BETWEEN YOU AND I #2

                       bad

a little book of ^ english

James Cochran

 

Some grammatical and usage errors are so widespread that they are beyond correcting, and just have to be accepted as "in the language." The author calls these mistakes Lost Causes. Below are some examples of these errors and their positions on the road to being a Lost Cause.

 

1. Hoi polloi - These Greek words mean "the many, the common people, the vulgar masses." For whatever reason, hoi polloi in modern usage refers to the rich and famous. The author sees correcting this mistake as a Lost Cause.

2. There is no such word as IRREGARDLESS. It may be a conflation of irrespective and regardless. This is not a lost cause, but it is a glaring error - even a clownish word -and should never be used.

3. Light year - A light year is a unit of distance, not time. It is the distance light travels in one year (around six million million miles). To say someone is "light years away" - meaning he's out of touch - is incorrect. Probably a Lost Cause.

 

4. Lowest Common Denominator - meaning to appeal to the lowest, basest public taste is a misnomer. In mathematics, the lowest common denominator (LCD) is a relatively high number. The LCD of 2, 3, 4, and 6 is 12, whereas the highest (greatest) common factor is a relatively low number. The highest common factor of 12 and 18 is 6. But since the phrase lowest common denominator tries to convey the idea lowness rather than highness, this is a Lost Cause