors.

A censer is a church incense burner.

CENTER AROUND/CENTER ON, REVOLVE AROUND

Two perfectly good expressions--"center on" and "revolve around"--get
conflated in this nonsensical neologism. When a speaker says his address
will "center around the topic of" whatever, my interest level plummets.

CENTER OF ATTRACTION/CENTER OF ATTENTION

"Center of attraction" makes perfect sense, but the standard saying is
"center of attention."

CENTS

On a sign displaying a cost of twenty-nine cents for something the price
can be written as ".29," as "$.29," or as "29c," but don't combine the
two forms. ".29c" makes no sense, and "$.29c" is worse.

CHAI TEA/CHAI

"Chai" is simply the word for "tea" in Hindi and several other Asian
languages. The spicy, milky variety known in India as "masala chai" is
called "chai" in the US Since Americans likely to be attracted by the
word "chai" already know it's a tea-based drink, it's both redundant and
pointless to call the product "chai tea."

CHAISE LONGUE

When English speakers want to be elegant they commonly resort to French,
often mangling it in the process. The entree [acute accent over the
second E], the dish served before the plat, usurped the latter's
position as main dish. And how in the world did French "lingerie"
(originally meaning linen goods of all sorts, later narrowed to
underwear only) pronounced--roughly--"lanzheree" come to be American
"lawnzheray"? Quelle horreur! "Chaise longue" (literally "long chair"),
pronounced--roughly--"shezz lohng" with a hard G on the end became in
English "shayz long." Many speakers, however, confuse French "chaise"
with English "chase" and French longue with English "lounge"
(understandable since the article in question is a sort of couch or
lounge), resulting in the mispronunciation "chase lounge." We may
imagine the French as chasing each other around their lounges, but a
chaise is just a chair.

CHALK-FULL/CHOCK-FULL, CHUCK-FULL

Originally a person or thing stuffed to the point of choking was
"choke-full." In modern speech this expression has become "chock-full,"
or in less formal American English, "chuck-full." Chalk has nothing to
do with it.

CHAMPAIGN/CHAMPAGNE

Champaign is the name of a city and county in Illinois.

Champagne is a region of France that produces the sparkling wine of this
name.

CHAUVINIST/MALE CHAUVINIST, SEXIST

Nicolas Chauvin of Rochefort became a laughingstock in Napoleon's army
for his exaggerated nationalism, and his name gave rise to the term
"chauvinism," which characterizes people who wildly overestimate the
excellence and importance of their own countries while denigrating
others. The word was then broadened to cover an exaggerated belief in
the superiority of one's own kind in other respects. Following this
pattern, feminists in the 1970s invented the term "male chauvinist" to
label people who considered women inferior to men. Unfortunately, this
was the context in which many people first encountered "chauvinism" and
not understanding that it had a broader meaning, dropped the "male,"
thinking that "chauvinist" was a synonym for "sexist." This
misunderstanding is so widespread that only occasionally will you
encounter someone who knows better, but in formal writing it is wise to
avoid the abbreviated form in this restricted meaning. However, if you
do intend the older meaning of the word, it's also a good idea to make
that clear from your context, for a great many of your readers will
assume you are talking about sexism.


CHECK/CZECH

Pronounce the name of the country which broke away from the former
Czechoslovakia to form the Czech Republic as "check," but don't spell it
that way. Its citizens are Czechs.

CHEESE QUESADILLA/QUESADILLA

"Queso" is the Spanish word for "cheese," so it's redundant to write
"cheese quesadilla" on a menu. If you think your customers need a
definition or if you want to distinguish the purely cheese-filled ones
from--say--chicken quesadillas, you can add a brief explanation such as
"cheese-filled fried tortilla."

CHEMICALS

Markets offering "organic" produce claim it has been raised "without
chemicals." News stories fret about "chemicals in our water supply."
This common error in usage indicates quite clearly the lamentable level
of scientific literacy in our population. Everything on earth save a few
stray subatomic particles and various kinds of energy (and--if you
believe in it--pure spirit) is composed of chemicals. Pure water
consists of the chemical dihydrogen oxide. Vitamins and minerals are
chemicals. In the broadest sense, even simple elements like nitrogen can
be called chemicals. Writers who use this term sloppily contribute to
the obfuscation of public debate over such serious issues as pollution
and malnutrition.

CHICANO/LATINO/HISPANIC

"Chicano" means "Mexican-American," and not all the people denoted by
this term like it. When speaking of people living in the US from
various other Spanish-speaking countries, "Chicano" is an error for
"Latino" or "Hispanic." Only "Hispanic" can include people with a
Spanish as well as with a Latin American heritage; and some people of
Latin American heritage object to it as ignoring the Native American
element in that population. Only "Latino" could logically include
Portuguese-speaking Brazilians, though that is rarely done.

CHOOSE/CHOSE

You chose tequila last night; you choose aspirin this morning. "Chose"
is the past tense, "choose" the present.

CHRISPY/CRISPY

There are a lot of menus, signs, and recipes out there featuring
"chrispy chicken." Is this misspelling influenced by the "CH" in
"chicken" or the pattern in other common words like "Christmas"? At any
rate, the proper spelling is "crispy."

CHUNK/CHUCK

In casual conversation, you may get by with saying "Chuck [throw] me
that monkey wrench, will you?" But you will mark yourself as illiterate
beyond mere casualness by saying instead "Chunk me that wrench." This is
a fairly common substitution in some dialects of American English.

CHURCH

Catholics routinely refer to their church as the Church, with a capital
"C." This irritates the members of other churches, but is standard
usage. When "Church" stands by itself (that is, not as part of a name
like "First Methodist Church") you should normally capitalize it only to
mean "Roman Catholic Church." Note that protestant theologians and other
specialists in religion do refer to the whole body of Christians as "the
Church," but this professional usage is not common in ordinary writing.

CITE/SITE/SIGHT

You cite the author in an endnote; you visit a Web site or the site of
the crime, and you sight your beloved running toward you in slow motion
on the beach (a sight for sore eyes!).

CLASSIC/CLASSICAL

"Classical" usually describes things from ancient Greece or Rome, or
things from analogous ancient periods like classical Sanskrit poetry.
The exception is classical music, which in the narrow sense is late 18th-
and 19th-century music by the likes of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven, and
in the broader sense formal concert music of any period in the West or
traditional formal music from other cultures, like classical ragas.

"Classic" has a much looser meaning, describing things that are
outstanding examples of their kind, like a classic car or even a classic
blunder.

CLEANUP/CLEAN UP

"Cleanup" is usually a noun: "the cleanup of the toxic waste site will
cost billions of dollars." "Clean" is a verb in the phrase "clean up":
"You can go to the mall after you clean up your room."

CLICHE/CLICHED

One often hears young people say "That movie was so cliche!" "Cliche" is
a noun, meaning an overfamiliar phrase or image. A work containing
cliches is cliched.

CLICK/CLIQUE

Students lamenting the division of their schools into snobbish factions
often misspell "clique" as "click." In the original French, "clique" was
synonymous with "claque"--an organized group of supporters at a
theatrical event who tried to prompt positive audience response by
clapping enthusiastically.

CLOSE/CLOTHES

Because the TH in "clothes" is seldom pronounced distinctly, it is often
misspelled "close." Just remember the TH in "clothing," where it is
obvious. Clothes are made of cloth. Rags can also be cloths (without an
E).

CLOSED-MINDED/CLOSE-MINDED

"Closed-minded" might seem logical, but the traditional spelling of this
expression is "close-minded." The same is true for "close-lipped" and
"close-mouthed."

COARSE/COURSE

"Coarse" is always an adjective meaning "rough, crude." Unfortunately,
this spelling is often mistakenly used for a quite different word,
"course," which can be either a verb or a noun (with several different
meanings).

COFFEE KLATSCH, COFFEE KLATCH

"Coffee klatsch" comes from German Kafeeklatsch meaning "coffee chat."
Like English "kindergarden" from German Kindergarten, this is a compound
word of which only one element has been translated, with the other being
left in its original German spelling.

Many people anglicize the spelling further to "coffee klatch" or "coffee
clatch." Either one is less sophisticated than "coffee klatsch," but not
too likely to cause raised eyebrows.

"Coffee clutch" is just a mistake except when used as a deliberate pun
to label certain brands of coffee-cup sleeves or to name a cafe.

COLD SLAW/COLE SLAW

The popular salad made of shredded cabbage was originally "cole slaw,"
from the Dutch for "cabbage salad." Because it is served cold, Americans
have long supposed the correct spelling to be "cold slaw"; but if you
want to sound more sophisticated go with the original.

COLLAGE/COLLEGE

You can paste together bits of paper to make a collage, but the
institution of higher education is a college.

COLLECTIVE PLURAL

In UK English it is common to see statements like "Parliament have
raised many questions about the proposal" in which because Parliament is
made up of many individuals, several of whom are raising questions, the
word is treated as if it were plural in form and given a plural verb.
This is the proper-noun form of what is called the "collective plural."
Many UK authorities object when this pattern is applied to
organization names if the organization is being discussed as a whole and
not as a collection of individuals. According to them, "The BBC have
been filming in Papua New Guinea" should be "The BBC has been
filming. . . ."

This sort of collective plural applied to the names of organizations is
almost unheard of in the US, and in fact strikes most Americans as
distinctly weird, with the exception of an occasional sports team with a
singular-form name like the Utah Jazz, the Miami Heat, the Orlando
Magic, or the Seattle Storm. There's a sarcastic saying, "The Utah Jazz
are to basketball what Utah is to jazz."

COLOMBIA/COLUMBIA

Although both are named after Columbus, the US capital is the District
of Columbia, whereas the South American country is Colombia.

COMMAS

What follows is not a comprehensive guide to the many uses of commas,
but a quick tour of the most common errors involving them.

The first thing to note is that the comma often marks a brief pause in
the flow of a sentence, and it helpfully marks off one phrase from
another. If you write "I plan to see Shirley and Fred will go shopping
while we visit" your readers are naturally going to think the announced
visit will be to both Shirley and Fred until the second half surprises
them into realizing that Fred is not involved in this visit at all. A
simple comma makes everything clear: "I plan to see Shirley, and Fred
will go shopping while we visit." People who read and write little have
trouble with commas if they deal with English primarily as a spoken
language, where emphasis and rhythm mark out phrases. It takes a
conscious effort to translate the rhythm of a sentence into writing
using punctuation.

Not many people other than creative writers have the occasion to write
dialogue, but it is surprising how few understand that introductory
words and phrases have to be separated from the main body of speech in
direct address: "Well, what did you think of that?" "Good evening, Mr.
Nightingale."

Commas often help set off interrupting matter within sentences. The
proper term for this sort of word or phrase is "parenthetical." There
are three ways to handle parenthetical matter. For asides sharply
interrupting the flow of the sentence (think of your own examples) use
parenthesis marks. For many other kinds of fairly strong interjections,
dashes--if you know how to type them properly--work best. Milder
interruptions, like this, are nicely set off with commas. Many writers
don't realize that they are setting off a phrase, so they begin with the
first comma but omit the second, which should conclude the parenthetical
matter. Check for this sort of thing in your proofreading.

A standard use for commas is to separate the items in a series: "cats,
dogs, and gerbils." Authorities differ as to whether that final comma
before the "and" is required. Follow the style recommended by your
teacher, editor, or boss when you have to please them; but if you are on
your own, I suggest you use the final comma. It often removes
ambiguities.

A different kind of series has to do with a string of adjectives
modifying a single noun: "He was a tall, strong, handsome, but stupid
man." But when the adjectives modify each other instead of the noun,
then no comma is used: "He was wearing a garish bright green tie." A
simple test: if you could logically insert "and" between the adjectives
in a series like this, you need commas.

English teachers refer to sentences where clauses requiring some
stronger punctuation are instead lightly pasted together with a comma as
"comma splices." Here's an example: "He brought her a dozen roses, he
had forgotten she was allergic to them." In this sentence the reader
needs to be brought up sharply and reoriented mid-sentence with a
semicolon; a comma is too weak to do the trick. Here's a worse example
of a comma splice: "It was a beautiful day outside, she remembered just
in time to grab the coffee mug." There is no obvious logical connection
between the two parts of this sentence. They don't belong in the same
sentence at all. The comma should be a period, with the rest being
turned into a separate sentence.

Some writers insert commas seemingly at random: "The unabridged
dictionary, was used mainly to press flowers." When you're not certain a
comma is required, read your sentence aloud. If it doesn't seem natural
to insert a slight pause or hesitation at the point marked by the comma,
it should probably be omitted.

See also "colons/semicolons" and "hyphens & dashes."

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Hey kids, here's a chance to catch your English teacher in a redundancy!
To compare two things is to note their similarities and their
differences. There's no need to add "and contrast."

COMPARE TO/COMPARE WITH

These are sometimes interchangeable, but when you are stressing
similarities between the items compared, the most common word is "to":
"She compared his home-made wine to toxic waste." If you are examining
both similarities and differences, use "with": "The teacher compared
Steve's exam with Robert's to see whether they had cheated."

COMPLEMENT/COMPLIMENT

Originally these two spellings were used interchangeably, but they have
come to be distinguished from each other in modern times. Most of the
time the word people intend is "compliment": nice things said about
someone ("She paid me the compliment of admiring the way I shined my
shoes."). "Complement," much less common, has a number of meanings
associated with matching or completing. Complements supplement each
other, each adding something the others lack, so we can say that
"Alice's love for entertaining and Mike's love for washing dishes
complement each other." Remember, if you're not making nice to someone,
the word is "complement."

COMPLEMENTARY/COMPLIMENTARY

When paying someone a compliment like "I love what you've done with the
kitchen!" you're being complimentary. A free bonus item is also a
complimentary gift. But items or people that go well with each other are
complementary.

In geometry, complementary angles add up to 90 degrees, whereas
supplementary ones add up to 180 degrees.

COMPRISED OF/COMPOSED OF

Although "comprise" is used primarily to mean "to include," it is also
often stretched to mean "is made up of"--a meaning that some critics
object to. The most cautious route is to avoid using "of" after any form
of "comprise" and substitute "is composed of" in sentences like this:
"Jimmy's paper on Marxism was composed entirely of sentences copied off
the Marx Brothers Home Page."

COMPTROLLER

Although it is less and less often heard, the traditional pronunciation
of "comptroller" is identical with "controller." The Oxford English
Dictionary, indeed, considers "comptroller" to have begun as a
misspelling of "controller"--back in the 16th century.

CONCENSUS/CONSENSUS

You might suppose that this word had to do with taking a census of the
participants in a discussion, but it doesn't. It is a good old Latin
word that has to do with arriving at a common sense of the meeting, and
the fourth letter is an "S."

CONCERTED EFFORT

One cannot make a "concerted effort" all by one's self. To work "in
concert" is to work together with others. The prefix "con-" means
"with."

CONFLICTED/CONFLICTING FEELINGS

Phrases like "conflicted feelings" or "I feel conflicted" are considered
jargon by many, and out of place in formal writing. Use "I have
conflicting feelings" instead, or write "I feel ambivalent."

CONFUSIONISM/CONFUCIANISM

Confucius is the founder of Confucianism. His name is not spelled
"Confucious," and his philosophy is not called "Confusionism." When you
spot the confusion in the latter term, change it quickly to
"Confucianism."

CONGRADULATIONS/CONGRATULATIONS

I fear that all too many people are being "congradulated" for graduating
from high school who don't know that this word should be spelled
"congratulations." Try a search for this misspelling on your favorite
Web search engine and be prepared to be astonished.

CONSERVATIVISM/CONSERVATISM

The conservative spelling of this word is "conservatism."

CONTACT

Although some still object to "contact" as a verb, sentences like
"contact me when the budget is ready" are now standard English.

CONTAMINATES/CONTAMINANTS

When run-off from a chemical plant enters the river it contaminates the
water; but the goo itself consists of "contaminants."

CONTINUAL/CONTINUOUS

"Continuous" refers to actions which are uninterrupted: "My upstairs
neighbor played his stereo continuously from 6:00 PM to 3:30 AM."
Continual actions, however, need not be uninterrupted, only repeated:
"My father continually urges me to get a job."

CONVERSATE/CONVERSE

"Conversate" is what is called a "back-formation" based on the noun
"conversation." But the verb for this sort of thing is "converse."

CORE/CORPS/CORPSE

Apples have cores. A corps is an organization, like the Peace Corps. A
corpse is a dead body, a carcass.

COLLABORATE/CORROBORATE

People who work together on a project "collaborate" (share their labor);
people who support your testimony as a witness "corroborate" (strengthen
by confirming) it.

COLONS/SEMICOLONS

Colons have a host of uses, but they mostly have in common that the
colon acts to connect what precedes it with what follows. Think of the
two dots of a colon as if they were stretched out to form an equal sign,
so that you get cases like this: "he provided all the ingredients:
sugar, flour, butter, and vanilla."

There are a few exceptions to this pattern, however. One unusual use of
colons is in between the chapter and verses of a Biblical citation, for
instance, "Matthew 6:5." In bibliographic citation a colon separates the
city from the publisher: "New York: New Directions, 1979." It also
separates minutes from hours in times of day when given in figures:
"8:35." It is incorrect to substitute a semicolon in any of these cases.

Think of the semicolon as erecting a little barrier with that dug-in
comma under the dot; semicolons always imply separation rather than
connection. A sentence made up of two distinct parts whose separation
needs to be emphasized may do so with a semicolon: "Mary moved to
Seattle; she was sick of getting sunburned in Los Angeles." When a
compound sentence contains commas within one or more of its clauses, you
have to escalate to a semicolon to separate the clauses themselves: "It
was a mild, deliciously warm spring day; and Mary decided to walk to the
fair." The other main use of semicolons is to separate one series of
items from another--a series within a series, if you will: "The issues
discussed by the board of directors were many: the loud, acrimonious
complaints of the stockholders; the abrupt, devastating departure of the
director; and the startling, humiliating discovery that he had absconded
with half the company's assets." Any time the phrases which make up a
series contain commas, for whatever reason, they need to be separated by
semicolons.

Many people are so terrified of making the wrong choice that they try to
avoid colons and semicolons altogether, but I'm afraid this just can't
be done. Formal writing requires their use, and it's necessary to learn
the correct patterns.

COME WITH

In some American dialects it is common to use the phrase "come with"
without specifying with whom, as in "We're going to the bar. Want to
come with?" This sounds distinctly odd to the majority of people, who
would expect "come with us."

COMPANY NAMES WITH APOSTROPHES

Some company names which have a possessive form use an apostrophe before
the S and some don't: "Macy's" does and "Starbucks" doesn't. Logo
designers often feel omitting the apostrophe leads to a cleaner look,
and there's nothing you can do about it except to remember which is
standard for a particular company. But people sometimes informally add
an S to company names with which they are on familiar terms: "I work
down at the Safeway's now" (though in writing, the apostrophe is likely
to be omitted). This is not standard usage.

CONCERNING/WORRISOME, TROUBLING

People commonly say of things that are a cause for concern that they are
"concerning": "My boyfriend's affection for his pet rattlesnake is
concerning." This is not standard English. There are many better words
that mean the same thing including "worrisome," "troubling," and
"alarming."

CONNOTE/DENOTE

The literal meaning of a word is its denotation; the broader
associations we have with a word are its connotations. People who depend
on a thesaurus or a computer translation engine to find synonyms often
choose a word with the right denotation but the wrong connotations.

"Determined" and "pig-headed" both denote stubbornness; but the first
connotes a wise adherence to purpose and the second connotes foolish
rigidity.

"Boss" and "Chief Executive Officer" (CEO) can refer to the same office;
but the first is less admiring and likely to connote the view of
employees lower down in the company--nobody wants to be thought of as
"bossy." Higher executives would be more likely to speak admiringly of a
"CEO."

I often write "insufficiently complex" at the bottom of student papers
instead of "simple-minded." Although they denote essentially the same
quality, the connotations of the first are less insulting.

CONSCIENCE, CONSCIOUS, CONSCIOUSNESS

Your conscience makes you feel guilty when you do bad things, but your
consciousness is your awareness. If you are awake, you are conscious.
Although it is possible to speak of your "conscious mind," you can't use
"conscious" all by itself to mean "consciousness."

See unconscience.

CONTRARY/CONTRAST

The phrases "on the contrary" and "to the contrary" are used to reply to
an opposing point. Your friend tells you she is moving to New York and
you express surprise because you thought she hated big cities. She
replies, "On the contrary, I've always wanted to live in an urban area."

When a distinction is being made that does not involve opposition of
this sort, "in contrast" is appropriate. "In New York, you don't need a
car. In Los Angeles, in contrast, you can't really get along without
one, though you won't need a snow shovel."

Here's a simple test: if you could possibly substitute "that's wrong"
the phrase you want is "on the contrary" or "to the contrary." If not,
then use "in contrast."

CONTRASTS/CONTRASTS WITH

"With" must not be omitted in sentences like this: "Julia's enthusiasm
for rugby contrasts with Cheryl's devotion to chess."

COPE UP/COPE WITH

When you can't keep up with your work you may not be able to cope with
your job; but you never "cope up" with anything. In casual speech we say
"I can't cope," but in formal writing "cope" is normally followed by
"with."

COPYWRITE/COPYRIGHT

You can copyright writing, but you can also copyright a photograph or
song. The word has to do with securing rights. Thus, there is no such
word as "copywritten"; it's "copyrighted."

COSTUMER/CUSTOMER

Just what would a "costumer service" do? Supply extra-shiny spangles for
a Broadway diva's outfit? But this phrase is almost always a
typographical error for "customer service," and it appears on an
enormous number of Web pages. Be careful not to swap the U and O when
you type "customer."

COULD CARE LESS/COULDN'T CARE LESS

Cliches are especially prone to scrambling because they become
meaningless through overuse. In this case an expression which originally
meant "it would be impossible for me to care less than I do because I do
not care at all" is rendered senseless by being transformed into the
now-common "I could care less." Think about it: if you could care less,
that means you care some. The original already drips sarcasm, so it's
pointless to argue that the newer version is "ironic." People who misuse
this phrase are just being careless.

More on ÒCOULD CARE LESS"

People who use the shortened form are often convinced they are right
because they are being "ironic" and some even claim it's the original
form. But here's the entry in "The American Heritage Dictionary of
Idioms":

"This expression originated about 1940 in Britain and for a time
invariably used couldn't. About 1960 could was occasionally substituted,
and today both versions are used with approximately equal frequency,
despite their being antonyms."

"I could care less" just isn't logically ironic. The people speaking
feel irony, but their words don't convey it. "I'd buy those jeans" could
be ironic if you really meant the opposite: you wouldn't buy those jeans
if they were the last pair in the world. But "I could care less" isn't
used to imply its opposite: that you care more. Thus it is not ironic.

"Couldn't care less" is a strong statement because it says you don't
care at all, zero!

"Could care less," whatever meaning you take it to have, does not have
that crucial message of zero interest which gives the original saying
its sting. See http://incompetech.com/gallimaufry/care_less.html

See also Michael Quinion on this point:
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-ico1.htm.

COULD OF, SHOULD OF, WOULD OF/COULD HAVE, SHOULD HAVE, WOULD HAVE

This is one of those errors typically made by a person more familiar
with the spoken than the written form of English. A sentence like "I
would have gone if anyone had given me free tickets" is normally spoken
in a slurred way so that the two words "would have" are not distinctly
separated, but blended together into what is properly rendered
"would've." Seeing that "V" tips you off right away that "would've" is a
contraction of "would have." But many people hear "would of" and that's
how they write it. Wrong.

Note that "must of" is similarly an error for "must have."

COUNCIL/COUNSEL/CONSUL

The first two words are pronounced the same but have distinct meanings.
An official group that deliberates, like the Council on Foreign
Relations, is a "council"; all the rest are "counsels": your lawyer,
advice, etc. A consul is a local representative of a foreign government.

COUPLE/COUPLE OF

Instead of "she went with a couple sleazy guys before she met me," write
"a couple of guys" if you are trying to sound a bit more formal. Leaving
the "of" out is a casual, slangy pattern.

CURSING THROUGH VEINS/COURSING THROUGH VEINS

To "course" is to run. The most familiar use of this meaning of the word
is in ÒracecourseÓ: a place where races are run. When the blood runs
strongly through your veins, it courses through them. Metaphorically we
speak of strong emotions like fear, exhilaration, and passion as
coursing through our veins.

Some people mistakenly substitute ÒcurseÓ and think these feelings are
cursing through their veins. This might make some sort of sense with
negative emotions, but note that the expression is also used of positive
ones. Stick with coursing.

COWTOW/KOWTOW

You can tow a cow to water, but you can't make it drink. But the word
that means bowing worshipfully before someone comes from the Chinese
words for knocking one's head on the ground, and is spelled "kowtow."

CRACKER JACKS/CRACKER JACK

"Crackerjack" is an old slang expression meaning "excellent," and the
official name of the popcorn confection is also singular: "Cracker
Jack." People don't pluralize its rival Poppycock as "Poppycocks," but
they seem to think of the individual popped kernels as the "jacks." A
similarly named candy is "Good and Plenty." All three have descriptive
names describing qualities and shouldn't be pluralized. A way to
remember this: in "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" "Cracker Jack" rhymes
with "back."

CRAFTS

When referring to vehicles, "craft" is both singular and plural. Two
aircraft, many watercraft, etc. Do not add an "S."

But when referring to hobbies and skills such as "woodcrafts" or "arts
and crafts" adding an "S" in the plural form is standard.

CREDIBLE/CREDULOUS

"Credible" means "believable" or "trustworthy." It is also used in a
more abstract sense, meaning something like "worthy": "She made a
credible lyric soprano." Don't confuse "credible" with "credulous," a
much rarer word which means "gullible." "He was incredulous" means "he
didn't believe it" whereas "he was incredible" means "he was wonderful"
(but use the latter expression only in casual speech).

See also "incredible."

CRESCENDO/CLIMAX

When something is growing louder or more intense, it is going through a
crescendo (from an Italian word meaning "growing"). Traditionalists
object to its use when you mean "climax." A crescendo of cheers by an
enthusiastic audience grows until it reaches a climax, or peak.
"Crescendo" as a verb is common, but also disapproved of by many
authorities. Instead of "the orchestra crescendos," write "the orchestra
plays a crescendo."

CREVICE/CREVASSE

Crevices are by definition tiny, like that little crevice between your
teeth where the popcorn hulls always get caught. A huge crack in a
glacier is given the French spelling: crevasse.

CRICK/CREEK

The dialectical pronunciation and spelling of "creek" as "crick" is very
popular in some parts of the US, but the standard pronunciation of the
word is the same as that of "creak."

CRITERIA/CRITERION

There are several words with Latin or Greek roots whose plural forms
ending in A are constantly mistaken for singular ones. See, for
instance, data and media. You can have one criterion or many criteria.
Don't confuse them.

CRITICISM

Beginning literature or art history students are often surprised to
learn that in such contexts "criticism" can be a neutral term meaning
simply "evaluating a work of literature or art." A critical article
about The Color Purple can be entirely positive about Alice Walker's
novel. Movie critics write about films they like as well as about films
they dislike: writing of both kinds is called "criticism."

CRITIQUE/CRITICIZE

A critique is a detailed evaluation of something. The formal way to
request one is "give me your critique," though people often say
informally "critique this"--meaning "evaluate it thoroughly." But
"critique" as a verb is not synonymous with "criticize" and should not
be routinely substituted for it. "Josh critiqued my backhand" means Josh
evaluated your tennis technique but not necessarily that he found it
lacking. "Josh criticized my backhand" means that he had a low opinion
of it.

You can write criticism on a subject, but you don't criticize on
something, you just criticize it.

CROISSANT

The fanciful legend which attributes the creation of the croissant to
Christian bakers celebrating a 17th-century victory over the Turks is
widely recounted but almost certainly untrue, since there is no trace of
the pastry until a century later. Although its form was probably not
influenced by the Islamic crescent, the word croissant most definitely
is French for "crescent." Pastries formed from the same dough into
different shapes should not be called "croissants." If a customer in
your bakery asks for a pain au chocolat (PAN oh-show-co-LA), reach for
that rectangular pastry usually mislabeled in the US a "chocolate
croissant."

CROWBAR/WRECKING BAR

A crowbar is a straight bar with one end only slightly bent and
sharpened into a beak. This beak gave the tool its name, originally just
a "crow."

The tool with the much more pronounced hook on the end--designed for
prying loose boards and drawing nails--is properly called a "wrecking
bar."

CRUCIFICTION/CRUCIFIXION

One might suppose that this common misspelling was a product of
skepticism were it not for the fact that it most often occurs in the
writings of believers. The word should make clear that Jesus was affixed
to the cross, not imply that his killing is regarded as a fiction.

CRUCIFIX/CROSS

A crucifix is a cross with an image of the crucified Christ affixed to
it. Reporters often mistakenly refer to someone wearing a "crucifix"
when the object involved is an empty cross. Crucifixes are most often
associated with Catholics, empty crosses with Protestants.

CUE/QUEUE

"Cue" has a variety of meanings, but all uses of "queue" relate to its
original French meaning of "tail," which becomes a metaphor for a line
(beware, however: in French "queue" is also rude slang for the male sex
organ). Although a few dictionaries accept "cue" as an alternative
spelling for the braided tail some people make of their hair or a
waiting line, traditionally both are queues: "Sun Yat Sen ordered that
all Chinese men should cut off their queues," "I have over 300 movies in
my Netflix queue."

CURRANT/CURRENT

"Current" is an adjective having to do with the present time, and can
also be a noun naming a thing that, like time, flows: electrical
current, currents of public opinion. "Currant" refers only to little
fruits.

CURVE YOUR APPETITE/CURB YOUR APPETITE

A "curb" was originally a device used to control an unruly horse.
Already in the 18th century people were speaking by analogy of
controlling their appetites as "curbing" them. You do not "curve" your
hunger, appetite, desires, etc. You curb them.

CUT AND DRY/CUT AND DRIED

Many people mishear the standard expression meaning "set," "not open to
change," as "cut and dry." Although this form is listed in the Oxford
English Dictionary, it is definitely less common in sophisticated
writing. The dominant modern usage is "cut and dried." When used to
modify a noun, it must be hyphenated: "cut-and-dried plan."

CUT AND PASTE/COPY AND PASTE

Because "cut and paste" is a familiar phrase, many people say it when
they mean "copy and paste" in a computer context. This can lead to
disastrous results if followed literally by an inexpert person. If you
mean to tell someone to duplicate something rather than move it, say
"copy." And when you are moving bits of computer information from one
place to another the safest sequence is often to copy the original,
paste the copy elsewhere, and only then delete (cut) the original.

CUT OF TEA/CUP OF TEA

An astounding number of people write "cut of tea" when they mean "cup of
tea," especially in phrases like "not my cut of tea" instead of "not my
cup of tea." This saying is not about fine distinctions between
different ways the tea's been harvested; it just refers to the ordinary
vessel from which you drink the stuff.

Is this mistake influenced by the expression "the cut of his jib" or is
it just a goofy typo?