Verbs

“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.”

“Jon is suppose to present it.”

Common English Blunders, Devolution toward Simpler, Passive Voice, Verbs

I saw this in an instant message.

Problem:
The verb “suppose” is incorrect here.

Explanation:
The statement is written in abbreviated passive voice, albeit incorrectly. The subject of the sentence (Jon) is acted on by a verb, and we do not know who is supposing that Jon will “present it”. A statement in active voice must identify the person who is supposing that Jon will “present it”.

“Jane supposes that Jon will present it.” is an example of a statement in active voice. We get “Jon is supposed by Jane to present it.” when we rearrange the statement to put it into passive voice. Abbreviating this statement, we correctly get “Jon is supposed to present it.” in abbreviated passive voice.

In other words, “supposed” — not “suppose” — is the passive form of the verb “to suppose”.

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

  • ignorance about passive voice, and
  • a laziness that favors more easily pronounced words.

The word “suppose” is easier than the word “supposed” to say. Throw in a lack of understanding how sentences in the active voice are converted to sentences in the passive voice or abbreviated passive voice, and it’s no wonder that some English speakers choose “suppose” (incorrectly) instead of “supposed” in a statement made in the passive voice or abbreviated passive voice.

Solution:
“Jon is supposed to present it.”

“Install” vs. “Installer” vs. “Installation”

Common English Blunders, Devolution toward Simpler, Nouns, Verbs, Versus

I increasingly see the first word used as a synonym for the second or third word.

Problem:
The words “install” and “installer” and “installation” are not synonyms.

Explanation:
The primary definition of the verb “install” is to place in position. For example, Joe can install a word processor on your PC. would be an appropriate use of this verb. The primary definition of the noun “installer” is someone who or something that installs something. For example, the word-processor installer would be an appropriate use of this noun. The key definitions of the noun “installation” are something that has been installed or the process of installing. For example, The word-processor installation consumed 500 MB of hard-disk space. and The word-processor installation has already required ten minutes. would be appropriate uses of this noun.

Unfortunately, many use “install” when they should use “installer” or “installation”. I believe that the use of “install” instead of “installer” or “installation” when one of the latter is appropriate represents a laziness that favors easier-to-pronounce words. The word “install”, at two syllables, is simpler to say and write than are “installer” and “installation”, at three or four syllables, respectively.

This use of a verb as a noun (e.g., The install went well. or Download the install from our website.) when there are perfectly good “-er” and “-tion” nouns is not only lazy but also confusing.

For example, Do you have a copy of the install? could mean:

  • Do you have a copy of the installer?
    –    or-
  • Do you have a copy of the installation?

Other examples abound these days.

Solution:
Use “install” when you want to refer placing in position; use “installer” when you want to refer to the thing or person who installs something; use “installation” when you want to refer to the act of installing or to that which has been installed.