Giáo trình oxford10 ppt

contrasts/contrasts with CONTRASTS/CONTRASTS WITH “With” must not be omitted in sentences like this: “Julia’s enthusiasm for rugby contrasts with Cheryl’s devotion to chess.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/contrasts.html03/09/2005 15:37:22 conversate CONVERSATE CONVERSE “Conversate” is what is called a “back-formation” based on the noun "conversation.” But the verb for this sort of thing is “converse.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/conversate.html03/09/2005 15:37:23 core/corps/corpse CORE/CORPS/CORPSE Apples have cores. A corps is an organization, like the Peace Corps. A corpse is a dead body, a carcass. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/core.html03/09/2005 15:37:23 could care less COULD CARE LESS COULD NOT CARE LESS Clichés are especially prone to scrambling because they become meaningless through overuse. In this case an expression which originally meant “it would be impossible for me to care less than I do because I do not care at all” is rendered senseless by being transformed into the now-common “I could care less.” Think about it: if you could care less, that means you care some. The original already drips sarcasm, so it’s pointless to argue that the newer version is “ironic.” People who misuse this phrase are just being careless. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/care.html03/09/2005 15:37:23 could of, should of, would of COULD OF, SHOULD OF, WOULD OF COULD HAVE, SHOULD HAVE, WOULD HAVE This is one of those errors typically made by a person more familiar with the spoken than the written form of English. A sentence like “I would have gone if anyone had given me free tickets” is normally spoken in a slurred way so that the two words “would have” are not distinctly separated, but blended together into what is properly rendered "would’ve.” Seeing that “V” tips you off right away that “would’ve” is a contraction of “would have.” But many people hear “would of” and that’s how they write it. Wrong. Note that “must of” is similarly an error for “must have.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/couldof.html03/09/2005 15:37:23 council.html COUNCIL/COUNSEL/CONSUL The first two words are pronounced the same but have distinct meanings. An official group that deliberates, like the Council on Foreign Relations, is a “council”; all the rest are “counsels”: your lawyer, advice, etc. A consul is a local representative of a foreign government. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/council.html03/09/2005 15:37:24 couple COUPLE COUPLE OF Instead of “she went with a couple sleazy guys before she met me,” write "a couple of guys” if you are trying to sound a bit more formal. Leaving the “of” out is a casual, slangy pattern. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/couple.html03/09/2005 15:37:24 credible CREDIBLE/CREDULOUS "Credible” means “believable” or “trustworthy.” It is also used in a more abstract sense, meaning something like “worthy”: “She made a credible lyric soprano.” Don’t confuse “credible” with “credulous,” a much rarer word which means “gullible.” “He was incredulous” means “he didn’t believe it” whereas “he was incredible” means “he was wonderful” (but use the latter expression only in casual speech). See also “ incredible.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/credible.html03/09/2005 15:37:24 crescendo CRESCENDO/CLIMAX When something is growing louder or more intense, it is going through a crescendo (from an Italian word meaning “growing”). Traditionalists object to its use when you mean “climax.” A crescendo of cheers by an enthusiastic audience grows until it reaches a climax, or peak. “Crescendo” as a verb is common, but also disapproved by many authorities. Instead of “the orchestra crescendos,” write “the orchestra plays a crescendo.” List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/crescendo.html03/09/2005 15:37:24 crevice/crevasse CREVICE/CREVASSE Crevices are by definition tiny, like that little crevice between your teeth where the popcorn hulls always get caught. A huge crack in a glacier is given the French spelling: crevasse. List of errors file:///C|/Temp/livres/commonerrors/errors/crevice.html03/09/2005 15:37:24