The following abominations are some common mistakes that many people who should know better make anyway.  Clean up your language by getting rid of the common errors known as The Dirty Thirty.

1.  The -wise suffix:  This suffix is a sloppy way of writing and talking.  If you are having a bad day in terms of hair or a tough week in terms of grades, say that.

2.  The -ish suffix:  The same rule applies for the -ish added on to words.  If you mean approximate 9 o’clock, write just that.  Do not use “around nine-ish.”

3.  different:  Things are different from each other.  Don’t write “different than.”  It makes no sense, just as it would make no sense to write, “I want my books kept separate than the others.”

4.  as far as:  This phrase must have “is concerned” after it or it is meaningless.  Your sentence should read, “As far as studying is concerned, I’ve worked hard” (not, “As far as studying, I’ve worked hard.”).

5.  center around:  Centering around something is not possible.  You can only center on.

6.  feel bad:  If you are sick or unhappy, you feel bad – not badly.  Feeling “badly” means that there is something physically wrong with your hand that causes you to “feel badly.”

7.  fewer/less:  Fewer refers to numbers, less to amounts.  Don’t use less for anything you can count:  fewer students, but less time; fewer problems, but less trouble.

8.  indefinite pronouns (each, everyone, everybody, either, neither, nobody):  These pronouns are always singular, and they must agree with their nouns.  You wouldn’t write, “Everybody are taking their own lunch.”  Everybody is singular.  Their is plural.  The sentence should be, “Everybody is taking his own lunch.”

9.  irregardless:  This word is not correct, no matter how many times you hear it.  The word is regardless.  The ir- is redundant; it means the same thing as the -less on the end of the word.  Saying “irregardless” is like saying “irreckless” or “irruthless.”  Obviously irridiculousless.

10.  off: Always off, never off of.  He got off the train; he didn’t get off of the train.

11.  plus:  Do not use plus in place of and.  Save plus for Hoffberger.

12.  like/as:  Don’t use like when you mean as or as if.  You can avoid wrong usage if you substitute as though, as if, as, or in the way wherever one of these will make sense in place of like.  Never use like if one of the substitute phrases will work in its place.

13.  fabulous:  This word has been ruined from overuse.  It means imaginary, mythical, legendary.  It does not mean great, wonderful, or terrific.

14.  imply/infer:  To imply means to suggest or indicate:  “Are you implying that he can’t be trusted?”  (Are you suggesting that …?)  To infer means to draw a conclusion from:  “I didn’t say that; you inferred it.”  (That’s what you drew from my statement.)

15.  perfect/unique:  If a thing is perfect, it’s perfect.  If it’s unique, it’s unique.  It can’t be more perfect or more unique.  Perfection and uniqueness are absolute, therefore beyond comparison.  Never use “more” or “most” with them.

16.  trite expressions or clichés:  Avoid the stale, ready-made expressions that have become overfamilar and tiresome through constant use by second-rate speakers and third-rate writers.  Here are just a few:

as luck would have it                 green with envy

better late than never               busy as a bee

few and far between                 ripe old age

needless to say                        bitter end

sadder but wiser                       slow but sure

last but not least

17.  redundancies:  Cut any word that repeats a meaning or that pads without adding anything.  Here are some redundancies:

advanced forward            future prospects

an actual fact                 at the present time

past history                    retreat back

small in size                    equally as good as

free gift                         false illusion

continue on

18.  try:  Don’t use try and when you mean try to.  “I will try and be there” means that you are planning to do two things – you are going to try and you are going to be there.  You probably mean, “I will try to be there.”

19.  while:  This word is one of the most misused in the student vocabulary.  It means “time” or “at the time.”  Never use it as a substitute for and, but, or although, like in the following mistaken sentence:  “Tolstoy was a Russian writer, while Hemingway was an American writer.”  That is not possible.  Tolstoy died when Hemingway was twelve years old.  The writer means, “Tolstoy was a Russian writer, and Hemingway was an American writer.”

20.  slang:  Avoid it.  Some students use it in the mistaken notion that it will make their writing sound informal.  It won’t; it will merely make it sound juvenile or “cute.”  Nothing makes you sound less credible in an academic paper than cuteness.

21.  so:  Don’t use so as a substitute for very or terribly or any other intensifier, as in, “Exercise is so exhausting.”  You can get by with that in speech, but not in writing.  A reader expects a so in this position to have a that after it:  “Exercising is so exhausting that it makes me want to puke.”

22.  similar to:  If you mean like, say like.  It’s that simple.

23.  split infinitive:  Don’t put an adverb between the parts of an infinitive:  “to truly think,” “to positively believe,” “to suddenly stop.”  Put the adverb before or after the infinitive:  “to think truly,” “to believe positively,” “to stop suddenly.”  Better yet, leave it out altogether or recast the sentence.

24.  there:  Do not use this word.  It gets in the way of writing interesting sentences.  There is often followed by a boring verb, and the result is a boring paper.  Example:

There were strange noises in the night.  (boring)

Strange noises screeched eerily in the night.  (better)

25.  contractions:  Contractions create a conversational tone.  Formal essays do not have contractions.

26.  pronouns:  Do not use first-person and second-person pronouns when writing formal essays.  I, me, my, we, us, our, you, your, and yours are the pronouns to avoid.  Do not make the mistake of always using “one” in the place of these pronouns.  Example:

You can see the logic in this argument.  (Not good)

One can see the logic in this argument.  (Better, but not great)

A judge can see the logic in this argument.  (Almost great)

27.  got:  This word is one of the ugliest-sounding words in our language.  A thesaurus will help wipe this word from your written vocabulary.

28.  this:  Do not use this word alone unless you are very careful.  It should always have a noun after it.  “This shows that the sky is blue.”  (This what?  This evidence?  This argument?  This banana?)

Also, many writers mistakenly use this as a plural pronoun, and it cannot be plural:  “The boy failed this science test, received three nights’ detention, and fell in the cafeteria.  This really upset him.”  (This is singular, yet the boy had three bad experiences.)

29.  it’s:  Always means it is.  Since it is a contraction for these two words, never use it in a formal paper.  Never!

30.  regarding:  Often misused, such as in the following way:  “Regarding meals, the cafeteria will be open at noon.”  (In this sentence, the cafeteria is regarding the meals.)  The easiest way to avoid this error is to avoid the word “regarding” altogether.  Even used correctly, it tends to sound like committee language.

Acknowledgments:

The Lively Art of Writing, by Lucille Vaughan Payne, with modifications and changes by Sheila C. Raith, 1997, and Elizabeth Fields, 2005.

Contact Sheila Raith c/o:

Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School

630 Evans Avenue

Wyomissing, PA 19610