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English errors: 'What's the worse-case scenario?'
Jagruti Sharma
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August 24, 2007

For most of us, English is still a challenge.

With all its irregularities, exceptions and rules, it is a very difficult language to master.

With that in mind, rediff.com presents our English Bloopers series.

Here, we publish written and spoken mistakes spotted and sent to us by observant Get Ahead readers.

It's a great way to review the basics, clarify a few issues and share a laugh or two!

So, stop by three times a week for another fresh batch of English Bloopers.

Today, we present the second half of a list of bloopers that have become so common, they're hardly even recognised as errors! 

Here is the first half of the list.

Let's get started:
 



 

MISTAKE

CORRECT

misconscrew

misconstrue

momento

memento

muriel

mural

myocardial infraction

myocardial infarction

new leash on life

new lease on life

neck in neck

neck and neck

nitch

niche

no bars held

no holds barred

notary republic

notary public

odiferous

odoriferous

oject d'art

objet d'art

off my own back

off my own bat

on mass

en masse

on the same hand

on the other hand

once and a while

once in a while

orthoscopic

arthroscopic

overhauls

overalls

overjealous

overzealous

pacific

specific

pain-staking

painstaking

pair of parenthesis

pair of parentheses

parody of virtue

paragon of virtue

part in parcel

part and parcel

pastorial

pastoral

patriarticle

patriarchal

permiscuous

promiscuous

peacemeal

piecemeal

peak of health

pink of health

pedastool

pedestal

pension

penchant

periphial

peripheral

perk up its ears

prick up its ears

perscription

prescription

Peruvian interest

prurient interest

perverbial

proverbial

phantom

fathom

pick fun

poke fun or pick on

piece of mind

peace of mind

pillow to post

pillar to post

 

 

play it by year

play it by ear

plentitude

plenitude

poison ivory

poison ivy

portentious

portentous

pot-bellied politics

pork-barrel politics

poultrygeist

poltergeist

predominately

predominantly

pratfall

pitfall

pre-Madonna

prima donna

prevaricate

procrastinate

prevert

pervert

prolong the inevitable

delay the inevitable

protagonist

proponent

punkin, pumkin

pumpkin

 

 

radical chick

radical chic

radioactive increase

retroactive increase

ramsack

ransack

readdress the balance

redress the balance

rebel rouser

rabble rouser

recreate the wheel

reinvent the wheel

repel

rappel

repungent

repugnant

roiling boil

rolling boil

rot or rod iron

wrought iron

rubble rousing

rabble rousing

rockweiler

rottweiler

run rapid

run rampant

short sided

shortsighted

skewer the results

skew the results

something or rather

something or other

 

 

seizure salad

Caesar salad

self of steam

self-esteem

self-defacing

self-effacing

sense of false security

false sense of security

should've went

should've gone

shutter to think

shudder to think

similiar or simular

similar

 

 

skiddish

skittish

 

 

skun your knee

skinned your knee

sleep acnea

sleep apnea

slither of cake

sliver of cake

smashed potatoes

mashed potatoes

smoking mirrors

smoke and mirrors

smothered onions

smothered with onions

soak and wet

soaking wet

somulent

somnolent

sorted past or story

sordid past or story

stain glass

stained glass

stainless teal

stainless steel

strident

stringent

subsiding on

subsisting on

substantative

substantive

supremist

supremacist

tactile squad

tactical squad

terminity

temerity

thankyou

thank you

techknowledgy

technology

Theolonius Monk

Thelonious Monk

thread a fine line

tred a fine line

Tiajuana

Tijuana

tie me over

tide me over

times the number

multiply the number

tittering on the brink

teetering on the brink

to eaches own

to each his own

took it for granite

took it for granted

turpentime

turpentine

two sense worth

two cents' worth

tyrannical yolk

tyrannical yoke

unchartered territory

uncharted territory

unloosen

loosen

udderly

utterly

up and adam

up and at 'em

upgraded

upbraided

valevictorian

valedictorian

Valentimes

Valentines

vaulted

vaunted

verbage

verbiage

very close veins

varicose veins

viadock

viaduct

visa versa

vice versa

vocal chords

vocal cords

voiceterous

boisterous

vunerable

vulnerable

wait ago

way to go

weary

wary

wheedle down

whittle down

whelp

welt

Wimbleton

Wimbledon

wideth

width

windshield factor

wind chill factor

witch

which

without further adieu

without further ado

 

 

world-renown

world-renowned

worse case scenario

worst-case scenario

worth its weight in salt

worth its weight in gold

worth wild

worthwhile

MORE English bloopers

If you'd like to share common bloopers you come across when people speak/ write in English, do mail your list, along with their correct alternatives to englishbloopers@rediffmail.com -- we'll highlight them right here as a helpful guide to those trying to improve their English. Also, make sure you include your FULL NAME, AGE, OCCUPATION and the CITY you are based in.


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