We all think we know how to use words the right way. Probably one of the first words you learned was “good” and everyone knows how to use that word – don’t they? It isn’t such a straightforward word as you think and is, in fact, one of the most misused words in the English language. How can that possibly be?

English is a very tricky language, with plenty of spelling and grammar pitfalls. So much so that even a simple word can cause a mix-up. When you are first learning a language, mistakes are inevitable, and it is these mistakes that can teach you and help you beef up your skills.  But there are words out there that cause so many mistakes and are always being used wrongly, and that includes “good.”

Why Some Words are Misused

For those learning the language and even for those who are skilled in it, some words are easy to misuse and here’s why:

Because you misunderstood its meaning

This is the category that most of the misused words come under; you think a word means one thing and it means something else. This usually happens with words that sound similar.

Because you mistook a plural for a singular noun

Not all irregular plurals end with an 's' and this can cause confusion with the singular form. As a consequence, some people will use the words with a singular verb. For example, some people will say, ‘the criteria is high.’ The correct way of saying it is 'the criteria are high' or, with the first sentence, use ‘criterion’ instead of ‘criteria.’

Because you get confused between different word types that have the same spelling

Some verbs and nouns have the same spelling, but don’t have the same meaning. For example, the verb object means to disagree; express disapproval; protest, whereas the noun object means a thing or item.

Wrong – “I objected when he took my iPad without asking. But he would not listen to my object and he took it again the next day.”

Right - “I objected when he took my iPad without asking. But he would not listen to my objection and he took it again the next day.”

Because you swapped an adverb with an adjective or vice versa

Some adverbs and adjectives have quite similar meanings, but are not used in the same grammatical way. For example, you might say “I walked quickly” but you should not say,, “I walked quick.” The word “quick” is an adjective and you must not use it as a verb modifier. Remember, adjectives are noun modifiers.

Perhaps the most common of this type of mistake is to mix “well” and “good” up. The word “well” describes a verb because it is an adverb, but the word “good” is an adjective and these go with nouns. You commonly hear people say “I’m feeling good today” when what they should say is “I’m feeling well today.”

In the next part, we’ll look at a few tips on how to remember to use the right word.