A former boss/editor of my past had a list of “egregious” errors. As a grammar and mechanics/ linguistics geek, I kept track of it. I’m not sure I care about all the fine distinctions in other’s writing, but it’s fun to talk about. The adjective stuck with me because I could see myself in it.
- Farther vs Further: Farther measures physical distance and is concrete. (Topeka is farther away than Lawrence), but Further measures time or degree. It’s abstract. “We need to avoid further delays.”
- Fewer vs. Less: Fewer is concrete – it can be counted. Less is more abstract and can’t be counted (at least not without difficulty). I want fewer bottles of water, with less water in each bottle. Give me less rice. HOWEVER – the logic behind the express aisle at supermarkets always say “8 items or less” (or 12 or 20) and it sounds wrong to me, but I’ve heard compelling explanations.
- Number vs Amount: Number you can count, an amount you can’t.
- That vs. Which: That is in restrictive (needed) clauses. “The University that he admires most is KU.” Which is not needed. “Harvard, which is called the KU of the East, has a weak wrestling team.”
- Misplaced modifiers: Put modifiers near the word they modify. Once at a horse show I asked someone where my dad was. They said, “He’s over on the south side of the pavilion, on a horse with a green shirt.” I was looking for a horse wearing a green shirt. In my defense, it was that kind of horse show. My confusion was reasonable.
- Illogical qualifiers: Slightly pregnant; Fairly innocent; Somewhat unique….
I have more, but I’ll have to think about it.
