Chapter 9 of 10All chapters
Chapter 9 of 10
Common mangles
Half-remembered phrases.
Frequent errors
Should of for should have. Could care less for couldn't care less. For all intensive purposes for intents and purposes. Damp squid for damp squib.
- These come from hearing rather than reading the phrase.
- Seeing the correct version written once usually fixes it.
Mixed metaphors
Combining two idioms produces accidental comedy: we will burn that bridge when we come to it. Worth avoiding in writing that must be taken seriously.