Month: July 2008

“I don’t think they’ll be adverse to …”

Adjectives, Common English Blunders

I heard this yesterday in a conference call.

Problem:
The speaker used the wrong adjective.

Explanation:
The speaker was trying to say that he believed that “they” would not be against something.

The primary definition of the adjective “adverse” is antagonistic or unfavorable in effect or purpose, as in “adverse comments”.

It is a common English blunder to confuse the adjective “adverse” with the adjective “averse”, which lacks the letter “d” and means having a strong feeling of antipathy or opposition, as in “averse to kissing in public”.

In other words, “averse” relates to feelings or emotions and is what the speaker should have used.

Solution:
“I don’t think they’ll be averse to …”

“I know the likely hood of …”

Misspellings, Nouns

I saw this two days ago in an online forum.

Problem:
The phrase “likely hood” — with the letter Y and a space in the middle — is a misspelling of a noun.

Explanation:
As with many other words that end with the letter Y, the “y” in a word such as “likely” must be changed to “i” when the suffix H-O-O-D is appended to it.

For fun, I searched Google for each of the following (with the quotation marks) and got about the indicated numbers of matches:

  • “likelihood” — with the letter I in the middle — 31,400,000 matches
  • “likely hood” — with the letter Y and a space in the middle — 130,000 matches

This tells me that Web authors have written the correct word vs. the incorrect phrase by a ratio of 242-to-1, which is excellent.

Still, the existence of some 130,000 Web pages with the phrase “likely hood” — with the Y and a space in the middle — is a bit depressing.

Solution:
“I know the likelihood of …”

“Tangenting here, …”

Verbs

I heard this last evening on the City of Houston’s HTV television channel.

Problem:
The word “tangent” is not a verb.

Explanation:
The person who said “Tangenting here, …” was Harry J. Hayes, Director of the Solid Waste Department for the City of Houston.

Mr. Hayes was talking to the television interviewer about Houston’s recycling program, and he wanted to take the conversation in a tangential direction.

Unfortunately, the word “tangent” is not a verb, so “tangenting” is nonsensical.

For fun, I searched Google for each of the following combinations (with the quotation marks) and got about the indicated numbers of matches:

  • “tangent” — 15,300,000 matches
  • “tangential” — 3,390,000 matches
  • “tangentially” — 1,080,000 matches
  • “tangenting” — 3,750 matches

This tells me that Web authors have used the word “tangent” or one of its variations correctly vs. incorrectly by a ratio of greater than 4,080-to-1, which is superb.

Solution:
“Going tangentially here, …”