Common Errors I

I/ME/MYSELF

In the old days when people studied traditional grammar, we could simply
say, "The first person singular pronoun is 'I' when it's a subject and
'me' when it's an object," but now few people know what that means.
Let's see if we can apply some common sense here. The misuse of "I" and
"myself" for "me" is caused by nervousness about "me." Educated people
know that "Jim and me are goin' down to slop the hogs," is not elegant
speech, not "correct." It should be "Jim and I" because if I were
slopping the hogs alone I would never say "Me is going. . . ." If you
refer to yourself first, the same rule applies: It's not "Me and Jim are
going" but "I and Jim are going."

So far so good. But the notion that there is something wrong with "me"
leads people to overcorrect and avoid it where it is perfectly
appropriate. People will say "The document had to be signed by both
Susan and I" when the correct statement would be, "The document had to
be signed by both Susan and me." Trying even harder to avoid the lowly
"me," many people will substitute "myself," as in "The suspect uttered
epithets at Officer O'Leary and myself."

"Myself" is no better than "I" as an object. "Myself" is not a sort of
all-purpose intensive form of "me" or "I." Use "myself" only when you
have used "I" earlier in the same sentence: "I am not particularly fond
of goat cheese myself." "I kept half the loot for myself." All this
confusion can easily be avoided if you just remove the second party from
the sentences where you feel tempted to use "myself" as an object or
feel nervous about "me." You wouldn't say, "The IRS sent the refund
check to I," so you shouldn't say "The IRS sent the refund check to my
wife and I" either. And you shouldn't say "to my wife and myself." The
only correct way to say this is, "The IRS sent the refund check to my
wife and me." Still sounds too casual? Get over it.

On a related point, those who continue to announce "It is I" have
traditional grammatical correctness on their side, but they are vastly
outnumbered by those who proudly boast "it's me!" There's not much that
can be done about this now. Similarly, if a caller asks for Susan and
Susan answers "This is she," her somewhat antiquated correctness is
likely to startle the questioner into confusion.

-IC

In the Cold War era, anti-socialists often accused their enemies of
being "socialistic" by which they meant that although they were not
actually socialists, some of their beliefs were like those of
socialists. But the "-ic" suffix is recklessly used in all kinds of
settings, often without understanding its implications. Karl Marx was
not "socialistic," he was actually socialist.

IDEA/IDEAL

Any thought can be an idea, but only the best ideas worth pursuing are
ideals.

IF I WAS/IF I WERE

The subjunctive mood, always weak in English, has been dwindling away
for centuries until it has almost vanished. According to traditional
thought, statements about the conditional future such as "If I were a
carpenter . . ." require the subjunctive "were"; but "was" is certainly
much more common. Still, if you want to impress those in the know with
your usage, use "were" when writing of something hypothetical, unlikely,
or contrary to fact.

The same goes for other pronouns: "you," "she," "he," and "it." In the
case of the plural pronouns "we" and "they" the form "was" is definitely
nonstandard, of course, because it is a singular form.

IF NOT

"He was smart if not exactly brilliant." In this sort of expression, "if
not" links a weaker with a stronger word with a related meaning. Other
examples: "unattractive if not downright ugly," "reasonably priced if
not exactly cheap," "interested if not actually excited."

But this sort of "if not" is often misused to link words that don't form
a weaker/stronger pair: "obscure if not boring," "happy if not
entertained," "anxious if not afraid." The linked terms in these
examples do have some logical relationship, but they do not form a
weaker/stronger pair.

IGNORANT/STUPID

A person can be ignorant (not knowing some fact or idea) without being
stupid (incapable of learning because of a basic mental deficiency). And
those who say, "That's an ignorant idea" when they mean "stupid idea"
are expressing their own ignorance.

ILLINOIS

It annoys Chicagoans when people pronounce their state's final syllable
to rhyme with "noise." The final "S" in "Illinois" is silent.

ILLUDE/ELUDE

"Illude" is a very rare word, most of whose former meanings are
obsolete, but which can mean "to deceive, lead astray." But in modern
usage this word is almost always used as an error for "elude," meaning
"escape, evade." Similarly, you would be better off avoiding the word
"illusive" and using the much more common word "illusory" to mean
"deceptive." "Illusive" is almost always an error for "elusive."

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION/VIRGIN BIRTH

The doctrine of "immaculate conception" (the belief that Mary was
conceived without inheriting original sin) is often confused with the
doctrine of the "virgin birth" (the belief that Mary gave birth to Jesus
while remaining a virgin).

IMPACT

One (very large) group of people thinks that using "impact" as a verb is
just nifty: "The announcement of yet another bug in the software will
strongly impact the price of the company's stock." Another (very
passionate) group of people thinks that "impact" should be used only as
a noun and considers the first group to be barbarians. Although the
first group may well be winning the usage struggle, you risk offending
more people by using "impact" as a verb than you will by substituting
more traditional words like "affect" or "influence."

IMPACTFUL/INFLUENTIAL

Many people in business and education like to speak of things that have
an impact as being "impactful," but this term does not appear in most
dictionaries and is not well thought of by traditionalists. Use
"influential" or "effective" instead.

IMPERTINENT/IRRELEVANT

"Impertinent" looks as if it ought to mean the opposite of "pertinent,"
and indeed it once did; but for centuries now its meaning in ordinary
speech has been narrowed to "impudent," specifically in regard to
actions or speech toward someone regarded as socially superior. Only
snobs and very old-fashioned people use "impertinent" correctly; most
people would be well advised to forget it and use "irrelevant" instead
to mean the opposite of "pertinent."

IMPLY/INFER

These two words, which originally had quite distinct meanings, have
become so blended together that most people no longer distinguish
between them. If you want to avoid irritating the rest of us, use
"imply" when something is being suggested without being explicitly
stated and "infer" when someone is trying to arrive at a conclusion
based on evidence. "Imply" is more assertive, active: I imply that you
need to revise your paper; and, based on my hints, you infer that I
didn't think highly of your first draft.

IN REGARDS TO/WITH REGARD TO

Business English is deadly enough without scrambling it. "As regards
your downsizing plan . . ." is acceptable, if stiff. "In regard to" "and
"with regard to" are also correct. But "in regards to" is nonstandard.
You can also convey the same idea with "in respect to" or "with respect
to," or--simplest of all--just plain "regarding."

IN SHAMBLES/A SHAMBLES

Your clothes are in tatters, your plans are in ruins, but you can
console yourself that your room cannot be "in shambles."

The expression meaning "like a wreck" is "a shambles": "Your room is a
shambles! It looks like a cyclone hit it."

A shambles used to be the counter in a meat stall and later, a bloody
butchery floor. Settings like the throne room at the end of Hamlet or a
disastrous battlefield strewn with body parts can be called "a shambles"
in the traditional sense. Now the phrase usually means just "a mess."

IN SPITE OF/ DESPITE

Although "in spite of" is perfectly standard English, some people prefer
"despite" because it is shorter. Be careful not to mix the two together
by saying "despite of" except as part of the phrase "in despite of"
meaning "in defiance of."

And note that unlike "despite," "in spite" should always be spelled as
two separate words.

IN STORE

Some people say things like "he is in store for a surprise on his
birthday" when they mean he is in line for a surprise. The metaphor is
not based on the image of going shopping in a store but of something
awaiting you--stored up for you--so the correct form would be "a
surprise is in store for him on his birthday."

IN TERMS OF

Originally this expression was used to explain precise quantifiable
relationships: "We prefer to measure our football team's success in
terms of the number of fans attending rather than the number of games
won." But it has for a long time now been greatly overused in all kinds
of vague ways, often clumsily.

Here are some awkward uses followed by recommended alternatives:
"We have to plan soon what to do in terms of Thanksgiving." (for)
"What are we going to do in terms of paying these bills?" (about)
"A little chili powder goes a long way in terms of spicing up any dish."
(toward).
"What do you like in terms of movies?" (What kind of movies do you like?)

IN THE FACT THAT/IN THAT

Many people mistakenly write "in the fact that" when they mean simply
"in that" in sentences like "It seemed wiser not to go to work in the
fact that the boss had discovered the company picnic money was missing."
Omit "the fact." While we're at it, "infact" is not a word; "in fact" is
always a two-word phrase.

IN THE MIST/IN THE MIDST

When you are surrounded by something, you're in the midst of it--its
middle. If you're in a mist, you're just in a fog.

INCASE/IN CASE

Just in case you haven't figured this out already: the expression "in
case" is two words, not one. There is a brand of equipment covers sold
under the incase brand, but that's a very different matter, to be used
only when you need something in which to encase your iPod.

INCENT, INCENTIVIZE

Business folks sometimes use "incent" to mean "create an incentive," but
it's not standard English. "Incentivize" is even more widely used, but
strikes many people as an ugly substitute for "encourage."

INCIDENCE/INCIDENTS/INSTANCES

These three overlap in meaning just enough to confuse a lot of people.
Few of us have a need for "incidence," which most often refers to degree
or extent of the occurrence of something: "The incidence of measles in
Whitman County has dropped markedly since the vaccine has been provided
free." "Incidents," which is pronounced identically, is merely the
plural of "incident," meaning "occurrences": "Police reported damage to
three different outhouses in separate incidents last Halloween".
Instances (not "incidences") are examples: "Semicolons are not required
in the first three instances given in your query." Incidents can be used
as instances only if someone is using them as examples.

INCREDIBLE

The other day I heard a film reviewer praise a director because he
created "incredible characters," which would literally mean unbelievable
characters. What the reviewer meant to say, of course, was precisely the
opposite: characters so lifelike as to seem like real people.
Intensifiers and superlatives tend to get worn down quickly through
overuse and become almost meaningless, but it is wise to be aware of
their root meanings so that you don't unintentionally utter absurdities.
"Fantastic" means "as in a fantasy" just as "fabulous" means "as in a
fable." A "wonderful" sight should make you pause in wonder (awe). Some
of these words are worn down beyond redemption, however. For instance,
who now expects a "terrific" sight to terrify?

INCREDULOUS/INCREDIBLE

"When Jessica said that my performance at the karaoke bar had been
incredible, I was incredulous." I hope Jessica was using "incredible" in
the casual sense of "unbelievably good" but I knew I used "incredulous"
to mean "unbelieving, skeptical," which is the only standard usage for
this word.

INDEPTH/IN DEPTH

You can make an "in-depth" study of a subject by studying it "in depth,"
but never "indepth." Like "a lot" this expression consists of two words
often mistaken for one. The first, adjectival, use of the phrase given
above is commonly hyphenated, which may lead some people to splice the
words even more closely together. "Indepth" is usually used as an adverb
by people of limited vocabulary who would be better off saying
"profoundly" or "thoroughly." Some of them go so far as to say that they
have studied a subject "indepthly." Avoid this one if you don't want to
be snickered at.

INDIAN/NATIVE AMERICAN

Although academics have long promoted "Native American" as a more
accurate label than "Indian," most of the people so labeled continue to
refer to themselves as "Indians" and prefer that term. In Canada, there
is a move to refer to descendants of the original inhabitants as "First
Nations" or "First Peoples," but so far that has not spread to the US

UNIVERSITY OF INDIANA

There is no such place as "the University of Indiana"; it's "Indiana
University."

I should know; I went there.

INDIVIDUAL/PERSON

Law-enforcement officers often use "individual" as a simple synonym for
"person" when they don't particularly mean to stress individuality: "I
pursued the individual who had fired the weapon at me for three blocks."
This sort of use of "individual" lends an oddly formal air to your
writing. When "person" works as well, use it.

INFAMOUS/NOTORIOUS

"Infamous" means famous in a bad way. It is related to the word
"infamy." Humorists have for a couple of centuries jokingly used the
word in a positive sense, but the effectiveness of the joke depends on
the listener knowing that this is a misuse of the term. Because this is
a very old joke indeed you should stick to using "infamous" only of
people like Hitler and Billy the Kid.

"Notorious" means the same thing as "infamous" and should also only be
used in a negative sense.

INFACT/IN FACT

"In fact" is always two words.

INFINITE

When Shakespeare's Enobarbus said of Cleopatra that "age cannot wither
her, nor custom stale her infinite variety," he was obviously
exaggerating. So few are the literal uses of "infinite" that almost
every use of it is metaphorical. There are not an infinite number of
possible positions on a chessboard, nor number of stars in the known
universe. To say of snowflakes that the possible variety of their shape
is infinite is incorrect: surely one could theoretically calculate the
maximum possible size of something one could justly call a "snowflake,"
calculate the number of molecules possible in that volume, and the
number of possible arrangements of those molecules. The result would be
a very large number, but not an infinity. Things can be innumerable (in
one sense of the word) without being infinite; in other words, things
which are beyond the human capacity to count can still be limited in
number. "Infinite" has its uses as a loose synonym for "a very great
many," but it is all too often lazily used when one doesn't want to do
the work to discover the order of magnitude involved. When you are
making quasi-scientific statements you do a disservice to your reader by
implying infinity when mere billions are involved.

INFLAMMABLE

"Inflammable" means the same thing as "flammable": burnable, capable of
being ignited or inflamed. So many people mistake the "in-" prefix as a
negative, however, that it has been largely abandoned as a warning
label.

INFLUENCIAL/INFLUENTIAL

If you have influence, you are "influential," not "influencial."

INK PEN/PEN

If there were any danger of confusing pens for writing with other kinds
of pens (light-, sea-, pig-) the phrase "ink pen" might be useful, but
it seems to be mainly a way of saying "not a pencil." Plain old "pen"
will do fine.

INPUT

Some people object to "input" as computer jargon that's proliferated
unjustifiably in the business world. Be aware that it's not welcome in
all settings; but whatever you do, don't misspell it "imput."

INSIGHT/INCITE

An insight is something you have: an understanding of something, a
bright idea about something.

To incite is to do something: to stimulate some action or other to be
taken. You can never have an incite.

INSTALL/INSTILL

People conjure up visions of themselves as upgradable robots when they
write things like "My Aunt Tillie tried to install the spirit of giving
in my heart." The word they are searching for is "instill." You install
equipment, you instill feelings or attitudes.

INSUNDRY/AND SUNDRY

"Sundry" means "various" in modern English, so strictly speaking
expressions like "various and sundry" and "all and sundry" are
redundant; but many redundant expressions are standard in English, as
are these. "Sundry" used to mean "different from each," which explains
why the expressions weren't redundant when thet first evolved. They were
a little like "each and every": each single individual and all of them
collectively.

The fact that "and sundry" now doesn't really add anything except a
rhetorical flourish to the expression may help to explain why some folks
mishear this phrase as "insundry."

INSTANCES/INSTANTS

Brief moments are "instants," and examples of anything are "instances."

INTEND ON/INTEND TO

You can plan on doing something, but you intend to do it. Many people
confuse these two expressions with each other and mistakenly say "intend
on." Of course if you are really determined, you can be intent on doing
something.

INTENSE/INTENSIVE

If you are putting forth an intense effort, your work is "intense": "My
intense study of Plato convinced me that I would make a good leader."
But when the intensity stems not so much from your effort as it does
from outside forces, the usual word is "intensive": "the village endured
intensive bombing."

INTENSIFIERS

People are always looking for ways to emphasize how really, really
special the subject under discussion is. (The use of "really" is one of
the weakest and least effective of these.) A host of words have been
worn down in this service to near-meaninglessness. It is good to
remember the etymological roots of such words to avoid such absurdities
as "fantastically realistic," "absolutely relative," and "incredibly
convincing." When you are tempted to use one of these vague intensifiers
consider rewriting your prose to explain more precisely and vividly what
you mean: "Fred's cooking was incredibly bad" could be changed to "When
I tasted Fred's cooking I almost thought I was back in the middle-school
cafeteria."

See also "Incredible."

INTERCESSION/INTERSESSION

In theology, "intercession" is a prayer on behalf of someone else; but
an alarming number of colleges use the word to label the period between
regular academic sessions. Such a period is properly an "intersession."

INTERGRATE/INTEGRATE

There are lots of words that begin with "inter-" but this is not one of
them. The word is "integrate" with just one R.

INTERESTING

The second syllable is normally silent in "interesting." It's
nonstandard to go out of your way to pronounce the "ter," and definitely
substandard to say "innaresting."

INTERFACE/INTERACT

The use of the computer term "interface" as a verb, substituting for
"interact," is widely objected to.

INTERMENT/INTERNMENT

Interment is burial; internment is merely imprisonment.

INTERMURAL/INTRAMURAL/EXTRAMURAL

"Intramural" means literally "within the walls" and refers to activities
that take place entirely within an institution. When at Macbeth State
University the Glamis Hall soccer team plays against the one from
Dunsinane Hall, that's an intramural game. But when MSU's Fighting Scots
travel to go up against Cawdor U. in the Porter's Bowl, the game is
"extramural" ("outside the walls")--though the perfectly correct
"intercollegiate" is more often used instead). "Intermural," a rare word
that means "between the walls,"is constantly both said and written when
"intramural" is meant.

INTERNET/INTRANET

"Internet" is the proper name of the network most people connect to, and
the word needs to be capitalized. However "intranet," a network confined
to a smaller group, is a generic term which does not deserve
capitalization. In advertising, we often read things like "unlimited
Internet, $35." It would be more accurate to refer in this sort of
context to "Internet access."

INTERPRETATE/INTERPRET

"Interpretate" is mistakenly formed from "interpretation," but the verb
form is simply "interpret." See also "orientate."

INTO/IN TO

"Into" is a preposition which often answers the question, "where?" For
example, "Tom and Becky had gone far into the cave before they realized
they were lost." Sometimes the "where" is metaphorical, as in, "He went
into the army" or "She went into business." It can also refer by analogy
to time: "The snow lingered on the ground well into April." In
old-fashioned math talk, it could be used to refer to division: "two
into six is three." In other instances where the words "in" and "to"
just happen to find themselves neighbors, they must remain separate
words. For instance, "Rachel dived back in to rescue the struggling
boy." Here "to" belongs with "rescue" and means "in order to," not
"where." (If the phrase had been "dived back into the water," "into"
would be required.)

Try speaking the sentence concerned aloud, pausing distinctly between
"in" and "to." If the result sounds wrong, you probably need "into."

Then there is the 60s colloquialism which lingers on in which "into"
means "deeply interested or involved in": "Kevin is into baseball
cards." This is derived from usages like "the committee is looking into
the fund-raising scandal." The abbreviated form is not acceptable formal
English, but is quite common in informal communications.

INTRICATE/INTEGRAL

An integral part of a machine, organization, or idea is a necessary,
inseparable part of it. Many people mistakenly substitute "intricate"
for "integral" in the phrase "an integral part."

A very simple bit of metal can be an integral part of an intricate
machine.

INTRIGUE

Something mysterious or alluring can be called "intriguing," but
"intrigue" as a noun means something rather different: scheming and
plotting. Don't say people or situations are full of intrigue when you
mean they are intriguing. The Oldsmobile car model called the Intrigue
is probably based on this common confusion.

INVESTED INTEREST/VESTED INTEREST

If you have a personal stake in something which causes you to be biased
toward it, you have a vested interest in it. People discussing financial
investment sometimes pun on this phrase by writing "invested interest,"
but most of the time when you see the latter spelling, it's just a
mistake.

INVITE/INVITATION

"Invite" (accent on the second syllable) is perfectly standard as a
verb: "Invite me to the birthday party and I'll jump out of the cake."

But "invite" (accent on the first syllable) as a noun meaning
"invitation" is less acceptable: "I got an invite to my ex-wife"s
wedding." Though this formn has become extremely popular, even in fairly
formal contexts, it is safer to use the traditional "invitation."

IRAQ

Want to sound like a good old boy who doesn't give a hoot what
foreigners think? Say "EYE-rack." But if you want to sound
knowledgeable, say "ear-ROCK." Politicians who know better sometimes
adopt the popular mispronunciation in order to sound more folksy and
down to earth.

Similarly in standard English, Iran is not pronounced "eye-RAN" but
"ear-RON."

On a related matter, the first syllable of "Italian" is pronounced just
like the first syllable in "Italy," with an "it" sound. "Eye-talian"
sounds distinctly uneducated.

IRONICALLY/COINCIDENTALLY

An event that is strikingly different from or the opposite of what one
would have expected, usually producing a sense of incongruity, is
ironic: "The sheriff proclaimed a zero-tolerance policy on drugs, but
ironically flunked his own test." Other striking comings-together of
events lacking these qualities are merely coincidental: "the lovers
leapt off the tower just as a hay wagon coincidentally happened to be
passing below."

IRREGARDLESS/REGARDLESS

Regardless of what you have heard, "irregardless" is a redundancy. The
suffix "-less" on the end of the word already makes the word negative.
It doesn't need the negative prefix "ir-" added to make it even more
negative.

IS, IS

In speech, people often lose track in the middle of a sentence and
repeat "is" instead of saying "that": "The problem with the conflict in
the Balkans is, is the ethnic tensions seem exacerbated by everything we
do." This is just a nervous tic, worth being alert against when you're
speaking publicly.

However, when you begin a sentence with the phrase "What it is," it's
normal, though awkward, to follow the phrase with another "is": What it
is, is a disaster." This colloquialism is probably derived from
expressions like this: "I'll tell you what it is; it is a disaster." In
this case, each "is" has its own proper "it," whereas the condensed
version sounds like a verbal stumble. If you would rather avoid this
sort of "is, is" you can avoid using "what it is" and say something
simple like "It's a disaster," or "The point is that it's a disaster."

Of course, I suppose it all depends on what you think the meaning of
"is" is.

ISN'T IT/INNIT

In South Asia you often hear people end sentences with "isn't it?" in
contexts where traditional English would require "doesn't it," "won't
it," "aren't you," and related expressions. In Britain and among
American Indians, among others, this "invariant isn't" is reduced to
"innit," and may be used even more broadly as a general emphatic
exclamation at the end of almost any statement.

This interesting pattern is liable to puzzle, amuse, or annoy those who
aren't used to it, isn't it?

ISLAMS/MUSLIMS

Followers of Islam are called "Muslims," not "Islams." "Muslim" is now
widely preferred over the older and less phonetically accurate "Moslem."

The S in "Islam" and "Muslim" is sibilant like the S in "saint." It
should not be pronounced with a Z sound.

ISREAL/ISRAEL

To remember how to spell "Israel" properly, try pronouncing it the way
Israelis do when they're speaking English: "ISS-rah-el."

ISSUES/PROBLEMS

An "issue" used to be a matter for consideration or discussion. For
instance, a group might discuss the issue of how best to raise funds for
its scholarship program. But people could also disagree with each other
by saying "I take issue [disagree] with you on that point."

But then mental health professionals began to talk about "child-rearing
issues" and "relationship issues," and such. In this context the meaning
of "issues" began to blur into that of "problems" and cross-pollinate
with "take issue," leading ordinary folks to begin saying things like "I
have tendonitis issues." or "I have issues with telemarketing." This
very popular sort of expression is viewed with contempt or amusement by
many traditionalists, who are truly appalled when it's extended to the
inanimate world: "these laptops have issues with some wireless cards."

ITCH/SCRATCH

Strictly speaking, you scratch an itch. If you're trying to get rid of a
tingly feeling on your back scratch it, don't itch it.

ITS/IT'S

The exception to the general rule that one should use an apostrophe to
indicate possession is in possessive pronouns. Some of them are not a
problem. "Mine" has no misleading "s" at the end to invite an
apostrophe. And few people are tempted to write "hi's," though the
equally erroneous "her's" is fairly common, as are "our's" and "their's"
--all wrong, wrong, wrong. The problem with avoiding "it's" as a
possessive is that this spelling is perfectly correct as a contraction
meaning "it is." Just remember two points and you'll never make this
mistake again. (1) "it's" always means "it is" or "it has" and nothing
else. (2) Try changing the "its" in your sentence to "his" and if it
doesn't make sense, then go with "it's."