Common Usage Errors
41-60
41. NAUSEATED/NAUSEOUS

Many people say, when sick to their stomachs,
that they feel “nauseous” (pronounced “NOSHuss” or “NOZH-uss”) but traditionalists insist
that this word should be used to describe
something that makes you want to throw up:
something nauseating. They hear you as saying
that you make people want to vomit, and it
tempers their sympathy for your plight. Better to
say you are “nauseated,” or simply that you feel
like throwing up.
42. NAVAL/NAVEL

Your bellybutton is your navel, and navel
oranges look like they have one; all terms having
to do with ships and sailing require “naval.”
43. OPPRESS/REPRESS

Dictators commonly oppress their citizens and
repress dissent, but these words don’t mean
exactly the same thing. “Repress” just means
"keep under control.” sometimes repression is a
good thing: “During the job interview, repress
the temptation to tell Mr. Brown that he has
toilet paper stuck to his shoe.” Oppression is
always bad, and implies serious persecution.
44. PASSED/PAST

If you are referring to time or distance, use
“past”: “the team performed well in the past,”
“the police car drove past the suspect’s house.”
If you are referring to the action of passing,
however, you need to use “passed“: “when John
passed the gravy, he spilled it on his lap,” “the
teacher was astonished that none of the students
had passed the test.”
45. PEACE/PIECE

It’s hard to believe many people really confuse the
meaning of these words; but the spellings are
frequently swapped, probably out of sheer carelessness.
“Piece” has the word “pie” buried in it, which should
remind you of the familiar phrase, “a piece of pie.” You
can meditate to find peace of mind, or you can get
angry and give someone a piece of your mind. Classical
scholars will note that pax is the Latin word for peace,
suggesting the need for an “A” in the latter word.
46.PHENOMENA/
PHENOMENON

There are several words with Latin or Greek
roots whose plural forms ending in A are
constantly mistaken for singular ones. See, for
instance, criteria and media and data. it’s “this
phenomenon,” but “these phenomena.”
47. PERSONAL/PERSONNEL

Employees are personnel, but private individuals
considered separately from their jobs have
personal lives.
48. PRECEDE/PROCEED

“Precede” means “to go before.” “Proceed”
means to go on. Let your companion precede
you through the door, then proceed to follow
her. Interestingly, the second E is missing in
“procedure.”
49.PRODIGY/PROGENY/
PROTÉGÉ

Your progeny are your kids, though it would be
pretty pretentious to refer to them as such. If
your child is a brilliantly outstanding person he
or she may be a child prodigy. In fact, anything
amazingly admirable can be a prodigy. But a
person that you take under your wing in order to
help promote his or her career is your protégé.
50. PRINCIPAL/PRINCIPLE

Generations of teachers have tried to drill this one into
students’ heads by reminding them, “The principal is
your pal.” Many don’t seem convinced. “Principal” is a
noun and adjective referring to someone or something
which is highest in rank or importance. (In a loan, the
principal is the more substantial part of the money, the
interest is—or should be—the lesser.) “Principle” is
only a noun, and has to do with law or doctrine: “The
workers fought hard for the principle of collective
bargaining.”
51. REGARD/REGARDS

Business English is deadly enough without
scrambling it. “As regards to your downsizing
plan . . .” is acceptable, if stiff. “In regard to”
“and “with regard to” are also correct. But “in
regards to” is nonstandard. You can also convey
the same idea with “in respect to” or “with
respect to.”
52. REIGN/REIN

A king or queen reigns, but you rein in a horse.
The expression “to give rein” means to give in
to an impulse as a spirited horse gives in to its
impulse to gallop when you slacken the reins.
Similarly, the correct expression is “free rein,”
not “free reign."
53. RISKY/RISQUÉ

People unfamiliar with the French-derived word
“risqué” ("slightly indecent” ) often write “risky”
by mistake. Bungee-jumping is risky, but nude
bungee-jumping is risqué.
54. SAIL/SALE/SELL

These simple and familiar words are surprisingly
often confused in writing. You sail a boat which
has a sail of canvas. You sell your old fondue
pot at a yard sale.
55. SOLE/SOUL

The bottom of your foot is your sole; your spirit
is your soul.
56. SHIMMY/SHINNY

You shinny—or shin (climb)—up a tree or pole;
but on the dance floor or in a vibrating vehicle
you shimmy (shake).
57. SOMETIME/SOME TIME

"Let's get together sometime." When you use
the one-word form, it suggests some indefinite
time in the future. "Some time" is not wrong in
this sort of context, but it is required when
being more specific: "Choose some time that fits
in your schedule." "Some" is an adjective here
modifying "time." The same pattern applies to
"someday" (vague) and "some day" (specific).
58. SUIT/SUITE

Your bedroom suite consists of the bed, the
nightstand, and whatever other furniture goes
with it. Your pajamas would be your bedroom
suit.
59. THAN/THEN

When comparing one thing with another you
may find that one is more appealing “than”
another. “Than” is the word you want when
doing comparisons. But if you are talking about
time, choose “then“: “First you separate the
eggs; then you beat the whites.” Alexis is smarter
than I, not “then I."
60. THAT/WHICH

If you are defining something by distinguishing
it from a larger class of which it is a member,
use “that”: “I chose the lettuce that had the
fewest wilted leaves.” When the general class is
not being limited or defined in some way, then
“which” is appropriate: “He made an iceberg
Caesar salad, which didn’t taste quite right.”
Note that “which” is normally preceded by a
comma, but “that” is not.