Common Errors K -- L

KEY

"Deceptive marketing is key to their success as a company." "Careful
folding of the egg whites is key." This very popular sort of use of
"key" as an adjective by itself to mean "crucial" sets the teeth of some
of us on edge. It derives from an older usage of "key" as a metaphorical
noun: "The key to true happiness is an abundant supply of chocolate."
"Key" as an adjective modifying a noun is also traditional: "Key
evidence in the case was mislaid by the police."

But adjectival "key" without a noun to modify it is not so traditional.
If this sort of thing bothers you (as it does me), you'll have to grit
your teeth and sigh. It's not going away.

KICK-START/JUMP-START

You revive a dead battery by jolting it to life with a jumper cable: an
extraordinary measure used in an emergency. So if you hope to stimulate
a foundering economy, you want to jump-start it. Kick-starting is just
the normal way of getting a motorcycle going.

KINDERGARDEN/KINDERGARTEN

The original German spelling of the word "kindergarten" is standard in
English.

KOALA BEAR/KOALA

A koala is not a bear. People who know their marsupials refer to them
simply as "koalas." Recent research, however, indicates that pandas are
related to other bears.

l/1

People who learned to type in the pre-computer era sometimes type a
lower-case letter "l" when they need a number "1." Depending on the font
being used, these may look interchangeable, but there are usually subtle
differences between the two. For instance, the top of a letter l is
usually flat, whereas the top of a number 1 often slopes down to the
left. If your writing is to be reproduced electronically or in print,
it's important to hit that number key at the top left of your keyboard
to produce a true number 1.

L/LL

There are quite a few words spelled with a double L in UK English which
are spelled in the US with a single L. Examples include "woollen" (US
"woolen"), "counsellor" (US "counselor"), "medallist" (US "medalist"),
"jeweller" (US "jeweler"), "cancelled" (US "canceled"), "initialled" (US
"initialed"), "labelled" (US "labeled"), "signalled" (US "signaled"),
"totalled" (US "totaled").

Most of these won't cause Americans serious problems if they use the UK
spelling, and a good spelling checker set to US English will catch them.
But "chilli" looks distinctly odd to Americans when it turns up in the
UK-influenced English of South Asian cookbooks when they expect "chili."
(Of course Spanish speakers think it should be "chile.")

LCD DISPLAY/LCD

"LCD" stands for "liquid crystal display," so some argue it is redundant
to write "LCD display" and argue you should use just "LCD" or "LCD
screen" instead. But some in the industry argue that "LCD display" is
the generic term for the category which comprises both LCD screens and
LCD projectors. However, if you want to avoid the redundancy in wording
you can still refer more precisely to your laptop or TV as having an LCD
screen.

Many people confuse this abbreviation with "LED," which stands for
"light-emitting diode"--a much earlier technology. You will often see
explanations even in technical contexts in which "LCD" is incorrectly
defined as "liquid crystal diode."

LOL

The common Internet abbreviation "lol" (for "laughing out loud") began
as an expression of amusement or satirical contempt: "My brother-in-law
thought the hollandaise sauce was gravy and poured it all over his
mashed potatoes (lol)." It has become much overused, often to indicate
mere surprise or emphasis with no suggestion of humor: "The boss just
told us we have to redo the budget this afternoon (lol)." And some
people drop it into their prose almost at random, like a verbal hiccup.
It is no longer considered hip or sophisticated, and you won't impress
or entertain anyone by using it.

Note that this initialism has had two earlier meanings: "Little Old
Lady" and "Lots Of Love."

LAISSEZ-FAIRE

The mispronunciation "lazy-fare" is almost irresistible in English, but
this is a French expression meaning "let it be" or, more precisely, "the
economic doctrine of avoiding state regulation of the economy," and it
has retained its French pronunciation (though with an English R):
"lessay fare." It is most properly used as an adjective, as in
"laissez-faire capitalism," but is also commonly used as if it were a
noun phrase: "the Republican party advocates laissez-faire."

LAND LOVER/LANDLUBBER

"Lubber" is an old term for a clumsy person, and beginning in the 18th
century sailors used it to describe a person who was not a good seaman.
So the pirate expression of scorn for those who don't go to sea is not
"land lover" but "landlubber."

LANGUISH/LUXURIATE

To languish is to wilt, pine away, become feeble. It always indicates an
undesirable state. If you're looking for a nice long soak in the tub,
what you want is not to languish in the bath but to luxuriate in it.

The word "languid" (drooping, listless) often occurs in contexts that
might lead people to think of relaxation. Even more confusing, the
related word "languorous" does describe dreamy self-indulgent
relaxation. No wonder people mistakenly think they want to "languish" in
the bath.

LARGE/IMPORTANT

In colloquial speech it's perfectly normal to refer to something as a
"big problem," but when people create analogous expressions in writing,
the result is awkward. Don't write "this is a large issue for our firm"
when what you mean is "this is an important issue for our firm." Size
and intensity are not synonymous.

LAST NAME/FAMILY NAME

Now that few people know what a "surname" is, we usually use the term
"last name" to designate a family name; but in a host of languages the
family name comes first. For instance, "Kawabata" was the family name of
author Kawabata Yasunari. For Asians, this situation is complicated
because publishers and immigrants often switch names to conform to
Western practice, so you'll find most of Kawabata's books in an American
bookstore by looking under "Yasunari Kawabata." It's safer with
international names to write "given name" and "family name" rather than
"first name" and "last name."

Note that in a multicultural society the old-fashioned term "Christian
name" (for "given name") is both inaccurate and offensive.


LATE/FORMER

If you want to refer to your former husband, don't call him your "late
husband" unless he's dead.

LATER/LATTER

Except in the expression "latter-day" (modern), the word "latter"
usually refers back to the last-mentioned of a set of alternatives. "We
gave the kids a choice of a vacation in Paris, Rome, or Disney World. Of
course the latter was their choice." In other contexts not referring
back to such a list, the word you want is "later."

Conservatives prefer to reserve "latter" for the last-named of no more
than two items.

LAUNDRY MAT/LAUNDROMAT

"Laundromat" was coined in the 1950s by analogy with "automat"--an
automated self-service restaurant-- to label an automated self-service
laundry. People unaware of this history often mistakenly deconstruct the
word into "laundry mat" or "laundrymat."

LAY/LIE

You lay down the book you've been reading, but you lie down when you go
to bed. In the present tense, if the subject is acting on some other
object, it's "lay." If the subject is lying down, then it's "lie." This
distinction is often not made in informal speech, partly because in the
past tense the words sound much more alike: "He lay down for a nap," but
"He laid down the law." If the subject is already at rest, you might
"let it lie." If a helping verb is involved, you need the past
participle forms. "Lie" becomes "lain" and "lay" becomes "laid.": "He
had just lain down for a nap," and "His daughter had laid the gerbil on
his nose."

LEACH/LEECH

Water leaches chemicals out of soil or color out of cloth, your
brother-in-law leeches off the family by constantly borrowing money to
pay his gambling debts (he behaves like a bloodsucking leech).

LEAD/LED

When you're hit over the head, the instrument could be a "lead" pipe.
But when it's a verb, "lead" is the present and "led" is the past tense.
The problem is that the past tense is pronounced exactly like the
above-mentioned plumbing material ("plumb" comes from a word meaning
"lead"), so people confuse the two. In a sentence like "She led us to
the scene of the crime," always use the three-letter spelling.

LEAST/LEST

American English keeps alive the old word "lest" in phrases like "lest
we forget," referring to something to be avoided or prevented. Many
people mistakenly substitute the more familiar word "least" in these
phrases.

LEAVE/LET

The colloquial use of "leave" to mean "let" in phrases like "leave me
be" is not standard. "Leave me alone" is fine, though.

LEGEND/MYTH

Myths are generally considered to be traditional stories whose
importance lies in their significance, like the myth of the Fall in
Eden; whereas legends can be merely famous deeds, like the legend of
Davy Crockett. In common usage "myth" usually implies fantasy. Enrico
Caruso was a legendary tenor, but Hogwarts is a mythical school. Legends
may or may not be true. But be cautious about using "myth" to mean
"untrue story" in a mythology, theology, or literature class, where
teachers can be quite touchy about insisting that the true significance
of a myth lies not in its factuality but in its meaning for the culture
which produces or adopts it.

LENSE/LENS

Although the variant spelling "lense" is listed in some dictionaries,
the standard spelling for those little disks that focus light is "lens."


LESSEN/LESSON

Although not many people try to teach someone a "lessen," many people
try to "lesson" their risks by taking precautions.

"Lessen" is something you do--a verb--and means to make smaller. "Lesson"
is a noun, something you learn or teach. Remember this lesson and it
will lessen your chances of making a mistake.

LET ALONE

"I can't remember the title of the book we were supposed to read, let
alone the details of the story." In sentences like these you give a
lesser example of something first, followed by "let alone" and then the
greater example. But people often get this backwards, and put the
greater example first.

The same pattern is followed when the expression is "much less": "I
can't change the oil in my car, much less tune the engine." The speaker
can much less well tune the engine than he or she can change the oil.

Another common expression which follows the same pattern uses "never
mind," as in "I can't afford to build a tool shed, never mind a new
house."

See also "little own."

LET'S/LETS

The only time you should spell "let's" with an apostrophe is when it
means "let us": "Let's go to the mall."

If the word you want means "allows" or "permits," no apostrophe should
be used: "My mom lets me use her car if I fill the tank."

LIABLE/LIBEL

If you are likely to do something you are liable to do it; and if a debt
can legitimately be charged to you, you are liable for it. A person who
defames you with a false accusation libels you. There is no such word as
"lible."

LIAISE

The verb "liaise," meaning to act as a liaison (intermediary between one
group and another), has been around in military contexts since early in
the 20th century; but recently it has broken out into more general use,
especially in business, where it bothers a lot of people. Although
dictionaries generally consider it standard English, you may want to
avoid it around people sensitive to business jargon.

LIBARY/LIBRARY

The first R in "library" is often slurred or omitted in speech, and it
sometimes drops out in writing as well; and "librarian" is often turned
into "libarian."

LIGHT-YEAR

"Light-year" is always a measure of distance rather than of time; in
fact it is the distance that light travels in a year. "Parsec" is also a
measure of distance, equaling 3.26 light-years, though the term was used
incorrectly as a measure of time by Han Solo in "Star Wars."

Please, "Star Wars" fans, don't bother sending me elaborate explanations
of why Solo's speech makes sense; I personally heard George Lucas admit
in a TV interview that it was just a mistake.

LIGHTED/LIT

Don't fret over the difference between these two words; they're
interchangeable.

LIGHTENING/LIGHTNING

Those bright flashes in the storm clouds used indeed to be referred to
as "lightening," later as "light'ning," but now they are simply
"lightning."

"Lightening" has a quite different meaning in modern English: making
lighter, as in lightening your load or lightening the color of your hair.

LIKE

Since the 1950s, when it was especially associated with hipsters, "like"
as a sort of meaningless verbal hiccup has been common in speech. The
earliest uses had a sort of sense to them in which "like" introduced
feelings or perceptions which were then specified: "When I learned my
poem had been rejected I was, like, devastated." However, "like" quickly
migrated elsewhere in sentences: "I was like, just going down the road,
when, like, I saw this cop, like, hiding behind the billboard." This
habit has spread throughout American society, affecting people of all
ages. Those who have the irritating "like" habit are usually unaware of
it, even if they use it once or twice in every sentence: but if your job
involves much speaking with others, it's a habit worth breaking.

Recently young people have extended its uses by using "like" to
introduce thoughts and speeches: "When he tells me his car broke down on
the way to my party I'm like, 'I know you were with Cheryl because she
told me so.' " To be reacted to as a grown-up, avoid this pattern.

(See also "goes.")

Some stodgy conservatives still object to the use of "like" to mean
"as," "as though" or "as if." Examples: "Treat other people like you
want them to treat you" (they prefer: "as you would want them to treat
you"). "She treats her dog like a baby" (they prefer "she treats her dog
as if it were a baby"). In expressions where the verb is implied rather
than expressed, "like" is standard rather than "as": "she took to
gymnastics like a duck to water."

In informal contexts, "like" often sounds more natural than "as if,"
especially with verbs involving perception, like "look," "feel,"
"sound," "seem," or "taste": "It looks like it's getting ready to rain"
or "It feels like spring." In expressions where the verb is implied
rather than expressed, "like" is standard rather than "as": "she took to
gymnastics like a duck to water."

So nervous do some people get about "like" that they try to avoid it
even in its core meaning of "such as": "ice cream flavors like vanilla
and strawberry always sell well" (they prefer "such as vanilla . . .").
The most fanatical even avoid "like" where it is definitely standard, in
such phrases as "behaved like a slob" ("behaved as a slob" is their odd
preference).

Like you care.
"as": "she took to gymnastics like a duck to water."

LIP-SING/LIP-SYNCH

When you pretend you are singing by synchronizing your lip movements to
a recording, you lip-synch--the vocal equivalent of playing "air
guitar." Some people mistakenly think the expression is "lip-sing," and
they often omit the required hyphen as well. Note that you can lip-synch
to speech as well singing.

LIQUOR

Although it may be pronounced "likker," you shouldn't spell it that way,
and it's important to remember to include the "U" when writing the word.

LISTSERV

"LISTSERV" is the brand name of one kind of electronic mail-handling
software for distributing messages to a list of subscribers. Other
common brand names are "Majordomo" and "Listproc". You can subscribe to
the poodle-fluffing list, but not the LISTSERV. People at my university,
where only Listproc is used, often (and erroneously) refer to themselves
as managers of "listservs." English teachers are frequently tripped up
when typing "listserv" as part of a computer command; they naturally
want to append an E on the end of the word. According to L-Soft, the
manufacturer of LISTSERV, the name of their software should always be
capitalized. See their Web site for the details:
http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8d/user/user.html#1.1

"LITE" SPELLING

Attempts to "reform" English spelling to render it more phonetic have
mostly been doomed to failure--luckily for us. These proposed changes,
if widely adopted, would make old books difficult to read and obscure
etymological roots which are often a useful guide to meaning. A few,
like "lite" for "light," "nite" for "night," and "thru" for "through"
have attained a degree of popular acceptance, but none of these should
be used in formal writing. "Catalog" has become an accepted substitute
for "catalogue," but I don't like it and refuse to use it. "Analog" has
triumphed in technical contexts, but humanists are still more likely to
write "analogue."

LITERALLY

Like "incredible," "literally" has been so overused as a sort of vague
intensifier that it is in danger of losing its literal meaning. It
should be used to distinguish between a figurative and a literal meaning
of a phrase. It should not be used as a synonym for "actually" or
"really." Don't say of someone that he "literally blew up" unless he
swallowed a stick of dynamite.

LITTLE OWN/LET ALONE

When Tom writes "I don't even understand what you're saying, little own
agree with it" he is misunderstanding the standard phrase "let alone."
In the same context many people would say "never mind."

LITTLE TO NONE/LITTLE OR NONE

The expression "little or none" is meant to describe a very narrow
distinction, between hardly any and none at all: "The store's tomatoes
had little or none of the flavor I get from eating what I grow in my
garden." The mistaken variation "little to none" blunts this
expression's force by implying a range of amounts between two extremes.

LIVED

In expressions like "long-lived" pronouncing the last part to rhyme with
"dived" is more traditional, but rhyming it with "sieved" is so common
that it's now widely acceptable.

LOATH/LOATHE

"Loath" is a rather formal adjective meaning reluctant and rhymes with
"both," whereas "loathe" is a common verb meaning to dislike intensely,
and rhymes with "clothe." Kenji is loath to go to the conference at
Kilauea because he loathes volcanos.

LOGIN, LOG-IN, LOG IN

There is a strong tendency in American English to smoosh the halves of
hyphenated word and phrases together and drop the hyphen, so we commonly
see phrases such as "enter your login and password." This is a misuse of
"login" since logging in involves entering both your ID and password,
and "login" is not a proper synonym for "ID" alone, or "user name"
--commonly abbreviated to the ugly "username". Such mash-ups are
influenced by the world of computer programming, where hyphens and
spaces are avoided.

If you would prefer to use more standard English, it would be
appropriate to use "log-in" as the adjectival phrase: "Follow the
correct log-in procedure." But the verb-plus-adverb combination should
not be hyphenated: "Before viewing the picture of Britney you'll need to
log in."

"Log on" and "log-on" mean the same thing as "log in" and "log-in" but
are less common now.


LOGON/VISIT

You log on to a Web site by entering your ID and password. If you are
merely encouraging people to visit a site which has no such requirement,
it is misleading to ask them to "log on" to it. News reporters often get
this wrong by reporting how many people "logged on" to a particular site
when they mean "visited." "Visit" or just "go to" will do just fine.

LONG STORY SHORT/TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT

The traditional expression "to make (or cut) a long story short" is now
commonly abbreviated by omitting the first phrase: "Long story short, I
missed my plane." Although there's a certain appeal to the notion of
abbreviating an expression about abbreviation, the shorter form sounds
odd to people not used to it.

LOSE/LOOSE

This confusion can easily be avoided if you pronounce the word intended
aloud. If it has a voiced Z sound, then it's "lose." If it has a hissy S
sound, then it's "loose." Here are examples of correct usage: "He tends
to lose his keys." "She lets her dog run loose." Note that when "lose"
turns into "losing" it loses its "E."

LOSER/LOOSER

A person who's a failure is a loser, often a "real loser." If something
is loosened, it becomes looser. If you've written "a" before "looser"
you've made a mistake--you need "loser."

LOZENGER/LOZENGE

"Lozenger" is an archaic spelling still in use in a few American
dialects. It is occasionally mistaken for a singular form of "lozenges."
The standard spelling is "lozenge."

LUSTFUL/LUSTY

"Lusty" means "brimming with vigor and good health" or "enthusiastic."
Don't confuse it with "lustful," which means "filled with sexual
desire."