Common Errors P

PAGE/SITE

In the early days of the Internet, it became customary to refer to Web
sites as "pages" though they might in fact consist of many different
pages. The Jane Austen Page, for instance, incorporates entire books,
and is organized into a very large number of distinct Web pages. This
nomenclature is illogical, but too well established to be called
erroneous. However, it is not wise to write someone who has created a
large and complex site and call it a "page." Not everyone appreciates
having their work diminished in this way.

PAIR (NUMBER)

"This is a left-handed pair of scissors." "There is a pair of glasses on
the mantelpiece." "Pair" is singular in this sort of expression. Note
that we say "that is a nice pair of pants" even though we also say
"those are nice pants."

PALATE/PALETTE/PALLET

Your "palate" is the roof of your mouth, and by extension, your sense of
taste. A "palette" is the flat board an artist mixes paint on (or by
extension, a range of colors). A "pallet" is either a bed (now rare) or
a flat platform onto which goods are loaded.

PARALLEL/SYMBOL

Beginning literature students often write sentences like this: "He uses
the rose as a parallel for her beauty" when they mean "a symbol of her
beauty." If you are taking a literature class, it's good to master the
distinctions between several related terms relating to symbolism. An
eagle clutching a bundle of arrows and an olive branch is a symbol of
the US government in war and peace.

Students often misuse the word "analogy" in the same way. An analogy has
to be specifically spelled out by the writer, not simply referred to:
"My mother's attempts to find her keys in the morning were like early
expeditions to the South Pole: prolonged and mostly futile."

A metaphor is a kind of symbolism common in literature. When Shakespeare
writes "That time of year thou mayst in me behold/When yellow leaves, or
none, or few, do hang/Upon those boughs which shake against the cold" he
is comparing his aging self to a tree in late autumn, perhaps even
specifically suggesting that he is going bald by referring to the tree
shedding its leaves. This autumnal tree is a metaphor for the human
aging process.

A simile resembles a metaphor except that "like" or "as" or something
similar is used to make the comparison explicitly. Byron admires a
dark-haired woman by saying of her "She walks in beauty, like the
night/Of cloudless climes and starry skies." Her darkness is said to be
like that of the night.

An allegory is a symbolic narrative in which characters may stand for
abstract ideas, and the story convey a philosophy. Allegories are no
longer popular, but the most commonly read one in school is Dante's
"Divine Comedy" in which the poet Virgil is a symbol for human wisdom,
Dante's beloved Beatrice is a symbol of divine grace, and the whole poem
tries to teach the reader how to avoid damnation. Aslan in C. S. Lewis'
Narnia tales is an allegorical figure meant to symbolize Christ: dying
to save others and rising again ("aslan" is Turkish for "lion").

PARALLELLED/PARALLELED

The spelling of the past tense of "parallel" is "paralleled."

PARALLELISM IN A SERIES

Phrases in a series separated by commas or conjunctions must all have
the same grammatical form. "They loved mountain-climbing, to gather
wild mushrooms, and first aid practice" should be corrected to something
like this: "They loved to climb mountains, gather wild mushrooms, and
practice first aid" (all three verbs are dependent on that initial
"to"). Fear of being repetitious often leads writers into awkward
inconsistencies when creating such series.

PARALYZATION/PARALYSIS

Some people derive the noun "paralyzation" from the verb "paralyze," but
the proper term is "paralysis."

PARAMETERS/PERIMETERS

When parameters were spoken of only by mathematicians and scientists,
the term caused few problems; but now that it has become widely adopted
by other speakers, it is constantly confused with "perimeters." A
parameter is most commonly a mathematical constant, a set of physical
properties, or a characteristic of something. But the perimeter of
something is its boundary. The two words shade into each other because
we often speak of factors of an issue or problem being parameters,
simultaneously thinking of them as limits; but this is to confuse two
distinct, if related ideas. A safe rule is to avoid using "parameters"
altogether unless you are confident you know what it means.

PARAMOUNT/TANTAMOUNT

"Paramount" means "best," "top." Think of Paramount Pictures' trademark
of a majestic mountain peak encircled with stars.

"Tantamount" means "equivalent."

"The committee's paramount concern is to get at the truth; your
continued insistence that you don't remember any of the meetings you
attended is tantamount to a confession of incompetence."

PARANOID

The most common meaning of "paranoid" has to do with irrational fears of
persecution, especially the unjustified fear that people are plotting
against you. More generally it is applied to irrational fears of other
kinds; but it is often misused of rational fears, as in "I know my Mom
has been reading my blog, so I'm paranoid that she's found out what
Jason and I did last Saturday night." That's not paranoia, but fully
justifiable fear. It also doesn't make sense to use "paranoid" about
mild worries and fears. When you say you are paranoid, you should be
conveying your own irrationality, not the risks you feel you are
running.

PARENTHESES

The most common error in using parenthesis marks (besides using them too
much) is to forget to enclose the parenthetical material with a final,
closing parenthesis mark. The second most common is to place concluding
punctuation incorrectly. The simplest sort of example is one in which
the entire sentence is enclosed in parentheses. (Most people understand
that the final punctuation must remain inside the closing parenthesis
mark, like this.) More troublesome are sentences in which only a clause
or phrase is enclosed in parentheses. Normally a sentence's final
punctuation mark--whether period, exclamation point, or question
mark--goes outside such a parenthesis (like this). However, if the
material inside the parenthesis requires a concluding punctuation mark
like an exclamation point or question mark (but not a period!), that
mark is placed inside the closing mark even though another mark is
outside it. This latter sort of thing is awkward, however, and best
avoided if you can help it.

For some reason, many writers have begun to omit the space before a
parenthetic page citation, like this:(p. 17). Always preserve the space,
like this: (p. 17).

PARLIMENT/PARLIAMENT

Americans unfamiliar with parliamentary systems often mistakenly leave
the second "A" out of "parliament" and "parliamentary."

PARTAKE/PARTICIPATE

"Partake" looks like it might mean "take part," and that's how many
people mistakenly use it where they should say "participate." The main
modern meaning of "partake" is "consume," especially in relation to
food. One can partake of the refreshments at a party, but one can also
partake of Twinkies at home alone, without any thought of sharing.

So don't ask people to "partake" in a planning process when you mean to
ask them to participate.

PASSED/PAST

If you are referring to a period of time before now or a distance, use
"past": "the team performed well in the past," "the police car drove
past the suspect's house." If you are referring to the action of
passing, however, you need to use "passed": "when John passed the gravy,
he spilled it on his lap," "the teacher was astonished that none of the
students had passed the test." Remember that no matter however you have
"passed the time" you have never "past the time," not even in the
distant past.



PASSIVE VOICE

There are legitimate uses for the passive voice: "this absurd regulation
was of course written by a committee." But it's true that you can make
your prose more lively and readable by using the active voice much more
often. "The victim was attacked by three men in ski masks" isn't nearly
as striking as "three men in ski masks attacked the victim." The passive
voice is often used to avoid taking responsibility for an action: "my
term paper was accidentally deleted" avoids stating the truth: "I
accidentally deleted my term paper." Over-use of passive constructions
is irritating, though not necessarily erroneous. But it does lead to
real clumsiness when passive constructions get piled on top of each
other: "no exception in the no-pets rule was sought to be created so
that angora rabbits could be raised in the apartment" can be made
clearer by shifting to the active voice: "the landlord refused to make
an exception to the no-pets rule to allow Eliza to raise angora rabbits
in the apartment."

PAST TIME/PASTIME

An agreeable activity like knitting with which you pass the time is your
pastime. Spell it as one word, with one "S" and one "T."

PASTORIAL/PASTORAL

Whether you are referring to poetry or art about the countryside or the
duties of a pastor, the word you want is "pastoral." "Pastorial" is a
common misspelling.

PATIENCE/PATIENTS

Doctors have patients, but while you're waiting to see them you have to
have patience.

PAUSE FOR CONCERN/CAUSE FOR CONCERN, PAUSE

Something worrisome can give you pause, or cause for concern. But some
people confuse these two expressions and say they have "pause for
concern."

PAWN OFF/PALM OFF

Somebody defrauds you by using sleight of hand (literal or figurative)
to "palm" the object you wanted and give you something inferior instead.
The expression is not "to pawn off," but "to palm off."

PAYED/PAID

If you paid attention in school, you know that the past tense of "pay"
is "paid" except in the special sense that has to do with ropes: "He
payed out the line to the smuggler in the rowboat."

PEACE/PIECE

it's hard to believe many people really confuse the meaning of these
words; but the spellings are frequently swapped, probably out of sheer
carelessness. "Piece" has the word "pie" buried in it, which should
remind you of the familiar phrase, "a piece of pie." You can meditate to
find peace of mind, or you can get angry and give someone a piece of
your mind. Classical scholars will note that "pax" is the Latin word for
peace, suggesting the need for an "A" in the latter word.

PEAK/PEEK/PIQUE

It is tempting to think that your attention might be aroused to a high
point by "peaking" your curiosity; but in fact, "pique" is a French word
meaning "prick," in the sense of "stimulate." The expression has nothing
to do with "peek," either. Therefore the expression is "my curiosity was
piqued."

PEAL OUT/PEEL OUT

Bells and thunderclaps peal out; but if your car "lays down rubber" in a
squealing departure, the expression is "peel out" because you are
literally peeling a layer of rubber off your tires.

PEASANT/PHEASANT

When I visited the former Soviet Union I was astonished to learn that
farmworkers were still called "peasants" there. In English-speaking
countries we tend to think of the term as belonging strictly to the
feudal era. However you use it, don't confuse it with "pheasant," a
favorite game bird. Use the sound of the beginning consonants to remind
you of the difference: pheasants are food, peasants are people.

PEDAL/PEDDLE

If you are delivering newspapers from a bike you can pedal it around the
neighborhood (perhaps wearing "pedal-pushers"), but when you sell them
from a newsstand you peddle them.

PEDAL TO THE MEDAL/PEDAL TO THE METAL

When you depress the accelerator all the way so that it presses against
the metal of the floorboards you put the pedal to the metal. You get no
medals for speeding.

PEN/PIN

In the dialect of many Texans and some of their neighbors "pen" is
pronounced almost exactly like "pin." When speaking to an audience
outside this zone, it's worth learning to make the distinction to avoid
confusion.

PENULTIMATE/NEXT TO LAST

To confuse your readers, use the term "penultimate," which means "next
to last," but which most people assume means "the very last." And if you
really want to baffle them, use "antepenultimate" to mean "third from
the end."

Many people also mistakenly use "penultimate" when they mean
"quintessential" or "archetypical."

PEOPLES

In the Middle Ages "peoples" was not an uncommon word, but later writers
grew wary of it because "people" has a collective, plural meaning which
seemed to make "peoples" superfluous. It lived on in the sense of
"nations" ("the peoples of the world") and from this social scientists
(anthropologists in particular) derived the extended meaning "ethnic
groups" ("the peoples of the upper Amazon Basin"). However, in ordinary
usage "people" is usually understood to be plural, so much so that in
the bad old days when dialect humor was popular having a speaker refer
to "you peoples" indicated illiteracy. If you are not referring to
national or ethnic groups, it is better to avoid "peoples" and use
"people."

See also "behaviors."

PER/ACCORDING TO

Using "per" to mean "according to" as in "ship the widgets as per the
instructions of the customer" is rather old-fashioned business jargon,
and is not welcome in other contexts. "Per" is fine when used in phrases
involving figures like "miles per gallon."

PERCENT/PER CENT

In the US the two-word spelling "per cent" is considered rather
old-fashioned and is rarely used; but in the UK and countries
influenced by it, the two-word form is still standard, though use of
"percent" is spreading fast even there.

PERCENT DECREASE

When something has been reduced by one hundred percent, it's all gone
(or if the reduction was in its price, it's free). You can't properly
speak of reducing anything by more than a hundred percent (unless it's a
deficit or debt, in which case you wind up with a surplus).

PERCIPITATION/PRECIPITATION

Rain, snow, hail, etc. are all forms of precipitation. This word is
often misspelled and mispronounced as "percipitation."

PERNICKETY/PERSNICKETY

The original Scottish dialect form was "pernickety," but Americans
changed it to "persnickety" a century ago. "Pernickety" is generally
unknown in the US though it's still in wide use across the Atlantic.

PEROGATIVE/PREROGATIVE

"Prerogative" is frequently both mispronounced and misspelled as
"perogative." It may help to remember that the word is associated with
PRivileges of PRecedence.

PERPETUATE/PERPETRATE

"Perpetrate" is something criminals do (criminals are sometimes called
"perps" in cop slang). When you seek to continue something you are
trying to perpetuate it.

PERSE/PER SE

This legal term meaning "in, of, or by itself") is a bit pretentious,
but you gain little respect if you misspell per se as a single word.
Worse is the mistaken "per say."

PERSONAL/PERSONNEL

Employees are personnel, but private individuals considered separately
from their jobs have personal lives.

PERSPECTIVE/PROSPECTIVE

"Perspective" has to do with sight, as in painting, and is usually a
noun. "Prospective" generally has to do with the future (compare with
"What are your prospects, young man?") and is usually an adjective. But
beware: there is also a rather old-fashioned but fairly common meaning
of the word "prospect" that has to do with sight: "as he climbed the
mountain, a vast prospect opened up before him."

PERSECUTE/PROSECUTE

When you persecute someone, you're treating them badly, whether they
deserve it or not; but only legal officers can prosecute someone for a
crime.

PERSONALITY

In show business personalities are people famous for being famous
(mostly popular actors and singers); people with more substantial
accomplishments like distinguished heads of state and Nobel Prize
winners should not be referred to as "personalities" even when they
appear on the Tonight Show.

PERUSE

This word, which means "examine thoroughly" is often misused to mean
"glance over hastily." Although some dictionaries accept the latter
meaning, it is not traditional.

When it is used to mean "look through" it is not standard to add
"through" to "peruse." It's not "peruse through the records" but "peruse
the records."

PERVERSE/PERVERTED

The sex-related meanings of words tend to drive out all other meanings.
Most people think of both "perverse" and "perverted" only in contexts
having to do with desire; but "perverse" properly has the function of
signifying "stubborn," "wrong-headed." Nothing erotic is suggested by
this sort of thing: "Josh perversely insisted on carving wooden
replacement parts for his 1958 Ford's engine." It's better to use
"perverted" in relation to abnormal sexual desires; but this word also
has non-sexual functions, as in "The bake-sale was perverted by Gladys
into a fundraiser for her poker habit."

People sometimes mispronounce "pervert" as "PREE-vert."

PHANTOM/FATHOM

Brianna exclaims confusedly, "I can't phantom why he thought I'd want a
coupon for an oil change for Valentine's Day!" A phantom is a ghost, but
a fathom is a nautical measure of depth. When you can't understand
something--being unable to get to the bottom of it--you should say "I
can't fathom it." "Phantom" is not a verb.

PHENOMENA/PHENOMENON

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 "media" and "data." it's "this phenomenon," but
"these phenomena."

PHILIPPINES/FILIPINOS

The people of the Philippines are called "Filipinos." Don't switch the
initial letters of these two words.

PHYSICAL/FISCAL

In budget matters, it's the fiscal year, relating to finances with an
"F."

PICARESQUE/PICTURESQUE

"Picaresque" is a technical literary term you are unlikely to have a use
for. It labels a sort of literature involving a picaro (Spanish), a
lovable rogue who roams the land having colorful adventures. A landscape
that looks as lovely as a picture is picturesque.

PICKUP/PICK UP

The noun is spelled "pickup" as in "drive your pickup" or "that coffee
gave me a pickup," or "we didn't have a real date; it was just a
pickup." If it's a thing, use the single-word form. But if it's an
action (verb-plus-adverb phrase) then spell it as two words: "pick up
your dirty underwear."

There's also the adjectival form, which has to be hyphenated: "Jeremy
tried out one of his corny pick-up lines on me at the bar." According to
this rule, it should be a "pick-up game" but you're unlikely to get into
trouble for writing "pickup game."

PICTURE

The pronunciation of "picture" as if it were "pitcher" is common in some
dialects, but not standard. The first syllable should sound like "pick."

PIN number/PIN

Those who object to "PIN number" on the grounds that the N in "PIN"
stands for "number" in the phrase "personal identification number" are
quite right, but it may be difficult to get people to say anything else.
"PIN" was invented to meet the objection that a "password" consisting of
nothing but numbers is not a word. Pronouncing each letter of the
acronym as "P-I-N" blunts its efficiency. Saying just "PIN" reminds us
of another common English word, though few people are likely to think
when they are told to "enter PIN" that they should shove a steel pin
into the terminal they are operating. In writing, anyway, PIN is
unambiguous and should be used without the redundant "number."

The same goes for "VIN number"; "VIN" stands for "Vehicle Identification
Number." And "UPC code" is redundant because "UPC" stands for "Universal
Product Code."

PINNED UP/PENT UP

If you wear your heart on your sleeve I suppose you might be said to
have "pinned up" emotions; but the phrase you want when you are
suppressing your feelings is "pent-up emotions." Similarly, it's pent-up
demand." "Pent" is a rare word; but don't replace it with "penned" in
such phrases either.

PIT IN MY STOMACH/IN THE PIT OF MY STOMACH

Just as you can love someone from the bottom of your heart, you can also
experience a sensation of dread in the pit (bottom) of your stomach. I
don't know whether people who mangle this common expression into "pit in
my stomach" envision an ulcer, an irritating peach pit they've swallowed
or are thinking of the pyloric sphincter; but they've got it wrong.

PITH AND VINEGAR/PISS AND VINEGAR

To say that people are "full of piss and vinegar" is to say that they
are brimming with energy. Although many speakers assume the phrase must
have a negative connotation, this expression is more often used as a
compliment, "vinegar" being an old slang term for enthusiastic energy.

Some try to make this expression more polite by substituting "pith" for
"piss," but this change robs it of the imagery of acrid, energetically
boiling fluids and conjures up instead a sodden, vinegar-soaked mass of
pith. Many people who use the "polite" version are unaware of the
original.

PLAIN/PLANE

Both of these words have to do with flatness. A flat prairie is a plain,
and you use a plane to smooth flat a piece of wood.

"Plain" is also an adjective which can describe things that are
ordinary, simple, or unattractive.

But whether you go the airport to catch a plane or meditate to achieve a
higher plane of consciousness, the meanings that have to do with things
high up are spelled "plane."

PLAYS A FACTOR/PLAYS A ROLE

Some people say that an influential force "plays a factor" in a decision
or change. They are mixing up two different expressions: "is a factor"
and "plays a role."

PLAYWRITE/PLAYWRIGHT

It might seem as if a person who writes plays should be called a
"playwrite"; but in fact a playwright is a person who has wrought words
into a dramatic form, just as a wheelwright has wrought wheels out of
wood and iron. All the other words ending in "-wright" are archaic, or
we'd be constantly reminded of the correct pattern.

PLEAD INNOCENT

Lawyers frown on the phrase "plead innocent" (it's "plead guilty" or
"plead not guilty"); but outside of legal contexts the phrase is
standard English.

PLEASE RSVP/ PLEASE REPLY

RSVP stands for the French phrase "Repondez s'il vous plait" ("reply,
please"), so it doesn't need an added "please." However, since few
people seem to know its literal meaning, and fewer still take it
seriously, it's best to use plain English: "Please reply." It is a
mistake to think that this phrase invites people to respond only if they
are planning to attend; it is at least as important to notify the person
doing the inviting if you cannot go. And no, you can't bring along the
kids or other uninvited guests.

PLUG-IN/OUTLET

That thing on the end of an electrical cord is a plug, which goes into
the socket of the wall outlet.

PLUS/ADD

Some people continue a pattern picked up in childhood of using "plus" as
a verb to mean "add," as in "You plus the 3 and the 4 and you get 7."
"Plus" is not a verb; use "add" instead.

PODIUM/LECTERN

Strictly speaking, a podium is a raised platform on which you stand to
give a speech; the piece of furniture on which you place your notes and
behind which you stand is a lectern.

POINT BEING IS THAT

"The point being is that" is redundant; say just "the point is that" or
"the point being that."

POINT IN TIME

This redundancy became popular because it was used by astronauts seeking
to distinguish precisely between a point in time and a point in space.
Since most people use the expression in contexts where there is no
ambiguity, it makes more sense to say simply "at this point" or "at this
time."

POINT OF YOU/POINT OF VIEW

Your viewpoint on a subject is your "point of view," not your " point of
you." "Your" and "of you" mean the same thing, and combining the two
makes little sense; but the expression really gets weird when it turns
into "my point of you," "her point of you," "their point of you," etc.

POISONOUS/VENOMOUS

Snakes and insects that inject poisonous venom into their victims are
venomous, but a snake or tarantula is not itself poisonous because if
you eat one it won't poison you. A blowfish will kill you if you eat it,
so it is poisonous; but it is not venomous.


POINSETTA/POINSETTIA

Those showy plants that appear in the stores around Christmas are
"poinsettias," named after American diplomat John R. Poinsett who
introduced them into the US from Mexico. The Latin ending "-ia" is
seldom pronounced as spelled, but that's no justification for
misspelling the word as "poinsetta."

POLE/POLL

A pole is a long stick. You could take a "poll" (survey or ballot) to
determine whether voters want lower taxes or better education.

POMPOM/POMPON

To most people that fuzzy ball on the top of a knit hat and the
implement wielded by a cheerleader are both "pompoms," but to
traditionalists they are "pompons," spelled the way the French--who gave
us the word--spell it. A pompom, say these purists, is only a sort of
large gun. Though you're unlikely to bother many people by falling into
the common confusion, you can show off your education by observing the
distinction.

POO-POO/POOH-POOH/PUPU

The toddler with a soggy diaper proudly announces "I go poo-poo"!

The skeptic is inclined to pooh-pooh outlandish ideas. Don't mix up
matter for skepticism with material for the septic system.

A selection of snacks served on a wooden platter in a Chinese restaurant
is called a "pupu platter"--a custom and word that made its way to the
US mainland from Hawaii.

POPULACE/POPULOUS

The population of a country may be referred to as its populace, but a
crowded country is populous.

PORE/POUR

When used as a verb, "pore" has the unusual sense of "scrutinize," as in
"She pored over her receipts." If it's coffee or rain, the stuff pours.

POSSESSED OF/POSSESSED BY/POSSESSED WITH

If you own a yacht, you're possessed of it. If a demon takes over your
body, you're possessed by it. If that which possesses you is more
metaphorical, like an executive determined to get ahead, he or she can
be possessed by or with the desire to win.

PRACTICE/PRACTISE

In the United Kingdom, "practice" is the noun, "practise" the verb; but
in the US the spelling "practice" is commonly used for both, though
the distinction is sometimes observed. "Practise" as a noun is, however,
always wrong in both places: a doctor always has a "practice," never a
"practise."

PRACTICLE/PRACTICAL

Some words end in "-icle" and others in "-ical" without the result being
any difference in pronunciation. But when you want somebody really
practical, call on good old AL.

PRAY/PREY

If you want a miracle, pray to God. If you're a criminal, you prey on
your victims. Incidentally, it's "praying mantis," not "preying mantis."
The insect holds its forefeet in a position suggesting prayer.

PRECEDE/PROCEED

"Precede" means "to go before." "Proceed" means to go on. Let your
companion precede you through the door, then proceed to follow her.
Interestingly, the second E is missing in "procedure."

PRECEDENCE/PRECEDENTS

Although these words sound the same, they work differently. The pop star
is given precedence over the factory worker at the entrance to the dance
club. "Precedents" is just the plural of "precedent": "If we let the
kids adopt that rattlesnake as a pet and agree to let them take it for a
walk in Death Valley, we'll be setting some bad precedents."

PRECIPITATE/PRECIPITOUS

Both of these adjectives are based on the image of plunging over the
brink of a precipice, but "precipitate" emphasizes the suddenness of the
plunge, "precipitous," the steepness of it. If you make a "precipitate"
decision, you are making a hasty and probably unwise one. If the stock
market declines "precipitously," it goes down sharply.

PRECURSE/FORETELL, FORESHADOW, PREFACE, ANTICIPATE, PRECEDE

Tempted to "precurse" that guy who looks like he might be going to cut
into the lane ahead of you? Until recently "precurse" as a verb was a
rare archaic word, but lately people have been using it to mean "be a
precursor to." Use a more ordinary and precise word like "foretell,"
"foreshadow," "preface," "anticipate," or "precede."

PREDOMINATE/PREDOMINANT

"Predominate" is a verb: "In the royal throne room, the color red
predominates." "Predominant" is an adjective: "The predominant view
among the touts is that Fancy Dancer is the best bet in the third race."

PREDOMINATELY/PREDOMINANTLY

"Predominantly" is formed on the adjective "predominant," not the verb
"predominate"; so though both forms are widely accepted, "predominantly"
makes more sense.

PREEMPTORY/PEREMPTORY

"Peremptory" (meaning "imperative") is often misspelled and
mispronounced "preemptory" through confusion caused by the influence of
the verb "preempt," whose adjectival form is actually "preemptive."

PREFERABLY

Although some US dictionaries now recognize the pronunciation of
"preferably" with the first two syllables pronounced just like
"prefer"--first "E" long and the stress on the second syllable--the
standard pronunciation is "PREFFerublee," with the first syllable
stressed, just like in "preference." The alternative pronunciation
sounds awkward to some people.

PREJUDICE/PREJUDICED

People not only misspell "prejudice" in a number of ways, they sometimes
say "he's prejudice" when they mean "he's prejudiced."

See also "bias/biased."

PRE-MADONNA/PRIMA DONNA

The leading soprano in an opera is the "prima donna" (Italian for
"leading lady"). As an insult, "prima donna" implies that the person
under discussion is egotistical, demanding, and doesn't work well as
part of a team.

Don't write "pre-Madonna" unless you intend to discuss the era before
the singer Madonna became popular.

PREMIER/PREMIERE

These words are, respectively, the masculine and feminine forms of the
word for "first" in French; but they have become differentiated in
English. Only the masculine form is used as an adjective, as in
"Tidy-Pool is the premier pool-cleaning firm in Orange County." The
confusion arises when these words are used as nouns. The prime minister
of a parliamentary government is known as a "premier." The opening night
of a film or play is its "premiere."

"Premiere" as a verb is common in the arts and in show business ("the
show premiered on PBS"), but it is less acceptable in other contexts
("the state government premiered its new welfare system"). Use
"introduced," or, if real innovation is involved, "pioneered."

PREMISE/PREMISES

Some people suppose that since "premises" has a plural form, a single
house or other piece of property must be a "premise," but that word is
reserved for use as a term in logic meaning something assumed or taken
as given in making an argument. Your lowly one-room shack is still your
premises.

PREPONE

South Asian speakers have evolved the logical word "prepone" to mean the
opposite of "postpone": to move forward in time. It's a handy word, but
users of it should be aware that those unfamiliar with their dialect
will be baffled by this word.

PREPOSITIONS (REPEATED)

In the sentence "Alex liked Nancy, with whom he shared his Snickers bar
with" only one "with" is needed--eliminate either one. Look out for
similarly duplicated prepositions.

Incidentally, an often-cited example of this pattern is from Paul
McCartney's "Live and Let Die": "this ever-changing world in which we
live in"; but if you listen closely, you'll hear instead a quite correct
"this ever-changing world in which we're livin'." Americans have a hard
time hearing the soft British "R" in "we're."

PREPOSITIONS (WRONG)

One of the clearest indications that a person reads little and doesn't
hear much formal English is a failure to use the right preposition in a
common expression. You aren't ignorant to a fact; you're ignorant of it.
Things don't happen on accident, but by accident (though they do happen
"on purpose"). There are no simple rules governing preposition usage:
you just have to immerse yourself in good English in order to write it
naturally.

See also "different than/different from/to."

PRESCRIBE/PROSCRIBE

You recommend something when you prescribe it, but you forbid it when
you proscribe it. The usually positive function of "pro-" confuses many
people.

PRESENTLY/CURRENTLY

Some argue that "presently" doesn't mean "in the present." It means
"soon." If you want to talk about something that's happening right now,
they urge you to say it's going on currently.

PRESUMPTIOUS/PRESUMPTUOUS

"Presumptive" has an I in it, but "presumptuous." does not.

PRETTY/SOMEWHAT

it's pretty common to use "pretty" to mean "somewhat" in ordinary
speech; but it should be avoided in formal writing, where sometimes
"very" is more appropriate. The temptation to use "pretty" usually
indicates the writer is being vague, so changing to something more
specific may be an even better solution: "a pretty bad mess" might be
"chocolate syrup spilled all over the pizza which had been dumped upside
down on the carpet."

PRIMER

When this word is used in the US to mean "elementary textbook" it is
pronounced with a short "I": "primmer" (rhymes with "dimmer"). All other
meanings are pronounced with a long "I": "prymer" (rhymes with "timer").

PRIMEVIL/PRIMEVAL

The existence of a music group and a comic book using the deliberately
punning misspelling "Primevil" helps to further confusion about this
word. Something ancient and primitive is "primeval." The "-eval"
sequence comes from a root having to do with ages, as in "medieval." It
has nothing to do with the concept of evil. The word can also be spelled
"primaeval."

PRINCIPAL/PRINCIPLE

Generations of teachers have tried to drill this one into students"
heads by reminding them, "The principal is your pal." Many don't seem
convinced. "Principal" is a noun and adjective referring to someone or
something which is highest in rank or importance. (In a loan, the
principal is the more substantial part of the money, the interest is--or
should be--the lesser.) "Principle" is only a noun, and has to do with
law or doctrine: "The workers fought hard for the principle of
collective bargaining."

PRIORITIZE

Many people disdain "prioritize" as bureaucratic jargon for "rank" or
"make a high priority."

PRIORITY

It is common to proclaim "in our business, customer service is a
priority," but it would be better to say "a high priority," since
priorities can also be low.

PROACTIVE

See "reactionary/reactive."

PROBABLY

The two Bs in this word are particularly difficult to pronounce in
sequence, so the word often comes out as "probly" and is even
occasionally misspelled that way. When even the last B disappears, the
pronunciation "prolly" suggests drunken slurring or, at best, an attempt
at humor.

AS TIME PROGRESSED/AS TIME PASSED

Events may progress in time, but time itself does not progress--it just
passes.

PRONE/SUPINE

"Prone" (face down) is often confused with "supine" (face up). Some
people use the phrase "soup in navel" to help them remember the meaning
of the latter word. "Prostrate" technically also means "face down," but
is often used to mean simply "devastated."

See also "prostate/prostrate."

PROPHECY/PROPHESY

"Prophecy," the noun, (pronounced "PROF-a-see") is a prediction. The
verb "to prophesy" (pronounced "PROF-a-sigh") means to predict
something. When a prophet prophesies he or she utters prophecies.

PRONOUNCIATION/PRONUNCIATION

"Pronounce" is the verb, but the "O" is omitted for the noun:
"pronunciation." This mistake ranks right up there in incongruity with
"writting."

PROSTATE/PROSTRATE

The gland men have is called the prostate. "Prostrate" is an adjective
meaning "lying face downward."

PRODIGY/PROGENY/PROTEGE

Your progeny are your kids, though it would be pretty pretentious to
refer to them as such. If your child is a brilliantly outstanding person
he or she may be a child prodigy. In fact, anything amazingly admirable
can be a prodigy. But a person that you take under your wing in order to
help promote his or her career is your protege.

Avoid misspelling or mispronouncing "prodigy" as "progidy."

THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING/THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING IS IN THE EATING

This common truncated version of an old saying conjures up visions of
poking around in your dessert looking for prizes, but "the proof of the
pudding is in the eating" means that you don't really know that your
dessert has come out right until you taste it.

PROTRAY/PORTRAY

There are a lot of words in English that begin in "pro-." This is not
one of them. When you make a portrait, you portray someone.

PROVED/PROVEN

For most purposes either form is a fine past participle of "prove,"
though in a phrase like "a proven talent" where the word is an adjective
preceding a noun, "proven" is standard.

PROSPERITY/POSTERITY

Your descendants--those who come after you--are posterity. Your posterior
comes behind your front, right? Your posterity comes along behind you in
time. In contrast, prosperity is financial well-being. But some people
mix these up by saying "I am taking photos of our house construction for
prosperity" when they mean "for posterity."

PSYCHOLOGIST/PSYCHIATRIST/PSYCHOTHERAPIST/PSYCHOANALYST/

A psychologist is a person who has studied the mind and earned a Ph.D.
or Psy.D. Although some definitions state that psychologists have
undergone clinical training but cannot prescribe medicines, there are
research psychologists who are not engaged in clinical work at all, but
merely do experiments to discover how our minds work. Some of their work
can concern animal rather than human minds.

A psychiatrist is technically an M.D. specializing in the treatment of
mental problems who can prescribe medicines. They are licensed medical
doctors, and get irritated when they are called "psychologists" and when
psychologists are called "psychiatrists."

Psychotherapist is not a technical term, and may be used by anyone
claiming to offer therapy for mental problems. That someone is called a
"psychotherapist" tells you nothing about his or her qualifications. But
qualified clinical psychologists and psychiatrists can be properly
called "psychotherapists."

A psychoanalyst is a very specific kind of psychotherapist: a licensed
practitioner of the methods of Sigmund Freud.

PUNDINT/PUNDIT

"Pundit" is one of those words we get from India, like "bungalow" and
"thug." It comes from pandit, meaning "scholar," "learned person." The
first premier of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was often referred to
respectfully as "Pandit Nehru."

In English it has come to refer to opinionated commentators on public
affairs, but it is often mispronounced and misspelled "pundint" or
"pundant."

PURPOSELY/PURPOSEFULLY

If you do something on purpose (not by accident), you do it purposely.
But if you have a specific purpose in mind, you are acting purposefully.