Lexington, KY - Long before I became a Grammar Gourmet, I noticed a friend using the phrase "flushed out" (what you do to a car radiator) instead of "fleshed out" (what you do to fill in a description). I pointed it out, and her response tickled me: "Oh, I don't know the right termination!"
I decided not to correct people in public anymore. But I still notice slip-ups. Here are three that sting:
partially
very
partially
very
Very unique - Being unique is like being dead; you are or you aren't. There's no dead, and there's no dead. Likewise, there's no unique, and there's no unique. If you are unique, you are one of a kind. At least until you're dead.
totally
totally
Totally destroy - To destroy means "to ruin completely." Thus, to destroy would mean "to totally ruin completely," which is, if not incorrect, at least redundant. Like uniqueness, destruction is an all-or-nothing affair. When you're tempted to use in this context, destroy the notion.
moot
Mute point - A "moot point" is an issue that, due to a change in circumstances, no longer needs to be decided. For example, the question of whether Billy Gillispie is a good fit for UK's basketball program is a point. He's gone. Case closed. I can understand the moot/mute confusion, though. If an issue is already decided, we generally are mute about it.
Neil Chethik, aka the Grammar Gourmet, is writer-in-residence at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning (www.carnegieliteracy.org). The Center offers writing classes and seminars for businesses and individuals. Contact Neil at nchet@aol.com.