Let’s start with the fact that I’m having an “off my game” week. Or as I often say: I can’t words. I can’t type. And I’m misspelling everything. Seriously, I required 11 corrections for the last 3 sentences. Help.
Yet, here I am, writing a blog because we don’t want my mistakes to become your mistakes. Luckily, I’m surrounded by a bunch of writers (AKA grammar and spelling sticklers), who will catch my blunders before I post them. In the spirit of sharing, here are a few phrases I misspoke this week:
NO: “For all intensive purposes.”
YES: “For all intents and purposes.”
At least the wrong one sounds as though it might make sense… but it doesn’t and it’s wrong. The correct phrase is “For all intents and purposes.” The original phrase is from 16th Century English law: “to all intents, constructions, and purposes,” which indicated “the state of a person’s mind that directs his or her actions toward a specific object.”
NOPE: “A complete 360.”
YES: “A complete 180.”
You know you’ve heard someone say, “they did a complete 360,” as in; they’ve changed their mind. C’mon guys. A 360 is the whole circle. The correct phrase is “A complete 180.” Meaning you were going one-way (or the option was one thing) and they turned in the complete opposite direction / change to the opposing opinion.
NO: “I could care less.”
YES: “I couldn’t care less.”
When someone tries to state they do not care and they are accidentally saying they do care, you have to laugh to yourself a little. And then correct them. The correct phrase “I couldn’t care less,” means that you care so little it is impossible that you could care less. Or more seriously stated: I do not care at all.
NO: “One in the same.”
YES: “One and the same.”
This one is simply a misheard form of the phrase. When the two objects or subjects being compared and linked you don’t say in. See how I used and? Because you say and.
