To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

Editor of Writing Joined May 2021

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

To “envelop” is to wrap up or surround completely. An “envelope” is a flat paper container with a sealable flap.

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

A rash decision is “harebrained,” not “hairbrained.”

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

“A lot” should always be two words. Never write “alot.” The one-word homophone is “allot.”

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

The construction “the reason is because” should be avoided. Write “The reason I went is that I wanted to.” or “I went because I wanted to.” Not “The reason I went is because I wanted to.”

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

The phrase that means “wrong or unfair methods may be used if the overall goal is good” is “the end justifies the means.” It is not “the ends justify the means.” Nor is it “the end justifies the mean.”

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

The word “psych” is used in slang to mean something close to “Not!” or “Gotcha!” By overcoming autocorrect and any inclination toward critical thinking, people often misspell it “sike.”

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

Comma splicing is using a comma to link two independent clauses, a job for more substantial punctuation. For example: “He needed anchovies, he went to the grocery store.”

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

Some pronunciation notes: Lackadaisical should start with lack-uh, not lacks-uh. Mischievous has only three syllables, not four. Niche rhymes with quiche, not ditch. Ambidextrous has four syllables, not five.

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

A “death knell” is the tolling of a bell to mark someone’s death, and the phrase refers to something’s imminent destruction or failure. A “nail in the coffin” is something that makes it more likely that something will fail. “Death nail” is a misspelling.

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

“Impact” should be reserved for uses not exactly synonymous with “affect” and “effect.”

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

A plurale tantum is a noun that appears only in the plural form and has no singular form. Some examples are scissors, loggerheads, shenanigans, jeans, clothes, odds, trousers, and alms.

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

“Different” takes the preposition “from,” not “than.” Things “differ from” each other, and they are “different from” each other.

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

“Coup de grâce” is pronounced with an “s” sound at the end. The “c” is not silent.

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

Something causing stress or anxiety is “nerve-racking,” not “nerve-wrecking.”

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

Something filled to overflowing is “chock-full,” not “chalk-full.”

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

The phrase used to mean one person or thing and not two is “one and the same.” That phrase and “one in the same” are not one and the same.

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To Conquer Babble @toconquerbabble

3 years ago

“Mettle” is vigor and strength of spirit or temperament, or staying quality. To “test one’s mettle” is to test that vigor. The homophone “metal” is often mistakenly substituted in the phrase.