HOW TO SOUND SMARTER ( PART 3 )

• You almost never mean: Hopefully. you almost always mean: I hope. Why:Hopefully mean"in a hopeful manner." "I hope the boss lets us out early" and "Hopefully, the boss lets us out early" aren't the same thing.You almost never mean: More importantly.

• You almost always mean: More important. Why: More or most important is probably what you want. Only if you're a pompous blowhard do you say things importantly.

• You never mean: Between you and I. you always mean: Between you and me. Why: Between you and I sounds fancy, and therefore right, but don't be so quick to belittle Cookie Monster("Me want cookies!"). In this case, me is correct because it's the object of the preposition between.

• You almost never mean: Assessable. you almost always mean: Accessible. Why: A library iwheelchair-accessible. Your house is assessable by the county that taxes it.

• You almost never mean: I feel badly. You almost always mean: I feel bad. Why: Is your sense of touch physically impaired (almost never) or are you feeling some guilt after screwing up(almost always)?

• You never mean: Equally as well (important, etc.). you always mean: Equally well. Why: The as isn't necessary. "I speak Latin and pig Latin equally well."

• You never mean: The reason is because. you always mean: The reason is that. Why: The reason is that the word reason implies because. Likewise, why say "the reason why" when you can say "the reason"?

• You almost never mean: I need to lay down. you almost always mean: I need to lie down. Why: This is another case where people think (wrongly) that a particular word sounds more "educated." Lay and Lie are not interchangeable. "I need to lie down". But lay does: "I need to lay my head down." Confusion kicks in because of the past tense of both verbs - lie becomes lay; lay becomes laid - but the usage stays the same.

• You never mean: Chaise lounge. you always mean: Chaise longue. Why: People have beengetting this wrong for at least a century. The proper phase is French and translated as "long chair."

• You never mean: ATM machine, PIN number. you always mean: ATM, PIN. Why: Redundancy ("automated teller machine machine," "personal identification number number").