criteria/criterion CRITERIA/CRITERION There are several words with Latin or Greek roots whose plural forms ending in A are constantly mistaken for singular ones. See, for instance, data and media. You can have one criterion or many criteria. Don’t confuse them. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/criteria.html03/09/2005 15:37:25 criticism CRITICISM Beginning literature or art history students are often surprised to learn that in such contexts “criticism” can be a neutral term meaning simply “evaluating a work of literature or art.” A critical article about The Color Purple can be entirely positive about Alice Walker’s novel. Movie critics write about films they like as well as about films they dislike: writing of both kinds is called “criticism.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/criticism.html03/09/2005 15:37:25 critique CRITIQUE/CRITICIZE A critique is a detailed evaluation of something. The formal way to request one is “give me your critique,” though people often say informally “critique this"—meaning “evaluate it thoroughly.” But "critique” as a verb is not synonymous with “criticize” and should not be routinely substituted for it. “Josh critiqued my backhand” means Josh evaluated your tennis technique but not necessarily that he found it lacking. “Josh criticized my backhand” means that he had a low opinion of it. You can write criticism on a subject, but you don’t criticize on something, you just criticize it. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/critique.html03/09/2005 15:37:25 crucifiction CRUCIFICTION CRUCIFIXION One might suppose that this common misspelling was a product of skepticism were it not for the fact that it most often occurs in the writings of believers. The word should make clear that Jesus was affixed to the cross, not imply that his killing is regarded as a fiction. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/crucifiction.html03/09/2005 15:37:26 currant/current CURRANT/CURRENT “Current” is an adjective having to do with the present time, and can also be a noun naming a thing that, like time, flows: electrical current, currents of public opinion. “Currant”refers only to little fruits. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/currant.html03/09/2005 15:37:26 cut and dry CUT AND DRY CUT AND DRIED Many people mishear the standard expression meaning “set,” “not open to change,” as “cut and dry.” Although this form is listed in the Oxford English Dictionary, it is definitely less common in sophisticated writing. The dominant modern usage is “cut and dried.” When used to modify a noun, it must be hyphenated: “cut-and-dried plan.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/cutanddry.html03/09/2005 15:37:26 cut and paste CUT AND PASTE/COPY AND PASTE Because “cut and paste” is a familiar phrase, many people say it when they mean “copy and paste” in a computer context. This can lead to disastrous results if followed literally by an inexpert person. If you mean to tell someone to duplicate something rather than move it, say "copy.” And when you are moving bits of computer information from one place to another the safest sequence is often to copy the original, paste the copy elsewhere, and only then delete (cut) the original. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/cut.html03/09/2005 15:37:27 damped/dampened DAMPED/DAMPENED When the vibration of a wheel is reduced it is damped, but when you drive through a puddle your tire is dampened. “Dampened” always has to do with wetting, if only metaphorically: “The announcement that Bob’s parents were staying home after all dampened the spirits of the party- goers.” The parents are being a wet blanket. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/damped.html03/09/2005 15:37:27 dangling and misplaced modifiers DANGLING AND MISPLACED MODIFIERS Dangling and misplaced modifiers are discussed at length in usage guides partly because they are very common and partly because there are many different kinds of them. But it is not necessary to understand the grammatical details involved to grasp the basic principle: words or phrases which modify some other word or phrase in a sentence should be clearly, firmly joined to them and not dangle off forlornly on their own. Sometimes the dangling phrase is simply too far removed from the word it modifies, as in “Sputtering on the grill, Theo smelled the Copper River salmon.” This makes it sound like Theo is being barbecued, because his name is the nearest noun to “sizzling on the grill.” We need to move the dangling modifier closer to the word it really modifies: “salmon.” “Theo smelled the Copper River salmon sizzling on the grill.” Sometimes it’s not clear which of two possible words a modifier modifies: “Felicia is allergic to raw apples and almonds.” Is she allergic only to raw almonds, or all almonds—even roasted ones? This could be matter of life and death. Here’s a much clearer version: “Felicia is allergic to almonds and raw apples.” “Raw” now clearly modifies only “apples.” Dangling modifiers involving verbs are especially common and sometimes difficult to spot. For instance, consider this sentence: “Having bought the harpsichord, it now needed tuning.” There is no one mentioned in the sentence who did the buying. One way to fix this is to insert the name of someone and make the two halves of the sentence parallel in form: “Wei Chi, having bought the harpsichord, now needed to tune it.” If you have a person in mind, it is easy to forget the reader needs to be told about that person; but he or she can't be just “understood.” Here’s another sentence with a dangling modifier, in this case at the end of a sentence: “The retirement party was a disaster, not having realized that Arthur had been jailed the previous week.” There is nobody here doing the realizing. One fix: “The retirement party was a disaster because we had not realized that Arthur had been jailed the previous week.” Using passive verbs will often trip you up: “In reviewing Gareth’s computer records, hundreds of hours spent playing online games were identified.” This sort of thing looks fine to a lot of people and in fact is common in professional writing, but technically somebody specific needs to be mentioned in the sentence as doing the identifying. Inserting a doer and shifting to the active voice will fix the problem. While we’re at it, let’s make clear that Arthur was doing the playing: “The auditor, in checking his computer records, identified hundreds of hours that Gareth had spent playing online games.” Adverbs like “almost,” “even,” “hardly,” “just,” “only,” and “nearly,” are especially likely to get file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/dangling.html (1 sur 2)03/09/2005 15:37:27 dangling and misplaced modifiers stuck in the wrong spot in a sentence. “Romeo almost kissed Juliet as soon as he met her” means he didn’t kiss her—he only held her hand. True, but you might want to say something quite different: “Romeo kissed Juliet almost as soon as he met her.” The placement of the modifier is crucial. See also only. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/dangling.html (2 sur 2)03/09/2005 15:37:27 [...]... Oxford English Dictionary, the standard form evolved with the unusual spelling “derring-do,” and “daring-do” is an error List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/daringdo.html03/09/2005 15 :37:27 . are especially likely to get file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/dangling.html (1 sur 2)03/09/2005 15 :37:27 dangling and misplaced modifiers stuck in the wrong spot in a sentence. “Romeo. “criticism.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/criticism.html03/09/2005 15 :37:25 critique CRITIQUE/CRITICIZE A critique is a detailed evaluation of something. The formal. criticize it. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/critique.html03/09/2005 15 :37:25 crucifiction CRUCIFICTION CRUCIFIXION One might suppose that this common misspelling was