Most Misused Words in the English Language

[ljrjess69]

theres alot of slang words anymore 

[BMaston12]

1.  LESS and FEWER

Although you may not realize it, grocery stores have been using the wrong word at the checkout for many years.  When you see a sign saying 20 or 10 Items Or Less, that is incorrect.

"Less is used when comparing quantities that can’t be counted; for example, “I’d like less milk.” If you’re comparing quantities (like bagels, for example) then “fewer” should be used."

To be continued.......

I did not realize that there was a right and wrong way to use less and fewer in a sentence. Good thing to know! I am trying to get some part-time virtual work as  a proofreader and this is something I definitely need to know. Thanks for the information.  It is always interesting what you can find out by reading what is posted on the forum.

[stretch1967]

I dont have a problem with it unless I have no clue as to what is meant. Some of the words that people text with is weird. I'm not one for texting too much but I do use speech to text and some times there are alot of off the wall things. I will say one thing and it says something way out there.

[devideddi]

That's a good point, I can't help but wonder what made you think of it...
I often use the term I could care less.  My daughter always corrects me and says no moma its I couldn't care less.
Or she will say you could or you couldn't.   :- 

[loulizlee]

"I could care less" seems to be a phrase that has gotten so much use, it almost appears to be accepted.  To me, this is a term that you could figure out if you think about it.  "I could not care less" means it is impossible for me to care about it.  "I could care less" means that you COULD actually care less; in other words, you really do care.  You can remember it by thinking about the word "not."

[jenniferhoder]

Thanks for the info on fewer versus less- I wasn't aware of that.
I hate when people use "irregardless"
That ISN'T a word!!! Stop using it people!!!

[nmsmith]

what about conversate?? All of my life I've been told this is not a word, some teachers have told me it is a word but most have said no.....

[Phx0808]

what about conversate?? All of my life I've been told this is not a word, some teachers have told me it is a word but most have said no.....

It is a word that gained popularity by 2000. It is still used today but only by a minority of the population. 
Is it a word? Yes.
Is it commonly used? No.

[loulizlee]

I heard an expression the other day that reminded me of something that seemed to be going around when my daughter was a teenager.  Someone requested someone else to "itch" their back.  That would mean you were saying "itch my itch."  I wonder where that came from.

[paints]

What about orientate? As in, "New employees must orientate themselves to their jobs."

According to the online dictionary, its' usage is correct.

To me, it just sounds wrong. 

[sharonpatri55]

Take comfort in knowing those of you are not alone in the workplace when identifying the misuse of words, spelling and grammar. I've read numerous letters and emails through the years and it seemed the higher people were on the company ladder, the more unreadable were their (not there) messages.

[inertia4]

I never thought about it really. But you are right. I think now it would look strange for the 10 items or less line to say 10 items or fewer.

[lvstephanie]

I remembered another one after writing a reply on a different thread... "Can" and "May". "Can" means to have the ability to do something whereas "may" means to have the authority or permission to do something. My friend's father used to bug us all of the time when we'd call. If we asked "Can I speak with Jason?" he'd always reply with "I certainly hope you can," and would just stay on the line until you actually asked the question with "May" instead.

And as I was writing this reply, I noticed another one that many misuse / misspell... "used to" and "supposed to". Often times, people will say (or write) the verb without the "ed" at the end even though they usually are using the phrase in the past tense (or at the very least, present perfect tense which would also require an "ed" ending as in "I have finished,"). The problem is that the "ed" sound from the verb gets mixed in with the "t" sound of "to" and so the person won't use the "ed" at the end of their verb.

One last confusion that I see often (esp. when I was interviewing for jobs) is when they'd say "We're happy about you joining our company." Here there isn't necessarily a grammatical error; the problem is really about what semantic they are trying to convey. It is like the previous example "It's time to eat Grandma." Technically it is grammatically correct whether you have a comma in the sentence, but the semantics of the sentence change depending upon which version of the sentence you use. Similarly, by writing "We are happy about you joining our company" means that they are happy about you personally. If you were a top-notch person in your field, then this is probably what they mean; were Bill Gates to join Apple, then this sentence is probably what they want to convey. However if the applicants for a position are very similar, then it is not necessary you they are happy about, but rather the fact of you joining the company. In that sense, the correct sentence should be "We're happy about your joining our company," where "your" is the possessive of the noun "joining" that is really what they are happy about. Similarly, an interviewer usually means "I am excited about your inquiry into this position" and not "I am excited you inquired into this position." They are more excited about the inquiry rather than that the inquiry was made by you personally.

[greenthumbjan]

Where's the Beef! Cool. What. Psych. Weird. Boss.  But-hey, if ya feel it.  Ya gonna say it.   

[greenthumbjan]

Where's the Beef! Cool. What. Psych. Weird. Boss.  But-hey, if ya feel it  ya gonna say it.