Download Commonly Misused Words and Phrases Mohammed Alhanjouri

Advanced Technical Writing
Lecture 5
 We received alot of e-mails supporting
the new policy.
 A lot is often incorrectly written as one word (alot).
The phrase a lot is informal and normally should not
be used in technical writing. Use many or numerous
for estimates or give a specific number or amount.
 The electrolyte actuates the battery.
 Both activate and actuate mean “make active”,
although actuate is usually applied only to
mechanical processes.
 The relay actuates the hammer.
[mechanical process]
 The electrolyte activates the battery.
[chemical process]
 The governor activated the National Guard.
[legal process]
 Both General Motors as well as Ford is
marketing hybrid vehicles.
 Do not use as well as with both. The two expressions
have similar meanings; use one or the other and
adjust the verb as needed.
 Both General Motors as well as Ford is marketing
hybrid vehicles.
 Both General Motors and Ford are marketing hybrid
vehicles.
 All right means “all correct.” (“The answers were all
right.”)
 In formal writing, it should not be used to mean
“good” or “acceptable.”
 It is always written as two words, with no hyphen;
alright is nonstandard.
 To achieve Fairness, the scheduler should
assign resources equally between the
three users.
 Between is normally used to relate two items or
persons. (“The alloy offers a middle ground between
durability and cost.”) Among is used to relate more
than two.
 To achieve Fairness, the scheduler should assign
resources equally among the three users.
 We can not meet the deadlines
specified in the contract.
 Cannot is one word.
 We cannot meet the deadlines specified in the
contract.
 A pre-defined criteria is used to
evaluate the students.
 Criterion is a singular noun. Criteria and criterions
are both acceptable plural forms of criterion, but
criteria is generally preferred.
 A pre-defined criterion is used to evaluate the
students.
 A pre-defined criteria are used to evaluate the
students.
 The conference included speakers
from five countries; i.e., Germany,
Italy, Japan, China, and the United
States.
 The abbreviation e.g. stands for the Latin exempli
gratia, meaning “for example”; i.e. stands for the
Latin id est, meaning “that is.”
 If i.e. or e.g. connects a noun and an appositive, a
comma should precede it and follow it.
 The conference included speakers from five
countries, i.e., Germany, Italy, Japan, China, and the
United States.
 If i.e. or e.g. connects two independent clauses, a
semicolon should precede it and a comma should
follow it.
 The conference reflected international viewpoints;
i.e., Germans, Italians, Japanese, Chinese, and
Americans gave presentations.
 The sorting machine processes coins (for example
pennies, nickels, etc.), and then packages them for
redistribution.
 Etc. is an abbreviation for the Latin et cetera,
meaning “and others” or“ and so on.” do not use etc.
at the end of a series introduced by the phrases
such as and for example. Do not italicize etc.
 “Every one of the team members contributed to this
discovery.”
 Although normally everyone and everybody are
written as one word, write it as two words if you wish
to emphasize each individual in a group.
 The sentence is correct and has no errors.
 It is a fact that our research has
improved because we now have a
capable technical staff.
 Do not use the word fact to refer to matters of
judgment or opinion.
 In my opinion, our research has improved because
we now have a capable technical staff.
 The president and his aide emerged from the
conference, the former looking nervous and the latter
looking glum.
 Former and latter should be used to refer to only two
items in a sentence or paragraph.
 Because these terms make the reader look to
previous material to identify the reference; however,
they complicate reading and are best avoided.
 Janet presented a well plan.
 Good is an adjective, and well is an adverb.
 ADJECTIVE Janet presented a good plan.
 ADVERB She presented the plan well.
 Well also can be used as an adjective to describe
health (a well child, wellness programs).
 In order to start the engine, open the
choke and then press the starter.
 Most often, in order to is a meaningless filler phrase
that is dropped into a sentence without thought.
 To start the engine, open the choke and then press
the starter.
 Use the numbers in the graph in order to evaluate
the zero point.
 Its essential that the lab maintain it’s
quality control.
 Its is a possessive pronoun and does not use an
apostrophe. It’s is a contraction of it is.
 It’s essential that the lab maintain its quality control.
 The media is the main reason behind
the problems in Egypt.
 Media is the plural of medium and should always be
used with a plural verb.
 The media are the main reason behind the
problem
 The Internet is a multifaceted medium.
 The tests will give an indication if the
virus is present.
 Nominalization is a noun form of a verb that is often
combined with general (or “weak”) verbs like make,
do, give, perform, provide. Avoid nominalizations
when you can use specific verbs that communicate
the same idea more directly and concisely.
 The tests will indicate if the virus is present.
 The staff should
perform an evaluation of
(evaluate) the new software.
 None of the clients has been called yet.
OR
 None of the clients have been called yet.
 None can be either a singular or a plural pronoun,
depending on the context.
 None of the clients has been called yet. [Use a
singular verb even with a plural noun (clients) if the
intended emphasis is on the idea of not one.]
 None of the clients have been called yet. [Use a
plural verb if you intend none to refer to all clients.]
 Neither the architects nor the client
were happy with the design.
 Two or more singular subjects joined by or or nor
usually take a singular verb. However, when one
subject is singular and one is plural, the verb agrees
with the subject nearer to it.
 Neither the architects nor the client was happy with
the design.
 Neither the architect nor the clients were happy with
the design.
 Mr. Smith gave his okay to the project.
 The expression okay (also spelled OK) is common in
informal writing, but it should be avoided in most
technical writing.
 Mr. Smith approved the project.
 She is one of those managers who is
concerned about their writing.
 A dependent clause beginning with who or that and
preceded by one of those takes a plural verb.
 She is one of those managers who are
concerned about their writing.
 She is the only one of those managers
who is concerned about her writing.