Grammar Study - Six English Words You Should Learn To Use Properly

Raise your hand if you've never made a mistake speaking or writing English.

Swear you've never been a defaulter!

Improving your vocabulary reduces the rate of blunders while reading this post keeps you alert to six English words you may have been using wrongly.

Six Commonly Misused/Misapplied English Words

1.Hung

The word hung means to suspend freely but doesn't mean from the neck until dead.

Wrong
The criminal was hung after the court's ruling

Right
I hung the portrait on the wall

2.Fewer /Less

Most people use the word 'less' when they actually mean 'fewer'.

Here's the difference between 'fewer' and 'less'.

The term 'fewer' refers to items that can be counted individually.

'Less' on the other hand refers to items that cannot be counted.

Wrong
1.Twenty items or fewer
2.There are less cakes now.

Right

1.Twenty items or less
2.There are fewer cakes now.

3.Number/Amount

In a similar way to fewer/less , you could unconsciously be interchanging these words in your sentences.

Here's the difference between number and amount.

Number refers to countable things
Amount refers to an item/commodity that can be counted.

Wrong
1.A greater amount of people attended this year's event.
2.We will know the amount of visitors at the end of the event

Right
1.A greater number of people attended this year's event.
2.We will know the number of visitors at the end of the event.

4.New Age

This term refers to spiritualistic and holistic practices, not modern developments.

Wrong
The New Age technology has transformed lives.

Right
He is a fan of the New Age philosophies.

Wrong The criminal was hung after the court's ruling

5.Opportunism

This means seizing or exploiting opportunities and doesn't mean creating or promoting opportunities.

Wrong
His opportunism makes him a popular choice for the middle class.

Right
His opportunism brought him to the head of the company.


ALSO SEE : Difference Between Moral and Morale

6.Irregardless / Irrespective

This English word is proscribed to assume the synonymous form 'regardless' or 'respective'.

It would therefore represent an error to use irregardless either in speech or writing.

Wrong

1.The man came to his rescue, irregardless of the fact he wasn't a Jew.

Right

1.The man came to his rescue, regardless of the fact he was a Jew.

Now you've learnt from Grammar Study.
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