Common Errors M

MAC/Mac

Apple's Macintosh computers are usually referred to as "Macs" for short.
Windows users unfamiliar with the usual way of rendering the name often
write it as if it were an acronym, in all caps: "MAC."

But a MAC is something quite different. Every computer on a network has
a Media Access Control number; so when your IT support person asks you
for your "MAC address," don't say you don't have one just because you
use Windows. Don't ask me how to find the MAC address for your Windows
computer though; I'm a Mac user.

MACABRE

"Macabre" is a French-derived word which in its original language has
the final "ruh" sound lightly pronounced. Those who know this are likely
to scorn those who pronounce the word "muh-COB." But this latter
pronunciation is very popular and blessed by some American dictionaries,
and those who prefer it sometimes view the French-derived pronunciation
as pretentious. It's up to you whether you want to risk being
considered ignorant or snooty.

MAGIC BULLET/SILVER BULLET

In modern English there are a number of specialised uses for the phrase
"magic bullet"; but the traditional term for a quick, effective solution
to a difficult problem is "silver bullet." It is derived from the folk
belief that bullets made of silver were especially effective against
werewolves, vampires, and other supernatural monsters.

MAJORITY ARE/MAJORITY IS

"Majority" is one of those words that can be either singular or plural.
Common sense works pretty well in deciding which. If you mean the word
to describe a collection of individuals, then the word should be treated
as plural: "The majority of e-mail users are upset about the increase in
spam." If the word is used to describe a collective group, then consider
it singular: "A 90% majority is opposed to scheduling the next meeting
at 6:00 A.M." If you are uncertain which you mean, then choose whatever
form sounds best to you; it's not likely to bother many people.

MAJORLY/EXTREMELY

"Majorly," meaning "extremely" is slang and should not be used in formal
writing, or even speech if you want to impress someone. "Brad was
extremely [not 'majorly'] worried about the course final until he got
around to reading the syllabus and found out there wasn't one."

MAKE PRETEND/MAKE BELIEVE

When you pretend to do something in a game of fantasy, you make believe.

MANTLE/MANTEL

Though they stem from the same word, a "mantle" today is usually a
cloak, while the shelf over a fireplace is most often spelled "mantel."

MANUFACTURE/MANUFACTURER

When your company makes stuff, it manufactures it; but the company
itself is a manufacturer. Both in speech and writing the final R is
often omitted from the latter word.

MARITAL/MARTIAL

"Marital" refers to marriage, "martial" to war, whose ancient god was
Mars. These two are often swapped, with comical results.

MARSHALL/MARSHAL

You may write "the Field Marshal marshalled his troops," but you cannot
spell his title with a double "L." A marshal is always a marshal, never
a marshall.

MARSHMELLOW/MARSHMALLOW

Your s'mores may taste mellow, but that gooey confection you use in them
is not "marshmellow," but "marshmallow." It was originally made from the
root of a mallow plant which grew in marshes.

MASH POTATOES/MASHED POTATOES

You mash the potatoes until they become mashed potatoes.

MASS/MASSIVE

When the dumb Coneheads on Saturday Night Live talked about consuming
"mass quantities" of food they didn't know any better, but native Earth
humans should stick with "massive" unless they are trying to allude to
SNL. "Mass" is often used by young people in expressions where "many" or
even the informal "a lot of" would be more appropriate.

MASSEUSE/MASSEUR

"Masseuse" is a strictly female term; Monsieur Philippe, who gives back
rubs down at the men's gym, is a masseur. Because of the unsavory
associations that have gathered around the term "masseuse," serious
practitioners generally prefer to be called "massage therapists."

MATERIAL/MATERIEL

"Material" is a very common word, so it's not surprising that when
people encounter the French-derived spelling "materiel" in military
contexts ("supplying men and materiel"), they think it's a mistake and
"correct" it to the more familiar "material." The equipment and supplies
used by armies and other organizations are "materiel," which is never
spelled with an S on the end.

MAUVE

"Mauve" (a kind of purple) is pronounced to rhyme with "grove," not
"mawv."

MAY/MIGHT

Most of the time "might" and "may" are almost interchangeable, with
"might" suggesting a somewhat lower probability. You're more likely to
get wet if the forecaster says it may rain than if she says it might
rain; but substituting one for the other is unlikely to get you into
trouble--so long as you stay in the present tense.

But "might" is also the past tense of the auxiliary verb "may," and is
required in sentences like "Chuck might have avoided arrest for the
robbery if he hadn't given the teller his business card before asking
for the money." When speculating that events might have been other than
they were, don't substitute "may" for "might."

As an aside: if you are an old-fashioned child, you will ask, "May I go
out to play?" rather than "Can I go out to play?" Despite the prevalence
of the latter pattern, some adults still feel strongly that "may" has to
do with permission whereas "can" implies only physical ability. But then
if you have a parent like this you've had this pattern drilled into your
head long before you encountered this page.

ME EITHER/ME NEITHER

Inside a longer sentence, "me either" can be perfectly legitimate:
"whole-wheat pie crust doesn't appeal to me either." But by itself,
meaning "neither do I," in reply to previous negative statement, it has
to be "me neither": "I don't like whole-wheat pie crust." "Me neither."

MEAN/MEDIAN

To find the mean (or average) of a series of numbers, for example
1,2,3,4,5 & 6, add them all together for a total of 21; then divide by
the number of numbers (6) to give the mean (or average) of 3.5.

In contrast, when half the data of a set are above a point and half
below, that point is the median. The difference between mean and median
can be quite significant, but one often sees the terms used wrongly even
in technical contexts.

MEANTIME/MEANWHILE

Although most authorities now consider these words interchangeable, some
people still prefer to use "meanwhile" when it stands alone at the
beginning of a sentence: "Meanwhile the dog buried the baby's pacifier
in the garden." They prefer "meantime" to be used only in the expression
"in the meantime": "In the meantime, the dog chewed up my last tennis
ball."

MEDAL/METAL/MEDDLE/METTLE

A person who proves his or her mettle displays courage or stamina. The
word "mettle" is seldom used outside of this expression, so people
constantly confuse it with other similar-sounding words.

MEDIA/MEDIUM

There are several words with Latin or Greek roots whose plural forms
ending in A are constantly mistaken for singular ones. See, for
instance, "criteria" and "data." Radio is a broadcast medium. Television
is another broadcast medium. Newspapers are a print medium. Together
they are media. Following the tendency of Americans to abbreviate
phrases, with "transistor radio" becoming "transistor," (now fortunately
obsolete) and "videotape" becoming "video," "news media" and
"communications media" have been abbreviated to "media." Remember that
watercolor on paper and oil on black velvet are also media, though they
have nothing to do with the news. When you want to get a message from
your late Uncle Fred, you may consult a medium. The word means a vehicle
between some source of information and the recipient of it. The "media"
are the transmitters of the news; they are not the news itself.

MEDIEVAL AGES/MIDDLE AGES

The "eval" of "Medieval" means "age" so by saying "Medieval Ages" you
are saying "Middle Ages Ages." Medievalists also greatly resent the
common misspelling "Midevil."

MEDIOCRE

Although some dictionaries accept the meaning of this word as "medium"
or "average," in fact its connotations are almost always more negative.
When something is distinctly not as good as it could be, it is mediocre.
If you want to say that you are an average student, don't proclaim
yourself mediocre, or you'll convey a worse impression of yourself than
you intend.

MEDIUM/MEDIAN

That strip of grass separating the lanes going opposite directions in
the middle of a freeway is a median. But if you're trying to achieve a
balance between extremes, you're trying to strike a happy medium.

MEMORIUM/MEMORIAM

The correct spelling of the Latin phrase is "in memoriam."

METHODOLOGY/METHOD

A fondness for big words isn't always accompanied by the knowledge of
their proper use. Methodology is about the methods of doing something;
it is not the methods themselves. It is both pretentious and erroneous
to write "The architect is trying to determine a methodology for
reinforcing the foundation now that the hotel on top of it has begun to
sink."

MFR./MFG.

"Mfr." is the abbreviation for "manufacturer" and "mfg." is the
abbreviation for "manufacturing." Acme Mfg. Co. is a mfr. of roadrunner
traps.

MIC/MIKE

Until very recently the casual term for a microphone was "mike," not
"mic." Young people now mostly imitate the technicians who prefer the
shorter "mic" label on their soundboards, but it looks distinctly odd to
those used to the traditional term. There are no other words in English
in which "-ic" is pronounced to rhyme with "bike"--that's the reason for
the traditional "mike" spelling in the first place. Although the new
spelling has largely triumphed in casual usage, editors may ask you to
use the older spelling in publication.

MIDRIFT/MIDRIFF

"Midriff" derives from "mid-" and a very old word for the belly.
Fashions which bare the belly expose the midriff. People think of the
gap being created by scanty tops and bottoms as a rift, and mistakenly
call it a "midrift" instead. In earlier centuries, before belly-baring
was in, the midriff was also the piece of cloth which covered the area.

MIGHT COULD/MIGHT, COULD

In some American dialects it is common to say things like "I might could
pick up some pizza on the way to the party." In standard English,
"might" or "could" are used by themselves, not together.

MIGHT OUGHT/MIGHT, OUGHT

In some dialects it's common to say things like "you might ought to
[pronounced oughta] turn off the engine before changing the spark
plugs." If you want to sound educated, you might want to avoid this
combination. If you want to sound sophisticated you definitely ought to.

MIGHT HAS WELL/MIGHT AS WELL

You might as well get this one right: the expression is not "might has
well" but "might as well."

MILITATE/MITIGATE

These are not very common words, but people who use them--especially
lawyers--tend to mix them up. "Militate" is usually followed by
"against" in a phrase that means "works against": "His enthusiasm for
spectacular collisions militates against his becoming a really effective
air traffic controller."

"Mitigate" means almost the opposite: to make easier, to moderate. "His
pain at leaving was mitigated by her passionate kiss." It should not be
followed by "against."

MIND OF INFORMATION/MINE OF INFORMATION

A book, a person, or any other source stuffed with gems of useful
knowledge is a mine of information, a metaphorical treasure trove of
learning. The information involved may or may not be in someone's mind.


MINER/MINOR

Children are minors, but unless they are violating child-labor laws,
those who work in mines are miners.


MINORITY

In the US the term "minority" frequently refers to racial minorities,
and is used not only for groups, but also for individuals. But many authorities
object to calling a single person a minority, as in "We hired a minority
for the job." Even phrases like "women and minorities" bother some
people. They think it should be "members of minorities."

MINUS/HYPHEN

When baffled computer users phone Support they may say they have a Model
AB "minus" 231. In the model name "AB-231" the linking character is a
hyphen, though "dash" will do. "Minus" makes no sense in such contexts,
but is so common that support personnel have begun to adopt it too.

MINUS WELL/MIGHT AS WELL

When you see the way some people misspell common phrases you sometimes
feel you might as well give up. It's simply amazing how many people
think the standard phrase "might as well" is "minus well."

MISCHIEVIOUS/MISCHIEVOUS

The correct pronunciation of this word is "MISS-chuh-vuss," not
"miss-CHEE-vee-uss." Don't let that mischievous extra "I" sneak into the
word.

MISNOMER

A misnomer is mistake in naming a thing; calling a debit card a "credit
card" is a misnomer. Do not use the term more generally to designate
other sorts of confusion, misunderstood concepts, or fallacies, and
above all do not render this word as "misnamer."

MISPLACED STRESS

"We WILL be descending shortly INTO Denver," says the flight attendant,
sounding very weird. People who have to repeat announcements by
rote--including radio station-break announcers and others--often try to
avoid sounding like monotonous robots by raising and lowering the pitch
of their voices at random and stressing words not normally stressed:
mostly prepositions and auxiliary verbs. One has to sympathize; imagine
having to repeatedly lecture a plane full of people on seat-belt use when
you know for a fact the only adults on board likely not to know already
how to fasten a buckle are too demented to understand what you're
saying. But the absurd sing-song into which many of these folks fall is
both distracting and irritating, making them sound like malfunctioning
robots. Those who speak in natural voices, stressing main nouns, verbs,
and adjectives where it makes sense, are much easier to listen to.

MIXED-UP MEDIA

Mixed media can be great; mixed-up media not so much.

Books are published, movies and musical recordings released, and plays
and TV shows premiered.

Movies are shown, plays staged, and TV shows broadcast.

Technically recordings get deleted (from catalogs) or withdrawn rather
than going out of print like books (which may also be remaindered: sold
at discount, or worse--pulped). However, there is a strong tendency to
use "out of print" for all kinds of media: CDs, DVDs, etc. Movies and
stage shows close or end their runs, but only stage shows fold.

MONEY IS NO OPTION/MONEY IS NO OBJECT

The expression "money is no object" means that cost is no obstacle:
you're willing to pay whatever is required to get what you want.

People who don't understand this unusual meaning of "object" often
substitute "option," saying "money is no option," which makes no sense
at all.

MONO E MONO/MANO A MANO

"Mono e mono" is an error caused by mishearing the Spanish expression
"mano a mano" which means not "man-to-man" but "hand-to-hand," as in
hand-to-hand combat: one on one.

MORAL/MORALE

If you are trying to make people behave properly, you are policing their
morals; if you are just trying to keep their spirits up, you are trying
to maintain their morale. "Moral" is accented on the first syllable,
"morale" on the second.

MORAYS/MORES

The customs of a people are its mores. These may include its morals
(ethics), but the word "mores" is not synonymous with "morals." Some
eels are morays, but they aren't known particularly for their social
customs, though both words are pronounced the same.

MORE IMPORTANTLY/MORE IMPORTANT

When speakers are trying to impress audiences with their rhetoric, they
often seem to feel that the extra syllable in "importantly" lends weight
to their remarks: "and more importantly, I have an abiding love for the
American people." However, these pompous speakers are wrong. It is
rarely correct to use this form of the phrase because it is seldom
adverbial in intention. Say "more important" instead. The same applies
to "most importantly"; it should be "most important."

MORESO/MORE SO

"More so" should always be spelled as two distinct words. It is also
overused and misused. Wherever possible, stick with plain "more."

MOST ALWAYS/ALMOST ALWAYS

"Most always" is a casual, slangy way of saying "almost always." The
latter expression is better in writing. The same is true of "most
every," "most all" and related expressions where the standard first word
is "almost."

MOTHERLOAD/MOTHER LODE

Although you may dig a load of ore out of a mother lode, the spelling
"motherload" is a mistake which is probably influenced by people
thinking it means something like "the mother of all loads." A "lode" was
originally a stream of water, but by analogy it became a vein of metal
ore. Miners of precious metals dream of finding a really rich vein,
which they refer to as a "mother lode," most often spelled as two words,
though you also commonly see it spelled as one.

MOTION/MOVE

When you make a motion in a meeting, say simply "I move," as in "I move
to adjourn"; and if you're taking the minutes, write "Barbara moved,"
not "Barbara motioned" (unless Barbara was making wild arm-waving
gestures to summon the servers to bring in the lunch). Instead of "I
want to make a motion . . ." it's simpler and more direct to say "I want
to move. . . ."

MUCH DIFFERENTLY/VERY DIFFERENTLY

Say "We consistently vote very differently," not "much differently." But
you can say "My opinion doesn't much differ from yours."

MUCUS/MUCOUS

Mucous membranes secrete mucus. "Mucus" is the noun and "mucous" is the
adjective. It's not only snotty biologists who insist on distinguishing
between these two words.

MUMBLE JUMBO, MUMBO JUMBLE/MUMBO JUMBO, MUMBLE JUMBLE

The original and by far the most common form of this expression
referring to superstitions or needlessly complex and obscure language is
Òmumbo jumbo.Ó ÒMumble jumbleÓ is far less common, but still accepted by
the "Oxford English Dictionary" as a variant.

But the hybrid forms Òmumble jumboÓ and Òmumbo jumbleÓ are just mistakes.

MUSIC/SINGING

After my wife--an accomplished soprano--reported indignantly that a
friend of hers had stated that her church had "no music, only singing,"
I began to notice the same tendency among my students to equate music
strictly with instrumental music. I was told by one that "the singing
interfered with the music" (i.e., the accompaniment). In the classical
realm most listeners seem to prefer instrumental to vocal performances,
which is odd given the distinct unpopularity of strictly instrumental
popular music. People rejoice at the sound of choral works at Christmas
but seldom seek them out at other times of the year. Serious music
lovers rightly object to the linguistic sloppiness that denies the label
"music" to works by such composers as Palestrina, Schubert, and Verdi.
From the Middle Ages to the late eighteenth century, vocal music reigned
supreme, and instrumentalists strove to achieve the prized compliment of
"sounding like the human voice." The dominance of orchestral works is a
comparatively recent phenomenon.

In contrast, my students often call instrumental works "songs," being
unfamiliar with the terms "composition" and "piece." All singing is
music, but not all music is singing.


MUST OF/MUST HAVE

"Must of" is an error for "must have."

See "could of/should of/would of."

MUTE POINT/MOOT POINT

"Moot" is a very old word related to "meeting," specifically a meeting
where serious matters are discussed. Oddly enough, a moot point can be a
point worth discussing at a meeting (or in court)--an unresolved
question--or it can be the opposite: a point already settled and not
worth discussing further. At any rate, "mute point" is simply wrong, as
is the less common "mood point."

MYRIAD OF/MYRIAD

Some traditionalists object to the word "of" after "myriad" or an "a"
before, though both are fairly common in formal writing. The word is
originally Greek, meaning 10,000, but now usually means "a great many."
Its main function is as a noun, and the adjective derived from it shows
its origins by being reluctant to behave like other nouns expressing
amount, like "ton" as in "I've got a ton of work to do." In contrast: "I
have myriad tasks to complete at work."