WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY MISUSED.docx

WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY MISUSED.docx

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WORDSANDEXPRESSIONSCOMMONLYMISUSED

WORDSANDEXPRESSIONSCOMMONLYMISUSED

（常常用错的英语词汇及短语）

（ManyofthewordsandexpressionsherelistedarenotsomuchbadEnglishasbadstyle,thecommonplacesofcarelesswriting.AsillustratedunderFeature,thepropercorrectionislikelytobenotthereplacementofonewordorsetofwordsbyanother,butthereplacementofvaguegeneralitybydefinitestatement.）

∙Allright.Idiomaticinfamiliarspeechasadetachedphraseinthesense,"Agreed,"or"Goahead."Inotherusesbetteravoided.Alwayswrittenastwowords.

∙Asgoodorbetterthan.Expressionsofthistypeshouldbecorrectedbyrearrangingthesentence.

Myopinionisasgoodorbetterthanhis.

Myopinionisasgoodashis,orbetter（ifnotbetter）.

∙

∙Astowhether.Whetherissufficient;seeunderRule13.

∙Bid.Takestheinfinitivewithoutto.Thepasttenseisbade.

∙Case.TheConciseOxfordDictionarybeginsitsdefinitionofthisword:

"instanceofathing'soccurring;usualstateofaffairs."Inthesetwosenses,thewordisusuallyunnecessary.

Inmanycases,theroomswerepoorlyventilated.

Manyoftheroomswerepoorlyventilated.

Ithasrarelybeenthecasethatanymistakehasbeenmade.

Fewmistakeshavebeenmade.

∙SeeWood,SuggestionstoAuthors,pp.68-71,andQuiller-Couch,TheArtofWriting,pp.103-106.

∙

∙Certainly.Usedindiscriminatelybysomespeakers,muchasothersusevery,tointensifyanyandeverystatement.Amannerismofthiskind,badinspeech,isevenworseinwriting.

∙Character.Oftensimplyredundant,usedfromamerehabitofwordiness.

Actsofahostilecharacter

Hostileacts

∙

∙Claim,vb.Withobject-noun,meanslayclaimto.Maybeusedwithadependentclauseifthissenseisclearlyinvolved:

"Heclaimedthathewasthesolesurvivingheir."（Butevenhere,"claimedtobe"wouldbebetter.）Nottobeusedasasubstitutefordeclare,maintain,orcharge.

∙Compare.Tocomparetoistopointoutorimplyresemblances,betweenobjectsregardedasessentiallyofdifferentorder;tocomparewithismainlytopointoutdifferences,betweenobjectsregardedasessentiallyofthesameorder.Thuslifehasbeencomparedtoapilgrimage,toadrama,toabattle;CongressmaybecomparedwiththeBritishParliament.ParishasbeencomparedtoancientAthens;itmaybecomparedwithmodernLondon.

∙Clever.Thiswordhasbeengreatlyoverused;itisbestrestrictedtoingenuitydisplayedinsmallmatters.

∙Consider.Notfollowedbyaswhenitmeans,"believetobe.""Iconsiderhimthoroughlycompetent."Compare,"ThelecturerconsideredCromwellfirstassoldierandsecondasadministrator,"where"considered"means"examined"or"discussed."

∙Dependable.Aneedlesssubstituteforreliable,trustworthy.

∙Dueto.Incorrectlyusedforthrough,becauseof,orowingto,inadverbialphrases:

"Helostthefirstgame,duetocarelessness."Incorrectuserelatedaspredicateorasmodifiertoaparticularnoun:

"ThisinventionisduetoEdison;""lossesduetopreventablefires."

∙Effect.Asnoun,meansresult;asverb,meanstobringabout,accomplish（nottobeconfusedwithaffect,whichmeans"toinfluence"）.

Asnoun,oftenlooselyusedinperfunctorywritingaboutfashions,music,painting,andotherarts:

"anOrientaleffect;""effectsinpalegreen;""verydelicateeffects;""broadeffects;""subtleeffects;""acharmingeffectwasproducedby."Thewriterwhohasadefinitemeaningtoexpresswillnottakerefugeinsuchvagueness.

∙Etc.Nottobeusedofpersons.Equivalenttoandtherest,andsoforth,andhencenottobeusedifoneofthesewouldbeinsufficient,thatis,ifthereaderwouldbeleftindoubtastoanyimportantparticulars.Leastopentoobjectionwhenitrepresentsthelasttermsofalistalreadygiveninfull,orimmaterialwordsattheendofaquotation.

Attheendofalistintroducedbysuchas,forexample,oranysimilarexpression,etc.isincorrect.

∙Fact.Usethiswordonlyofmattersofakindcapableofdirectverification,notofmattersofjudgment.Thataparticulareventhappenedonagivendate,thatleadmeltsatacertaintemperature,arefacts.ButsuchconclusionsasthatNapoleonwasthegreatestofmoderngenerals,orthattheclimateofCaliforniaisdelightful,howeverincontestabletheymaybe,arenotproperlyfacts.

Ontheformulathefactthat,seeunderRule13.

∙Factor.Ahackneyedword;theexpressionsofwhichitformspartcanusuallybereplacedbysomethingmoredirectandidiomatic.

Hissuperiortrainingwasthegreatfactorinhiswinningthematch.

Hewonthematchbybeingbettertrained.

Heavyartilleryisbecominganincreasinglyimportantfactorindecidingbattles.

Heavyartilleryisplayingalargerandlargerpartindecidingbattles.

∙

∙Feature.Anotherhackneyedword;likefactoritusuallyaddsnothingtothesentenceinwhichitoccurs.

AfeatureoftheentertainmentespeciallyworthyofmentionwasthesingingofMissA.

（BetterusethesamenumberofwordstotellwhatMissA.sang,oriftheprogrammehasalreadybeengiven,totellsomethingofhowshesang.）

∙Asaverb,intheadvertisingsenseofofferasaspecialattraction,tobeavoided.

∙

∙Fix.ColloquialinAmericaforarrange,prepare,mend.Inwritingrestrictittoitsliterarysenses,fasten,makefirmorimmovable,etc.

∙Heisamanwho.Acommontypeofredundantexpression;seeRule13.

Heisamanwhoisveryambitious.

Heisveryambitious.

SpainisacountrywhichIhavealwayswantedtovisit.

IhavealwayswantedtovisitSpain.

∙

∙However.Inthemeaningnevertheless,nottocomefirstinitssentenceorclause.

Theroadswerealmostimpassable.However,weatlastsucceededinreachingcamp.

Theroadswerealmostimpassable.Atlast,however,wesucceededinreachingcamp.

∙Whenhowevercomesfirst,itmeansinwhateverwayortowhateverextent.

Howeveryouadvisehim,hewillprobablydoashethinksbest.

Howeverdiscouragingtheprospect,heneverlostheart.

∙

∙Kindof.Nottobeusedasasubstituteforrather（beforeadjectivesandverbs）,orexceptinfamiliarstyle,forsomethinglike（beforenouns）.Restrictittoitsliteralsense:

"Amberisakindoffossilresin;""Idislikethatkindofnotoriety."Thesameholdstrueofsortof.

∙Less.Shouldnotbemisusedforfewer.

Hehadlessmenthaninthepreviouscampaign.

Hehadfewermenthaninthepreviouscampaign.

∙Lessreferstoquantity,fewertonumber."Histroublesarelessthanmine"means"Histroublesarenotsogreatasmine.""Histroublesarefewerthanmine"means"Histroublesarenotsonumerousasmine."Itis,however,correcttosay,"Thesignersofthepetitionwerelessthanahundred,"wheretheroundnumber,ahundred,issomethinglikeacollectivenoun,andlessisthoughtofasmeaningalessquantityoramount.

∙

∙Line,alongtheselines.Lineinthesenseofcourseofprocedure,conduct,thought,isallowable,buthasbeensomuchoverworked,particularlyinthephrasealongtheselines,thatawriterwhoaimsatfreshnessororiginalityhadbetterdiscarditentirely.

Mr.B.alsospokealongthesamelines.

Mr.B.alsospoke,tothesameeffect.

HeisstudyingalongthelineofFrenchliterature.

HeisstudyingFrenchliterature.

∙

∙Literal,literally.Oftenincorrectlyusedinsupportofexaggerationorviolentmetaphor.

Aliteralfloodofabuse

Afloodofabuse

Literallydeadwithfatigue

Almostdeadwithfatigue（deadtired）

∙

∙Loseout.Meanttobemoreemphaticthanlose,butactuallylessso,becauseofitscommonness.Thesameholdstrueoftryout,winout,signup,registerup.Withanumberofverbs,outandupformidiomaticcombinations:

findout,runout,turnout,cheerup,dryup,makeup,andothers,eachdistinguishableinmeaningfromthesimpleverb.Loseoutisnot.

∙Most.Nottobeusedforalmost.

Mosteverybody

Almosteverybody

Mostallthetime

Almostallthetime

∙

∙Nature.Oftensimplyredundant,usedlikecharacter.

Actsofahostilenature

Hostileacts

∙Oftenvaguelyusedinsuchexpressionsas"aloverofnature;""poemsaboutnature."Unlessmorespecificstatementsfollow,thereadercannottellwhetherthepoemshavetodowithnaturalscenery,rurallife,thesunset,theuntrackedwilderness,orthehabitsofsquirrels.

∙

∙Nearby.Adverbialphrase,notyetfullyacceptedasgoodEnglish,thoughtheanalogyofclosebyandhardbyseemstojustifyit.Near,ornearathand,isasgood,ifnotbetter.

Nottobeusedasanadjective;useneighboring.

∙Oftentimes,ofttimes.Archaicforms,nolongeringooduse.Themodernwordisoften.

∙Onehundredandone.Retaintheandinthisandsimilarexpressions,inaccordancewiththeunvaryingusageofEnglishprosefromOldEnglishtimes.

∙Oneofthemost.Avoidbeginningessaysorparagraphswiththisformula,as,"Oneofthemostinterestingdevelopmentsofmodernscienceis,etc.;""SwitzerlandisoneofthemostinterestingcountriesofEurope."Thereisnothingwronginthis;itissimplythreadbareandforcible-feeble.

∙People.Thepeopleisapoliticalterm,nottobeconfusedwiththepublic.Fromthepeoplecomespoliticalsupportoropposition;fromthepubliccomesartisticappreciationorcommercialpatronage.

Thewordpeopleisnottobeusedwithwordsofnumber,inplaceofpersons.Ifof"sixpeople"fivewentaway,howmany"people"wouldbeleft?

∙Phase.Meansastageoftransitionordevelopment:

"thephasesofthemoon;""thelastphase."Nottobeusedforaspectortopic.

Anotherphaseofthesubject

Anotherpoint（anotherquestion）

∙

∙Possess.Nottobeusedasameresubst