10 words and phrases you might be using wrong

10 words and phrases you might be using wrong 10 words and phrases you might be using wrong Ah, grammar - people either hate it with every fiber of their beings or absolutely love it, and I’ve always fallen into the latter category. Luckily, I’m an editorial assistant and copy editor here at The Everygirl, which means my days are filled with correcting all of the mistakes my word-filled heart could ever desire.With this, however, comes correcting the same mistakes - over, and over, and over, and over. There are a select few grammar mistakes that people continually make, and in the same breath, words and phrases that people continually misuse.Follow Ladders on Flipboard!Follow Ladders’ magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and more!While I already dove into the  most common writing mistakes I see, I also see the same words and phrases misused all of the time. These are the ones that are at the top of my list (and the list is  not  a place you want to be).1. LiterallyThis is the 2019 version of Valley Girl diction, an d is obviously frequently used intentionally wrong to be dramatic. Trust me, I get it - contrary to what I said when I got into the office this morning, I was  not  literally going to die if I didn’t get an iced americano.But in writing, literally is used frequently where it isn’t necessary - literally means that something is actually literal. While it isn’t necessary to say a jacket that only comes in four colors comes in “literally a thousand colors,” you could have “received literally 100 emails today”- literally!While you’re writing, your best bet is to stick to “literally” when you really mean it.2. InfamousWhat people think it means:  A synonym for ‘famous’What it really means:  Well-known for a bad quality or deedMaddie is infamously horrible at singing.3. TravestyWhat people think it means:  A tragedyWhat it really means:  A false or distorted representation of somethingJussie Smollett’s charges getting dropped is a travesty of the justice system .3. Entitled“I watched a movie entitled  Us  this weekend!”What people think it means:  A descriptor for a titleWhat it really means:  Entitled means believing you deserve special treatment - it shouldn’t be used to describe the name of something.4. Good/ wellPeople always think good and well can be used interchangeably, but that isn’t the case.Good  is an adjective, while  well  is an adverb answering a “how” question.Examples:She did a  good  job. (Good is describing job, which is a noun.)She did the job  well.  (Well is an adverb describing how the job was done.)When referring to health, use  well.You don’t look well!When describing emotion, use  good.I don’t feel good about this project.What it really means:  A choice between two equally undesirable optionsI had to choose between eating asparagus and broccoli - it was a dilemma.9. I could care lessWhen people say “they could care less,” they usually mean “they  couldn’t  care less.”Correct:  I couldnâ €™t care less - meaning that you don’t careIncorrect:  I could care less - meaning you do care10. AestheticAesthetic is a noun describing a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist - or Instagrammer.“I love her feed’s aesthetic.”It also can be an adjective, referring to a concern or appreciation of beauty.“That picture gives me such great aesthetic pleasure.”People frequently say “that’s  so  aesthetic” - don’t.Bonus:  Plural last namesChristmastime is a doozy for me, and let me tell you why.Every year, my mom displays all of the Christmas cards we receive on a board in our kitchen. They’re lovely and uplifting and full of magical holiday spirit, but most of them have the plural of the sender’s last name wrong - front and center. God save the queen.Don’t use an apostrophe, stick to adding ‘s’ or ‘es’ -  Merry Christmas from the Gillettes!  NOT  Merry Christmas from the Gillette’s!If your last name ends in s, z , ch, or sh, add ‘es.’ - Seasons Greetings from the Joneses!This article originally appeared on The Everygirl.You might also enjoy… New neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happy Strangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds 10 lessons from Benjamin Franklin’s daily schedule that will double your productivity The worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs 10 habits of mentally strong people