The English language is a funny thing. Ask any two people about a specific word or phrase and they’ll probably say or explain it differently depending on where they’re from and how their family says it. Some people grow up not even knowing that they’ve got their phrasing or spelling wrong, and those mistakes then come out in their books.

But it’s okay, because that’s where I come in.

In case we haven’t met, I’m E.J., and I’m a freelance editor, alpha/beta reader, and book coach. I’ve worked with authors all over the world, from first-timers to bestsellers. And you know one of the most important things I’ve learned while editing?

Nobody’s perfect. Not even the bestsellers.

Everybody has their hangups. In fact, it’s fun for me to read through an author’s manuscript and figure out what I call their “mistake profile.” (This doesn’t come from a place of judgment because, as a writer myself, I have a very long mistake profile.) It’s just interesting to me to see the differences in how people write, including the mistakes they make. One person might struggle with commas while another has an issue with homophones. Personally, I struggle with filler words, and don’t even get me started on the whole “lay vs. lie” thing; I still have to look up the chart almost every time.

I love being an editor, though, because I get to teach people not how to write perfectly, but how to write better. I have a rather unique goal as an editor: I don’t want to get paid as much when an author comes to me the second time. Why? Because it brings me much greater joy to see that they’ve corrected their mistakes, and therefore, there’s less for me to correct.

One of the most fascinating categories of mistakes is commonly spoken phrases and words. Because these sayings are so widespread, their meanings can oftentimes become muddled or even incorrect.

So, to save you from making these mistakes, I’ve rounded up the top five most commonly misused words and phrases I see in manuscripts, counting up to the most common errors.

5. “Invaluable”

I can definitely see where the confusion comes from on this one. Remember how I said that English is a funny language? Well, you can certainly see that’s true when it comes to this word.

Many times, the prefix “in” means “not;” just think of “invalid” and “insane.” So, our gut reaction when we see “invaluable” is to think “not valuable.”

But the definition of “invaluable” is actually the opposite! In a sense, the prefix still means “not,” but in a more nuanced way. “Invaluable” means that something is so valuable that you can’t assign a value to it; hence the prefix! It describes something extremely useful, precious, and/or meaningful.

So, instead of using “invaluable” to describe something with no value, try “worthless,” “pointless,” or “negligible” instead, depending on the context.

4. “Should/could/would of”

“Should,” “could,” and “would” are helping verbs, which means they need to be paired with another verb. And in case you’re a little rusty on grammar, “of” is not a verb! In fact, the misuse of this phrase simply comes from trying to translate the speaking of “should’ve,” “could’ve,” or “would’ve” into text. Say those words out loud—see how the end of the contraction sounds like “of”?

The correct phrase is “should/could/would have.” Or, as I just mentioned, you can use the contraction. But “of” is out of the question!

3. “I could care less”

Read the phrase very carefully. Can you spot the error?

People both say and write this phrase wrong all the time. It essentially means that you don’t care about something. So, take a look one more time, thinking about each word. Got it?

The problem here is could. The phrase is actually “I couldn’t care less.” The issue is that “I could care less” means that you could care less about the issue, meaning you do still care about it. “I couldn’t care less” conveys the actual sentiment, that you care so little about the situation that you couldn’t possibly care any less.

2. “Yea”/”Ya”/”Yah”

One of the most commonly used words today is “yeah” (and that’s the correct spelling, by the way). Understandably, characters in books that take place in today’s world or beyond often use the simple affirmative word, and yet, many authors have trouble figuring out how to translate the commonly spoken word into the written word.

I’ve seen “yeah” spelt many different ways. “Yea” is a completely different word; it means just about the same thing as “yeah,” but you’ll rarely hear it in everyday conversation since it’s usually a more formal word. “Ya” or “yah” are really just misspellings of “yeah,” though “ya” can be used as slang for “you” (e.g. “see ya later”).

So, if you’re using the common casual affirmative answer, it’s spelt “yeah.” You can even use “yup” or “yes” if you want.

1. “Effect” vs. “Affect”

This one is a bit more complicated, but once you memorise the difference, it’s easier to remember which one to use (or, if you really have trouble with it, just print out or bookmark this post!). This requires some more explanation, so hang on tight!

“Effect” can be a noun or verb, but it means two different things. The noun “effect” talks about an influence:

“Her heartfelt story had a huge effect on me.”

The verb “effect” is not used quite as often and deals with an action and end result rather than an influence (basically, you’re probably looking for “affect” rather than “effect” if you need a verb). It means to cause something to happen:

“The new contract effected changes in the business.”

“Affect” is the verb form of the noun “effect”…most of the time. (Confusing, right? But wait—there’s more!) Affect has two definitions as a verb: 1) to fake something (not very common) or 2) to have an influence on something. Sound familiar?

“The medication didn’t affect me.”

(Note that “affect” can also be a noun, but it’s a psychology term that’s rarely ever used in normal speech.)

In short: if you’re talking about influence, the noun you’re looking for is “effect,” and the verb is “affect.”

Is this list surprising? There are definitely some runner-ups that would be included in an extended edition of this post, like “lay/lie,” “adverse,” and “wreak havoc.” But the five above are, believe it or not, the most commonly misused words and phrases I’ve seen from authors across the board.

What words or phrases do you see misused? Are there any you have a question about? You can leave a comment, send me a message, or, for more in-depth assistance, check out my services.

Happy writing!
—E.J.

---

If you enjoyed this post, I hope you’ll consider buying one of my books, donating to the blog, reading my stories on Vocal, and/or taking a look at my RedBubble shop so I can continue to produce 100% free content!

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash