HOW TO SOUND SMARTER ( PART 2 )

• You almost never mean: Historical.     you almost always mean: Historic.  Why: In short, historic means "significant" ("a historic election").  But if you intend "occuring in or relating to history,"  go with historical (think "historical data" or "a historical link between the two world wars").  By the way, it's never "an historic/historical event."  The vowel sound "a" should precede a consonant sound (like the hard "h" in historic).
• You never mean: The person that.     you always mean: The person who.  Why: A human is a "who".  Anything else (yes, including animals) is a "that".
• You never mean: Could of.     you always mean: Could have.  Why: This error pops up because of the similar pronunciations.  But remember, every sentence needs a verb: "I could have written a better cover letter."
• You never mean: Most everyone.    you always mean: Everyone.  Why: Make up your mind: If you truly mean "every person," use just everyone.  If not, say most people.
• You never mean: I feel nauseous.    you always mean: I feel nauseated.  Why: In strict terms, nauseous means "to cause nausea" (as in "a hateful, nauseous person"); nauseated means "afflicted with nausea" (as in "I'm nauseated").
• You never mean: Very unique.      you always mean: Unique.   Why: Unique things and people are one of a kind, absolute.
• You never mean: For all intenseive purposes.   you always mean: For all intents and purposes.  Why: Even if you do get it right, you don't need this expression.  It's just filler.
• You almost never mean: I literally laughed my head off.     you almost always mean: I laughed my head off.   Why: Literally means "actually"  and is best reserved for real events.
• You never mean: Merge together.     you always mean: Merge.  Why: The phrase is redundant (as are combinations like absolute necessity, free gift, and a pair of twins - unless you mean two sets of twins, that is).
• You almost never mean:Orientate.    you almost always mean: Orient.  Why: Orientate is a word, but it means "to face east".  "The tour was designed to orient new students".