Vocabulary general 5 potx

that kind/that kind ofTHAT KIND THAT KIND OF Although expressions like “that kind thing” are common in some dialects, standard English requires “of” in this kind of phrase... THEIRSELVES

THAT/WHICH

I must confess that I do not myself observe the distinction between “that” and “which.” Furthermore, there is little evidence that this distinction is or has ever been regularly made in past centuries by careful writers of English However, a small but impassioned group of authorities has urged the distinction; so here is the information you will need to pacify them

If you are defining something by distinguishing it from a larger class of which it is a member, use

“that”: “I chose the lettuce that had the fewest wilted leaves.” When the general class is not being limited or defined in some way, then “which” is appropriate: “He made an iceberg Caesar salad, which didn’t taste quite right.” Note that “which” is normally preceded by a comma, but “that” is not

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that kind/that kind of

THAT KIND

THAT KIND OF

Although expressions like “that kind thing” are common in some dialects, standard English requires “of” in this kind of phrase.

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THEIRSELVES

THEMSELVES

There is no such word as “theirselves” (and you certainly can’t spell it “theirselfs” or “thierselves"); it’s “themselves.” And there is no correct singular form of this non-word; instead of “theirself” use “himself” or “herself."

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THEM

THOSE

One use of “them” for “those” has become a standard catch phrase: “how do you like them apples?” This is deliberate dialectical humor But “I like them little canapes with the shrimp on top” is gauche; say instead "I like those little canapes."

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THEY’RE/THEIR/THERE

Many people are so spooked by apostrophes that a word like “they’re” seems to them as if it might mean almost anything In fact, it’s always a contraction of “they are.” If you’ve written “they’re,” ask yourself whether you can substitute “they are.” If not, you’ve made a mistake “Their” is a possessive pronoun like “her” or “our” “They eat their hotdogs with sauerkraut.” Everything else is “there.”

“There goes the ball, out of the park! See it? Right there! There aren’t very many home runs like

that.” “Thier” is a common misspelling, but you can avoid it by remembering that “they” and “their” begin with the same three letters Another hint: “there” has “here” buried inside it to remind you it refers to place, while “their” has “heir” buried in it to remind you that it has to do with possession List of errors

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THEREFOR/THEREFORE

THEREFOR/THEREFORE The form without a final “E” is an archaic bit of legal terminology meaning “for.” The word most people want is “therefore.”

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there” s

THERE’S

People often forget that “there’s” is a contraction of “there is” and mistakenly say “there’s three burrs caught in your hair” when they mean “there’re” ("there are") Use “there’s” only when referring to one item “There’s” can also be a contraction of “there has,” as in “There’s been some mistake in this bill, clerk!"”

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these are them

THESE ARE THEM/THESE ARE THEY

Although only the pickiest listeners will cringe when you say “these are them,” the traditionally correct phrase is “these are they,” because “they” is the predicate nominative of “these.” However, if people around you seem more comfortable with “it’s me” than “it’s I,” you might as well stick with

“these are them."

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file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/thesearethem.html03/09/2005 15:40:09

these kind

THESE KIND

THIS KIND

In a sentence like “I love this kind of chocolates,” “this” modifies “kind” (singular) and not “chocolates” (plural), so it would be incorrect to change it to

“I love these kind of chocolates.” Only if “kind” itself is pluralized into “kinds” should “this” shift to “these“: “You keep making these kinds of

mistakes!"

List of errors

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these ones

THESE ONES

THESE

By itself, there’s nothing wrong with the word “ones” as a plural: “surrounded by her loved ones.” However, “this one” should not be pluralized to

“these ones.” Just say “these."

List of errors

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they/their (singular)

THEY/THEIR (SINGULAR)

Using the plural pronoun to refer to a single person of unspecified gender is an old and honorable pattern in English, not a newfangled bit of degeneracy or a politically correct plot to avoid sexism (though it often serves the latter purpose) People who insist that “Everyone has brought his own lunch” is the only correct form do not reflect the usage of centuries of fine writers A good general rule is that only when the singular noun does not specify an individual can it be replaced plausibly with a plural pronoun: “Everybody” is a good example We know that “everybody” is singular

because we say “everybody is here,“ not “everybody are here” yet we tend to think of “everybody” as

a group of individuals, so we usually say “everybody brought their own grievances to the bargaining table.” “Anybody” is treated similarly

However, in many written sentences the use of singular “their” and “they” creates an irritating clash even when it passes unnoticed in speech It is wise to shun this popular pattern in formal writing Often expressions can be pluralized to make the “they” or “their” indisputably proper: “All of them have brought their own lunches.” “People” can often be substituted for “each.” Americans seldom avail themselves of the otherwise very handy British “one” to avoid specifying gender because it sounds to our ears rather pretentious: “One’s hound should retrieve only one’s own grouse.” If you decide to try “one,” don’t switch to “they” in mid-sentence: “One has to be careful about how they speak” sounds absurd because the word “one” so emphatically calls attention to its singleness The British also quite sensibly treat collective bodies like governmental units and corporations as plural (“Parliament have approved their agenda”) whereas Americans insist on treating them as singular List of errors

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