We’re continuing to examine words that are used incorrectly.
- Enthused/Enthusiastic—Although enthused has become acceptable in standard usage, old school people still prefer enthusiastic.
My daughter was not very enthusiastic about salmon for dinner.
- Farther/Further—Farther is used for geographic distances. Further means “in addition to” without involving geography.
A great bed and breakfast is located about a mile farther down the road.
Further accidents can be avoided with common sense.
- Fewer/Less—Use fewer for groups or collections with parts that can be counted individually. Use less for things in bulk.
The fifth grade class earned fewer cupcakes than the fourth grade.
We added less butter in our brownies for a low fat option.
- Impact/Affect— Some people shudder when impact is used as a verb although it’s become acceptable in standard English.
The impact of the wind knocked me down. (Yes.)
The song impacted me more than you’ll ever know. (No. This usage may bring to mind images of impacted teeth…or bowels. You don’t want that, do you?)
Instead, use affect.
The nostalgic play affected me to the point of tears.
- Irregardless/Regardless—Old English teachers might have rapped knuckles and said, “Irregardless isn’t a word. It isn’t in the dictionary.” My dictionary has it listed along with the definition of non standard English. Irregardless is, however, a fun café in Raleigh, NC. Please use regardless instead.
Do you agree or disagree about the usage of enthuse or impact?
Happy writing!
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