Commonly Used Words That Don't Exist

I am not defending those folks which are not using it correctly and most likely want a different word. I learned it on a morning commute radio show a few years ago. It surprised me as well.

 

Ahem... "who/whom" or "that" in reference to people. Preferably "who/whom." "Which/ that which" is only used for non-people in that context.

#grammar_police.

 

No means No Napoleon Dynamite!

 

"Whenever," where the declarant intends to say "when."

As in "whenever I went there the first time, it was beautiful!"
I think this is a midwest thang.

"Thang" instead of "thing," but I *use* that one!

- Bax

 

Well, it is supposable that I have unfairly misjudged those who supposedly do not know the difference. Thank you for that article!!!

 

Likewise, people frequently say "can't be underestimated"
when they mean "shouldn't be underestimated" .

The first one means "worthless" .
The second means "significantly stronger than one would expect" .

 

"suspect" is a word I've only heard used correctly by the news media
maybe a dozen times
over the past 50 years.

If the first person that gets arrested for a crime,
is the wrong person,
then everything that the news said about what the suspect did
was a lie.

 

I may never get over the fact that “ginormous” has made it into the dictionary.

 

I hope "egantic" follows suit.

 

But not hugenormous?

 

That one is an example of "one word sliding into two".

 

Moderates.

 

I can't read "okay" without wondering how they would spell "911"

 

"911" has a funny history;.....watched someone on TV refer to 9-1-1 as "Nine-eleven". I have yet to see someone refer to September 11 as "Nine-one-one".

 

And when people stop saying that, it'll be taken out. You saw that here.

 

I heard an interesting conflation yesterday. My sister described someone having mixed up "patootie" and "tush" to make "patushie".

 

A little divergence from the main topic, about the misuse off a word or two, typically in writing.

I've noticed many many people tend to use the archaic word "Thou" in place of "Though".
"Thou" typically should be used in place of the word " You".
Example: Thou doest protest too much.
"Though" is used to say "in place of" or "instead of".

 

I guess within time someone will say it and "orientation" will be no more.

 

It's not the word, it's the pronunciation: nuclear isn't pronounced "nuke-you-ler". It's "nuke-lee-er."