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10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly - Education (4) - Nairaland

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Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by Chukzyfcb(m): 6:45pm On Jan 24, 2016
Elparaiso:
All the English in the world will not save you from ODE.

Ordinary Differential Equations
I dey tell you. In my year two, mat 202 ODE was nicknamed
ODE - "O di egwu"!!!( An xclamation in igbo)
Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by Scholarforever: 7:13pm On Jan 24, 2016
idee91:
No be say I sabi English like that o, but this words are easy to differentiate.
The suitable word here is 'these' and not 'this'
Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by idee91: 7:22pm On Jan 24, 2016
Scholarforever:
The suitable word here is 'these' and not 'this'
Thats not just the suitable word, its the correct word to use.... Thanks..... grin
Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by fumstar(f): 7:24pm On Jan 24, 2016
iyke926:
Walk or Trek

Being or Been




I see some nairalanders mistake there for their.E.g hello peeps, pls does anybody håve an idea how much Mtn pay "there"customer
care agents? instead of "their"
Just too absurd.

2 Likes

Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by Elparaiso(m): 7:31pm On Jan 24, 2016
Chukzyfcb:


I dey tell you. In my year two, mat 202 ODE was nicknamed

ODE - "O di egwu"!!!( An xclamation in igbo)
LOL grin, ode in Yoruba means idiot.

But don't forget the letter after O, P!
PDE!
I nearly died.
Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by Nobody: 7:32pm On Jan 24, 2016
fumstar:




I see some nairalanders mistake there for their. E.g hello peeps, pls does anybody håve an idea how much Mtn pay "there" customer
care agents? instead of "their"
Just too absurd.




Don't blame them...English is a difficult language

1 Like

Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by DrayZee: 7:55pm On Jan 24, 2016
..
Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by Nobody: 8:52pm On Jan 24, 2016
11. Telling the truth Vs. Saying the truth.


You tell the truth, you do not say the truth.
Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by Khan1993: 10:17pm On Jan 24, 2016
I used to think english was easy because i bagged a nice grade in waec but when jamb treat my fuckup 3times ehn and i had to read almost all Dele Ashade series to pass the 3rd time, i changed my notion about it.
Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by chiefobdk(m): 7:28am On Jan 25, 2016
I think number 2 affect and effect can be used in place of each other with the right sentence construction..
Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by horHANS(m): 8:29pm On Jan 25, 2016
Honestly speakinq, ion think these words ar often misused... I cn sae only abt 1 or 2 ar often interchanqed!!!...
My opinion tho!
Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by Pabloairmar(m): 10:54pm On Jan 25, 2016
SurefireAsoOke:
Maths and english, which re u good at?
both
Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by uuzba(m): 11:16am On Oct 18
Akosxxx:
Straight to the point.

1. ACCEPT vs. EXCEPT
These two words sound similar but have very different meanings. Accept means to receive something willingly: “His mom accepted his explanation” or “She accepted the gift graciously.” Except signifies exclusion: “I can attend every meeting except the one next week.” To help you remember, note that both except
and exclusion begin with ex .


2. AFFECT VS EFFECT

To make these words even more confusing than they already are, both can be used as either a noun or a verb. Let’s start with the verbs. Affect means to influence something or someone; effect
means to accomplish something. “Your job was
affected by the organizational restructuring” but “These changes will be effected on Monday.” As a noun, an effect is the result of something: “The sunny weather had a huge e ffect on sales.” It’s almost always the right choice because the noun
affect refers to an emotional state and is rarely used outside of psychological circles: “The patient’s affect was flat.”


3. LIE vs. LAY

We’re all pretty clear on the lie that means an untruth. It’s the other usage that trips us up. Lie
also means to recline: “Why don’t you lie down and rest?” Lay requires an object: “ Lay the book on the table.” Lie is something you can do by yourself, but you need an object to lay . It’s more confusing in the past tense. The past tense of lie is—you guessed it— lay : “I lay down for an hour last night.” And the past tense of lay is laid: “I laid the book on the table.”


4. BRING vs. TAKE

Bring and take both describe transporting something or someone from one place to another, but the correct usage depends on the speaker’s point of view. Somebody brings
something to you, but you take it to somewhere else: “ Bring me the mail, then take your shoes to your room.” Just remember, if the movement is toward you, use bring; if the movement is away from you, use take.


5. IRONIC vs. COINCIDENTAL


A lot of people get this wrong. If you break your leg the day before a ski trip, that’s not ironic —it’s coincidental (and bad luck). Ironic has several meanings, all of which include some type of reversal of what was expected. Verbal irony is when a person says one thing but clearly means another. Situational irony is when a result is the opposite of what was expected. O. Henry was a master of situational irony. In his famous short story The Gift of the Magi , Jim sells his watch to buy combs for his wife’s hair, and she sells her hair to buy a chain for Jim’s watch. Each character sold something precious to buy a gift for the other, but those gifts were intended for what the other person sold. That is true irony. If you break your leg the day before a ski trip, that’s coincidental. If you drive up to the mountains to ski, and there was more snow back at your house, that’s ironic.


6. IMPLY vs. INFER


To imply means to suggest something without saying it outright. To infer means to draw a conclusion from what someone else implies. As a general rule, the speaker/writer implies, and the listener/reader infers.


7. NAUSEOUS vs. NAUSEATED


Nauseous has been misused so often that the incorrect usage is accepted in some circles. Still, it’s important to note the difference. Nauseous means causing nausea; nauseated means experiencing nausea. So, if your circle includes ultra-particular grammar sticklers, never say “I’m
nauseous ” unless you want them to be snickering behind your back.


8. COMPRISE vs. COMPOSE


These are two of the most commonly misused words in the English language. Comprise means to include; compose means to make up. It all comes down to parts versus the whole. When you use
comprise , you put the whole first: “A soccer game comprises (includes) two halves.” When you use compose, you put the pieces first: “Fifty states compose (make up) the United States of America.”


9.FARTHER vs. FURTHER


Farther refers to physical distance, while further describes the degree or extent of an action or situation. “I can’t run any farther ,” but “I have nothing further to say.” If you can substitute “more” or “additional,” use further.


10.FEWER vs. LESS


Use fewer when you’re referring to separate items that can be counted; use less when referring to a whole: “You have fewer dollars, but
less money.”
Bringing it all together


English grammar can be tricky, and, a lot of times, the words that sound right are actually wrong. With words such as those listed above , you just have to memorize the rules so that when you are about to use them, you’ll catch yourself in the act and know for certain that you’ve written or said the right one.

Konck to mean Knock
Dash to mean free gift
Mess to mean fart
Thunder to mean lightning
Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by uuzba(m): 11:19am On Oct 18
chiefobdk:
I think number 2 affect and effect can be used in place of each other with the right sentence construction..
No they mean different things.
People just mess up because they roughly look and sound similar.
Eg:
This is the effect of poor leadership (Affect ?)
It will be affected by the wind (Effect ?)
Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by uuzba(m): 11:22am On Oct 18
ruggedtimi:
still no undstnd...effect vs affect...i hv alwys wondered the diff
They mean different things.
People just mess up because they roughly look and sound similar.
Eg:

This is the effect of poor leadership
It will be affected by the wind
So what effect will the policy have?
They were seriously affected.
Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by uuzba(m): 11:23am On Oct 18
MrPresident1:
Being vs Been

Conviction vs Confusion

Am vs I'm (or I am)
It's only igbo people in the whole of this Nigeria that say AM, instead of I'm
Re: 10 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly by uuzba(m): 11:26am On Oct 18
tierthefirst:


I find it difficult to believe anyone with a proper education would mix any of those up.

Yoruba people have a big problem differentiating between F and V sounds, S and Z sounds.
They called the car Datsun as Dazoon!

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