English expression is not easy. Not only does our language lack internal consistency in terms of pronunciation and spelling, but common conventions seem to change all the time. Many of us work so hard to stay current that we often forget the basic phrases that come up so often. No matter how many times you might hear, “for all intents and purposes,” you might still succumb to saying or writing “for all intensive purposes” when it matters.
Even if you haven’t mastered the fine distinctions between who and whom, affect and effect, or less andfewer, (all of which are tested often on the ACT & SAT) you should still be prepared to avoid the following misused phrases. Better yet, use them properly!
WRONG: Use to
RIGHT: Used to
WRONG: Suppose to
RIGHT: Supposed to
WRONG: Could care less
RIGHT: Couldn’t care less
WRONG: One in the same
RIGHT: One and the same
WRONG: Wet your appetite
RIGHT: Whet your appetite
WRONG: Hone in
RIGHT: Home in
WRONG: Coming down the pipe
RIGHT: Coming down the pike
WRONG: On accident
RIGHT: By accident
This list, of course, presents only a handful of the very many oft-mangled phrases in our language. Do you have any favorites that aren’t on the list?
Mike Bergin