To paraphrase Blackadder, as I am given to doing, “Bad grammar and spelling stalk the internet like two giant stalking things”. Today’s post will address a few more common errors found around the goldmine of misspelled invective that is the internet. Again, I will stress that is not an excuse to poke fun at people – just a friendly reminder of how to use the English language correctly. Are you all sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin.
i.e./e.g.: This is quite an easy mistake to make, as many people believe the two abbreviations to be interchangeable. They’re not. The abbreviation e.g. comes from the Latin exempli gratia, which means “for example”. If it helps, try to think of it as an example given. An illustration: “When playing ball games (e.g. rugby, hockey, baseball) protection may often be needed”. Note also the fact that the example is placed in parentheses. The i.e. abbreviation is also from Latin, id est, which means “that is” or “that is to say”. The i.e. is also enclosed in parentheses when used: “The cherry tree is deciduous (i.e. it sheds its leaves once a year)”.
Imply/infer: Misused in both speech and text, this is quite easy to remember, as you only need remember one part. Imply is something you might do and infer is something someone else does. For example, you could imply that perhaps your friend’s new partner was not very good looking and it would be up to him to infer that you thought she was ugly. Just remember: You imply, others infer.
Can/may: “Can” has become something of a colloquialism in British English, replacing “may’ in normal conversation. This does not make it correct though. Can represents ability – “can I make it up this hill?” May represents a request – “may I have a slice of that cake?” When someone says “can I take one of your cigarettes” you could legitimately answer “Yes, but you may not”. That’s always fun in a bar.
Different from/than/to: I’ll have to admit that this is one I sometimes get wrong, as I was brought up in an area where the incorrect version was the norm. It’s taken years to iron out, but I’m getting there. “From” is the only acceptable word in every case. Never “than”, never “to”, always “from” – it’s that simple.
Irregardless: Although it appears in some (American) dictionaries, irregardless is not a word. It’s just not. No, no, no. “Irrespective” is a word, “regardless” is a word, irregardless is not. The prefx ir- negates a word (like respective and irrespective) and the suffix -less also negates it (as in lucky and luckless), making it positive again. When you say or write irregardless, you are saying that something is without a lacking in regard – which just sounds wrong. There are some people who will tell you the word has been around since 1912 and that it’s a real word because people use it and blah, blah, blah. They can take a long walk off a short pier. It’s wrong. Just don’t.
Phew! Glad to get that off my chest. Have a lovely Easter.
