List of English Words With Disputed Usage - C

C

• can and may – Some prescriptivists argue that can refers to possibility and may refers to permission, and insist on maintaining this distinction, although usage of can to refer to permission is pervasive in spoken and very frequent in written English. M-W notes: "Can and may are most frequently interchangeable in senses denoting possibility; because the possibility of one's doing something may (or can) depend on another's acquiescence, they have also become interchangeable in the sense denoting permission. The use of can to ask or grant permission has been common since the 19th century and is well established, although some commentators feel may is more appropriate in formal contexts. May is relatively rare in negative constructions (mayn't is not common); cannot and can't are usual in such contexts." AHD4 echoes this sentiment of formality, noting that only 21% of the Usage Panel accepted can in the example "Can I take another week to submit the application?". For its part, OED labels the use of can for may as "colloquial".

• comprise – Comprise means "to consist of". A second meaning, "to compose or constitute" is sometimes attacked by usage writers. However, it is supported as sense 3 along with a usage note in M-W, and although AHD4 notes the usage as a "usage problem", its usage note says, "Our surveys show that opposition to this usage is abating. In the 1960s, 53 percent of the Usage Panel found this usage unacceptable; in 1996, only 35 percent objected."
  • Undisputed usage: The English Wikipedia comprises more than two million articles.
  • Disputed usage: The English Wikipedia comprises of more than two million articles.
  • Disputed usage: The English Wikipedia is comprised of more than two million articles.
  • Disputed usage: More than two million articles comprise the English Wikipedia.
  • Disputed usage: Diatoms comprise more than 70% of all phytoplankton.
  • Disputed usage: "Those in the industry have mostly scoffed at the young, inexperienced Carter and the rest of the high school pals that comprise the company."
  • Disputed usage: "Both the union and the league are comprised of many individuals, ..."