As collegiettes, we are defined as being driven, articulate, and beautiful from the inside out. You can pick out the perfect outfit for a date or an interview, but how you actually communicate is what matters most. Whether it be a mistake in your cover letter or what comes out of your mouth, language can either ruin someone’s impression of you or help you come across as the brilliant, intelligent woman that you are!
Yes, grammar may seem overrated sometimes but here is a list of some of the most commonly misused words and phrases. Who knows, you may learn something!
1. “ I couldn’t care less” versus “ I could care less”.
Saying you could care less makes it seem that you do care a little bit. Be sure to get your point across and always go with “I couldnt care less.”
2 . “Should have” versus “Should of”.
The correct term is should have or should’ve in informal speech. This faux pas originated from lazy pronunciation.
3. “Literally.”
Yes, Rachel Zoe says it, but that doesn’t mean it is right. If you literally died when you saw that studded clutch you would literally be in the ground, dead. Unless you literally mean what you’re saying, don’t say “literally.”
4. “Further” versus “Farther”.
Farther is used for physical distance and further is used when you are talking about metaphorical or non physical distance.
5.”For all intents and purposes” versus “All intensive purposes”.
The phrase is “for all intents and purposes” but over the years it has been misconstrued.
6.”Regardless” versus “Irregardless”.
Irregardless is redundant and it isn’t even a real word.
7. “Piqued my interest” versus “Peaked my interest”.
If you interest is piqued, it is stimulated, captured or awoken. Your interest can “peak” but it implies you’re already at the maximum value of interest. Peaked is also not a verb.