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Many times, specially in business settings, people use words that they remember they know — but don't. Although they practise this in an effort to sound intelligent and sophisticated, information technology backfires badly, because even one small-scale sideslip-upwardly can cause an audience to focus on but that, not the speaker's ideas. Sure, saying the wrong word (ordinarily) isn't a game-changer. Just if you make that kind of mistake, it sets you up for a question that no one wants clients, coworkers, or employers to begin asking: "Are you really that smart?"

Think it tin't happen to you? We've heard horror stories: people laughing behind a prominent CEO'south back for his not agreement the correct use of a business term; a corporate lawyer saying "tenant" (a renter) instead of "tenet" (a conventionalities); an employee toasting her supervisor as the "penultimate" leader (which doesn't mean "ultimate" but instead means "next to final").

Hither, excerpted from our new volume, That Doesn't Hateful What You lot Think It Means, are nine terms or words that sound smart only when used incorrectly make you lot audio the opposite, along with real examples of their being misused, drawn from business news reports, inquiry publications, and corporate press releases. (We've omitted attributions to protect the well-meaning writers who unwittingly committed the errors)

begs the question

"Fidelity might take fired the last salvo by eliminating fees entirely. This begs the question as to whether Fidelity's new funds incur any hidden costs or fees."

In spite of popular idea, "begs the question" is not a smart-sounding way of proverb "raises the question." It's actually a formal logic term that means trying to prove something based on a premise that itself needs to be proved. So exit "begs the question" where it technically belongs — in the realm of logic and law — and apply the (correct) "raises the question" when that's what you're trying to say.

impacts on

"They tin can clearly and simply explain what we have done and how it impacts on our interpretation of the data, ensuring our reports are understandable and actionable."

In a 2015 American Heritage Dictionary survey of language experts, 79% disapproved of using "impacts on" to mean "affect." Some other 39% disapproved of using "impact" to mean "affect" even without that preposition "on." The original (and still about common) meaning of "impact" involves collisions. Only present, you tin can use information technology to mean "to touch" (without any collisions). But leave out that preposition "on." That might impact (touch) your business presentation.

in regard(s) to

"[I]northward regards to the new well, the product chapters of this first large size production well is remarkable."

This judgement is wrong. Not regarding the remarkable product capacity, but regarding "in regards to," which should be "in regard to." Even ameliorate, just say "regarding" or "about." (For the record, "regards" with the "south" is correct in the phrase "as regards," where "regard" is a verb.) In regard to the phrase "in regard to," regard is a noun, and the singular — without the southward — should always be used. The exception is when sending someone proficient wishes — "all-time regards" — or when giving your regards to, say, Broadway, equally in the song. After all, you probably wouldn't desire to wish Broadway merely ane regard.

less/fewer

"[S]tart-ups are leaving the heartland and are employing less people."

Technically, at least according to some word snobs, information technology should exist "fewer people," not "less people." Why? It all depends on if and what you lot're counting. A few basic rules:

  • Use "fewer" for numbered, countable things, peculiarly people or other plural nouns. ("Fewer than 20 people were in that location.")
  • Use "less" for things that can't be counted, at to the lowest degree reasonably. ("In that location's less sand at the beach.")
  • Use "less" with numbers when they are a single or total unit, usually with "than." ("Less than 50 percent of us went to the meeting.") This tin can exist tricky, because often y'all'll run across numbers in the plural — as in "He has less than a million dollars" — that presumably have been counted (as in rule 1). Simply since here nosotros're really talking about total amounts of nonhuman things, use less. (Don't blame the states — those are the basic rules that many people follow. Even so, it'south all less — not fewer! — difficult than yous'd think.)

methodology

"We have…failed to require that the IRS utilize only secure and reliable hallmark methodologies…"

Methodology is an annoying word that has oozed into a lot of places, especially government documents and annual reports, probably because it sounds important…and pretentious. The word to use instead is "method." The "-logy" tacked onto the end of method transforms information technology into the study of methods. (That -logy ending comes from the aboriginal Greek λογίa for "the study of.") So methodology has its place in English — it'due south merely that it should stay at that place and not substitute for method. (1 interesting note: The IRS itself, in dissimilarity to the senator speaking well-nigh the IRS, almost e'er uses the give-and-take method instead of methodology. Count on tax professionals to apply a more economical give-and-take.)

moot

"Whether y'all need to appoint a Data Protection Officeholder or not is a mute-point."

Actually, it'southward not a mute point at all, because a bespeak isn't speechless. It should be moot, not mute. Only even spelled right, moot is tough to use correctly. The utilise of moot is, well, moot…and we're non being cute. What nosotros're maxim is that the meaning of moot is "open to debate" — which is the fourth dimension-honored definition of moot. But by the mid-1800s, moot also began meaning "something not worth considering." The thought was that something debatable is of no practical value, so non worth bothering with. So sometimes moot is used to mean "definitely not debatable" because the point is so immaterial. This change in significant is primarily Northward American, and it is one that has stuck, although language purists debate about it. Our advice: Choose another word.

statistically meaning

"Facebook is 'a positive, significant predictor of divorce charge per unit….' [T]he report'southward authors experience they're noticing something that's genuinely statistically significant."

Y'all meet it all the time nowadays: A study has shown something worrisome! The findings are statistically significant! Uh-oh! Just statistically significant doesn't necessarily mean that the results were pregnant in the sense of "Wow!" It merely ways that they signify that whatever was observed has simply a low probability of being due to run a risk. The problem is, in nonstatistical use, pregnant means something noteworthy or important. And so nonstatistical types come across "statistically significant" and think information technology refers to something big. But actually a study can find something statistically significant that has but a tiny effect. For example, Facebook could increase the risk of divorce by a statistically significant 1%. Big bargain.

unique

"The Skyline Group of Companies is i of Canada'due south fastest-growing and well-nigh unique investment management organizations…"

Unique means being the "only i of its kind; unlike anything else." So something can't be the "virtually unique" — it tin only be unique. Merely times are changing. Some dictionaries, similar Merriam-Webster, now also define unique every bit "extraordinary," although Merriam-Webster does say that this "common usage is still objected to past some." Include us in the ranks of the "some" (although we're non as impassioned as the New York Times volume reviewer who called this usage of unique an "indefensible outrage!"). Allow'southward keep unique meaning, well, unique. For plural things that we want to call unique, we tin can instead say "unusual" or "exceptional." So nosotros could say that Skyline is an "exceptional" investment management organization…simply allow's go out that to the PR department.

employ

"Among the goals of the partnership will exist to apply Vium's technology to track digital biomarkers…"

Substitute "used" for "utilized." Does information technology make a divergence? The simply one we tin come across is that utilized is longer. And then why use it? Yes, "utilize" can exist distinguished from "use" when something is serving a purpose that it wasn't intended for ("She utilized her expressionless tablet equally a doorstop"), but it'southward a slight stardom and "use" can still work. Utilize tin can also mean "to convert to use," virtually often in scientific writing. ("The body utilizes carbohydrates.") Even here, use can work, although it sounds a lot less scientific for some reason. In general, utilise is just a fancy way of proverb apply, and is usually best not utilized used at all.

These ix words are merely the tip of an iceberg. From "a priori" to "untenable," words can piece of work for you or against you. And that'south our last (non penultimate!) discussion, at least in this article, on the words that can trip you lot upwards.