8 insidious verbs in which they make mistakes so often that they stopped noticing it

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

It would seem that we are all cultured, modern people, but in our oral, and even in written speech, illiterate words slip through every now and then. And after all, they are so ingrained in everyday life, so familiar to the ear that we do not even notice that we say or write incorrectly. Verbs are especially insidious in this regard. Some of them have become so firmly embedded in our speech that they have already begun to seem the norm. Here are just a few examples of common mistakes we make in verbs.

The word "slipped" with the letter "d" inside is so often used instead of the correct "slipped" that many even consider it the norm, without thinking that they are mistaken. The correct option is slipped. And the people began to add the letter "d" by analogy with other similar verbs. In Russian, there are pairs of “cut and cut”, “run and run up” and many other similar “twins”, so some of us subconsciously think that the word “slip” also has such a pair. However, it is not.

In oral and even in written speech, you can often hear the phrase "How much you can babysit with him!" However, the word "babysitting" is colloquial, and you will not find it either in Ozhegov's dictionary or in Ushakov's dictionary. In colloquial speech, it is most often used in an ironic or reproachful form - if a person talks about excessive care or guardianship. But even in oral speech, philologists strongly recommend choosing the correct option - "babysitting".

The word "was like" itself is wonderful, and it has more than one meaning ("he walked along the street", "he looked like his brother"). However, to say: “The chess player was like a knight” or “I already did, now it’s your move” is illiterate. Although we are so accustomed to such expressions that we perceive them by ear as something natural, it’s better not to say “the player was like” in everyday conversations, and even more so, not to write like that.

When a grandmother, treating a child's knee with green paint, asks: "Does it sting strongly?" Well, in an adult company, the use of the verb "pinches" will immediately give out in you an illiterate and uneducated person, because the correct version is "pinches".

Of course, it happens that during a vacation or long holidays we gain a couple of kilograms and then we cannot fit into our favorite jeans. Sometimes such disappointment befalls us when we go to the store, when we unsuccessfully try to squeeze into the pants we like. However, to say at the same time: "Eh, they won't do it!" illiterate. For an educated person, there is only one correct option - “they don’t fit”. It is interesting that in Ushakov's dictionary there is still the word "fix". Marking it as colloquial, the dictionary gives it such a meaning: "Climb, get, get something (unpleasant)." In any case, we are not talking about trying on clothes or putting on something on something. Therefore, it is better to say "they fit."

This mistake can be heard in speech quite often: "It's hard for me to bend over", "Trees bend under the wind", "Don't fold the notebook so much." Most likely, the insidious "n" pops up in speech by analogy with other similar words, where this letter is present in the middle - "bend", "bend" "bend", and so on. However, if you look closely at such words, you will find that none of these words has the root gin. There are only two variants of the root - "gib" and "r". So to say "bend over" is absolutely illiterate.

It is interesting that if modern dictionaries are loyal to the word "wave" (it is allowed in speech and writing as a colloquial version of the word "wave"), then the word "wave" is still considered unacceptable. Suffice it to recall the comic scene from the old Soviet comedy based on Chekhov's "Wedding", where the heroine says to her boyfriend: "Wave at me, wave! Give me poetry, delight! Give me a storm! " And although in modern speech the word "wave" is often found, nevertheless it is perceived in ours as a sign of illiteracy, and if you remember a funny scene from a film, then the one who utters it also looks stupid.

The verb “to go” in the motivating mood has only three admissible forms: “let's go”, “let's go” and “let's go”. But to say "send" is illiterate. You can send a letter, a parcel, a person. But if you invite people to go somewhere with you, it would be correct to say: "Let's go."

And even modern writers sometimes make mistakes when using words from the past. And this can sometimes even distort the meaning of what is written. We have collected the most common mistakes in ancient words by modern authors and we hope this guide will help many of our readers.