I decided to write this article after listening to a radio show, where the topic of misused words and phrases were addressed. Here are some misused, mispronounced, and misplaced words and phrases that grate my nerves:
- Irregardless. This word I feel, belongs at the top of the list. I don't really see it as a word. If it were actually a word, the definition would be; “not regardless.” The word that should be used is; “regardless.” (Regardless of what you thought before reading this). I hear this word abused by some people that have college degrees in English! Here is a typical example of what you will commonly see regarding this word: “We continue to use gas in our cars, irregardless of the fact that the price is skyrocketing.” The correct example would be:“We continue to use gas in our cars, regardless of the fact that the price is skyrocketing.”
- “Care less.” We probably have all been guilty about using this phrase improperly, for example: “I could care less about the score of the game last night.” The correct example would be: “I could not care less about the score of the game last night.”
- “Intensive purposes.” This one should be: “Intents and purposes.” I have also seen it incorrectly as: “Intense and purposes.” You get the idea though- for all intents and purposes.
- Supposibly. This is just plain wrong. The correct version is: Supposedly. For example: “Supposedly you are reading this article out of boredom.”
- Got and gots. I grew up in the South, so I have heard quite a bit of language impairment with “got and gots.” Here is an example of the wrong use: “Your boss gots your paycheck for you.” The correct version would be to eliminate “gots” altogether, and you would have: “Your boss has your paycheck for you.” Here's an example of a misuse of the word “got:” “I got a bag groceries for you.” Again, you can eliminate the word “got,” and you get: “I have a bag of groceries for you.” Got it?
- “Opposed to” I have seen this one confused with “supposed to,” and I have also seen it spelled as: “Upposed to.” No wonder it's so hard for some people to learn Engrish. (I mean English).
- “Philharmonica orchestra.” I have played in many country bands, and on more than one occasion heard my drummer refer to the string sound of my keyboard, as sounding like a “philharmonica orchestra!” For those who don't know, the correct use would be: “Philharmonic orchestra.”
- Hotness. I have heard this used instead of the word heat, like so: “You can feel the hotness in the room with the hot heat.” (I am not making this up. If I only had a voice recorder with me all the time.)
- Electricianist. I have heard this used by someone to describe my occupation as an “electrician.”
- Kleenex, Xerox, Coke, and Clorox. I am including all four of these to illustrate the point, that not all face tissues-or wipes, are Kleenex. Kleenex, Xerox, Coke, and Clorox, are brand names. Not every photocopy is a Xerox, all soda is a Coke, and not all bleach is Clorox.
- Hot water heater. Why would you want to heat hot water? How about just plain "water heater?"
- Worser. This of course, gets abused along with "worse" and "worst.
- Klein's, Channel Lock's, and Vise Grip's. These are all brands of pliers. Lineman's pliers are referred to by electricians as "Klein's." "Channel Lock's" usually refer to adjustable pipe pliers (sometimes called water pump pliers). "Vise Grip's" refer to various locking type pliers. Once again, great examples of advertising genius.
- Libary. Yes there are still people who go to the "libary," as opposed to the library.
I'll probably ad more to the list as I think of them, and I am sure there are a lot more. Thanks for reading, and please be nice with the comments. This is for "info- tainment," a combination of information and entertainment.
