 Noticing Newbies: January 20, 2016 Issue [#7431] |
  Noticing Newbies
This week: Common Word Mistakes Edited by: Tornado Dodger  
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My last editorial on misused phrases got more feedback than normal so I thought I'd share some common word mistakes that I see a lot. Yes, that is a lot, two words, not one. I see people write that as one word way too much. As a writer and reader, you're also instantly an editor. This can be frustrating at times when you're reading and come across errors in other people's writing, especially when you have paid for a professionally published book. It happens way too often. Spell-check won't help with these errors either, just like my last editorial professed. There is a new app that may be of use to some of you. I installed it a couple weeks ago and have been surprised how often it has caught an error or typo I missed. It's called "Grammarly" and you can find it at Grammarly.com which is not surprising. The part that is surprising? It's free. Now, before you say what's the catch, there is a paid version but it's not a matter of the first month free or anything like that. I found it useful and thought it was worth passing on to the community.
Anyway, on with the list. How many of the following words do you see every day but were unaware how many different versions existed?
 [im-uh-nuhnt]
 Immanent (adjective) – something that is inborn or inherent to the person.
Eminent (adjective) – means distinguished, such as high in rank
Imminent (adjective) – refers to something pending such as “impending” doom.
[reeth]
 Wreath (noun) – a circular band of leaves or flowers.
Wreathe (verb) – the act of encircling something, to surround it.
[feynt]
 Feint (noun) – a movement made to deceive someone
Feint (verb) – to make a false show or deceive with a feint
Faint (noun/verb) – to lose consciousness
Faint (adjective) – means feeble or slight, also weak, cowardly.
[stey-shuh-ner-ee]
 Stationary (adjective) – to be in a fixed position, unmoving.
Stationery (noun) – writing paper or materials such as envelopes
[awl-tuh-geth-er]
 Altogether (adverb) – completely or entirely
All together – refers to a group of people or things.
[tawr-choo-uhs]
 Tortuous (adjective) – full of twists and turns, such as a crooked path
Torturous (adjective) – pertains to causing or experiencing extreme pain
[in-so-leyt]
 Insolate (verb) – to expose to the sun’s rays
Insulate (verb) – to cover with material that reduces any leak of heat, electricity, or sound.
[en-shur]
 Ensure (verb) – to make sure or certain, safe from harm
Insure (verb) – to guarantee from theft or harm, to procure an insurance policy for
Write and Review on! ~ Brooke
 Easy to follow and authoritative, The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need provides all the necessary tools to make you successful with every type of written expression.
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[Related Links] 
This month's links are educational items that coordinate with this editorial.
 "Invalid Item" by A Guest Visitor
Debunking a pernicious assumption
 "Common Text Editor Conversion Mistakes" by Pen_and_Coffee 
Personal record of bad characters that arise when converting text from a different format.
 "A List of Common Typos" by fairyJo
These are mistakes that I see a lot on the Web, and how they should be written.
 "Spelling Patterns/Pronunciations" by iKïyå§ama 
A guide to basic spelling patterns and proununciations to help common mistakes in writing.
 "Grammarama" by Davy Kraken 
A library featuring commonly committed errors of the English language.
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I received some wonderful feedback to my last newsletter [#7382] "Spellcheck Won't Save You From These" and I'm proud to share it with you.
 From kellyspring via email:
Hmm. The heading reads, "Spellcheck Won't Save You From These" and the first paragraph contains the line "A little slip if a key and Prostate Cancer turns to Prostrate Cancer." Coincidence? Or were you curious to see whether anyone would notice? Hmm.
Seriously, thanks for another useful newsletter, Brooke.
Good eyes! I totally missed that and nope, wasn't on purpose.  Just a typo. Thanks for catching it!
From Shannon 
Great newsletter! Another that comes immediately to mind is "wet my appetite," which should be whet my appetite. I see that one a lot. Merry Christmas, Brooke! 
Yes, that would have been perfect to use, judging by my feedback, much better than peace of mind.  Thanks and I hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well.
From ☮ The Grum Of Grums 
Hi Brooke
I agree, there are many and varied misuses of our language, although we have to be careful about important distinctions between AmE an BrE.
I agree completely with your examples, although the emigrated/immigrated distinction can be removed by simply saying "migrated". And with "peace of mind"; that's quite correct but not to be confused with giving someone "a piece of my mind".
Don't you just love our language?
Warm regards
Yes, many differences exist between American and British English, which can be confusing to many people. I agree with you on emigrated. I've rewritten things in this matter to help avoid confusion sometimes. Thanks for writing in.
From ANN Counselor, Lesbian & Happy
OOPS. You missed what this phrase means: "Piece of mind" The phrase is used to shout angrily at another person as in, "Shouting in my loudest voice, I gave her a piece of mind." The phrase is used often in America by mothers, angry aunts, seething wife, usually by women trying to show the listener just how angry she is or was.
Yep, I realized that when the feedback started flowing in. I appreciate the note. 
From eyestar~*
LOL I enjoyed your commentary of spelling errors. These common ones are good for a laugh. Well written.
Thank you! I appreciate you writing in and sharing your thoughts.
From Pumpkin Harvest
In reference to your spellcheck article, I've noticed that people who say he or she gave someone a "piece of my mind" (spelling is probably correct in that case, since it was her thoughts being given freely), that the individual speaking doesn't have many pieces to spare.
Yes, several people have written in with this same thought. I think it didn't occur to me because I never use that phrase. I should have included it in the description though.
From Just an Ordinary Boo!
I think this is a minefield, and you're right, Spell-check is no help - especially for those who are not familiar with idiom.
But the results are so funny sometimes, like that 'baited breath' example, I always think of a cat eating Limburger cheese and then waiting near a mouse hole with wide open maw!!
I even felt inspired to come up with some modern variations which make you laugh, because they can be amusing twists of logic!
How about:
- straining at the lease - many young adults find themselves struggling this way!
- Haute potato - nouvelle cuisine has taken over the humble spud
- Actions speak louder than verbs - same meaning, it just took it to another level because of the specific term
- Your guess is as good as nine! - a guess in time, to borrow from another idiom!
Wanna jump on the pun wagon, friends?
 Those are great! I loved the cheese/mouse description as well. I could see that playing out quite well.  Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
From paddy1
Peace of mind is an interesting one, as there is also the meaning to give someone a piece of your mind, ie to tell them off. Which spelling is used suggests the meaning.
I agree completely and regret that I left that off my editorial. Thanks for sharing it with me.
From Detective
This is very helpful to me. I know many of these phrases, though I haven't used any of them. It'll help me catch these phrases and others that spellcheck doesn't catch. Thanks!
You're welcome. I'm glad you found it helpful. Thanks for writing in!
From Lucinda Lynx
I didn't know all of those. And when it comes to spelling and many meanings, I knew even less. I try to write ordinary English, so that a native speaker could understand, what I am trying to say.
I do that as well. There is nothing worse than reading a story and having to reread a line you don't understand because it's a local phrase to the author's area and doesn't make sense to you. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
From: scooter
"begs the question"! people use it to mean "raises the question" all the time. that is not what it means! drives me bonkers! :)
That annoys me as well. Good point and one that I don't see addressed often. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me.
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