There are some words that are commonly misused. Here I intend to point out some that have drawn my attention recently.
People have a tendency to copy what others say, and so this misuse is to some extent, self-perpetuating. I only wish everyone who misuses these words would read my, and other people’s blogs that point them out. Unfortunaltely, that is not the case, and never will be.
1 Unconsciously/Subconsciously
Unconscious means being unaware of your surroundings, being knocked out.
The boy was knocked unconscious when the football hit him on the head.
Subconscious is a part of the mind that you are unaware of. Thus doing something without awareness doing it, you are doing it subconsciously.
The boy subconsciously brushed a lock of haiar from in front of his eyes.
2. Insure/Ensure
Insure is when you pay money to a third party against the possibility of a particular thing happening. so you will receive recompense if the insured thing happens.
I have insured my house against fire and flood damage.
Ensure. To make sure something does or does not happen.
I will ensure that my daughter does her homework on time.
3. Unkempt/unkept
Here’s one I heard on the news the other day. The item was about graffiti in the city of Brighton. A councillor said “It makes the town look unkept.”
Unkempt. Untidy, scruffy.
When she got out of bed, her hair was all messy and she looked unkempt.
Unkept No one looking after it. Belonging to no one.
I’m not sure this is an actual word, so I looked on line and found it used as an adjective.
Can I buy the unkept land at the side of my house?
I hope you enjoyed reading about these three pairs of words.
I love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment in the comments box.
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Dragons Rule OK. V.M.Sang (author) 
Loved the post. Thank god that I never made these mistakes 🙂
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I’m sure you wouldn’t.
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Glad you think so. I need your guidance Ma’am. Have a manuscript ready but don’t know if it would work or not. Need someone experienced like you to get an opinion on the work.
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Have you considered a critique group? I’m in 2. Scribophile and Critique Circle. I find them very helpful. The critiquers are mainly other writers, but you do have to critique other people’s work.
What is your work about, and how long is it? What is it you want to be looked at? Grammar, general plot, (looking for plot holes), typos, general improvement etc.
I’m not a qualified editor, just someone trying to write books in the hope they sell a few and people enjoy them.
The important thing as far as I’m concerned is how long it is, as I always seem to be short of time.
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On Google docs it is 50 pages (some 19k words). I want to know how good/effective is the plot or bad for that matter, is it engrossing or not, are there any plot holes. I have worked on the grammar, hopefully it is taken care of.
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Ok. I’ll take a look, but don’t you have to give me access?
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Yeah sure Ma’am, if it’s ok with you can you kindly give me your email ID, I will send the copy there. Thanks a lot for obliging to give it look😊🙏.
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My email address is vivienne.sang@gmail.com
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Thank you so much Ma’am, I will send a copy ASAP. Thanks again for your support.
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I look forward to receiving it.
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Just sent it Ma’am 🙂
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I am actually following you on Instagram, we can communicate in DM there.
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I’d be willing to take a quick look at it if it helps.
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Thank goodness those words are too big to be in my vocabulary! Nice post!
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Haha.
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