Month: December 2007

“She could of called.”

Common English Blunders, Devolution toward Simpler, Prepositions, Verbs

I sometimes see this type of misuse of “of”.

Problem:
The preposition “of” is the wrong word for this sentence.

Explanation:
Unfortunately, many use the preposition “of” when they should use the auxiliary verb “have” or its contracted form. As an auxiliary verb, “have” is used with past participles to form perfect tenses. For example, “I went to the store.” can be rewritten as “I have gone to the store.” or “I had gone to the store.” Another example: “They were the nicest neighbors.” can be rewritten as “They have been the nicest neighbors.” or “They had been the nicest neighbors.”

I believe that the use of “of” instead of “have” when the latter is appropriate represents

  • a laziness that favors contractions,
  • poor pronunciation and listening skills, and
  • ignorance about the basics of English.

The contraction “could’ve” is easier than the word sequence “could have” to say. This supports my “Devolution toward Simpler” hypothesis. Combine this laziness, poor pronunciation and listening skills, and ignorance about the basics of English, and you get “She could of called.” — ouch!

Solutions:
“She could’ve called.” or “She could have called.”

“Dependent” vs. “Dependant”

Adjectives, Common English Blunders, Nouns, Versus

I often see “dependant” used incorrectly.

Problem:
The preferred use of “dependant” is as a noun, not as an adjective.

Explanation:
Some dictionaries indicate that “dependent” and “dependant” are synonyms.

However, other dictionaries indicate that the preferred use of “dependent” is as an adjective and that the preferred use of “dependant” is as a noun.

One way to remember this distinction is to think of “confidant”, which is a noun, versus “confident”, which is an adjective.

Solution:
Use “dependent” when you’re modifying a noun to indicate contingent or relying on something or someone else; use “dependant” when you’re talking about a person who relies on or is supported by another.

“Verbal” vs. “Oral”

Adjectives, Common English Blunders, Versus

I often hear “verbal” — as in “verbal agreement” — when people mean “oral”.

Problem:
The adjective “verbal” should not be used when one specifically is referring to something spoken.

Explanation:
The adjective “verbal” means of or pertaining to words. The primary definition of the adjective “oral” is uttered by the mouth.

Many will refer to “verbal agreements” when what they really mean is “oral agreements” (i.e., spoken agreements, not written agreements). Saying that something is a “verbal agreement” does not say much; it simply means that it is an oral or written agreement.

Solution:
Use “verbal” when you’re talking about words in general; use “oral” when you’re talking about spoken words.