Common English Blunders

“… a cause larger than yourselves.”

Common English Blunders, Pronouns

I heard this in a high-school commencement speech by President Bush over the weekend.

Problem:
The President used the wrong pronoun here.

Explanation:
This was part of a sentence that went along the lines of “I want you to spend your lives devoted to a cause larger than yourselves.”

The pronoun “yourselves” is a plural, second-person pronoun.

It should be used in one of two ways:

  • reflexively: “You can do it yourselves.”
  • for emphasis: “a group petition that you yourselves submitted”

Its use in the President’s speech followed neither of these patterns.

Instead, “a cause larger than yourselves” follows the pattern of “an X larger than Y” — for which “Y” is neither reflexive nor inserted for emphasis.

Solution:
“… a cause larger than you.”

“There are a lot of cats here.”

Common English Blunders, Nouns, Number, Plurals

I often hear sentences (mis)constructed in this way.

Problem:
There is a singular/plural mismatch.

Explanation:
The phrase “a lot of cats” is singular, even though “cats” is plural, because “a lot” is singular.

The “are” form of the verb “be” is plural.

So there is a mismatch in number between “are” (plural) and “a lot of cats” (singular).

Solutions:
“There is a lot of cats here.”
or
“There are lots of cats here.”

“Cache” vs. “Cachet”

Common English Blunders, Nouns, Versus

I often hear one of these words spoken with the pronunciation of the other word.

Problem:
The nouns “cache” and “cachet” are not synonyms and should not be pronounced in the same way.

Explanation:
The noun “cache” means a hidden storage space and is pronounced just as “cash” is pronounced. The French verb “cacher” — which means to hide — is the origin of this noun.

The noun “cachet” means an official seal and is pronounced just as “sashay” is pronounced.

The noun “cache” is accurately used in the field of information technology, for example, to refer to a special portion of computer memory, and it’s accurately used in the military to refer to where weapons are hidden by the enemy.

The noun “cachet” is accurately used in the fashion industry, for example, when describing attractive clothing (e.g., “a dress with the cachet of a top designer”).

Speakers most often seem to get into trouble with these two words when they pronounce “cache” in the way that “cachet” should be pronounced.

Solution:
Use “cache” (rhymes with “cash”) when referring to a store of something. Use “cachet” (rhymes with “sashay”) when referring to something that has a recognized endorsement.