The Problem with Words — Part 2

Continuing our tour of the most abused and misused words, here’s a look at this week’s top five list.

1. Criterion and criteria
   
   This pair of words is often used interchangeably, and while this may prove to not matter in the near future, for today it does.“We came to this decision based on one criteria.” Not quite correct, and here’s why.

   – Criterion: one reason or standard for which a decision is based

   – Criteria: two or more reasons, or in other words, the plural of criterion

   Therefore, this sentence should read as — “We came to this decision based on one criterion.”

2. Discreet/discretion and discrete/discreteness
   Discreet is an adjective meaning having or showing good judgment in conduct and speech, private, careful. Its noun form is discretion.

   – “The team made a number of discreet inquiries to determine whether the manager was harassing employees.”

   – “Please use discretion in all inquiries.”

   Discrete is an adjective meaning separate and different from each other, individual, detached. Its noun form is discreteness.

   – “The team reviewed a number of discrete proposals before making a final decision.”

   – “The discreteness of language can be difficult to master no matter how long you study — some usage just needs double checked.”

3. Elicit and illicit
   Good news — there are a couple of tricks to help make sure you’re using the right word! Read on…

   
   – Elicit: a verb meaning to evoke an emotion, extract a reaction — “I’ve been working day and night to elicit support for these much-needed changes.”

   – Illicit: is an adjective meaning illegal, not morally acceptable — “This is illicit activity, and therefore prohibited in the workplace.”

   So, remember 1) illicit is only used to describe a noun, 2) your “Es” and “Is” — Elicit = Evoke Emotion; Illicit = Illegal and 3) “You’ll definitely elicit a reaction if you conduct any illicit activity at work!”

4. Imply and infer
   Usage here depends on which side of the message you’re on: are you delivering it (imply — speaker/writer) or receiving it (infer — listener/reader)?

   – Imply: to suggest something in an indirect way, to express something without clearly stating it

   – Infer: to deduce, conclude or form an opinion based on the information provided

   “HR implied that we’d see exciting changes for 2016, so we inferred that our costs will decrease.”

5. You’re and your
   I know, why are these two words even on this list? Well, everyone makes mistakes. You’d be surprised how often these two culprits are misused. So as a reminder…

   
   – You’re: a contraction meaning you are, “You’re invited!”

   – Your: a possessive pronoun meaning made by or belonging to you, “Your meeting was well-attended.”

   Sound it out…read the sentence out loud and change “you’re” to “you are.” If it doesn’t make sense or sounds awkward, you’re using the wrong word.

Next week: The Problem with Words — Part 3.