mistaken English
Verb
( head)
- I'm frequently mistaken for my brother.
Adjective
( en adjective)
Erroneous.
- This is a clear case of mistaken identity.
Having an incorrect belief.
- I think you must be mistaken .
- He admitted he was mistaken about the budget numbers.
Usage notes
* The phrase (and variations) is used to indicate that one is uncertain about something one has said.
* Nouns to which (term) is often applied: identity, belief, notion, view, assumption, impression, idea, thinking, identification, diagnosis, interpretation, person, opinion, conclusion, judgment, conception, perception, theory, reading, concept.
Derived terms
* mistaken identity
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hypercorrect English
(hypercorrection)
Alternative forms
* hyper-correct
Adjective
( en adjective)
(grammar) incorrect because of a mistaken idea of standard usage
- The often exaggerated addition of /h/ before words like "out" in written Cockney is a hypercorrect affectation.
Derived terms
* hypercorrection, hyper-correction
* hypercorrective, hyper-corrective
* hypercorrectness, hyper-correctness
Verb
( en verb)
To change (a word or phrase) to an incorrect form in the mistaken belief that it is standard usage.
* {{quote-news, year=2007, date=October 28, author=William Safire, title=And Now This, work=New York Times citation
, passage=I use reduplicate to mean redouble, though both words should mean quadruple, but English is funny that way, so hold off on the hypercorrecting gotcha! }}
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