Do you know where the phrase “mind your P’s and Q’s” comes from? Today it means to mind your manners, but its origin is a mystery.
I’m not going to discuss the mystery today, but we’ll look at words starting with O, P and Q. There are a few in this group that trip up many writers. Let’s make sure they don’t catch you.
Ready?
Occur, take place
When something occurs, it’s unplanned. Something that takes place is arranged ahead of time.
The incident occurred in the park Nancy walks by every morning.
Bob’s reunion will take place in June.
Of
Don’t use the preposition of after the verbs could, should, would, may, might or must. You might hear this often in spoken English. When writing, however, use the verb have instead.
Bob must have (not of) given up his pursuit of Nancy.
Off of
Don’t use of with off. It isn’t needed.
Nancy’s puppy jumped off (not off of) the step and tumbled into the bushes.
OK, O.K., okay
These spellings are all correct. For formal writing, avoid using okay in any form. For conversational writing, pick the spelling you want to use and stick with it.
Bob felt okay about his decision.
Passed, past
Doesn’t seem like these two words should be confused with each other, but they often are. Passed is the past tense of the verb pass. Past means having existed or taken place in a period before the present.
Nancy passed by Bob without even acknowledging him.
Bob’s past experience with Nancy wasn’t much different.
Percent, percentage
The word percent is always used with a specific number. Use percentage when describing an amount without a specific number.
Nancy gave her team a 50 percent chance of winning the Super Bowl.
Bob’s team’s low win percentage eliminated them from the playoffs early.
Phenomenon, phenomena
This one is hard to remember, so look it up if you need to. Phenomenon is singular. Phenomena is plural.
Plus
Don’t use plus to join two independent clauses.
Bob thought Nancy’s actions were confusing; moreover (not plus), he didn’t understand why he was suffering the brunt of her anger.
Precede, proceed, proceeds
Precede means to be, go or come ahead of. Proceed means to move along a course or move forward. Proceeds means the total amount brought in. That’s a lot of words that sound a lot the same.
Nancy preceded her puppy down the steps in case he fell again.
Bob proceeded with his plans to get over Nancy.
Jim used the proceeds from the charity football game to purchase pajamas for poor children.
Predominant, predominate
Predominant is an adjective meaning having superior strength, influence or authority. Predominate is a verb meaning to exert controlling power or influence over.
Nancy is the predominant accountant in her region.
Bob’s four cats predominate all his time.
Prescribe, proscribe
Prescribe means to lay down a rule or order the use of as a remedy. Proscribe means to condemn or forbid as harmful or unlawful.
Nancy’s doctor prescribed pain killers after her surgery.
Bob’s doctor proscribed pain killers because he felt they were too addictive.
Presently
Presently has two meanings:
- In a short while
- Currently
Since this causes some ambiguity, you should use only the first meaning, “in a short while.”
Nancy will be here presently.
Principal, principle
This one is commonly confused. If you don’t know it already, there’s an easy way to remember the difference. A principal is a leader. He’s your pal. Principal also refers to the initial capital investment in a financial transaction. Principle refers to a truth or tenet.
Nancy saw her high school principal at the grocery store.
Bob held fast to his principles, even when tested.
Quote, quotation
Since quote is a verb and quotation is a noun, don’t use “quote” as a way to shorten the word “quotation.”
Bob quoted Nancy’s words from their argument.
Nancy used a quotation from Shakespeare to get her point across.
Another bunch of words down. Next time we meet, we’ll look at words beginning with R and S. Join me for more word usage fun.
After reading most of this series to date I have to ask, what’s Nancy’s problem? Poor Bob. He tries so hard, but she continues to dash his hopes and smash his dreams.
I haven’t quite figured Nancy out either. She’s taken on a life of her own. I let her do what she wants, and most of the time she isn’t very nice. Maybe Bob will get some sort of revenge by the end of the series. He certainly deserves it.