Vocabulary general 6 pptx
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they/their (singular)
THEY/THEIR (SINGULAR)
Using the plural pronoun to refer to a single person of unspecified gender is an old and honorable
pattern in English, not a newfangled bit of degeneracy or a politically correct plot to avoid sexism
(though it often serves the latter purpose). People who insist that “Everyone has brought his own
lunch” is the only correct form do not reflect the usage of centuries of fine writers. A good general
rule is that only when the singular noun does not specify an individual can it be replaced plausibly
with a plural pronoun: “Everybody” is a good example. We know that “everybody” is singular
because we say “everybody is here,“ not “everybody are here” yet we tend to think of “everybody” as
a group of individuals, so we usually say “everybody brought their own grievances to the bargaining
table.” “Anybody” is treated similarly.
However, in many written sentences the use of singular “their” and “they” creates an irritating clash
even when it passes unnoticed in speech. It is wise to shun this popular pattern in formal writing.
Often expressions can be pluralized to make the “they” or “their” indisputably proper: “All of them
have brought their own lunches.” “People” can often be substituted for “each.” Americans seldom
avail themselves of the otherwise very handy British “one” to avoid specifying gender because it
sounds to our ears rather pretentious: “One’s hound should retrieve only one’s own grouse.” If you
decide to try “one,” don’t switch to “they” in mid-sentence: “One has to be careful about how they
speak” sounds absurd because the word “one” so emphatically calls attention to its singleness. The
British also quite sensibly treat collective bodies like governmental units and corporations as plural
(“Parliament have approved their agenda”) whereas Americans insist on treating them as singular.
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/they.html03/09/2005 15:40:10
think on
THINK ON
THINK ABOUT
An archaic form that persists in some dialects is seen in statements like “I’ll think on it” when most people would say “I’ll think about it."
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/thinkon.html03/09/2005 15:40:11
though/thought/through
THOUGH/THOUGHT/THROUGH
Although most of us know the differences between these words people often type one of them when
they mean another. Spelling checkers won’t catch this sort of slip, so look out for it.
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/though.html03/09/2005 15:40:11
throne/thrown
THRONE/THROWN
A throne is that chair a king sits on, at least until he gets thrown out of office.
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/throne.html03/09/2005 15:40:14
thusly
THUSLY
THUS
“Thusly” has been around for a long time, but it is widely viewed as nonstandard. It’s safer to go with plain old “thus."
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/thusly.html03/09/2005 15:40:15
time period
TIME PERIOD
The only kinds of periods meant by people who use this phrase are periods of time, so it’s a
redundancy. Simply say “time” or “period."
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/time.html03/09/2005 15:40:15
times smaller
TIMES SMALLER
Mathematically literate folks object to expressions like “my paycheck is three times smaller than it
used to be” because “times” indicates multiplication and should logically apply only to increases in
size. Say "one third as large” instead.
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/times.html03/09/2005 15:40:15
to/too/two
TO/TOO/TWO
People seldom mix “two” up with the other two; it obviously belongs with words that also begin with
TW, like “twice” and “twenty” that involve the number 2. But the other two are confused all the time.
Just remember that the only meanings of “too” are “also” ("I want some ice cream too.") and “in
excess” ("Your walkman is playing too loudly.") Note that extra O. It should remind you that this
word has to do with adding more on to something. “To” is the proper spelling for all the other uses.
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/to.html03/09/2005 15:40:16
to home
TO HOME
AT HOME
In some dialects people say "I stayed to home to wait for the mail," but in standard English the expression is "stayed at home."
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/tohome.html03/09/2005 15:40:16
today’s modern society
TODAY’S MODERN SOCIETY
TODAY
People seeking to be up-to-the-minute often indulge in such redundancies as “in today’s modern society” or “in the modern society of today.” This is
empty arm-waving which says nothing more than “now” or “today.” A reasonable substitute is “contemporary society.” Such phrases are usually
indulged in by people with a weak grasp of history to substitute for such more precise expressions as “for the past five years” or “this month.”
See “from the beginning of time.”
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/today.html03/09/2005 15:40:16
tolled/told
TOLLED/TOLD
Some people imagine that the expression should be “all tolled” as if items were being ticked off to
the tolling of a bell, or involved the paying of a toll; but in fact this goes back to an old meaning of
"tell": “to count.” You could “tell over” your beads if you were counting them in a rosary. “All told”
means “all counted."
List of errors
file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/tolled.html03/09/2005 15:40:17
