Common Errors G

G/Q

Lower-case "q" strongly resembles lower-case "g" in many typefaces,
and the two are often confused with each other and the resulting
misspelling missed in proofreading, for instance "quilt" when "guilt" is
intended.

GP PRACTICE/GENERAL PRACTICE

If you want to be technical, "GP Practice" to label the work of a
physician is redundant, because "GP" stands for "General Practitioner."
But if you don't want to spell it out, there doesn't seem to be a good
substitute for the phrase--it won't bother many people.

GAFF/GAFFE

"Gaffe" is a French word meaning "embarrassing mistake," and should not
be mixed up with "gaff": a large hook.

GAMUT/GAUNTLET

To "run a gamut" is to go through the whole scale or spectrum of
something. To "run the gauntlet" (also gantlet) is to run between two
lines of people who are trying to beat you. And don't confuse "gamut"
with "gambit," a play in chess, and by extension, a tricky maneuver of
any kind.

GANDER/DANDER

When you get really angry you "get your dander up." The derivation of
"dander" in this expression is uncertain, but you can't replace it with
"dandruff" or "gander." The only way to get a gander up is to awaken a
male goose.

GAURD/GUARD

Too bad the Elizabethan "guard" won out over the earlier, French-derived
spelling "garde"; but the word was never spelled "gaurd." The standard
spelling is related to Italian and Spanish "guarda," pronounced
"gwarda."

GENIUS/BRILLIANT

In standard English "genius" is a noun, but not an adjective. In slang,
people often say things like "Telling Mom your English teacher is
requiring the class to get HBO was genius!" The standard way to say this
is "was brilliant."

GET ME/GET MYSELF

"I gotta get me a new carburetor," says Joe-Bob. Translated into
standard English, this would be "I have to get myself a new carburetor."
Even better: leave out the "myself."

GHANDI/GANDHI

Mohandas K. Gandhi's name has an H after the D, not after the G. Note
that "Mahatma" ("great soul") is an honorific title, not actually part
of his birth name. The proper pronunciation of the first syllable should
rhyme more with "gone" than "can." Among Indians, his name is usually
given a respectful suffix and rendered as Gandhiji, but adding Mahatma
to that form would be honorific overkill.

GIBE/JIBE/JIVE

"Gibe" is a now rare term meaning "to tease." "Jibe" means "to agree,"
but is usually used negatively, as in "the alibis of the two crooks
didn't jibe." The latter word is often confused with "jive," which
derives from slang which originally meant to treat in a jazzy manner
("Jivin' the Blues Away") but also came to be associated with deception
("Don't give me any of that jive").

GIFT/GIVE

Conservatives are annoyed by the use of "gift" as a verb. If the ad says
"gift her with jewelry this Valentine's Day," she might prefer that you
give it to her.

GIG/JIG

"The jig is up" is an old slang expression meaning "the game is
over--we're caught." A musician's job is a gig.

GILD/GUILD

You gild an object by covering it with gold; you can join an
organization like the Theatre Guild.

GOAL/OBJECTIVE

Most language authorities consider "goal" to be a synonym of
"objective," and some dismiss the popular bureaucratic phrase "goals and
objectives" as a meaningless redundancy.

However, if you have to deal with people who insist there is a
distinction, here is their usual argument: goals are general, objectives
are more specific. If your goal is to create a safer work environment,
your objective might be to remove the potted poison ivy plant from your
desk. In education, a typical example would be that if your goal is to
improve your French, one objective might be to master the subjunctive.

GOD

When "God" is the name of a god, as in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
("Allah" is just Arabic for "God," and many modern Muslims translate the
name when writing in English), it needs to be capitalized like any other
name. When it is used as a generic term, as in "He looks like a Greek
god," it is not capitalized.

If you see the word rendered "G*d" or "G-d" it's not an error, but a
Jewish writer reverently following the Orthodox prohibition against
spelling out the name of the deity in full.

GOES

"So he goes" I thought your birthday was tomorrow," and I'm--like--"
well, duh!" Perhaps this bizarre pattern developed in analogy to
childish phrases such as "the cow goes "moo" and "the piggy goes "oink,
oink." Is there any young person unaware that the use of "go" to mean
"say" drives most adults crazy? Granted, it's deliberate slang rather
than an involuntary error; but if you get into the habit of using it all
the time, you may embarrass yourself in front of a class by saying
something witless like "So then Juliet goes "A rose by any other name
would smell as sweet."

GONE/WENT

This is one of those cases in which a common word has a past participle
which is not formed by the simple addition of -ED and which often trip
people up. "I should have went to the business meeting, but the game was
tied in the ninth" should be "I should have gone. . . ." The same
problem crops up with the two forms of the verb "to do." Say "I should
have done my taxes before the IRS called" rather than "I should have
did. . . ."

See "drank/drunk."


GONNA/GOING TO

How do you pronounce "going to" in phrases like "going to walk the dog"?
"Gonna," right? Almost everyone uses this slurred pronunciation, but
it's not acceptable in formal writing except when you're deliberately
trying to convey the popular pronunciation. In very formal spoken
contexts you might want to (not "wanna") pronounce the phrase distinctly.

GOOD/WELL

You do something well, but a thing is good. The exception is verbs of
sensation in phrases such as "the pie smells good," or "I feel good."
Despite the arguments of nigglers, this is standard usage. Saying "the
pie smells well" would imply that the pastry in question had a nose.
Similarly, "I feel well" is also acceptable, especially when discussing
health; but it is not the only correct usage.

GOT/GOTTEN

In the UK, the old word "gotten" dropped out of use except in such
stock phrases as "ill-gotten" and "gotten up," but in the US it is
frequently used as the past participle of "get." Sometimes the two are
interchangeable, However, "got" implies current possession, as in "I've
got just five dollars to buy my dinner with." "Gotten," in contrast,
often implies the process of getting hold of something: "I've gotten
five dollars for cleaning out Mrs. Quimby's shed" emphasizing the
earning of the money rather than its possession. Phrases that involve
some sort of process usually involve "gotten": "My grades have gotten
better since I moved out of the fraternity." When you have to leave,
you've got to go. If you say you've "gotten to go" you're implying
someone gave you permission to go.

GOVERNMENT

Be careful to pronounce the first "N" in "government."

GRADUATE/GRADUATE FROM

In certain dialects (notably that of New York City) it is common to say
"he is going to graduate school in June" rather than the more standard
"graduate from." When writing for a national or international audience,
use the "from."

GRAMMER/GRAMMAR

it's amazing how many people write to thank me for helping them with
their "grammer." It's "grammar." The word is often incorrectly used to
label patterns of spelling and usage that have nothing to do with the
structure of language, the proper subject of grammar in the most
conservative sense. Not all bad writing is due to bad grammar.

GRATIS/GRATUITOUS

If you do something nice without being paid, you do it "gratis."
Technically, such a deed can also be "gratuitous"; but if you do or say
something obnoxious and uncalled for, it's always "gratuitous," not
"gratis."

GRAY/GREY

"Gray" is the American spelling, "grey" the British spelling of this
color/colour. When it's part of a British name--like Tarzan's title,
"Lord Greystoke"--or part of a place name--like "Greyfriars"--it should
retain its original spelling even if an American is doing the writing.

GREATFUL/GRATEFUL

Your appreciation may be great, but you express gratitude by being
grateful.

GRIEVIOUS/GRIEVOUS

There are just two syllables in "grievous," and it's pronounced
"grieve-us."

GRILL CHEESE/GRILLED CHEESE

The popular fried sandwich is properly called "grilled cheese."

GRISLY/GRIZZLY

"Grisly" means "horrible"; a "grizzly" is a bear. "The grizzly left
behind the grisly remains of his victim." "Grizzled," means "having gray
hairs," not to be confused with "gristly," full of gristle.

GROUND ZERO

"Ground zero" refers to the point at the center of the impact of a
nuclear bomb, so it is improper to talk about "building from ground
zero" as if it were a place of new beginnings. You can start from
scratch, or begin at zero, but if you're at ground zero, you're at the
end.

The metaphorical extension of this term to the site of the destruction
of the World Trade Center towers is, however, perfectly legitimate; but
because in this case it is a place name it needs to be capitalized:
"Ground Zero."

GROUP (PLURAL VS. SINGULAR)

When the group is being considered as a whole, it can be treated as a
single entity: "the group was ready to go on stage." But when the
individuality of its members is being emphasized, "group" is plural:
"the group were in disagreement about where to go for dinner."

GROW

We used to grow our hair long or grow tomatoes in the yard, but now we
are being urged to "grow the economy" or "grow your investments."
Business and government speakers have extended this usage widely, but it
irritates traditionalists. Use "build," "increase," "expand," "develop,"
or "cause to grow" instead in formal writing.

GUESS WHO?/GUESS WHO!

Since "Guess who" is a command rather than a real question, technically
it should not be followed by a question mark. A period or exclamation
point will do fine. Similarly, there should be no question mark after
the simple command "Guess!"

GUT-RENDING, HEART-WRENCHING/GUT-WRENCHING, HEART-RENDING

Upsetting events can be gut-wrenching (make you sick to the stomach) or
heart-breaking (make you feel terribly sad); but many people confuse the
two and come up with "heart-wrenching." "Gut-rending" is also
occasionally seen.

GYP/CHEAT

Gypsies complain that "gyp" ("cheat") reflects bias; but the word is so
well entrenched and its origin so obscure to most users that there is
little hope of eliminating it from standard use any time soon.

Note that the people commonly called "Gypsies" strongly prefer the name
Rom (plural form Roma or Romanies).