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Some English words are often used in ways that are contentious between writers on usage and prescriptive commentators. The contentious usages are especially common in spoken English, and descriptive linguists point out they are accepted by many listeners. While in some circles the usages below may make the speaker sound uneducated or illiterate, in other circles the more standard or more traditional usage may make the speaker sound stilted or pretentious. For a list of disputes more complicated than the usage of a single word or phrase, see English usage controversies. == A == * aggravate – Some have argued that this word should not be used in the sense of "to annoy" or "to oppress", but only to mean "to make worse". However, this proscription against "to annoy" is not rooted in history. According to AHDI, the "annoy" usage occurs in English as far back as the 17th century; furthermore, in Latin, from which the word was borrowed, both meanings were used. Sixty-eight percent of AHD4's Usage Panel approves of its use in "It's the endless wait for luggage that aggravates me the most about air travel."〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more )〕 M-W mentions that while ''aggravate'' in the sense of "to rouse to displeasure or anger by usually persistent and often petty goading" has been around since the 17th century, disapproval of that usage only appeared around 1870. RH states in its usage note under ''aggravate'' that "The two most common senses of ''aggravate'' are 'to make worse' and 'to annoy or exasperate.' Both senses first appeared in the early 17th century at almost the same time; the corresponding two senses of the noun ''aggravation'' also appeared then. Both senses of ''aggravate'' and ''aggravation'' have been standard since then." Chambers cites this usage as "colloquial" and that it "is well established, especially in spoken English, although it is sometimes regarded as incorrect." * * * ''Disputed usage'': It's the endless wait for luggage that aggravates me the most about air travel. * * ''Undisputed usage'': Being hit on the head by a falling brick aggravated my already-painful headache. * ain't – originally a contraction of "am not", this word is widely used as a replacement for "aren't", "isn't", "haven't" and "hasn't" as well. While ''ain't'' has existed in the English language for a very long time, and it is a common, normal word in many dialects in both North America and the British Isles, it is not a part of standard English, and its use in formal writing is not recommended by most usage commentators. Nevertheless, ''ain't'' is used by educated speakers and writers for deliberate effect, what ''Oxford American Dictionary'' describes as "tongue-in-cheek" or "reverse snobbery", and what ''Merriam-Webster Collegiate'' calls "emphatic effect" or "a consistently informal style". * alibi – Some argue this cannot be used in the non-legal sense of "an explanation or excuse to avoid blame or justify action." AHD4 notes that this usage was acceptable to "almost half"〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more )〕 of the Usage Panel, while most opposed the word's use as a verb. M-W mentions no usage problems, listing the disputed meaning second to its legal sense without comment. OED cites the non-legal noun and verb usages as colloquial and "orig() U.S.".〔http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50005635 〕 Chambers deems this use "colloquial". * alright – An alternative to "all right" that some consider illiterate but others allow. RH says that it probably arose in analogy with other similar words, such as ''altogether'' and ''already''; it does concede the use in writing as "informal", and that ''all right'' "is used in more formal, edited writing." AHD4 flags ''alright'' as "nonstandard",〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more )〕 and comments that this unacceptance (compared to ''altogether'' etc.) is "peculiar", and may be due to its relative recentness (''altogether'' and ''already'' date back to the Middle Ages, ''alright'' only a little over a century).〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more )〕 Chambers refers to varying levels of formality of ''all right'', deeming ''alright'' to be more casual; it recommends the use of ''all right'' "in writing for readers who are precise about the use of language." * also – Some contend this word should not be used to begin a sentence. AHD4 says "63 percent of the Usage Panel found acceptable the example ''The warranty covers all power-train components. Also, participating dealers back their work with a free lifetime service guarantee.''" See also and & but, below. * alternate – In British English this adjective means, according to OED and other sources, ''switching between two options'' or similar. It does not mean the same as ''alternative'' (see next), which OED specifically marks as an American meaning of ''alternate''. In international English it is thus thought better to observe the British distinction: then the meanings of ''alternative'' and ''alternate'' will be clear to everyone. (See meanings given at M-W; the same applies to the adverbs ''alternately'' and ''alternatively''.) * alternative – Some argue that ''alternative'' should be used only when the number of choices involved is exactly two. While AHD4 allows "the word's longstanding use to mean 'one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen' and the acceptance of this usage by many language critics", it goes on to state that only 49% of its Usage panel approves of its use as in "Of the three alternatives, the first is the least distasteful."〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more )〕 Neither M-W nor RH mentions any such restriction to a choice of two. Chambers qualifies its definition as referring to "strictly speaking, two, but often used of more than two, possibilities". * a.m./p.m. – These are Latin abbreviations for the adverbial phrases ''ante meridiem'' ("before noon") and ''post meridiem'' ("after noon"). Some argue that they thus should not be used in English as nouns meaning "morning" and "afternoon"; however, such use is consistent with ordinary nominalization features of English. AHD4 lists adjectival usage with "an A.M. appointment" and "a P.M. appointment". RH gives "Shall we meet Saturday a.m.?"〔 without comment. Also, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (n.d.) contends it is incorrect to use 12 a.m. or 12 p.m. to mean either noon or midnight. * amidst - Some speakers feel it is an obsolete form of amid. "Amidst" is more common in British English than American English, though it is used to some degree in both.〔 * amongst - Some speakers feel it is an obsolete form of among. "Amongst" is more common in British English than American English, though it is used to some degree in both.〔http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2013/08/whats-up-with-amongst-amidst-and-whilst/〕 * among/amongst and between – The traditionalist view is that ''between'' should only be used when there are only two objects for comparison; and ''among'' or ''amongst'' should be used for more than two objects. Most style guides and dictionaries do not support this advice, saying that ''between'' can be used to refer to something that is in the time, space or interval that separates more than two items. M-W says that the idea that ''between'' can be used only of two items is "persistent but unfounded" and AHD4 calls it a "widely repeated but unjustified tradition". The OED says "In all senses, ''between'' has been, from its earliest appearance, extended to more than two".〔http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50021275〕 Chambers says "It is acceptable to use ''between'' with reference to more than two people or things", although does state that ''among'' may be more appropriate in some circumstances. * * ''Undisputed usage'': I parked my car between the two telegraph poles. * * ''Undisputed usage'': You'll find my brain between my ears. * * ''Disputed usage'': The duck swam between the reeds. (Undisputed if there are exactly two reeds) * * ''Disputed usage'': They searched the area between the river, the farmhouse, and the woods. * * ''Undisputed usage'': We shared the money evenly amongst the three of us. * * ''Disputed usage'': We shared the money between Tom, Dick, and me. * * ''Undisputed usage'': My house was built among the gum trees. * amount – Some argue ''amount'' should not be substituted for ''number''. They recommend the use of ''number'' if the thing referred to is countable and ''amount'' only if it is uncountable. While RH acknowledges the "traditional distinction between ''amount'' and ''number'', it mentions that "()lthough objected to, the use of ''amount'' instead of ''number'' with countable nouns occurs in both speech and writing, especially when the noun can be considered as a unit or group ''(the amount of people present; the amount of weapons)'' or when it refers to money ''(the amount of dollars paid; the amount of pennies in the till)''. (see also ''less'') * * ''Disputed usage'': I was amazed by the amount of people who visited my website. (With knowledge of the exact number) * * ''Undisputed usage'': The number of people in the lift must not exceed 10. * * ''Undisputed usage'': I was unimpressed by the amount of water consumed by the elephant. * and – Some argue that sentences should not begin with the word ''and'' on the argument that as a conjunction it should only join clauses within a sentence. AHD4 states that this stricture "has been ridiculed by grammarians for decades, and ... ignored by writers from Shakespeare to Joyce Carol Oates."〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more )〕 RH states "Both ''and'' and ''but'', and to a lesser extent ''or'' and ''so'', are common as transitional words at the beginnings of sentences in all types of speech and writing"; it goes on to suggest that opposition to this usage "...probably stems from the overuse of such sentences by inexperienced writers." ENCARTA opines that said opposition comes from "too literal an understanding of the 'joining' function of conjunctions", and states that any overuse is a matter of poor style, not grammatical correctness. COED calls the usage "quite acceptable". Many verses of the King James Bible begin with ''and'' (though this could be regarded as a Hebraism), as does William Blake's poem ''And did those feet in ancient time'' (a.k.a. ''Jerusalem''). Fowler's Modern English Usage defends this use of "and". Chambers states that "Although it is sometimes regarded as poor style, it is not ungrammatical to begin a sentence with ''and''." See also also, above, and but, below. * anticipate - Although the ''expect'' sense is accepted by 87% of the Usage Panel, some prescriptivists insist that ''deal with in advance'' is the only correct use. Acceptance of the ''forestall'' sense has dropped to 57%.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=anticipate )〕 * * ''Undisputed usage'': We anticipated the shortage by stocking up on toilet paper. * * ''Disputed usage'': We anticipated a pleasant sabbatical year.〔Pinker, Steven (2014-09-30). The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century (Kindle Location 4485). Penguin Group US. Kindle Edition.〕 * anxious – Some argue that this word should only be used in the sense of "worried" or "worrisome" (compare "anxiety"), but it has been used in the sense of ''eager'' for "over 250 years"; 52% of AHD4's Usage Panel accepts its use in the sentence "We are anxious to see the new show of contemporary sculpture at the museum." Also, it suggests that the use of ''anxious'' to mean ''eager'' may be mild hyperbole, as the use of ''dying'' in the sentence "I'm dying to see your new baby."〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more )〕 RH states bluntly that "its use in the sense of 'eager'...is fully standard." M-W defines ''anxious'' as "3 : ardently or earnestly wishing 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「List of English words with disputed usage」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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