A malapropism is the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one. Norm Crosby was known for those, which he did intentionally to create humor. But when writers use the wrong word, we get the kind of laughter we don’t want.
Anxious versus Eager
When we use anxious when we mean eager, we’ve picked the wrong word. Anxious is associated with anxiety, referring to apprehension, a negative emotion, which is often confused with someone who is eager, a positive emotion of anticipation. To avoid confusion when the context doesn’t make the meaning clear, use fearful or apprehensive instead of anxious. Fred was anxious about sky jumping for the first time but afterward was eager to go again.
Language is constantly changing.
Positive words can acquire negative connotations, such as notorious, which used to be a perfectly good synonym for famous. But now, criminals are notorious, and bestselling authors are famous. Readers might use those words interchangeably, but we as authors should do more than avoid the wrong word. We also do well to sense the difference in shades of meaning so we can pick the best word.
What misused words do you notice?
Now that they’ve changed the Winnie the Pooh story at Disney World, we can now enjoy the ride. A few years ago, Pooh Bear ask if he could have anymore honey. Did you catch the problem? The words anymore and any more don’t have the same meaning. Pooh Bear needed to ask, “Do you have any more honey?” And the answer could have been, “Not anymore.”
Professionals often make mistakes.
Newscasters sometimes talk about a critical situation. But if we’re being critical, then we’re either questioning the situation or anticipating death. Usually, this isn’t the intended meaning. Although the two are often used interchangeably, critical works best for extreme danger and crucial for something very important. It may be crucial to pay bills on time, but when the debtor is about to be sued, his condition has become critical.
Pay attention to these subtle weaknesses in professional writing, and your own work will naturally become better and maybe regarded as “professional.”
