Common Errors F

IN THE FACT THAT/BY THE FACT THAT

The correct phrase is "by the fact that," not "in the fact that." While
we're at it, "infact" is not a word; "in fact" is always a two-word
phrase.

FACTOID

The "-oid" ending in English is normally added to a word to indicate
that an item is not the real thing. A humanoid is not quite human.
Originally "factoid" was an ironic term indicating that the "fact" being
offered was not actually factual. However, CNN and other sources have
taken to treating the "-oid" as if it were a mere diminutive, and using
the term to mean "trivial but true fact." As a result, the definition of
"factoid" is hopelessly confused and it's probably better to avoid using
the term altogether.

FAIR/FARE

When you send your daughter off to camp, you hope she'll fare well.
That's why you bid her a fond farewell. "Fair" as a verb is a rare word
meaning "to smooth a surface to prepare it for being joined to another."

FAR BE IT FOR ME/FAR BE IT FROM ME

The mangled expression "far be it for me" is probably influenced by a
similar saying: "it's not for me to say." The standard expression is
"far be it from me" (may this possibility be far away from me).

FARTHER/FURTHER

Some authorities (like the Associated Press) insist on "farther" to
refer to physical distance and on "further" to refer to an extent of
time or degree, but others treat the two words as interchangeable except
for insisting on "further" for "in addition," and "moreover." You'll
always be safe in making the distinction; some people get really testy
about this.

FASTLY/FAST

"Fastly" is an old form that has died out in English. Interest in soccer
is growing fast, not "fastly."

FATAL/FATEFUL

A "fatal" event is a deadly one; a "fateful" one is determined by fate.
If there are no casualties left lying at the scene--whether mangled
corpses or failed negotiations--the word you are seeking is "fateful."
The latter word also has many positive uses, such as "George fondly
remembered that fateful night in which he first met the woman he was to
love to his dying day."

FAZE/PHASE

"Faze" means to embarrass or disturb, but is almost always used in the
negative sense, as in "the fact that the overhead projector bulb was
burned out didn't faze her." "Phase" is a noun or verb having to do with
an aspect of something. "He's just going through a temperamental phase."
"They're going to phase in the new accounting procedures gradually."
Unfortunately, Star Trek has confused matters by calling its ray pistols
phasers. Too bad they aren't fazers instead.

FEARFUL/FEARSOME

To be "fearful" is to be afraid. To be "fearsome" is to cause fear in
others. Remember that someone who is fierce is fearsome rather than
fearful.

FEBUARY/FEBRUARY

Few people pronounce the first R in "February" distinctly, so it is not
surprising that it is often omitted in spelling. This poor month is
short on days; don't further impoverish it by robbing it of one of its
letters.

FEELINGS FOR/FEELINGS ABOUT

When someone says "I'm developing feelings for you," the message is "I'm
falling in love with you." Feelings for are always positive feelings. In
contrast, feelings about something or someone can be either positive or
negative: "I've got a bad feeling about this."

FEINT/FAINT

A feint, whether in chess or on the battlefield, is a maneuver designed
to divert the opponent's attention from the real center of attack. A
feint is a daring move. Do not use this very specialized word in the
expression "faint of heart" (or "faint at heart"), which implies
timidity.

FEMALE/WOMAN

When referring to an adult female of the human species it sounds weird
and may even be considered insulting to use the noun "female" instead of
"woman." "The female pointed the gun at the cop" should be "the woman
pointed the gun at the cop."

In the case of the related adjectives some people argue that since we
say--for instance--"male doctor" we should always say "female doctor"
rather than "woman doctor." It may be inconsistent, but the pattern of
referring to females as women performers, professionals, etc. is very
traditional, dating back at least to the 14th century. People who do
this cannot be accused of committing an error.

Technical adjectival uses defining gender like "female genes" are fine
(but don't confuse them with "women's jeans").

FIANCE/FIANCEE

Your fiance is the man you plan to marry; your fiancee is the woman you
plan to marry.

FINE TOOTHCOMB/FINE-TOOTH COMB

Brush your teeth, but don't comb them. Although the spelling "fine
toothcomb" is common enough to be listed as a variant in dictionaries,
it looks pretty silly to people who prefer the traditional expression
used to describe examining a territory or subject minutely: going over
it with a "fine-tooth comb"--a comb with fine teeth. Some people prefer
"fine-toothed comb."

FIREY/FIERY

it's "fire," so why isn't it "firey"? If you listen closely, you hear
that "fire" has two distinct vowel sounds in it: "fi-er." Spelling the
adjective "fiery" helps to preserve that double sound.

50s

There's no requirement for the apostrophe before the "S" in decade names
like 50s and 60s, since there are no omitted letters, though it's also
acceptable to include one. The term may be written '50s since "19" is
being omitted, but 50s is fine too. Writers who wish to have their
references to decades clearly understood in the twenty-first century
would be well advised not to omit the first two digits.

Note that you may have to turn off "smart quotes" in your word processor
to get a leading apostrophe like the one in "'50s" to curl correctly
unless you know how to type the character directly. Or you can just
type two and delete the first one.

FINALIZE/FINISH, PUT INTO FINAL FORM

"Finalize" is very popular among bureaucrats, but many people hate it.
Avoid it unless you know that everyone in your environment uses it too.

FIRST ANNUAL

Some people get upset when the "first annual" occurrence of some event
is announced, arguing that it doesn't become annual until it's been
repeated. But "first annual" simply means "the first of what is planned
to be an annual series of events"--it's a fine expression.

FIRST PERSON

Some teachers frown on the first-person voice in student writing,
striking out "I," "me," and "myself" whenever they encounter them; but
although there are times when it is inappropriate to call attention to
yourself, writing something like "public displays of affection are
disgusting" is not more modest than "public displays of affection
disgust me." The impersonal form arrogantly implies that you are the
final authority and that all right-minded people must agree with you.
The phrase "the author" substituted for "I" is no longer generally used
even in the most formal writing. When you are arguing for a theory or
opinion, it is often best to stand squarely behind it by using the
first-person voice.

FIRSTABLE/FIRST OF ALL

The odd word "firstable" seems to be based on a mishearing of the
expression "first of all."

FISCAL/PHYSICAL

The middle syllable of "physical" is often omitted in pronunciation,
making it sound like the unrelated word "fiscal." Sound that unaccented
"I" distinctly.

FIT THE BILL/FILL THE BILL

Originally a "bill" was any piece of writing, especially a legal
document (we still speak of bills being introduced into Congress in this
sense). More narrowly, it also came to mean a list such as a restaurant
"bill of fare" (menu) or an advertisement listing attractions in a
theatrical variety show such as might be posted on a "billboard." In
nineteenth-century America, when producers found short acts to
supplement the main attractions, nicely filling out an evening's
entertainment, they were said in a rhyming phrase to "fill the bill."
People who associate bills principally with shipping invoices frequently
transform this expression, meaning "to meet requirements or desires,"
into "fit the bill." They are thinking of bills as if they were orders,
lists of requirements. It is both more logical and more traditional to
say "fill the bill."

FITTEST

In evolutionary terms, "the survival of the fittest" refers not to
physical fitness in the sense of vigor and strength, but to the ability
to reproduce successfully. Rabbits and ants are fitter to survive in
most environments than lions: that's why there are so many more of them.
If you use the phrase "survival of the fittest" as if it referred to a
contest of brute strength, you will annoy biologists and some editors,
who will judge your usage as unfit to survive.

FIXING/PREPARING

"Fixing" as a synonym of "getting ready" is a feature of several
dialects of US English, especially rural and Southern ones: "I'm
fixin' to take this pie over to the parsonage." Using it outside of
these dialects risks making you sound unsophisticated.

FLAIR/FLARE

"Flair" is conspicuous talent: "She has a flair for organization."
"Flare" is either a noun meaning "flame" or a verb meaning to blaze with
light or to burst into anger.

FLAK/FLACK

"Flak" is WW II airman's slang for shells being fired at you in the air,
so to catch a lot of flak is to feel in danger of being shot down.
However, most civilians these days have never heard of "flak," so they
use "flack" instead, which originally meant "salesman" or "huckster."
You need to worry about this only if you're among old-time veterans.

You're more likely to embarrass yourself if you mix up the expression
"catch a lot of flak" with "give a lot of slack," which has almost the
opposite meaning. You can't catch slack.

FLAMMABLE/INFLAMMABLE

The prefix "in-" does not indicate negation here; it comes from the word
"inflame." "Flammable" and "inflammable" both mean "easy to catch on
fire"; but so many people misunderstand the latter term that it's better
to stick with "flammable" in safety warnings.

FLAUNT/FLOUT

To flaunt is to show off: you flaunt your new necklace by wearing it to
work. "Flout" has a more negative connotation; it means to treat with
contempt some rule or standard. The cliche is "to flout convention."
Flaunting may be in bad taste because it's ostentatious, but it is not a
violation of standards.

FLESH OUT/FLUSH OUT

To "flesh out" an idea is to give it substance, as a sculptor adds clay
flesh to a skeletal armature. To "flush out" a criminal is to drive him
or her out into the open. The latter term is derived from bird-hunting,
in which one flushes out a covey of quail. If you are trying to develop
something further, use "flesh"; but if you are trying to reveal
something hitherto concealed, use "flush."

FLOPPY DISK/HARD DISK

Floppy disks are fast disappearing from the computer world, but it's
been many years since they were literally floppy. The fact that a 3 1/2"
diskette is enclosed in a hard plastic case should not lead you to call
it a "hard disk." That's a high-capacity storage medium like the main
disk inside your computer on which your programs, operating system, and
data are stored.

FLOUNDER/FOUNDER

As a verb, "founder" means "to fill with water and sink." It is also
used metaphorically of various kinds of equally catastrophic failures.
In contrast, to flounder is to thrash about in the water (like a
flounder), struggling to stay alive. "Flounder" is also often used
metaphorically to indicate various sorts of desperate struggle. If
you're sunk, you've foundered. If you're still struggling, you're
floundering.

FLUKE

A fluke was originally a lucky stroke in billiards, and it still means a
fortunate chance event. It is nonstandard to use the word to label an
unfortunate chance event. There are lucky flukes, but no unlucky ones.

FLYS/FLIES

"Flys" is a misspelling of "flies" except when the word is being
deliberately changed from its traditional spelling as in the name of the
popular music group, "The Flys."

FOCUS AROUND/FOCUS ON

The popular expression "focus around" makes little sense. An example:
"Next quarter's advertising will focus around our line of computer
games." It is presumably meant to convey something like "concentrate on
a number of different items in a single category." But "focus on" better
conveys the idea of a sharp focus. "Focus around" suggests a jittery,
shifting view rather than determined concentration.

FOLLOWUP/FOLLOW UP, FOLLOW-UP

A doctor can follow up with a patient during a follow-up visit (note
that the adjectival form requires a hyphen). Neither phrase should be
turned into a single hyphenless word.

FONT/TYPEFACE

Although "font" has largely replaced "typeface" in common usage,
professionals who deal with type prefer to distinguish between the two.
"Typeface" refers to letter design; Times, Helvetica, and Garamond are
all typefaces. Typefaces are usually made up of a number of fonts:
complete sets of characters in that style, like Times Roman, Times
Italic, and Times Bold. The distinction is important only when dealing
with such professionals.

FOOT/FEET

You can use eight-foot boards to side a house, but "foot" is correct
only in this sort of adjectival phrase combined with a number (and
usually hyphenated). The boards are eight feet (not foot) long. It's
always X feet per second and X feet away.

FOOTNOTES/ENDNOTES

About the time that computers began to make the creation and printing of
footnotes extremely simple and cheap, style manuals began to urge a
shift away from them to endnotes printed at the ends of chapters or at
the end of a book or paper rather than at the foot of the page. I happen
to think this was a big mistake; but in any case, if you are using
endnotes, don't call them "footnotes."

FOR/FORE/FOUR

The most common member of this trio is the preposition "for," which is
not a problem for most people. "Fore" always has to do with the front of
something (it's what you shout to warn someone when you've sent a golf
ball their way). "Four" is just the number "4."

FOR ALL INTENSIVE PURPOSES/FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES

Another example of the oral transformation of language by people who
don't read much. "For all intents and purposes" is an old cliche which
won't thrill anyone, but using the mistaken alternative is likely to
elicit guffaws.

FOR FREE/FREE

Some people object to "for free" because any sentence containing the
phrase will read just as well without the "for," but it is standard
English.

FOR GOODNESS' SAKES/FOR GOODNESS' SAKE

Picky folks point out that since the mild expletive "for goodness' sake"
is a euphemism for "for God's sake" the second word should not be
pluralized to "sakes"; but heavens to Betsy, if little things like that
are going to bother you, you'll have your dander up all the time.

FOR ONE/FOR ONE THING

People often say "for one" when they mean "for one thing": "I really
want to go to the movie. For one, Kevin Spacey is my favorite actor."
(One what?) The only time you should use "for one" by itself to give an
example of something is when you have earlier mentioned a class to which
the example belongs: "There are a lot of reasons I don't want your old
car. For one, there are squirrels living in the upholstery." (One
reason.)

FOR SALE/ON SALE

If you're selling something, it's for sale; but if you lower the price,
it goes on sale.

FOR SELL/FOR SALE

If you have things to sell, they are for sale. Nothing is ever "for
sell."

FOR SURE/SURE

In casual speech, when you agree with somebody's statement, you may say
"for sure." Your date says "That was outstanding tiramisu," and you,
wanting to show how in tune you are, reply "For sure!" You can also
use the phrase to mean "for certain," as in "I couldn't tell for sure
that the bench was wet until I sat on it."

But people often substitute this phrase when they should use plain old
"sure," as in "I couldn't be for sure." That should be "I couldn't be
sure."

FORBIDDING/FOREBODING/FORMIDABLE

"Foreboding" means "ominous," as in "The sky was a foreboding shade of
gray" (i.e. predictive of a storm). The prefix "fore-" with an E, often
indicates futurity, e. g. "forecast," "foreshadowing" and "foreword" (a
prefatory bit of writing at the beginning of a book, often misspelled
"forword"). A forbidding person or task is hostile or dangerous: "The
trek across the desert to the nearest latte stand was forbidding." The
two are easily confused because some things, like storms, can be both
foreboding and forbidding.

"Formidable," which originally meant "fear-inducing" ("Mike Tyson is a
formidable opponent") has come to be used primarily as a compliment
meaning "awe-inducing" ("Gary Kasparov's formidable skills as a chess
player were of no avail against Deep Blue").

See also "fearful/fearsome."

FORCEFUL, FORCIBLE, FORCED

These words sometimes overlap, but generally "forceful" means "powerful"
("he imposed his forceful personality on the lions") while "forcible"
must be used instead to describe the use of force ("the burglar made a
forcible entry into the apartment"). "Forced" is often used for the
latter purpose, but some prefer to reserve this word to describe
something that is done or decided upon as a result of outside causes
without necessarily being violent: "a forced landing," "a forced smile,"
"forced labor."

FOREGO/FORGO

The E in "forego" tells you it has to do with going before. It occurs
mainly in the expression "foregone conclusion," a conclusion arrived at
in advance. "Forgo" means to abstain from or do without. "After
finishing his steak, he decided to forgo the blueberry cheesecake."

FOREVER/FOR EVER

UK writers most often use the two-word phrase "for ever," whereas
Americans strongly prefer the one-word form "forever." Each nationality
is liable to think the other is making a mistake.

FORMALLY/FORMERLY

These two are often mixed up in speech. If you are doing something in a
formal manner, you are behaving formally; but if you previously behaved
differently, you did so formerly.

FORESEE/FORSEE

"Foresee" means "to see into the future." There are lots of words with
the prefix "fore-" which are future-oriented, including "foresight,"
"foretell," "forethought," and "foreword," all of which are often
misspelled by people who omit the E. Just remember: what golfers shout
when they are warning people ahead of them about the shot they are about
to make is "fore!"

FORTUITOUS/FORTUNATE

"Fortuitous" events happen by chance; they need not be fortunate events,
only random ones: "It was purely fortuitous that the meter reader came
along five minutes before I returned to my car." Although fortunate
events may be fortuitous, when you mean "lucky," use "fortunate."

FORWARD/FORWARDS/FOREWORD

Although some style books prefer "forward" and "toward" to "forwards"
and "towards," none of these forms is really incorrect, though the forms
without the final S are perhaps a smidgen more formal. The same
generally applies to "backward" and "backwards." There are a few
expressions in which only one of the two forms works: step forward,
forward motion, a backward child. The spelling "foreword" applies
exclusively to the introductory matter in a book.

FOUL/FOWL

A chicken is a fowl. A poke in the eye is a foul.

FOURTY/FORTY

"Four" loses its U when it changes to "forty."

FOWL SWOOP/FELL SWOOP

Poor Macduff, learning that Macbeth has had his wife and children
murdered, cries "What, all my pretty chickens and their dam/At one fell
swoop?" Thus enters the language a popular phrase meaning "terrible
blow" (the image is of a ruthless hawk swooping down to slaughter
helpless chicks).

The old meaning of "fell" to mean "savage," "cruel," or "ruthless" has
otherwise pretty much died out, so that many people mistakenly
substitute "foul" or "fowl" for "fell." "Fell" in this sense is related
to words like "felon" and "felony."

The mangled form "swell foop" is a popular bit of humor which should at
least remind you that the first word in the phrase has to rhyme with
"swell."

FRAMEWORK/GROUNDWORK

You lay groundwork; you erect, build, or construct a framework.

FRANKENSTEIN

"Frankenstein" is the name of the scientist who creates the monster in
Mary Shelley's novel. The monster itself has no name, but is referred to
popularly as "Frankenstein's monster."

FRANKLY

Sentences beginning with this word are properly admissions of something
shocking or unflattering to the speaker; but when a public spokesperson
for a business or government is speaking, it almost always precedes a
self-serving statement. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" is
correct; but "Frankly, I think the American people can make their own
decisions about health care" is an abuse of language. The same
contortion of meaning is common in related phrases. When you hear a
public figure say, "to be completely honest with you," expect a lie.

FRENCH DIP WITH AU JUS

This diner classic consists of sliced roast beef on a more or less firm
bun, with a side dish of broth in which to dip it. "Au jus" means "with
broth"; so adding "with" to "au jus" is redundant. In fancier
restaurants, items are listed entirely in French with the English
translation underneath:

Tete de cochon avec ses tripes farcies Pig's head stuffed with tripe

Mixing the languages is hazardous if you don't know what the original
means. "With au jus broth" is also seen from time to time. People
generally know what a French dip sandwich is, and they'll see the broth
when it comes. Why not just call it a "French dip?"

FRESHMAN/FRESHMEN

"Freshman" is the singular noun: "Birgitta is a freshman at Yale."
"Freshmen" is the plural: "Patricia and Patrick are freshmen at
Stanford." But the adjective is always singular: "Megan had an
interesting freshman seminar on Romanesque architecture at Sarah
Lawrence."

FROM . . . TO

"From soup to nuts" makes sense because soup was the traditional first
course in a formal meal, nuts the last. Similarly "from A to Z" makes
sense because these are the first and last letters of the alphabet. But
this construction, which identifies the extremes of a spectrum or range
is often improperly used when no such extremes are being identified, as
in "She tried everything from "penicillin to sulfa drugs." These are not
extremes, just examples of different sorts of drugs. Even worse is "He
gave his daughter everything from a bicycle to lawn darts to a teddy
bear." A range can't have more than two extremes. "He gave his daughter
everything from paper dolls to a Cadillac" conveys the notion of a
spectrum from very cheap to very expensive, and is fine. Often when
people are tempted to use "from . . . to" they would be better off using
a different expression, as, for example, in this sentence: "She tried
all sorts of medicines, including penicillin and sulfa drugs."

MOUNT FUJIYAMA/FUJIYAMA

"Yama" means "mountain" in Japanese, so when you say "Mount Fujiyama"
you are saying "Mount Fuji Mountain." The Japanese usually say
"Fujisan"; but "Fujiyama," or "Mount Fuji" is standard in English--just
be aware that both sound "foreign" to Japanese native speakers.

-FUL/-FULS

it's one cupful, but two cupfuls, not "two cupsful." The same goes for
"spoonfuls" and "glassfuls."

FULL PROOF/FOOLPROOF

If you want to get credit for solving a complicated mathematical
problem, you will have to provide a full proof. But if you're trying to
make something as easy as possible, you want to make it foolproof--so
simple even a fool could couldn't screw it up.

FULLY WELL/FULL WELL

Back in the Middle Ages and Renaissance it was common for "full" to
modify adverbs. The only instance in which this continues today is the
traditional phrase "full well," mostly in "knowing full well." People
who "correct" this to "knowing fully well" may have modern grammar on
their side, but they sound as if they aren't acquainted with the
standard idiom.

FULSOME

In modern usage, "fulsome" has two inconsistent meanings. To some people
it means "offensive, overdone," so "fulsome praise" to them would be
disgustingly exaggerated praise.

To other people it means "abundant," and for them "fulsome praise" is
glowingly warm praise.

The first group tends to look down on the second group, and the second
group tends to be baffled by the first. Best to just avoid the word
altogether.

FUNCTIONALITY

You'll find "functionality" in dictionaries, but it's almost always used
as a pretentious and inaccurate substitute for "function" or
"usefulness."

FURL/FURROW

When you concentrate really hard so that furrows appear in your
forehead, you furrow your brow--an expression that means "worry, puzzle
over." When you lower a sail and wrap it tightly around the mast to
secure it you furl it. If you can furl your brow you belong in a
sideshow.

FUSHIA/FUCHSIA

The flowers known as "fuchsias" are named after German Renaissance
botanist Leonhard Fuchs. Although the word is pronounced "FYOO-sha" in
English, it should not be misspelled "fushia."