This little gem came to my inbox this morning:
We’re all tempted to use words that we’re not too familiar with. We throw them around in meetings, e-mails and important documents (such as resumes and client proposals), and they land, like fingernails across a chalkboard, on everyone who has to hear or read them.
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No matter how talented you are or what you’ve accomplished, using words incorrectly can change the way people see you and forever cast you in a negative light. You may not think it's a big deal, but if your language is driving people up the wall you need to do something about it.
It’s the words that we think we’re using correctly that wreak the most havoc, because we don't even realize how poorly we're coming across. After all,
TalentSmarthas tested the emotional intelligence of more than a million people and found that self-awareness is the area where most people score the lowest.
We’re all guilty of this from time to time, myself included.
When I write, I hire an editor to review my articles before I post them online. It’s bad enough to have a roomful of people witness your blunder and something else entirely to stumble in front of 100,000!
Point is, we can all benefit from opportunities to sharpen the saw and minimize our mistakes. Often, it’s the words we perceive as being more “correct” or sophisticated that catch us by surprise when they don’t really mean what we think they do. These words have a tendency to make even really smart people stumble.
Have a look to see which of these commonly confused words throw you off.
Accept vs. Except
These two words sound similar but have very different meanings.
Acceptmeans to receive something willingly: “His mom
acceptedhis explanation” or “She
acceptedthe gift graciously.”
Exceptsignifies exclusion: “I can attend every meeting
exceptthe one next week.”
To help you remember, note that both
exceptand
exclusionbegin with
ex．
Affect vs. Effect
To make these words even more confusing than they already are, both can be used as either a noun or a verb.
Let’s start with the verbs.
Affectmeans to influence something or someone;
effectmeans to accomplish something. “Your job was
affectedby the organizational restructuring” but “These changes will be
effectedon Monday.”
As a noun, an
effectis the result of something: “The sunny weather had a huge
effecton sales.” It’s almost always the right choice because the noun
affectrefers to an emotional state and is rarely used outside of psychological circles: “The patient’s
affectwas flat.”
Lie vs. Lay
We’re all pretty clear on the
liethat means an untruth. It’s the other usage that trips us up.
Liealso means to recline: “Why don’t you
liedown and rest?”
Layrequires an object: “
Laythe book on the table.”
Lieis something you can do by yourself, but you need an object to
lay．
It’s more confusing in the past tense. The past tense of
lieis—you guessed it—
lay: “I
laydown for an hour last night.” And the past tense of
layis laid: “I
laidthe book on the table.”
Bring vs. Take
Bringand
takeboth describe transporting something or someone from one place to another, but the correct usage depends on the speaker’s point of view. Somebody
bringssomething to you, but you
takeit to somewhere else: “
Bringme the mail, then
takeyour shoes to your room.”
Just remember, if the movement is toward you, use
bring;if the movement is away from you, use
take．
Ironic vs. Coincidental
A lot of people get this wrong. If you break your leg the day before a ski trip, that’s not
ironic—it’s
coincidental(and bad luck).
Ironic有几个意思,其中包括一些泰吗pe of reversal of what was expected. Verbal irony is when a person says one thing but clearly means another. Situational irony is when a result is the opposite of what was expected. O. Henry was a master of situational irony. In “The Gift of the Magi,” Jim sells his watch to buy combs for his wife’s hair, and she sells her hair to buy a chain for Jim’s watch. Each character sold something precious to buy a gift for the other, but those gifts were intended for what the other person sold. That is true irony.
If you break your leg the day before a ski trip, that’s
coincidental.If you drive up to the mountains to ski, and there was more snow back at your house, that’s
ironic.
Imply vs. Infer
To
implymeans to suggest something without saying it outright. To
infermeans to draw a conclusion from what someone else implies. As a general rule, the speaker/writer
implies, and the listener/reader
infers．
Nauseous vs. Nauseated
Nauseoushas been misused so often that the incorrect usage is accepted in some circles. Still, it’s important to note the difference.
Nauseousmeans causing nausea;
nauseatedmeans experiencing nausea.
So, if
yourcircle includes ultra-particular grammar sticklers, never say “I’m
nauseous” unless you want them to be snickering behind your back.
Comprise vs. Compose
These are two of the most commonly misused words in the English language.
Comprisemeans to include;
composemeans to make up.
It all comes down to parts versus the whole. When you use
comprise, you put the whole first: “A soccer game
comprises(includes) two halves.” When you use
compose, you put the pieces first: “Fifty states
compose(make up) the United States of America.”
Farther vs. Further
Fartherrefers to physical distance, while
furtherdescribes the degree or extent of an action or situation. “I can’t run any
farther,” but “I have nothing
furtherto say.”
If you can substitute “more” or “additional,” use
further.
Fewer vs. Less
Use
fewerwhen you’re referring to separate items that can be counted; use
lesswhen referring to a whole: “You have
fewerdollars, but
lessmoney.”
