Are you using them right? You will actually be surprised how many phrases in the English language are misused these days. And before you assume that the culprit is an average Joe, even educated professors with stellar degrees have been guilty of misusing these phrases.
Well, here you have a list of ten commonly misused phrases in English:
1- Right: For all intents and purposes
Wrong: For all intensive purposes
Raise your hand if you have made this blunder! Don’t beat yourself up though, it’s actually very common. When you say “for all intensive purposes” you are simply saying for all the thorough purposes. Doesn’t make sense at all, does it?
2- Right: Deep-seated
Wrong: Deep-seeded
“Deep seeded” would mean a seed is deep in the soil while on the other hand “deep-seated” means firmly fixed.
3- Right: Nip it in the bud
Wrong: Nip it in the butt
We could see why most people would make this mistake, it feels more assertive when you use “butt” right? But, it’s still wrong.
4- Right: One and the same
Wrong: One in the same
“One and the same” means two things that are literally the same. “One in the same,” on the other hand, makes no sense really.
5- Right: Case in point
Wrong: Case and point
When you say “case in point” you are simply referring to something you’d like to bring up to support an argument. “Case and point” means you want to make a case and a point.
6- Right: Should/could/would have
Wrong: Should/could/would of
It sounds correct when you say this until you add “of.” This just makes it so wrong and you can see why!
7- Right: You've Got Another Think Coming
Wrong: You've Got Another Thing Coming
This is just about the most obvious of them all. How can you have another thing coming? Need I say more?
8- Right: Wreak havoc
Wrong: Wreck havoc
When you say “wreck havoc” you are contradicting yourself. It means you are going to destroy havoc - not spread it, as it would be the case if you said “wreak havoc.”
9- Right: I Couldn't Care Less
Wrong: I Could Care Less
“I couldn’t care less” means you don’t care. On the other hand, when you say “I could care less,” you are simply saying you care...at least a little bit.
10- Right: Please proceed
Wrong: Please precede
There is no doubt this can be confusing because to be honest the words look very similar. However, when you say precede, you simply mean come first. Not really the same thing as proceed which means continue.
Grammar mistakes in English are very common and so are misused phrases. Even though these are the top ten phrases, there are so many more out there.
