Every once in a while, I send you some of my verbal pet peeves. Here are a few other unfortunate phrases that have come my way recently. 1. Amazon just today was offering me a “free gift.”

Word usage for the memoir writer

Every once in a while, I send you a few of my verbal pet peeves. Here are a few other unfortunate phrases having to do with word usage that have come my way recently.

1. Free Gifts

Amazon just today was offering me a “free gift.” Awfully good of them to make gifts free. It’s a rather innovative concept—don’t you think? I hate it when people charge for gifts. They should follow Amazon’s word usage example!

2. First introductions

There was also a case I came across of “first introduction.” We are so busy these days! I wish people would acknowledge that and skip over first introductions and go immediately into the second introductions. And while we’re at it…

3. How about “final conclusion?”

Why do people not accept that conclusions do not have to be final! Such picky word usage!

4. I haven’t figured this word usage out yet.

“Most well-known” is somehow supposed to be different from “well-known,” but I haven’t figured it out. That goes also for “most pre-eminent.”

5. I can’t let this word usage go easily.

I’ve already complained about “first priority” so I wanted to let that one go, but a cursory search of the internet revealed flagrant misdemeanors among eponymous speakers and writers (alas! family however distant is not exempt from the challenges of word usage). [Below, I have eliminated first names so as not to embarrass my anonymous “cousins.”]

If something is in second priority, is it still a priority or merely a to-do item among others? How about sixteenth priority?

• “Here at Ledoux & Co., we are forward thinking, strive for excellence & always keep our guests the first priority.”
• County Commissioner XX LeDoux [in a campaign statement]: “My first priority is to help this County prosper through…”
• Real estate agent Y Ledoux… “is successful because she never loses sight of what is important to people. Your home is her first priority.”
• there were more examples but why drag family through the word usage mud more than I have!

6. The time ought to be clear.

Is writing “had previously done” is so necessary that one might confuse it with “had done.” This word—”had previously done”—usage does seem redundant. Of course, I could be wrong and people might one day do something previously in the future. Word usage does change after all!

7. To avoid all confusion.

I love “historical antecedent” as so many antecedents occur in the future that one has to distinguish between the two!

You’d thing that some people believe that the word “antecedent” refers to something in the past the way some people refuse to say future antecedent!

Correct word usage is not irrelevant.

As writers, we use words as our tools of communication. It is, therefore, important to have a firm grasp of meaning and word usage.

And what are your verbal pet peeves when it comes to word usage? Share them below in the comments.