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English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
words are often used in ways that are contentious among writers on
usage The usage of a language is the ways in which its written and spoken variations are routinely employed by its speakers; that is, it refers to "the collective habits of a language's native speakers", as opposed to idealized models of how a language ...
and prescriptive commentators. The contentious usages are especially
common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally com ...
in spoken English, and academic linguists point out that they are accepted by many listeners. While in some circles the usages below may make the speaker sound uneducated or illiterate, in other circles the more
standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...
or more traditional usage may make the speaker sound stilted or pretentious. For a list of disputes more complicated than the usage of a single word or phrase, see
English usage controversies In the English language, there are grammatical constructions that many native speakers use unquestioningly yet certain writers call incorrect. Differences of usage or opinion may stem from differences between formal and informal speech and other m ...
.


A

* aggravate – Some have argued that this word should not be used in the sense of "to annoy" or "to oppress", but only to mean "to make worse". According to AHDI, the use of "aggravate" as "annoy" occurs in English as far back as the 17th century. In Latin, from which the word was borrowed, both meanings were used. Sixty-eight percent of AHD4's usage panel approves of its use in "It's the endless wait for luggage that aggravates me the most about air travel." M-W mentions that while ''aggravate'' in the sense of "to rouse to displeasure or anger by usually persistent and often petty goading" has been around since the 17th century, disapproval of that usage only appeared around 1870. RH states in its usage note under ''aggravate'' that "The two most common senses of ''aggravate'' are 'to make worse' and 'to annoy or exasperate.' Both senses first appeared in the early 17th century at almost the same time; the corresponding two senses of the noun ''aggravation'' also appeared then. Both senses of ''aggravate'' and ''aggravation'' have been standard since then." Chambers cites this usage as "colloquial" and that it "is well established, especially in spoken English, although it is sometimes regarded as incorrect."* *
ain't The word "ain't" is a contraction for ''am not'', ''is not'', ''are not'', ''has not'', ''have not'' in the common English language vernacular. In some dialects ''ain't'' is also used as a contraction of ''do not'', ''does not'' and ''did not''. ...
– originally a contraction of "am not", this word is widely used as a replacement for "aren't", "isn't", "haven't" and "hasn't" as well. While ''ain't'' has existed in the English language for a very long time, and it is a common, normal word in many dialects in both North America and the British Isles, it is not a part of standard English, and its use in formal writing is not recommended by most usage commentators. Nevertheless, ''ain't'' is used by educated speakers and writers for deliberate effect, what ''Oxford American Dictionary'' describes as "tongue-in-cheek" or "reverse snobbery", and what ''Merriam-Webster Collegiate'' calls "emphatic effect" or "a consistently informal style". *
alibi An alibi (from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person, who is a possible perpetrator of a crime, of where they were at the time a particular offence was committed, which is somewhere other than where the crim ...
– Some argue this cannot be used in the non-legal sense of "an explanation or excuse to avoid blame or justify action." AHD4 notes that this usage was acceptable to "almost half" of the usage panel, while most opposed the word's use as a verb. M-W mentions no usage problems, listing the disputed meaning second to its legal sense without comment. OED cites the non-legal noun and verb usages as colloquial and "orig nallyU.S.". Chambers deems this use "colloquial". *
alright Alright, All Right or Allwright may refer to: Music Albums * ''Alright!'' (album), a 2007 album by Bogdan Raczynski * ''Alright'', a 2011 album by Jerry Williams * ''All Right'', a 1982 album by Himiko Kikuchi Songs * "Alright" (Cast song) * ...
– An alternative to "all right" that some consider illiterate but others allow. RH says that it probably arose in analogy with other similar words, such as ''altogether'' and ''already''; it does concede the use in writing as "informal", and that ''all right'' "is used in more formal, edited writing". AHD4 flags ''alright'' as "nonstandard", and comments that this unacceptance (compared to ''altogether'' etc.) is "peculiar", and may be due to its relative recentness (''altogether'' and ''already'' date back to the Middle Ages, ''alright'' only a little over a century). Chambers refers to varying levels of formality of ''all right'', deeming ''alright'' to be more casual; it recommends the use of ''all right'' "in writing for readers who are precise about the use of language". *
also Also or ALSO may refer to: *Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO), a program developed by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) * Alsó-Fehér County, a historic administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary * ALSO Gr ...
– Some contend this word should not be used to begin a sentence. AHD4 says "63 percent of the Usage Panel found acceptable the example 'The warranty covers all power-train components. Also, participating dealers back their work with a free lifetime service guarantee.'" See also ''and'' and ''but'' (below). *
alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...
– Some argue that ''alternative'' should be used only when the number of choices involved is exactly two. While AHD4 allows "the word's longstanding use to mean 'one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen' and the acceptance of this usage by many language critics", it goes on to state that only 49% of its usage panel approves of its use as in "Of the three alternatives, the first is the least distasteful." Neither M-W nor RH mentions any such restriction to a choice of two. Chambers qualifies its definition as referring to "strictly speaking, two, but often used of more than two, possibilities". * a.m./p.m. – These are abbreviations for the Latin adverbial phrases ''ante meridiem'' ("before noon") and ''post meridiem'' ("after noon"). Some argue that they therefore should not be used in English as nouns meaning "morning" and "afternoon"; however, such use is consistent with ordinary nominalization features of English. AHD4 lists adjectival usage with "an A.M. appointment" and "a P.M. appointment". RH gives "Shall we meet Saturday a.m.?" without comment. Also, the
National Institute of Standards and Technology The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical sci ...
contends it is incorrect to use 12 a.m. or 12 p.m. to mean either noon or midnight. *
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Further reading

* Cochrane, James (2004). ''Between You and I: A Little Book of Bad English''. Napierville, Illinois: Sourcebooks. * ''Concise Oxford English Dictionary'', 11th edition (2004). Soanes, Catherine et al. (eds). Oxford:
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
. * Fowler, H.W. ''A Dictionary of Modern English Usage.'' Oxford University Press. Fourth U.S. Printing, 1950. *


References

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External links


The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language online

Chambers Reference online

Dictionary.com
accessing the American Heritage Dictionary and the Random House Dictionary
Merriam-Webster Online

Compact Oxford English Dictionary online

Encarta Dictionary onlineArchived
2009-10-31) Words with disputed usage Disputed usage