I want everyone to get over the idea that "it's just the internet." It's not just the internet. It's the World Wide Web. When you write something and post it to a web page, it becomes visible to everyone in the world, more or less. With that, there comes some expectation of competence, I would hope.

If you have something to say, make it a point to say it correctly. This means investing in a dictionary, and even an AP Stylebook. If you don't know how to use a phrase, don't use it until you learn how. Here are a few annoying examples.

Begging the Question
This is one of the most commonly misused phrases I see. "Begging the question" is when an argument presumes its correctness in order to prove it is correct. Basically, it is a form of circular reasoning. If you are using this phrase outside of a discussion of logic or law, you probably mean Raising the Question.


Per se
This one is latin, means "by itself," and using it all the time just makes you pretentious and wrong. It's a legal term that you are probably using entirely incorrectly. Also, note that it isn't spelled "per say," which is a variant that makes me wince. In place of per se, try a better vocabulary word, particularly one that you know well. Or, in the interest of brevity, leave it out. A simple note about writing: if you don't know what the word you are using means, precisely, it's better not to use it at all.


Pretense, Pretend, Pretentious, Pretentiousness, Pretension
I hear these words a lot, but most people don't stop to consider the fact that there are all related, and, as a result, some of them can be a bit pointless. Please follow below.

Pretend: Few of us have a problem with this one. To pretend is to take on the appearance of something else. Jeremy pretends to be a master of grammar.

Pretense: Pretense refers to the act of pretending, or to the claim that is being made. Jeremy's pretense is that he is a master of grammar. Or, more in a more complicated construction, Jeremy's claim that he is a master of grammar is nothing but pretense.

Pretentious: Full of pretense, marked by pretense, or composed of pretense. It is so pretentious of Jeremy to say he's a master of grammar.


Now at the final step, I beg of you all to pay attention. It is in this area that logic eludes me and I shake my fists at the creators of this bastard tongue we speak.


Pretentiousness: At this point, are we not making a noun form from the adjective form of a noun form of a verb? Pretentiousness is, in fact, a word, and it has been used for at least two centuries, so, you haven't been making a fool of yourself. But, is it a word that we need? Take the following example: Everyone is tired of Jeremy's pretentiousness. If we overlook the evolved connotations of the words, doesn't it mean roughly the same thing to say Everyone is tired of Jeremy's pretense.


Pretension: A pretension is defined as a claim or an attempt to make a claim. That's weird, isn't it? It means the exact same thing as pretense. Why this word exists, I have no idea at all. Try to avoid it if you think I might see you using it.