prescribe/proscribe PRESCRIBE/PROSCRIBE You recommend something when you prescribe it, but you forbid it when you proscribe it. The usually positive function of “pro-” confuses many people. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/prescribe.html03/09/2005 15:39:27 presently/currently PRESENTLY/CURRENTLY Some argue that “presently” doesn’t mean “in the present.” It means "soon.” If you want to talk about something that’s happening right now, they urge you to say it’s going on currently. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/presently.html03/09/2005 15:39:27 pretty PRETTY SOMEWHAT It’s pretty common to use “pretty” to mean “somewhat” in ordinary speech; but it should be avoided in formal writing, where sometimes "very” is more appropriate. The temptation to use “pretty” usually indicates the writer is being vague, so changing to something more specific may be an even better solution: “a pretty bad mess” might be “chocolate syrup spilled all over the pizza which had been dumped upside down on the carpet.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/pretty.html03/09/2005 15:39:28 primer PRIMER When this word is used in the U.S. to mean “elementary textbook” it is pronounced with a short “I”: “primmer” (rhymes with “dimmer” ). All other meanings are pronounced with a long “I": “prymer” (rhymes with “timer” ). List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/primer.html03/09/2005 15:39:28 principal/principle PRINCIPAL/PRINCIPLE Generations of teachers have tried to drill this one into students’ heads by reminding them, “The principal is your pal.” Many don’t seem convinced. “Principal” is a noun and adjective referring to someone or something which is highest in rank or importance. (In a loan, the principal is the more substantial part of the money, the interest is—or should be—the lesser.) “Principle” is only a noun, and has to do with law or doctrine: “The workers fought hard for the principle of collective bargaining.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/principal.html03/09/2005 15:39:28 pretty PRIORITIZE MAKE A PRIORITY Many people disdain “prioritize” as bureaucratic jargon for “rank” or “make a priority.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/prioritize.html03/09/2005 15:39:28 priority PRIORITY It is common to proclaim “in our business, customer service is a priority,” but it would be better to say “a high priority,” since priorities can also be low. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/priority.html03/09/2005 15:39:29 reactionary/reactive REACTIONARY/REACTIVE Many people incorrectly use “reactionary” to mean “acting in response to some outside stimulus.” That’s reactive. “Reactionary” actually has a very narrow meaning; it is a noun or adjective describing a form of looking backward that goes beyond conservatism (wanting to prevent change and maintain present conditions) to reaction—wanting to recreate a lost past. The advocates of restoring Czarist rule in Russia are reactionaries. While we’re on the subject, the term “proactive” formed by analogy with “reactive” seems superfluous to many of us. Use “active,” “assertive,” or “positive” whenever you can instead. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/reactionary.html03/09/2005 15:39:29 probably PROBABLY The two Bs in this word are particularly difficult to pronounce in sequence, so the word often comes out as “probly” and is even occasionally misspelled that way. When even the last B disappears, the pronunciation “prolly” suggests drunken slurring or, at best, an attempt at humor. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/probably.html03/09/2005 15:39:29 prodigy, progeny, protégé PRODIGY/PROGENY/PROTÉGÉ Your progeny are your kids, though it would be pretty pretentious to refer to them as such. If your child is a brilliantly outstanding person he or she may be a child prodigy. In fact, anything amazingly admirable can be a prodigy. But a person that you take under your wing in order to help promote his or her career is your protégé. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/prodigy.html03/09/2005 15:39:29