Misused Vocabulary and Factual Errors in Stories That Make You Cringe

[Britva415]

there's a clipped Edinburgh accent that's so refined it sounds more English than the English. Mostly associated with elderly ladies in Morningside. Think Maggie Smith as Jean Brodie or Prof McGonagall.

Does that even count as a Scottish accent at all? It seems to me like it's just RP, bestowed upon Scots by a school.

 

[Britva415]

"Dominate" is neither an adjective nor a noun.

 

[TheLobster]

“Affect”, when used as a verb, refers to something that’s being changed.
“Effect”, when used as a verb, describes the actual change.

Pretty simple, really.

"Affect" is usually a verb but can be used as a noun, describing the way somebody displays emotion; a psychiatrist might describe a patient as having "a flat affect". Probably the closest replacement would be "vibes" but that doesn't have the right degree of formality.

“Mannerism” or “demeanor” are what I’d use if I needed a synonym.

Also worth noting that both “affect” and “effect” differ in stress between their nouns and verb forms, similar to “record”.

 

[Britva415]

"Masseuse" is a woman. Men are "masseurs."

Yes, even in English.

 

[JTass]

"Masseuse" is a woman. Men are "masseurs."

Yes, even in English.

Yeah, I leave comments about that one a lot.
I took classes in massage therapy, and it drives me nuts when people ask me if I'm a masseuse.

 

[Abbafan]

English doesn't have split infinitives, and it's grammatically correct to do it. The prohibition comes from linguists trying to impose Latin grammar rules onto English.

That's interesting. The linguists have had some success. I can remember many people, including professional writers, getting salty over the split infinitive in the old Star Trek introduction.

"To boldly go..."

To boldly go just sounds so much better than the alternatives.

 

[JTass]

That's interesting. The linguists have had some success. I can remember many people, including professional writers, getting salty over the split infinitive in the old Star Trek introduction.

"To boldly go..."

To boldly go just sounds so much better than the alternatives.

The language has evolved. Split infinitives used to be a strict no-no, but have now become acceptable. The prevalence of the Star Trek intro was actually a major factor in that change.
Another example that still sounds wrong to me, but is now considered acceptable is "mother-in-laws" (and similar constructions).

 

[MiaBabe23]

I would of thought I’d be keen at complimenting this thread with a few bonified examples but I really could care less to provide another case and point.

Uh we need a red pen emoji

 

[ericalauren]

I cringe when I see people refer to the vulva as vagina. Learn the difference between vulva and vagina.

 

[AwkwardMD]

I inherited Presently and Currently from my first college writing teacher. I think this is one of those mistakes that people have done wrong for so long that it's reached a level of social acceptability, but I resist.

 

[Britva415]

I inherited Presently and Currently from my first college writing teacher. I think this is one of those mistakes that people have done wrong for so long that it's reached a level of social acceptability, but I resist.

What's the mistake?

 

[AwkwardMD]

What's the mistake?

Presently means soon and currently means now.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Yeah, I leave comments about that one a lot.
I took classes in massage therapy, and it drives me nuts when people ask me if I'm a masseuse.

Similarly, it may be tempting to describe two same-sex characters as 'the blonde' and 'the brunette', but if they're men they're a blond and a brunet.

And they're all words best used sparingly if you don't want to sound like a Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys writer.

 

[lc69hunter]

On a semi-related issue, I just realized that I am using spell check to fix errors (mostly fat finger type) as I am writing, slowing down my progress and disrupting the flow of the story, and that I should keep writing and do spell check at the end, or when I quit for the day.
How do you guys do it?