Content is king in advertising, so when words and phrases are misused, it can be detrimental to the success of a message. Here’s a brief list of commonly misused words and phrases.

Affect vs. Effect:

Affect is a verb that means to influence. Effect is a noun that means result or a verb that means to bring about.

The advertising campaign did not affect the buying behavior of Cindy.
John felt the effects of eating an extra hamburger.

Imply vs. Infer:

A speaker can imply something. A listener can infer.

The professor’s lecture was given in a way that implied the thief was innocent.
The students were able to infer that someone else was guilty.

Fewer vs. Less:

Fewer refers to numbers. Less refers to quantity or amount.

There were fewer guests at the party than expected, so I set out less food.

“I could care less”

This phrase is incorrectly used with the intention of demonstrating a lack of caring. This phrase actually states that you do care, as there is room for you to care less. The correct phrase would be, “I could NOT care less.”

Incorrect: I could care less about what happened on Grey’s Anatomy last night.
Correct: I couldn’t care less about what happened on Grey’s Anatomy last night.

“Beg the question”

This means to fail to provide evidence or an answer. In other words, “ducking the question.” It does not mean to raise a question.

Incorrect: The babysitter is ill, which begs the question, who will watch the children?
Correct: Mr. Smith, how will you solve the budget crisis?
There are current budget issues that must be dealt with readily, and will be solved to the utmost of our ability.
Which begs the question, how will you solve the issue?