Amount and number (the nouns, not the verbs) often get misused. Amount is a mass noun and you use it when talking about things you can’t count: “There is a large amount of smog.” Number is used, well, for things you can number, so that should help you remember the rule. “I filed a number of lawsuits.”
I could say I see “a huge number of instances in which writers misuse the word amount, and a large amount of misunderstanding surrounding these two words.”
I’m sure you know what happens when you assume too much. But if you understand the distinction between assume and…
When you want payback, are you after revenge or do you mean to avenge someone? Avenge and vengeance have to…
I’m fascinated with the fluidity of language and how every day it seems words come and go around us. Think…
Those dreaded commas. I think commas cause more confusion than any other bit of punctuation. Writers either overuse them or…
Sometimes we think bad people should get what they deserve, but we shouldn’t liken that punishment to eating day-old pastries….
Does your job come with perks? The word perk comes from perquisite—not to be confused with prerequisite. Those two words…
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I graduated from High School in 1979 and from college in 1983. I have a BA in English/Creative Writing and Psychology (dual degree). My mother was a proofreader for technical journals for many years and also the English secretary at the undergraduate office of the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. I have to admit, many of the grammatical posts I read here and in other bloggers’ posts sound like grammarians have made up a new language to describe rules that have existed for ages. I really feel out of the loop…has our language changed that much in 30 years?