If I have a cookie and I want “another,” you would likely extrapolate that I would like a second cookie of the same type. Whereas if I wanted “an other,” you might believe I wanted a different cookie, perhaps even in place of this one.

Lately, I heard a phrase – not a new phrase, but certainly it’s gaining in popularity – “a whole nother.” “Nother” is not a word, so the phrase makes no sense in a literal translation. But how it’s used is interesting, because it actually has no true translation to an existing phrase that is quite as concise.

If I have a cookie and I want “another,” as we discussed, I might want a second. If I want “an other,” I might want a second, or possibly a different type. But if I tell you I want “a whole nother” cookie, you might believe I want an entirely different type of cookie – not merely another variation.

If we’re discussing movies, and I bring up something iconic like Star Wars, that might be “a whole nother” conversation. If we’re talking about the quality of computers and I discuss OS X vs Vista, that might be “a whole another” debate.

Urban Dictionary refers to this grammar destruction as “in-fix” (much like a prefix or a suffix). One thing is certain though – there is no phrase I know that comfortably fits into the common and casual vernacular that serves the same pupose as “a whole nother,” so I’m going to continue to use it until another phrase can replace it.

Loose
I see this everywhere. Why does no one understand that lose does NOT have two Os? I understand typos, really, I do. In fact, there has never been a spelling error on my website, just typos (at least, that’s what I tell myself). When I see “loose” for lose, however, I shut off.

Administrate
If you submit a resume to me and tell me you administrated a network, prepare to be filed directly in the trash. Despite the fact that “administrate” is actually a real word, the proper word in this case is “administer.” I maintain that one does not administrate networks. Administrate, as I interpret it, is a form of “administration” that is more akin to clerical work than managerial. Either way, when I see it on a resume, I just assume it was ignorance.

Orientate
Again, it is a real word, but most of the time, what people mean to say is “orient,” and if not, it would certainly suffice.

Myself
This is the worst offender by far. “Myself” includes the word “self,” which means the verb must be reflexive. You must be doing the action to yourself. You can hurt yourself, pinch yourself, feed yourself. No one else can do something to “yourself.” You should never say “Ask Bob or myself.” Don’t be afraid to use the word “me.” Most people are afraid of it, but then, most people speak like idjits.

Between you and I
It’s between you and me. Seriously. Don’t say between you and I, because it’s wrong, and, between you and me, you look dumb saying it. Like “myself,” this one probably stems from hypercorrection.

Bonus!
You get an extra one for free today. Let’s talk about the words “less” and “fewer.” Fewer means a lesser number. Less is a comparitive term, as in “less than x.” Even YouTube says “More Options” and “Less Options.” But it’s actually “Fewer Options.” The confusion comes from this: the opposite of less is more. The opposite of fewer is… more.