Commonly Misused Words and Phrases

The following are words and phrases that are frequently misused:

Enthused / Enthusiastic
Try and / Try to
Unique
Where at
Which, Who / That

It is stylistically better to use the adjective enthusiastic rather than enthused and to avoid the verb to enthuse entirely.

Nonstandard
She is very enthused about Shakespeare.

Standard
She is very enthusiastic about Shakespeare.

Nonstandard
King Henry V attempted to enthuse the troops before the battle.

Standard
King Henry V attempted to make the troops enthusiastic before the battle.

Phrases including the expression to try usually require another to plus verb rather than and plus verb.

Nonstandard
We’d like to try and go to the store this afternoon.

Standard
We’d like to try to go to the store this afternoon.

Nonstandard
I wanted to try and see that movie, but the babysitting fee was too high.

Standard
I wanted to try to see that movie, but the babysitting fee was too high.

Unique is a word like no other. A thing cannot be described as more unique or the most unique. It’s simply unique.

Nonstandard
He was wearing the most unique tie.

Standard
He was wearing a unique tie.

The phrase where at is an unnecessary and ungrammatical expansion of the word where.

Nonstandard
I wish I knew where my homework was at.

Standard
I wish I knew where my homework was.

Which is occasionally erroneously used instead of the more appropriate who or that.

Nonstandard
She loves animals which serve a useful purpose.

Standard
She loves animals that serve a useful purpose.

Nonstandard
I went to work with the scientists which invented the potato chip.

Standard
I went to work with the scientists who invented the potato chip.

Standard
I went to work with the scientists that invented the potato chip.

Note: Generally, use who to refer to people or groups of people and that to refer to inanimate objects. The last two sentences above are both standard, but note the difference in tone between them. Phrasing it as “the scientists that” tends to distance or even dehumanize the scientists while “the scientists who” tends to make the scientists more personable.