Alien Son Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Harvard cognitive scientist and linguist Steven Pinker has compiled a list of the words we misuse the most. This article includes the list. Of course, no AwesomeDude writer misuses any of these words! Quote Link to comment
DesDownunder Posted December 3, 2015 Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 I'm not certain if I should ever write anything, ever again. Local usage may well confound some of these misused words, but the list is good to have as a reference. Quote Link to comment
Cole Parker Posted December 3, 2015 Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 There are a few there that I'd use incorrectly, except those ones are words I'd never use. So I'm OK. C Quote Link to comment
ChrisR Posted December 3, 2015 Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 "Meretricious" is on the list of the most misused words? I doubt I've seen it used at all in the last decade! Fortunately, this list provides a nice set of words for story characters who profess slightly greater verbiacal aplomb than they actually possess. Quote Link to comment
Cole Parker Posted December 3, 2015 Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 I was wondering why they didn't highlight 'contumelious' and 'contumacious'. Those always confuse me. C Quote Link to comment
colinian Posted December 3, 2015 Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 Thanks to Cole for two good words. They do have excellent alternates that are less obscure but don't have quite the same nuance. For example: She was the most contumelious and contumacious teenager Cole had ever encountered. a.k.a. She was the most disrespectful and disobedient teenager Cole had ever encountered. Colin Quote Link to comment
Cole Parker Posted December 3, 2015 Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 Or: Colin continued with his contumacious behavior, displaying his innate contumely. Yeah, those are better usages. C Quote Link to comment
Bruin Fisher Posted December 4, 2015 Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 In my youth I was hauled over the coals for using the word 'conspicious', having confused auspicious and conspicuous. I still rather like it... Quote Link to comment
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