SPECIAL FROM Grandparents.com
Are you (or someone you love) making these grammar mistakes? End the confusion for good.
1
Peruse
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Counter to popular usage, "peruse" actually means to read or review something carefully. We were even surprised about this one!Example: I perused the entire explanation, but still had questions.
2
Lie vs. Lay
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"Lie" means to recline or rest on a surface.Example: I want to lie on that couch."Lay" means to put or place something somewhere.Example: Lay your jacket on the chair.
3
Supposed To
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Don't forget the "d," everyone! "Suppose to" is incorrect, as is "use to."Example: I was supposed to call her on Monday, but I forgot.
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4
Toward/Anyway/ Afterward
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None of these words should end with "s."Example: Afterward, he walked toward the coffee shop—he was running late anyway.
5
For all intents and purposes
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If you've been saying "for all intensive purposes," you're mistaken.Example: For all intents and purposes, New Year's Day is the same thing as January 1.
6
Bemused
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However close their spellings may be, "bemused" is not a synonym for "amused." Bemused means bewildered or perplexed.Example: The actor's bemused expression suggested that he didn't know his scenes had been cut from the movie.
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7
i.e. vs. e.g.
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An abbreviation for the Latin term, id est, "i.e." means "that is" or "in other words"; it's used to further explain something.Example: Red apples are my favorite fruit (i.e. keep those green apples away from me!).If you want to abbreviate "for example," you'd use "e.g."Example: Would you buy me some red apples (e.g. Red Delicious, Fuji, or Gala)?
8
Me, myself, and I
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Differentiating between "me" and myself" often gets people into a grammatical pickle, whereas most people have the usage of "I" down pat."I" is only ever used as a subject (like she, he, we, they).Examples: I like the color blue. My husband and I went to the movies."Me" is used as an object (like her, him, us, them).Examples: Something happened to me today. My sister loves that picture of Kelly and me."Myself" is a reflexive pronoun, which means you use it when you're the object of your own action.Example: I see myself winning the tournament.The only other correct usage of myself is for emphasis: I myself love Bruce Springsteen's latest album.
9
Farther vs. further
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"Farther" refers to physical distance.Example: I live farther from the grocery store than you do."Further" refers to advancement.Example: Nancy read further into the comment and got angry.
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10
Fewer vs. less
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"Fewer" is used when you're talking about an actual number of things. Tip: "Fewer" is only used with plural nouns.Example: Fewer adults floss daily than they did 20 years ago. (Adults is a plural noun.)"Less" is used when the amount is undefined. Tip: "Less" is only used with singular nouns.Example: Less than half of adults floss daily. (Half is a singular noun)
11
Flaunt vs. flout
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"Flaunt" means to display something in an ostentatious manner.Example: She flaunted her diamond earrings by wearing her hair in a bun."Flout" means defying rules or convention.Example: She flouted school rules by wearing a short skirt.
12
Irregardless
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Most of you probably know this already, but it bears repeating: "irregardless" is a made-up word! It might be a mash-up of "regardless" and "irrespective," which do share the same meaning.The same is true of "conversate"—again, word fiction.
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