Imply or Infer?

Lots of people get this wrong, including this guy.

• Infer means to figure out something by looking at examples.
• Imply means to suggest that something is true without being explicit.

“Infer” might work if the conversation had included one or more examples.

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Some people call these “malapropisms,” but “malaprop” is a better word. Less pretentious. A malaprop is a word that sounds almost like the word you want. They’re named after a Dickens character, Mrs. Malaprop.

I think he could have said that he plays the violent.

Some words can go either way. “Fish,” for example can mean more than one of the critters; but you can also say “fishes,” particularly if you’re referring to more than one kind.

Here’s another critter that can go either way. The lady behind the counter gets the distinction.

• Use “shrimp” when you refer to the ocean-going crustacean. “I had a dozen shrimp for dinner.”
• Use “shrimps” when you’re referring to more than one small human. “We fourth-graders are shrimps compared to those seniors.”

Do any other double-form plurals come to mind?

Separable verbs don’t need hyphens.

She got the verb wrong. Should be “seek out.”

The compound adjective is good, though: “half-dollar.”

End of lesson.

For Example:

You don’t even need to put it between quotes.

Can you think of a noun that you can’t use as a verb?