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doubt DOUBT THAT/DOUBT WHETHER/ DOUBT IF If you really doubt that something is true (suspect that it’s false), use “doubt that”: “I doubt that Fred has really lost 25 pounds.” If you want to express uncertainty, use “whether”: “I doubt whether we’ll see the comet if the clouds don’t clear soon.” “Doubt if” can be substituted for “doubt whether,” though it’s considered somewhat more casual, but don’t use it when you mean “doubt that.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/doubt.html03/09/2005 15:37:40 doubtlessly DOUBTLESSLY DOUBTLESS Leave off the unnecessary “-ly” in “doubtless.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/doubtlessly.html03/09/2005 15:37:41 dove DOVE DIVED Although “dove” is a common form of the past tense of “dive,” a few authorities consider “dived” preferable in formal writing. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/dove.html03/09/2005 15:37:41 downfall/drawback DOWNFALL/DRAWBACK A downfall is something that causes a person’s destruction, either literal or figurative: “expensive cars were Fred’s downfall: he spent his entire inheritance on them and went bankrupt.” A drawback is not nearly so drastic, just a flaw or problem of some kind, and is normally applied to plans and activities, not to people: “Gloria’s plan to camp on Mosquito Island had just one drawback: she had forgotten to bring her insect repellent.” Also, “downfall” should not be used when the more moderate “decline” is meant; reserve it for ruin, not to designate simple deterioration. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/downfall.html03/09/2005 15:37:41 drank/drunk DRANK/DRUNK Many common verbs in English change form when their past tense is preceded by an auxiliary (“helping”) verb: “I ran, I have run.” The same is true of “drink.” Don’t say “I’ve drank the beer” unless you want people to think you are drunk. An even more common error is “I drunk all the milk.” It’s “I’ve drunk the beer” and “I drank all the milk.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/drank.html03/09/2005 15:37:41 drastic DRASTIC/DRAMATIC "Drastic” means “severe” and is always negative. Drastic measures are not just extreme, they are likely to have harmful side-effects. Don’t use this word or “drastically” in a positive or neutral sense. A drastic rise in temperature should be seen as downright dangerous, not just surprisingly large. Often people mean “dramatic” instead. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/drastic.html03/09/2005 15:37:42 drier DRIER/DRYER A clothes dryer makes the clothes drier. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/drier.html03/09/2005 15:37:42 dribble DRIBBLE DRIVEL “Dribble” and “drivel” originally meant the same thing: drool. But the two words have become differentiated. When you mean to criticize someone else’s speech as stupid or pointless, the word you want is “drivel.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/dribble.html03/09/2005 15:37:42 drips and drabs DRIPS AND DRABS DRIBS AND DRABS Something doled out in miserly amounts is provided in “dribs and drabs.” A drib is a smaller relative of a dribble. Nobody seems to be sure what a drab is in this sense, except that it's a tiny bit larger than a drib. Since the origin of the phrase is obscure, people try to substitute a more familiar word for the unusual word “drib” by writing “drips and drabs.” But that's not the traditional formula. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/drips.html03/09/2005 15:37:42 drive/disk DRIVE/DISK A hard drive and a hard disk are much the same thing; but when it comes to removable computer media, the drive is the machinery that turns and reads the disk. Be sure not to ask for a drive when all you need is a disk. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/drive.html03/09/2005 15:37:42