We have a lot of fun here on the Empirical blog poking fun at English conventions that we all take for granted. So in our continuing bit about common writing errors, we bring a few more noteworthy and easily avoidable editing gaffes.
- Principal/principle
- Both can be used as nouns, but only one can be used as an adjective
- The principal on the project was Ms. Jane.
- The principal advantage of jogging is being able to outrun zombies.
- The most important principle of writing is to write.
- Respectfully/respectively
- Both are adverbs
- Respectfully, I must disagree.
- I find you and John to be fun and irritating, respectively.
- Then/than
- An adverb, adjective, and a noun versus a conjunction and preposition
- If you want to pass a class, then you have to study.
- The then unknown physicist worked as a patent clerk.
- This PowerPoint has more slides than last week.
