Usage Problems 2017
Usage Problems 2017
Usage Problems 2017
4. Incorrect plurals
There are regular plurals and irregular ones. The regular plurals rarely result in spelling
errors, but irregular plurals often cause trouble. Keep regular and irregular plurals straight and the
spelling errors will be eliminated. Below are some spelling rules to help you form the correct
plurals.
Most regular plurals are formed by adding s to the end of the word.
Add es if the noun ends in s, sh, ch, or x: class – classes; inch – inches; box – boxes;
stress –stresses; tax – taxes;
If the noun ends in y preceded by a consonant, change the y to i and add es: city –
cities; lady – ladies; happy – happiness;
If the noun ends in y preceded by a vowel, add s: essay – essays; monkey – monkeys;
journey – journeys;
Exception: Words that end in -quy, as in soliloquy, which becomes soliloquies /səˈlɪl.ə.kwi/ a
speech in a play which the character speaks to him- or herself or to the people watching rather than
to the other characters.
Words that end in -ly keep the y when they become plural: bialy bialys (a flat
breakfast roll that has a depressed centre and is usually covered with onion flakes)
Exceptions: dollies; lilies.
If the noun ends in o preceded by a vowel, add s: radio – radios; ratio – ratios; patio –
patios; studio – studios.
If the noun ends in o preceded by a consonant, the noun can take es, s, or either s or
es.
es: potato – potatoes; hero – heroes; tomato – tomatoes; echo – echoes; veto – vetoes;
s: silo – silos; solo – solos; piano – pianos; soprano – sopranos; alto – altos; dynamo –
dynamos;
either es or s: zero - zeros, zeroes; tornado - tornados, tornadoes; cargo - cargos, cargoes;
motto -mottos, mottoes; domino - dominos, dominoes; buffalo bʌfələʊ - buffalos, buffaloes;
Add s to most nouns ending in f. However, the f endings are so irregular as to be
nearly random. If you have any doubts at all, consult a dictionary: brief – briefs; chief – chiefs;
proof – proofs; belief – beliefs; staff – staffs; sheriff – sheriffs; belief – beliefs;
Exception: In some cases, change the f or fe to v and add es: half – halves; knife – knives;
leaf –leaves; life – lives; self – selves; thief – thieves; wife – wives; wolf – wolves;
Exception: This rule does not hold for names. In that case, just add an s: Mr. and Ms. Wolf
becomes The Wolfs.
Words that end in -ey, -ay, or -oy do not have -ies plurals:
-ey: valley – valleys; abbey – abbeys;
-ay: tray – trays; clay – clays;
-oy: ploy – ploys (something that is done or said in order to get an advantage, often
dishonestly).
In compound words, make the main word plural: mother-in-law - mothers-in-law;
passer-by – passers-by;
Exceptions: If there is no noun in the compound word, add an s to the end of the word, as in
mix-ups, take-offs. If the compound word ends in -ful, add an s to the end of the word, as in capfuls.
Some nouns change their spelling when they become plural: child – children; foot –
feet; goose – geese; louse – lice; man – men; mouse – mice; ox – oxen; tooth – teeth; woman
women.
Some nouns have the same form whether they are singular or plural: swine, series,
deer, sheep, moose, species, Portuguese, means, aircraft
The only plurals formed with apostrophes are the plurals of numbers, letters, and
words highlighted as words: How many 3’s make 9? There were too many but’s in the speech.
Some words from other languages form plurals in other ways, often determined by
the grammar of their language of origin: alumnus - alumni (female); alumna - alumnae (male);
analysis – analyses; axis – axes; bacterium – bacteria; basis – bases; crisis – crises; criterion -
criteria ; hypothesis – hypotheses; index - index, indices; memorandum - memorandums,
memoranda; parenthesis – parentheses; phenomenon – phenomena; stimulus – stimuli; thesis –
theses.
5. Errors in confusing word pairs (such as weather/whether)
Some words in English have the same spelling and pronunciation but different meanings,
such as bay/bay and beam/beam. We also have words with the same pronunciation but different
spellings and meanings, such as coarse/course or bridal/bridle. Distinguishing between these
confusing words is crucial because it helps you write exactly what you mean. Below are some of the
most often misspelled words. They’re mangled because they’re so close in sound and/or spelling.
After you study the list, however, you’ll be able to tell them apart and use them correctly.
air: atmosphere: There’s no air in a vacuum—hence his empty head.
err: make a mistake: To err is human; to purr, feline.
a lot: many: A lot of people are absent from work today.
allot: divide: Allot the prizes equally among all guests, please.
all together: all at one time: The students spoke all together.
altogether: completely: The job is altogether complete.
allowed: given permission: You are allowed to vote for the candidate of your choice.
aloud: out loud, verbally: Don’t say it aloud. Don’t even think it quietly.
already: previously: We had already packed.
all ready: prepared: The cole slaw is all ready to serve (cold uncooked cabbage,
carrot and onion, cut into long thin strips and covered in a thick creamy cold sauce).
altar: shrine: The priest placed the prayer book on the altar.
alter: change: She had to alter her dress.
arc: curved line: The walls have an arc rather than a straight line.
ark: boat: Noah loaded the ark with animals.
ascent: to move up: She made a quick ascent up the corporate ladder!
assent: to agree: I assent to your plan.
bare: undressed: You can find a lot of bare people in nudist camps.
bare: unadorned, plain: Just take the bare essentials when you go camping.
bear: animal: Look at the bear!
bear: carry, hold: I bear no grudges.
base: the bottom part of an object, the plate in baseball, morally low: The vase has a
wide, sturdy base. The catcher’s wild throw missed the base. The criminal is base and corrupt.
bass: the lowest male voice, a type of fish, a musical instrument: He sings bass. We
caught a striped bass. She plays the bass in the orchestra.
beau: sweetheart: My beau bought me flowers /bəʊ.
bow: to bend from the waist, a device used to propel arrows, loops of ribbon, the
forward end of a ship: The dancer liked to bow to his partner. We shoot deer with a bow and
arrow. The baby wore a pretty hair bow. The passengers sat in the ship’s bow.
board: a slab of wood: The karate master cut the board with his bare hand.
board: a group of directors: The school board meets the first Tuesday of every
month.
bored: not interested: The movie bored us so we left early.
born: native: Born free . . . taxed to death.
borne: endured: Fortunato had borne his insults the best he could.
bore: tiresome person: What a bore he is!
boar: male pig: They found a boar in the woods.
brake: a device for slowing a vehicle: Use the car brake!
break: to crack or destroy: Don’t break my back.
breadth: measurement: The desk has a breadth of more than 6 feet.
breath: inhale and exhale: She has bad breath.
capital: the city or town that is the official seat of government, highly important, net
worth of a business: Albany is the capital of New York state. What a capital idea! The business has
$12 million operating capital.
Capitol: the building in Washington, D.C., where the U.S. Congress meets: The
Capitol is a beautiful building.
conscience: moral sense: Your conscience helps you distinguish right from wrong.
conscious: awake: Being conscious: that annoying time between naps.
cheep: what a bird says: “Cheep,” said the canary.
cheap: not expensive: Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand.
deer: animal : The deer sneered at the inept hunter.
dear: beloved: “You are my dear,” the man said to his wife.
draught, draft: breeze: What’s causing that draft on my neck?
draft: sketch: A first draft, with no rewrites.
EXERCISES
Exercise 1. Revise the following sentences to eliminate any dangling modifiers. Each
sentence has more than one possible answer.
1. After accomplishing many deeds of valour, Andrew Jackson's fame led to his
election to the presidency in 1828 and 1832.
2. By the age of fourteen, both of Jackson's parents had died.
3. To aid the American Revolution, service as a mounted courier was chosen by
Jackson.
4. Though not well educated, a successful career as a lawyer and judge proved
Jackson's ability.
5. Winning many military battles, the American public believed in Jackson's leadership.
Exercise 2. In the following pairs, one sentence is correct; and the other sentence has a
misplaced or a dangling modifier. Mark the CORRECT sentence.
1. A_____ Looking towards the south, a funnel-shaped cloud stirred up the dust.
B_____ Looking toward the south, I saw a funnel-shaped cloud stir up the dust.
2. A_____ They saw a fence made of barbed wire behind the house.
B_____ They saw a fence behind the house made of barbed wire.
3. A_____ After following the vision program for two weeks, my doctor told me that my
eyesight had improved.
B_____ After I had followed the vision program for two weeks, my doctor told me that my
eyesight had improved.
4. A_____ We saw several birds looking out our window.
B_____ Looking out our window, we saw several birds.
5. A_____ The four men eating lunch talked quietly in the corner.
B_____ The four men talked quietly in the corner eating lunch.
6. A_____ Racing across the parking lot, the bus was reached before the door closed.
B_____ Racing across the parking lot, I reached the bus before the door closed
7. A_____ Being only five, the doctor did not know how to operate on me.
B_____ Because I was only five, the doctor did not know how to operate on me.
8. A_____ Mary nearly watched two hundred movies last year.
B_____ Mary watched nearly two hundred movies last year.
9. A_____ To enter the contest, you must send an entry form with your slogan.
B_____ To enter the contest, an entry form must be sent with your slogan.
10. A_____ I remember seeing the picture of the fire-fighter who had been injured on the
morning news.
B_____ I remember seeing on the morning news the picture of the fire-fighter who had been
injured.
Exercise 4. This proofreading exercise comes from (News USA) and you need to find 10
mistakes in spelling – one in each paragraph and the two headings.
B. Why You're Not Getting Hird
Here’s a secret — job placement isn’t a matter of inclusion, but one of elimination. In
today’s economy, recruiters are deluged with resumes and have to funnel them through pre-set
filters designed to separate the competition. On average, a recruiter spends only 30 seconds
reviewing each application, meaning if you aren’t marketing your skils correctly, not only are you
not getting hired, most times your application won’t even be seen.
Joe Weinlick is Vice President of Marketing for Beyond.com, a career network that allows
people to search thousands of jobs and manage their carears. His company connects job seekers to
available positions, but stresses that the process doesn’t stop there.
“Picture the hundreds of people aplying for a job seated in the same auditorium,” said
Weinlick. “Now picture that you’re one of the few standing up. Who do you think will get noticed
first?”
Here are five recommendations from Beyond.com to improve you job search
1. Play the Part. A recruiter works with the same job description that is posted online, and if
you’re not using the same language, a communications gap can develop. Treat the job description
like your compass, and use it to guide each anser by tailoring your wording to match theirs.
2. Get Noticed. This is the hardest part, as it’s difficult to stand out when others have similar
qualitications. Think about your unique qualities, and lead with them. Don’t wait until the end; the
recruiter might never get there.
3. Get Feedback. Every time you apply for a job, strive for the perfect application. Clean up
gramatical errors, cut unnecessary words, and focus on details. Send your materials to colleagues
for advice, and take advantage of other resources, like a free resume critique from Beyond.com that
can catch any errors.
4. Follow Protocol. Submit only what the job posting requests. This will show that you can
follow direcsions. Don’t lie about experience; rather relate the experiences you have, and show how
they apply. The candidates who follow the rules and look the best throughout the process have an
advantage.
5. Nail the Interview. At this point, the hardest part is over, but you’re still the underdog. Be
scrapy. Focus on remaining present during the interview. Research the company and your
profession. Browse news outlets, like News and Advice on Beyond.com, to stay current on your
profession.