Common Catastrophes in

CompositionStyle is being yourself, but on

purpose. ~ Quentin Crisp

all right All right is right; alright is wrong.

a lot It’s written as two words, not one.

Most people would prefer that you try not to use it at all in formal writing. It is viewed as “colloquial”—i.e. too informal.

Alternatives for “a lot” When you mean “many” ~

considerably, decidedly, eminently, exceedingly, exceptionally, extremely, frequently, highly, hugely, indeed, notably, oft, often, regularly, repeatedly, surpassingly

When you mean “much” ~ abundance, amplitude, barrel, breadth, completeness, copiousness,

excess, exuberance, fullness, gobs, great quantity, heaps, loads, lump, mass, mess, mountain, multiplicity, oodles, overage, oversupply, pack, pile, plenty, plethora, profuseness, riches, scads, sufficiency, thousands, tons, volume, wealth

Note: “many” means being one of a large indefinite number, while much means great in quantity, degree, or extent Ex) There are many insects in my house Ex) I ate too much candy yesterday.

and/ or Try simply using “or” and see if it works.

And/ or is cumbersome.

assure-ensure-insure assure ~ to make a person feel certain or

safe ensure ~ to make things certain or safe insure ~ to make safe using money or

guarantees (like “car insurance”)

between-among When speaking of just two persons or

things, use between. When speaking of three or more persons or

things, use among.

different from-different than Since one thing differs from another, say

different from except where it creates a cumbersome or wordy clause after it, in which case default to different than. Ex) “The temptations there are different for adults

than for kids.”

disinterested-uninterested If you are disinterested, you are unbiased

or impartial Ex) The referee should be disinterested in the

outcome of the game.

If you are uninterested, you aren’t interested. I am uninterested in violent video games.

equally Use it alone, without the as.

Correct: Hugh and Stan are equally talented. Incorrect: Hugh and Stan are equally as talented.

famous-notorious If people are widely known and admired,

they are famous. If people are widely known because they

are disreputable (they have a bad reputation), they are notorious.

first-firstly Use first.

imply-infer If someone, such as the author, has implied

something, she has hinted at it instead of saying it outright.

If someone else, such as a reader, gets the hint, he has inferred it—that is, deduced the veiled point.

irregardless Use regardless. Irregardless deserves to

be a nonword since the prefix “ir” and the suffix “less” mean the same thing.

its-it’s It’s is always the contraction of “it is.” Its is the possessive form of it. (This confuses everybody in the world,

since we usually add “-’s” to nouns to show possession.)

lay-lie The verb lay means to put or set down. The past

tense of lay is laid. It always takes a direct object. (Ex) I’ll lay the baby in her crib. (Ex) I laid the baby in her crib.

The verb lie means to recline. The past tense of lie is lay. (Ex) I will lie down for a nap, now. (Ex) I lay down for a nap yesterday afternoon, when all of

the sudden, the doorbell rang!

loose-lose If a button is loose, you might lose it.

only Be sure to put it immediately adjacent to

the word it actually modifies. Is this right?

Sam only plays golf on the weekends. This is what you mean:

Sam plays golf only on the weekends.

reason is because Never write this. It’s painfully redundant

(repetitive).

so So should be followed by a that somewhere

in the sentence. You are so cool is not okay in grown up writing. This coffee is so hot that I can’t drink it is

acceptable.

supposed to/ used to There is a silent d on the end of each.

there is-there are Replace these phrases whenever possible.

Though When you stick it at the end of a sentence,

separate it from the rest of the sentence with a comma. This was not the first time, though.

Unique If a thing is unique, it’s the only one of its

kind. Therefore, you shouldn’t say rather unique, the most unique, or very unique. It would be like saying someone is the most pregnant. If you are tempted to use rather, the most, or very, try using rare, uncommon, or unusual in the place of unique.

whether Use it alone. Do not tack on “or not.”

(Ex) I don’t know whether to order pizza for dinner tonight.

The phrase “or not” is only necessary when you mean “regardless.” (Ex) I will ride my bike regardless of whether/

whether or not it rains.