Disputed usage

1. Disputed usage TESL 2200 Lecture 6

2. Qualities of people’s English • Correct or incorrect • Appropriate or inappropriate • More or less useful • Socially acceptable or unacceptable • Controversial

3. Disputed usage • Some English words are often used in ways that are contentious. • The contentious usages are especially common in spoken English.

4. aggravate • Some have argued that this word should not be used in the sense of "to annoy" or "to oppress", but only to mean "to make worse".

5. Disputed usage: It's the endless wait for luggage that aggravates me the most about air travel. • Undisputed usage: Being hit on the head by a falling brick aggravated my already painful headache.

6. ain’t • It is originally a contraction of "am not", this word is widely used as a replacement for "aren't", "isn't", "haven't" and "hasn't" as well.

7. While ain't has existed in the English language for a very long time, in both North America and the British Isles, it is not a part of standard English, and its use in formal writing is not recommended.

8. alright • An alternate to "all right" that some consider illiterate but others allow (in analogy with other similar word, such as altogether and already.)

9. also • Some contend this word should not be used to begin a sentence.

10. AHD 4 says "63 percent of the Usage Panel found acceptable the example The warranty covers all power-train components. Also, participating dealers back their work with a free lifetime service guarantee."

11. alternative • Some argue that alternative should be used only when the number of choices involved is exactly two. • CHAMBERS qualifies its definition as referring to "strictly speaking, two, but often used of more than two, possibilities"

12. among/amongst and between • The traditionalist view is that between should only be used when there are only two objects for comparison; and among or amongst should be used for more than two objects.

13. M-W says that the idea that between can be used only of two items is "persistent but unfounded“. It is acceptable to use between with reference to more than two people or things", although does state that among may be more appropriate in some circumstances.

14. Undisputed usage: I parked my car between the two telegraph poles. • Undisputed usage: You'll find my brain between my ears.

15. Disputed usage: The duck swam between the reeds. • Disputed usage: They searched the area between the river, the farmhouse, and the woods.

16. Undisputed usage: We shared the money evenly amongst the three of us. • Disputed usage: We shared the money between Tom, Dick, and me. • Undisputed usage: My house was built among the gum trees.

17. amount • Some argue amount should not be substituted for number. • They recommend the use of number if the thing referred to is countable and amount only if it is uncountable.

18. While RH acknowledges the "traditional distinction between amount and number, it mentions that "[a]lthough objected to, the use of amount instead of number with countable nouns occurs in both speech and writing, especially when the noun can be considered as a unit or group.

19. Disputed usage: I was amazed by the amount of people who visited my website. • Undisputed usage: The number of people in the lift must not exceed 10. • Undisputed usage: I was unimpressed by the amount of water consumed by the elephant.

20. and • Some argue that sentences should not begin with the word and on the argument that as a conjunction it should only join clauses within a sentence.

21. “ CHAMBERS states that "Although it is sometimes regarded as poor style, it is not ungrammatical to begin a sentence with and.“

22. anxious • Some people argue that this word should only be used in the sense of "worried" or "worrisome" (compare "anxiety"), but it has been used in the sense of eager for "over 250 years";

23. 52% of AHD4's Usage Panel accepts its use in the sentence "We are anxious to see the new show of contemporary sculpture at the museum." • It also suggests that the use of anxious to mean eager may be mild hyperbole, as the use of dying in the sentence "I'm dying to see your new baby”

24. barbaric and barbarous • barbaric applies to the culture of barbarians and may be positive ("barbaric splendor"); • barbarous applies to the behavior of barbarians and is negative ("barbarous cruelty"). This is standard English usage.

25. However, some dictionaries equates the third meaning of "barbaric" with the third of "barbarous", that is, "mercilessly harsh or cruel";

26. Undisputed. The environment of the venue was barbaric. • Undisputed. Terrorism is barbarous. • Disputed. Capital punishment is a disgusting, barbaric measure.

27. but • Some people argue that if and should not be used to begin sentences, then neither should but. • These words are both conjunctions, so they believe that they should be used only to link clauses within a sentence. • AHD4 states that "it may be used to begin a sentence at all levels of style."

28. can and may • Some prescriptivists argue that can refers to possibility and may refers to permissions, and insist on maintaining this distinction, although usage of can to refer to permission is pervasive in spoken and very frequent in written English.

29. deprecate • The original meaning in English is "deplore" or "express disapproval of" (the Latin from which the word derives means "pray to avert evil", suggesting that some event would be a calamity).

30. The word is now also used to mean "play down", "belittle" or "devalue", a shift that some prescriptivists disapprove of, as it suggests the word is being confused with the similar word depreciate.

31. diagnose • Someone states that to "diagnose [someone] with a disease" is an incorrect usage of the verb diagnose, which takes the physician as subject and a disease as object (e.g. "to diagnose cancer").

32. Disputed usage: Mr. Smith was diagnosed with diabetes. • Undisputed usage: The doctor diagnosed diabetes.

33. different • Standard usage in both Britain and America is "different from" (on the analogy of "to differ from"). • In Britain this competes with "different to" (coined on the analogy of "similar to"). • In America it competes with "different than" (coined on the analogy of "other than"). “

34. Undisputed usage: The American pronunciation of English is different from the British. • Disputed usage: The American pronunciation of English is different to the British. • Disputed usage: The American pronunciation of English is different than the British

35. disinterested • Standard usage is as a word for "unbiased". But some have also rendered it synonymous with "uninterested" or "apathetic".

36. Undisputed usage: As their mutual best friend, I tried to remain disinterested in their argument so as not to anger either. • Disputed usage: The key to attracting a member of the opposite sex is to balance between giving attention to him or her and appearing disinterested.

37. enormity • Frequently used as a synonym for "enormousness" or "immensity", but traditionally means "extreme wickedness". • Disputed usage: The enormity of the elephant astounded me. • Traditional usage: The enormity of Stalin's purges astounds me.

38. farther and further • Many adhere to the rule that farther only should refer to matters of physical distance or position, while further should be reserved for usages involving time or degree (as well as undisputed descriptions of moreover and in addition).

39. Disputed usage: San Jose is further from L.A. than Santa Barbara. • Disputed usage: L.A. was a couple hours farther from home than I expected. • Disputed usage: If her fever increases any farther, I will call the doctor. • Undisputed usage: I would like to discuss the issue further at a later time.

40. gender • Gender is often used as a euphemism for sex in the sense of the biological or social quality, male and female. • It is never used to refer to sexual intercourse. • Gender traditionally refers to grammatical gender, a feature in the grammar of a number of different languages.

41. hopefully • Some argue this word should not be used as an expression of confidence in an outcome; • however, M-W classes hopefully with other words such as interestingly, frankly, and unfortunately, and describes this usage as "entirely standard“

42. Disputed usage: Hopefully I'll get that scholarship! • Undisputed usage: The prisoner thought hopefully about the prospect for escape when he realized the guards accidentally left his cell unlocked.

43. less • Some argue that less should not be substituted for fewer. • But less has been used to modify plural nouns since long time ago and the usage, though being criticised, appears to be increasing.

44. Less is more likely than fewer to modify plural nouns when distances, sums of money, and a few fixed phrases are involved <less than 100 miles> <an investment of less than $2000> <in 25 words or less> and as likely as fewer to modify periods of time <in less (or fewer) than four hours>"

45. Disputed usage: This lane 12 items or less. • Undisputed usage: We had fewer players on the team this season. • Undisputed usage: There is less water in the tank now.

46. like and as • Some object to the use of like as a conjunction, stating it is rather a preposition and that only "as" would be appropriate in this circumstance. • M-W, however, cites like's use as a conjunction as standard since the 14th century, and opines that opposition to it is "perhaps more heated than rational"

47. Undisputed usage. He is an American as am I. • Undisputed usage. He is an American like me. • Undisputed usage. It looks as if this play will be a flop. • Undisputed usage. This play looks like a flop. • Disputed usage. He is an American like I am. • Disputed usage. It looks like this play will be a flop.

48. may and might • "May" should only be used where the event in question is still possible, not for something that was possible at one stage in a historical narrative, or for a hypothetical possibility contrary to fact.

49. Undisputed usage: My brother may have gone to China last week (perhaps he did) • Disputed usage: If he had not been prevented, my brother may have gone to China last week (but he didn't) • Undisputed usage: If he had not been prevented, my brother might have gone to China last week.

50. Disputed usage: He thought it may be true (but it wasn't) • Undisputed usage: He thought it might be true.