Ten Common but Easily Corrected Errors

by Tina Blue, January 4, 2001

1. ALL RIGHT vs. ALRIGHT

It is not all right to use "alright." In fact, you might even say it is "alwrong," and that if you make this error you are "alwet."


2. A LOT vs. ALOT vs. ALLOT

A lot of people make the mistake of writing alot when they mean a lot. Try not to be one of those people, because "alot" is not a word. There is, however, such a word as "allot," as in this sentence: I will allot you each twenty tickets to sell.


3. ALL TOGETHER vs. ALTOGETHER

Which you choose will depend on what you mean:
She just wanted to get the group all together on one side of the room to have their picture taken, but her tone of voice was altogether too bossy and self-important, so everyone ignored her.


4. AMOUNT vs. NUMBER

Detergent comes in amounts. People come in numbers. Don't talk about a large amount of people, or books, or pencils, or anything else that can be counted. If something is measured rather than counted, then it comes in amounts. There is a large amount of snow on the ground, but there are a large number of trees in the forest.

Similarly, things that are numbered must be described as being more or fewer, not more or less.

~Correct: There are fewer people in Kansas than in Pennsylvania.
~Incorrect: There are less people in Kansas than in Pennsylvania.


5. DUE TO

Due to is properly used only after a linking verb.

~Correct : Her high fever was due to a strep infection.
~Incorrect : Due to a strep infection, she had a high fever.
~Incorrect: She had a high fever due to a strep infection.


6. EQUALLY AS

The phrase equally as is redundant. Use one or the other but not both.

~Margaret and Louise were equally responsible.
~Margaret was as responsible as Louise.
~This rule is as valid as the other.
~These two rules are equally valid.


7. EVERY DAY vs. EVERYDAY

Everyday is an adjective, meaning "ordinary" or "commonplace," as in "everyday people" or "everyday occurrence."

Every day is an adverbial phrase identifying how often something takes place: You seem to get up on the wrong side of the bed every day.


8. FROM WHENCE vs. WHENCE

Whence means "from where." Therefore, from whence is a redundancy, meaning "from from where."

~Correct: Send him back whence he came.
~Incorrect: Send him back from whence he came.

9. IRREGARDLESS vs. REGARDLESS

Simply put, irregardless is not a word. It is a blend of regardless and irrespective of.

~Regardless of what he meant to say, the effect of his careless remark was to hurt a child's feelings.


10. PORE OVER vs. POUR OVER

When you intently study a book, you pore over it. If you pour over it, you are going to have a soggy book

Word: Polymath

A polymath (Greek polymathēs, πολυμαθής, "having learned much") is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath (or polymathic person) may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable. Most ancient scientists were polymaths by today's standards. (Wikipedia)

Came across this word on the new Doctor Who series of all places. In Season 2, Episode 2, Tooth and Claw Queen Victoria claimed her friend Lord Robert was a polymath.

Another Way of Putting It

Jim Rohn said, “Success is something you attract by the person you become – its not something you persue – its something you attract by becoming an attractive person.” And Zig Ziglar, “You Can Only Get What You Want, If You Help Enough Other People Get What They Want.”

Get Out

I was heading downstairs to the machines after some cardio when a knot of oldsters made me take a hard right through equipment. Thought it was odd since the classes were usually upstairs. Was adjusting the lat machine when a Bally person came up to me. I pulled my earplugs out to hear her say they were evacuating the bottom floor. Then I could smell the smoke.

Upstairs I could see the fire truck so I went up to the doors. A yellow police ribbon started at the corner of the building and encompassed the Radio Shack next door. Then there was a fuchsia HazMat ribbon around the man hole cover where smoke was coming out. Nice.

Was surveying one or two of the fit guys waiting beside me when they announced the whole building was being evacuated. I had my wallet on me but my coat and keys were in the locker room downstairs. I went up to the reception desk asking if I could retrieve them, rushing down after getting a nod. There were a bunch of men still in there changing but I didn't feel like trying.

So the day after the biggest blizzard I've seen in a couple of years I'm walking around downtown, sweaty, nasty, and in gym clothes. Didn't feel self-conscious at all. Love this city!