Commonly Misused Words

24 Words to Watch Out For

These are the most commonly misused words I see online. This post is a quick guide to the correct usage* of these words.

Now more than ever, how we speak, write, and express ourselves online is crucial. Good writing can make the difference between success and failure; poor writing, incorrect grammar and bad word usage can damage your credibility and make you less trustworthy and believable.

1. Me/Myself

I’m starting with the one because it bugs me so much. I think people use myself because they think it sounds more educated than me. But it’s not.

Myself is a reflexive pronoun. It’s always used as the object of a sentence, never the subject. For example, I shot myself in the foot. In that sentence, I’m the object. Myself can also be used to intensify a noun or pronoun already used, such as, I will call her myself.

Example: Never use myself in the subject, as in: Jim and myself went to the store. It’s OK to say me or I, as in Jim and I went to the store.

2. Tenet/Tenant

A tenet is an opinion or principle.
A tenant is someone who rents a property from an owner.