silicon/silicone SILICON/SILICONE Silicon is a chemical element, the basic stuff of which microchips are made Silicones are plastics and other materials containing silicon, the most commonly discussed example being silicone breast implants Less used by the general public is “silica“: an oxide of silicon List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/silicon.html03/09/2005 15:39:58 simplistic SIMPLISTIC “Simplistic” means “overly simple,” and is always used negatively Don’t substitute it when you just mean to say “simple” or even “very simple.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/simplistic.html03/09/2005 15:39:58 single quotes SINGLE QUOTES In standard American writing, the only use for single quotation marks is to designate a quotation within a quotation Students are exposed by Penguin Books and other publishers to the British practice of using single quotes for normal quotations and become confused Some strange folkloric process has convinced many people that while entire sentences and long phrases are surrounded by conventional double quotation marks, single words and short phrases take single quotation marks “Wrong,” I insist List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/single.html03/09/2005 15:39:58 slight of hand SLIGHT OF HAND SLEIGHT OF HAND “Sleight” is an old word meaning “cleverness, skill,” and the proper expression is “sleight of hand.” It’s easy to understand why it’s confused with “slight” since the two words are pronounced in exactly the same way List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/slight.html03/09/2005 15:39:59 sluff off SLUFF OFF SLOUGH OFF You use a loofah to slough off dead skin List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/sluff.html03/09/2005 15:39:59 snuck SNUCK SNEAKED When Huckleberry Finn “snuck” out of a house he was acting according to his character—and dialect This is one of many cases in which people’s humorously self-conscious use of dialect has influenced others to adopt it as standard and it is now often seen even in sophisticated writing in the U.S But it is safer to use the traditional form: “sneaked.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/snuck.html03/09/2005 15:39:59 so SO VERY Originally people said things like, “I was so delighted with the wrapping that I couldn’t bring myself to open the package.” But then they began to lazily say “You made me so happy,” no longer explaining just how happy that was This pattern of using “so” as a simple intensifier meaning “very” is now standard in casual speech, but is out of place in formal writing, where “very” or another intensifier works better Without vocal emphasis, the “so” conveys little in print List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/so.html03/09/2005 15:39:59 so fun SO FUN SO MUCH FUN Strictly a young person” s usage: “That party was so fun!" If you don’t want to be perceived as a gum-chewing airhead, say “so much fun." List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/sofun.html03/09/2005 15:39:59 social/societal SOCIAL/SOCIETAL "Societal” as an adjective has been in existence for a couple of centuries, but has become widely used only in the recent past People who imagine that “social” has too many frivolous connotations of mere partying often resort to it to make their language more serious and impressive It is best used by social scientists and others in referring to the influence of societies: “societal patterns among the Ibo of western Nigeria.” Used in place of “social” in ordinary speech and writing it sounds pretentious List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/social.html03/09/2005 15:40:00 sojourn/journey SOJOURN JOURNEY Although the spelling of this word confuses many people into thinking it means "journey," a sojourn is actually a temporary stay in one place If you're constantly on the move, you're not engaged in a sojourn List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/sojourn.html03/09/2005 15:40:00 sometime/some time SOMETIME/SOME TIME "Let's get together sometime." When you use the one-word form, it suggests some indefinite time in the future "Some time" is not wrong in this sort of context, but it is required when being more specific: "Choose some time that fits in your schedule." "Some" is an adjective here modifying "time." The same pattern applies to "someday" (vague) and "some day" (specific) List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/sometime.html03/09/2005 15:40:00 ... file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/slight.html03/09/2005 15 :39:59 sluff off SLUFF OFF SLOUGH OFF You use a loofah to slough off dead skin List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/sluff.html03/09/2005 15 :39:59 snuck SNUCK... “Wrong,” I insist List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/single.html03/09/2005 15 :39:58 slight of hand SLIGHT OF HAND SLEIGHT OF HAND “Sleight” is an old word meaning “cleverness,... “very simple.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/simplistic.html03/09/2005 15 :39:58 single quotes SINGLE QUOTES In standard American writing, the only use for single quotation