Be Impeccable: Commonly Misused Phrases That Will Make You Sound Ignorant

[Seamus]

This morning I saw someone refer to a plan as "full-proof" instead of "foolproof".

The adjective foolproof means infallible or, more literally, impervious to the incompetence of fools. Just as a bulletproof vest makes one invulnerable to bullets, a foolproof plan is designed to be invulnerable to fools. Foolproof is usually one word, without a hyphen (though the hyphenated form, fool-proof, is not uncommon).

The word is occasionally misspelled full-proof. There are arguments to be made in favor of this spelling (see the comments below for a couple of them), and of course anyone who likes it is free to use it, but it is not the conventional spelling (i.e., the more common one and the one listed in dictionaries) and is likely to be seen as a misspelling by some readers.

Examples
The public knows that no security system can be foolproof, but some acknowledgement of accountability is warranted nonetheless. [Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]

This is not foolproof from a security standpoint since the malicious individual could simply configure their computer with an IP address on the network. [Digital Evidence and Computer Crime, Eoghan Casey]

Apparently, DNA testing was seen as so foolproof that alibis didn’t count. [Herald Sun]

It can be tweaked according to the talent at hand, but nothing is foolproof, especially with young players. [Sports Illustrated]

One foolproof method of contraception is sterilization. [Life: The Science of Biology]

Here, he shows a simple roasting technique that’s both foolproof and infinitely adaptable. [Globe and Mail]

 

[BrendaH]

This thread is both helpful and funny, it reminds me of a spelling mistake I committed years ago, it was VERY uncomfortable, to say the least.

I was chatting with a person through a social network called ask.fm, it was interesting because I could have conversations with someone from another country and at the same time put into practice my English, which wasn't excellent but at least allowed me to survive in conversations. I remember that on one occasion I was talking with this person about teeth, I don't remember how and why the conversation took that path, the thing is, I wanted to say to him that her sister also had big teeth, but I ended up saying something completely different.

I remember I was going to use Google Translate, but I didn't because I had the amazing idea of only using my skills... So there I was, very sure of myself and my memory, I typed: "Your sister also have big... tits".

He answered in a slightly aggressive tone, and I was confused because I didn't say anything wrong, right? I copied my sentence and pasted it into Google Translate and then I understood why he answered energetically...

After this event I learned three things: the first one: the words tits and teeth unfortunately sound very similar (and I'm sure that this was my main error), the second one: to write "teeth" correctly, and the third one: to check before writing something in another lenguage.

Here's another one:

Who’s vs. Whose

Both who’s and whose come from the pronoun who.

Who’s is a contraction, meaning it’s two words stuck together. The formula: who + is, or who + has.

For example: who’s hungry?

Whose is a possessive pronoun. Use it when you’re asking (or telling) whom something belongs to.

For example: whose sandwich is this?

 

[Ant22]

I came across the below article and I think it's a bit relevant to this thread. I'll raise my hand and admit it applies to me too ;D
_https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/so-um-you-really-need-to-stop-using-crutch-words



So, Um, You Really Need to Stop Using These Crutch Words

Uh ... Um ... so as I was saying ...

Well, basically ...

You know?

At first glance, you might think I'm just a marketer suffering from a nervous breakdown after one too many blog posts. But I can assure you, I've started this blog post with a bunch of babble on purpose -- I'm identifying words that we often use but have no business being said out loud.

They're called crutch words -- a collection of words we fall back on when we've lost our footing while speaking. Think back to the last time you were having a conversation with a friend or colleague, or were standing up in front of a room of people giving a presentation. Raise your hand if, at any point, you used one of the words I mentioned above. I know I have.

We all use crutch words. They help us fill the gap in a conversation or speech when we're unsure of how to proceed, or haven't quite thought out the best way to position something. They're also formed out of habit, so ingrained in our way of speaking that it almost seems unnatural when you aren't using that word (I'll admit it -- I'm a repeat offender of overusing "like"). A lot of times, we don't even realize we're using them, and that's where it gets dangerous.

Crutch words weaken the point you're trying to make. When you pepper your argument with unnecessary words, it distracts from the purpose of the message and dilutes its strength. Even something as simple as "It's nice out" sounds much more confident and appealing than "So, um, it's nice out." Whether you're making a presentation to your colleagues, pitching a new project to your boss, or speaking on a webinar, the last thing you want to do is come off as nervous, unsure, or confusing.

Each person has their own set of crutch words, but there are quite a few that are very common. To help you rock your next conversation or speech, I've put together a list of common crutch words to watch out for and suggestions for how to cut them out of your speech so you aren't relying on them as heavily.

Note: Remember, aside from the non-words, crutch words are still words. This means that there is a right way to use them. But more often than not, they're used incorrectly or unnecessarily, which is why they made this list.

The Extraneous Exclamation

An exclamation is a sudden interjection, often expressing surprise, anger, or hesitation. Those first two are alright, but when you're speaking, you're most often inserting exclamations in that last category -- hesitation. This can make you come off as unsure, unprepared, or nervous.

But good news! This is an easy crutch to catch, as it isn't a part of your sentence and sticks out like a sore thumb (you didn't plan on using "um" when explaining something).

Um: In the middle of my speech, I, um, lost my train of thought.

Uh: Uh, this speech is about, uh, not using crutch words.

Ah: Ah, you know it's funny, I use crutch words all the time.

Er: Er, I think there's never a good time to use these exclamations during a presentation.



The False Start

Sometimes, you might start a sentence without fully thinking it through. Often, this results in starting with unnecessary words such as "and," "so," and starting, pausing, and re-starting sentences. Unless you mean to occasionally start with one of these words as a stylistic choice (maybe you're trying to be ultra-colloquial), you need to find the balance between using a word, and making it your crutch. Here are some words to look out for:

And: Working in marketing is fun. And ... did you know I'm working on a new webinar presentation?

So: So, raise your hands if you've given a presentation lately.

Anyway: Anyway, it can be nervewracking.

And so: And so I usually take the afternoon to rehearse.

Okay: Okay I think I can handle speaking in front of two hundred people.

Well: Well let's get right to the point.

Like I was saying: Like I was saying, though, trying to watch out for crutch words will help make the presentation more coherent.

If you notice these words creeping into your speech when you aren't sure what to say next, just pause for a moment to gather your bearings before continuing. Your audience won't even notice the little stop in the presentation.



The Awkward Ending

Have you ever started a sentence, forgotten exactly what you were trying to say, and just ... ended it very awkwardly?

The awkward ending can be an interrogative tacked to the end of a statement that turns it into a question that the audience doesn't actually need/want to answer. Another common awkward ending is when you don't end the sentence right away, and when you finally do, there's one heck of an awkward pause at the end.

Right?: You get that feeling, right?

You know?: It's that nervousness you feel when you're standing in at the front of the room, you know?

Okay: So you've practiced what you're going to say, okay. But what's next?

Know what I mean?: It's actually time to present, now, and it's different, know what I mean?

You get the idea: Sweaty palms, higher heart rate, you get the idea.

And so on and so forth: This is when it's important to take a moment to breathe, make a mental note to watch for crutch words, and so forth and so on.

I guess: At this point, you have to just trust that you can deliver, I guess.

So ... : You're up next, so ...

Well ... yeah: You'll do great. Just breathe, speak clearly, and well ... yeah.

... Ugh.


The Totally Mostly Useless Adverb

There is literally an epidemic of the incorrect and over-use of adverbs. Adverbs are great! They add flavor to your otherwise boring verb. However, you need to make the call between when it's adding value to your point and when it's just there as a filler.

I personally have only recently been able to get over the "literally" phase, but I catch myself overusing "basically" and "definitely" quite a lot. Crutch words are like whack-a-mole: You get some under control, and new ones pop up.

Just: It's just not necessary to always use adverbs.

Almost: You almost need to catch yourself before you use them.

Basically: It's basically just unnecessary, you know?

Actually: I guess there's times you can actually use them, though.

Definitely: There are definitely real uses of adverbs.

Literally: I use them literally all the time.

Really: Adverbs are really great for describing verbs.

Very: It's very enlightening to know when to use them.

Truly: I truly feel I have a grasp of the concept of adverbs.

Essentially: It's essentially just inserting in extra words to give my sentence more of that wow-factor.

Absolutely: It's absolutely necessary to use them.

Seriously: I seriously don't know if I'm using them correctly.

Totally: I'm totally failing at this right now, right?

Honestly: I honestly don't know how to make this better.

Obviously: We obviously need adverbs, just not all the time.


The Overcompensating Adjective

Like adverbs, adjectives have a place in your presentations. They help describe things in a way that helps your audience better visualize and connect to your point. You know you're using a crutch adjective, however, when you frequently use it to describe just about anything: "That's a fantastic idea." "This is a fantastic example of image resizing in emails." "We've got a fantastic agenda."

When you overuse adjectives, they lose their meaning. Is your example of resizing emails really fantastic, or is a 30% increase in ROI fantastic? If you use it multiple times in a speech to describe various levels of fantastic, it loses meaning entirely.

Great: Great, let's get started. I'm going to show you a great example of a crutch word.

Fantastic: This is a fantastic example of a crutch word.

Awesome: Instead of letting a noun stand on its own, I have this awesome habit of adding an extra adjective to it.

Excellent: This excellent case study explains why we should be mindful of crutch words.

Definite: There is a definite possibility of also sounding unsure.



The Diluting Preposition(al Phrase)

Prepositions are tricky. They're necessary ... except when they're not. Often the misuse is just a culprit of falling into colloquial speaking habits. An example of this is adding unnecessary prepositions: "off of" should really be "off"; "call up" can be left as "call".

Prepositional phrases can also be unnecessary if there are more concise ways to say the same thing. This can make you sound like you're rambling or stalling.

Here are some examples of prepositions that are common crutch words/phrases when used incorrectly in a sentence.

Like: Have you, like, used prepositions before?

Of: I personally am just going off of what I learned in grade school.

Up: It's common to trip up over your words when you're nervous, so take a breather before starting.

About: I'm about two seconds away from a nervous breakdown.

At the present time: At the present time, I'd like some cake.

In order that: In order that you and I remain friends, you will need to bring me some cake.

In the process of: In the process of bringing me cake, please consider not using needlessly long prepositional phrases.



Next Steps: Reducing Your Reliance on Crutch Words

Now that you're aware of common crutch words, you may be wondering, what's next? How do I stop using these crutch words?

Crutch words, like any bad habit, can take some time to get out of your system. Don't be disappointed if during your next presentation (or next 100), you still find yourself using them. Even the most professional speakers let them slip out sometimes! It's all about making little changes over time to strengthen your public speaking. Each time you don't use a crutch word when you usually would have, consider it a victory!

Here are some tips to get started on your path to overcoming your crutch words:

1) Identify Your Crutch Words

Remember, each person has their own crutch words -- the list above is simply a collection of the most widely-used ones. Use it as a starting point, then dive into your own speaking habits.

If you've recorded videos of your presentations, go through them and listen for any words you seem to be leaning on. Practice speaking in front of a mirror, or record yourself speaking and listen for patterns. Where do you pause? What do you say when you stumble over a sentence? What do you fall back on when you need to steer conversation back to your original point?

2) Monitor Your Presentations for Crutch Words

Not all presentations have dry runs -- but if you get a chance to practice beforehand, actively monitor yourself for your list of crutch words. Each time you catch yourself, start that part over. When you get up in front of your colleagues or that crowd, you'll have practiced without it and not using your crutch words will come more naturally.

Familiarize yourself with your crutch words. Write them down on a piece of paper and glance at it before you begin speaking. Just having a fresh reminder to not use them can mean the difference between a weak argument and a compelling one.

3) Practice Your Public Speaking

Practice makes perfect! There's a whole world of resources out there on public speaking, so take advantage. You can watch videos of TED Talk speakers such as Amy Cuddy, read guides on the topic, or even join public speaking clubs such as Toastmasters (HubSpot has it's own -- we call it ToastSpot, get it?) where you can practice in front of your peers who are all trying to improve, too.

Most importantly, keep speaking! Volunteer for speaking opportunities. Speak up in meetings. Practice your next business presentation. Actively giving yourself more chances to catch crutch words will help you stop using them over time. You'll sound more confident, persuasive, and come off as a more engaging speaker in no time.


Edit: Formatting

 

[Arwenn]

I often see they're, their, and there misused.

They're- is they are
Their- belonging to or associated with the people or things previously mentioned or easily identified.
There- in, at, or to that place or position. "We went to Paris and stayed there ten days."

Also who vs whom
Whom should be used to refer to the object of a verb or preposition. When in doubt, try this simple trick: If you can replace the word with “he”' or “'she,” use who. If you can replace it with “him” or “her,” use whom.

And colloquially, my pet peeves are 'punkin', 'Valentime's Day', and 'brought' (as the past tense of buy).

:)

 

[Laura]

This morning I saw someone refer to a plan as "full-proof" instead of "foolproof".

It's really getting bad out there. I don't know if it is the failure of education or what.

I often see they're, their, and there misused.

They're- is they are
Their- belonging to or associated with the people or things previously mentioned or easily identified.
There- in, at, or to that place or position. "We went to Paris and stayed there ten days."

Also who vs whom
Whom should be used to refer to the object of a verb or preposition. When in doubt, try this simple trick: If you can replace the word with “he”' or “'she,” use who. If you can replace it with “him” or “her,” use whom.

And colloquially, my pet peeves are 'punkin', 'Valentime's Day', and 'brought' (as the past tense of buy).

:)

The They're, their, there differences were already covered in a previous post in this thread.

 

[Gwenllian]

Thank you so much for this thread! I am brushing up on my English, so it is very timely. I have the book Woe is I The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O'Conner here which I plan to use from now on. I use duckduckgo and google a lot in order to check words, phrases and so on.

Then there is the difference between counsel and council:

What is the difference between council and counsel?

A council is a committee elected to lead or govern.

Counsel is advice (usually legal advice).

To counsel means to advise.

See: http://www.grammar-monster.com/easily_confused/council_counsel.htm

 

[Bluefyre]

Another set of less commonly used words incorrectly are eminent, imminent and immanent. I think of the title your eminence or the legal term eminent domain-state power to appropriate land https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminent_domain_in_the_United_States to help me remember the difference.

eminent describes anyone who's famous. Imminent refers to something about to happen. And anything immanent (with an "a" in there) is inherent, like that good attitude you were born with.

 

[Laura]

Another set of less commonly used words incorrectly are eminent, imminent and immanent. I think of the title your eminence or the legal term eminent domain-state power to appropriate land https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminent_domain_in_the_United_States to help me remember the difference.

eminent describes anyone who's famous. Imminent refers to something about to happen. And anything immanent (with an "a" in there) is inherent, like that good attitude you were born with.

That's a good one too. We should try to collect them all. Is there a book about this?

 

[Siberia]

Another set of less commonly used words incorrectly are eminent, imminent and immanent. I think of the title your eminence or the legal term eminent domain-state power to appropriate land https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminent_domain_in_the_United_States to help me remember the difference.

eminent describes anyone who's famous. Imminent refers to something about to happen. And anything immanent (with an "a" in there) is inherent, like that good attitude you were born with.

That's a good one too. We should try to collect them all. Is there a book about this?

English Vocabulary in Use by Michael McCarthy, Felicity O'Dell.
English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy.

Those two were helpful for me, fwiw.

 

[Voyageur]

Notwithstanding all the excuses one can make (personally speaking), not spending the time proofreading is a big error factor. Going to fast, a reliance on spell-checkers, not saving a draft and reviewing, and generally just missing the details contribute to errors right down to the "its" vs."it's". Going line by line and word by word is important - and some people are just excellent at words and structure; it is natural, it flows and has been well learned, and others struggle. The below is a PPT on the issue with some helpful hints.

https://kelvingrovesc.eq.edu.au/SiteCollectionImages/PLACEMAT_Editing%20and%20Proofreading%20Quick%20Guide.ppt

 

[MusicMan]

Hello voyageur, "Going to fast" indeed!

 

[Bluefyre]

Noticed that too Music Man. Also line-by-line and word-by-word would traditionally be hyphenated, just to nitpick.

 

[Oxajil]

There's also the following to keep in mind when you want to introduce a topic.

Jackie H. asked, "Is it correct to say 'In regards to...' or 'In regard to...'? I have used 'regards' for many years and now my boss has informed me that it is incorrect to say 'regards.' Yet, I see and hear it all the time."

The correct phrase is "in regard to." You may be confused because "as regards" is another way to introduce a topic.

Many people believe both phrases are unnecessary business jargon. Better options, depending on the particular sentence, include "concerning," "regarding," "about," "in," and "with."

This letter is in regard to your message dated January 5. (correct)

This letter concerns your message dated January 5. (better)

Source

Correct are: with regard to, in regard to, regarding, and as regards.

I made the mistake quite a few times by writing 'with regards to'. It's a minor one (though a common one!), but I thought I'd mention it.

 

[Keit]

There is the following book that I bought a while ago:

Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Are you stumped by split infinitives? Terrified of using "who" when a "whom" is called for? Do you avoid the words "affect" and "effect" altogether?

Grammar Girl is here to help!

Mignon Fogarty, a.k.a. Grammar Girl, is determined to wipe out bad grammar―but she's also determined to make the process as painless as possible. A couple of years ago, she created a weekly podcast to tackle some of the most common mistakes people make while communicating...

Written with the wit, warmth, and accessibility that the podcasts are known for, Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing covers the grammar rules and word-choice guidelines that can confound even the best writers. From "between vs. among" and "although vs. while" to comma splices and misplaced modifiers, Mignon offers memory tricks and clear explanations that will help readers recall and apply those troublesome grammar rules...

Have to admit that I didn't finish reading this book back then, so perhaps it is time. ;) And it is exactly as advertised: a fun and painless way to learn how to communicate better in English. :)

 

[Voyageur]

Hello voyageur, "Going to fast" indeed!

Yes MM, too fast.

Nitpicking is helpful, Bluefyre.

http://goodcontentcompany.com/proofreading-mistakes

5 Common Proofreading Mistakes Bloggers and Web Writers Make

When blogging or writing for the web, speedy content publishing is often critical.

So much so that it’s easy for bloggers and web writers to abandon proofreading to work with a ‘publish now, fix errors later’ strategy.

But it’s not ideal. You can get away with this approach if your website/blog is small and you don’t get much traffic.

But bigger brands and businesses demand more attention to detail. They can’t afford to have poor spelling and wayward grammar ruining the impact of valuable content.

You can improve the accuracy and effectiveness of your content by understanding why mistakes creep in and why you don’t spot them. See if any of these sound familiar…

1. Not reducing familiarity with the content

Familiarity with content is one of the main reasons that people tend to miss errors. This familiarity means that, when you read through content again, you often see what you expect to see (and what you remember writing), rather than what is actually there on the page.

We’re poor proofreaders by default. Biology is to blame. As Francis Heylighen, a member of the Evolution, Complexity and Cognition group at the Free University of Brussels, explains:

“Whenever the brain receives some stimuli similar to stimuli it has experienced before, it will use its stored experience to ‘fill in’ or anticipate the further stimuli that are likely to follow.”

So if you use a word like ‘thoroughly’, there’s a chance you’ll continue to read it as ‘thoroughly’ even if you have misspelled it as ‘throughly’. Your brain expects the correct spelling and the error becomes easy to miss.

How do you combat this to improve proofreading accuracy? By making the familiar more unfamiliar. Try reformatting your content so that it reads differently.

Read what you’ve written in a Preview pane, not the guts of your Content Management System (CMS)
Cut and paste the text into a different software program, so that it flows in a new way
Or increase/reduce the font so that the lines break in different places

By doing one of these simple things, you’ll force yourself to read the words differently and reduce your familiarity with them. You’ll catch more mistakes this way.

2. Trusting a spell check

How do you write your website content? Do you write straight into your content management system? Or type into another piece of software like Microsoft Word, OpenOffice or a more basic text editor? (For this post, I used the document editor in Google Drive).

Some of these programs will have spell checking functionality baked in and they can be useful at spotting misspelled words and wayward grammar.

But don’t trust them completely. Spell checkers usually don’t spot words that are spelled correctly but used incorrectly. Here’s an example of some copy that the spell checker in Microsoft Word thinks is absolutely fine:

“I cut my knee earlier and hadn’t brought a 1st aid kid along. To be honest, my memory hasn’t been god over past few years as it used to be. Do you have 1 that I could burrow?”

It should read:

“I cut my knee earlier and haven’t brought a first aid kit along. To be honest, my memory hasn’t been as good over the past few years as it used to be. Do you have one that I could borrow?”

As you can see, It’s always a good idea to give your copy a read, a re-read and, if you have the time, a re-re-read before you publish it.

3. Assuming certain words are correct

When proofreading copy you should always assume that there are errors in it. Don’t skip across a fact, person, place name, phone number or website link without checking it.

Writers and bloggers can also make mistakes when they don’t know how to use words correctly. Here are three examples of words that often trip up content creators.

Your or You’re?
‘Your’ and ‘you’re’ are often misused in sentences and they can be easy to miss during a proofreading session, especially if you like to say the words aloud to yourself as you read. As far as language rules go, ‘your’ is possessive, indicating something that belongs to you – i.e ‘your hat’ or ‘your coat’. While ‘you’re’ is short for ‘you are’.

Its or It’s?
‘Its’ without an apostrophe is possessive – ‘its best interests’, ‘its key features’, and so on. Like ‘your’ and ‘you’re’ and ‘whose’ and ‘who’s’, ‘it’s’ is the shortened version of ‘it is’ or ‘it has’.

I or me?
Is it ‘The King and I’? Or should it be ‘The King and Me’? Knowing whether to use ‘I’ or ‘me’ in a sentence can also be confusing. It’s not an embarrassing mistake if you get it wrong, but it’s good to know the rule. See if you can tell which one of the following sentences is correct.

David wants to invite you and I to go on holiday with him
David wants to invite you and me to go on holiday with him

‘I’ is generally used when it is the subject of the sentence; ‘me’ is used when it is the object of the sentence. So it’s the second sentence that is correct – ‘you and me’. Did you get it right? Here is an example of where ‘I’ works instead: ‘You and I should go on holiday with David’. The ‘I’ in this example is the subject, while David is the object.

4. Not reading the content out loud

There are many tips for better proofreading – reading the content backwards, printing it out, using a ruler under each line to reduce distraction, doing multiple read-throughs to search for different types of error, tapping each word as you check it…

They’re all good approaches and you should experiment with them to find which one works for you. But there’s often no substitute for reading your work out loud – or silently saying every word to yourself inside your head.

Why? Because doing so helps you get a feel for the rhythm and pace of the words – whether the sentences are too long, the punctuation is correct, even whether the words are spelled correctly, duplicated or missing.

You’re also forced to read the text slower because you need to say every word. The average adult can read pages of text at around 250 to 300 words per minute. Compare this to an average talking speed of 150 words per minute. It’s not rocket science – the slower you read, the greater the chance that you’ll spot any lingering mistakes.

5. Editing rather than proofreading

Finally, make sure that you split the editing and proofreading processes. Proofreading is a final error check, not an opportunity to rewrite the content. If you get bogged down with editing the text when you should be proofing it, you run the risk of adding extra errors as you work.

Then you’re back to square one.

Want to improve your proofreading? Don’t Trust Your Spell Check.

Number 5 is a good point to remember, the blending of two phases.