Misused or Non-Existent Words

In this section, the words on the left may not exist at all (they have been invented by imitating the formation rules in another language, such as French), or they may exist but they have a completely different meaning.

Wrong Right

A monotonous function
(i.e., a boring function!) A monotonic function
(a function whose value is always varying in the same direction)

Formation of personnel Training of personnel

Lisible
Lisibility Legible or readable
Legibility or readability

Necessitate
(this word exists but is so ugly...) Require

This subroutine is invocated This subroutine is invoked
(but you can speak of its invocation)

Automatize Automate

The joined letter The attached letter

Couples of values
(the word "couple" only applies to people) Pairs of values

The last recent version The most recent version

Else, ... (at the beginning of a sentence) Otherwise, ...

The word "else" is used almost exclusively in association with a pronoun or adverb, as in "something else," "nowhere else," etc. Its use in the programming expression "if... then... else..." is not good English, but the inventors of the first structured programming languages were probably afraid of typing too much.

Wrong	Right
A monotonous function (i.e., a boring function!)	A monotonic function (a function whose value is always varying in the same direction)
Formation of personnel	Training of personnel
Lisible Lisibility	Legible or readable Legibility or readability
Necessitate (this word exists but is so ugly...)	Require
This subroutine is invocated	This subroutine is invoked (but you can speak of its invocation)
Automatize	Automate
The joined letter	The attached letter
Couples of values (the word "couple" only applies to people)	Pairs of values
The last recent version	The most recent version
Else, ... (at the beginning of a sentence)	Otherwise, ...
The word "else" is used almost exclusively in association with a pronoun or adverb, as in "something else," "nowhere else," etc. Its use in the programming expression "if... then... else..." is not good English, but the inventors of the first structured programming languages were probably afraid of typing too much.

Wrong Right

Or ..., or ... Either ..., or ...

It has no sense It makes no sense

Dynamical
Analytic Dynamic
Analytical

As the above examples show, there is no general rule about -ic vs. -ical endings. There is no relationship between the English endings and the equivalent in romance language. In some cases, both endings are even possible in English (e.g., both "geographic" and "geographical" are allowed).

Wrong	Right
Or ..., or ...	Either ..., or ...
It has no sense	It makes no sense
Dynamical Analytic	Dynamic Analytical
As the above examples show, there is no general rule about -ic vs. -ical endings. There is no relationship between the English endings and the equivalent in romance language. In some cases, both endings are even possible in English (e.g., both "geographic" and "geographical" are allowed).

Wrong Right

Per example, ... For example, ...
(or "for instance," or "e.g.," which comes from the Latin "exempli gratiae," meaning "for the sake of example"

Straightly Directly

The argument is dummy This is a dummy argument
(i.e., the word "dummy" can only be used as an adjective, not as a predicate. In this example, the word "argument" refers to the parameters of a subroutine)

There is no place in memory There is no space (or room) in memory

It is supposed dimensioned to 20 It is supposed to be dimensioned to 20

Two following values Two successive values
Two consecutive values

The program realizes the function
(In English, "to realize" only means "to become aware of," not to "implement") The program performs the function (or executes, or implements)

The execution is achieved when...
(In French, "achever" means to complete, successfully or not) The execution is completed when...
(In English, "achieve" has the meaning of an action being executed in general, with a connotation of success, but not specifically ended)

This exists no more This no longer exists

As much operations are needed... As many operations are needed...

The open call and the close call The opening call and the closing call

The reason for the above recommendation is not really grammar, but simply the fact that "a close call" has a very special meaning, which has nothing to do with calling a subroutine to close a file: it means "barely escaping death!"

Wrong	Right
Per example, ...	For example, ... (or "for instance," or "e.g.," which comes from the Latin "exempli gratiae," meaning "for the sake of example"
Straightly	Directly
The argument is dummy	This is a dummy argument (i.e., the word "dummy" can only be used as an adjective, not as a predicate. In this example, the word "argument" refers to the parameters of a subroutine)
There is no place in memory	There is no space (or room) in memory
It is supposed dimensioned to 20	It is supposed to be dimensioned to 20
Two following values	Two successive values Two consecutive values
The program realizes the function (In English, "to realize" only means "to become aware of," not to "implement")	The program performs the function (or executes, or implements)
The execution is achieved when... (In French, "achever" means to complete, successfully or not)	The execution is completed when... (In English, "achieve" has the meaning of an action being executed in general, with a connotation of success, but not specifically ended)
This exists no more	This no longer exists
As much operations are needed...	As many operations are needed...
The open call and the close call	The opening call and the closing call
The reason for the above recommendation is not really grammar, but simply the fact that "a close call" has a very special meaning, which has nothing to do with calling a subroutine to close a file: it means "barely escaping death!"

Wrong Right

So, a typical program organization is as follows:...
("So" is not used to begin a sentence) Therefore, ...
Thus, ...
Consequently, ...
or use a more natural word order in English: "A typical program organization is therefore as follows:..."

Plan of actions Plan of action
(Yes, this is illogical since most plans have more than one action in them. But that's the way it is...)

The machine's conception...
("Conception" is used mostly to refer to babies, and to artistic ideas. It cannot be used to refer to objects in the sense of "design." You may write "this object was conceived," but you are then referring to the idea of it, not to the creation of the physical object itself.) The machine's design

In the meanwhile, ... Meanwhile...
In the meantime... (but do not mix both)

Wrong	Right
So, a typical program organization is as follows:... ("So" is not used to begin a sentence)	Therefore, ... Thus, ... Consequently, ... or use a more natural word order in English: "A typical program organization is therefore as follows:..."
Plan of actions	Plan of action (Yes, this is illogical since most plans have more than one action in them. But that's the way it is...)
The machine's conception... ("Conception" is used mostly to refer to babies, and to artistic ideas. It cannot be used to refer to objects in the sense of "design." You may write "this object was conceived," but you are then referring to the idea of it, not to the creation of the physical object itself.)	The machine's design
In the meanwhile, ...	Meanwhile... In the meantime... (but do not mix both)

Some mistakes of usage consist of using the "right" word in the "wrong" case. Here are some frequent mistakes:

Insure is what you do to your car or your house (it does not prevent a disaster from happening, it just makes sure that you receive a payment if a disaster does occur). Ensure is what you do to be certain that something will happen. As you can see, there is a big semantic difference: "ensure" is proactive, before the fact, while "insure" is reactive, after the fact. You should also consider the words assure, which means to tell someone that something is true (whether it is the reality or not!), and make sure, which is to verify what happened. The confusion between these four terms is frequent among English speakers! For French-speaking people, it is more confusing because we don't have as many separate terms.
Avoid elision in written English, at least in professional writings: "The channel isn't open yet" is discouraged, and should be replaced by "the channel is not open yet."
Critics are people who write critiques (also called "reviews"), in which they express their critical opinions or even their criticisms. In French, all four words in bold in this sentence would be spelled the same way: "critiques"!
The encryption key is secret, or it is a secret, but it is important to you because of secrecy. Some languages have a single word for "a secret," i.e., a particular piece of hidden information, and for "secrecy," the attitude or habit of hiding information.
A seminary is a place where people study in order to become priests; a seminar is a long meeting or workshop, usually held away from the participants' normal work location. You cannot interchange the two words.
A demand is a very strong request, like the one you receive from the electricity company if you haven't paid your bill for a few months. Don't tell your boss, "I received your last demand," if you really mean "I received your last request." English "demand" = French "exigence" or "réclamation." French "demande" = English "request." The confusion is understandable but can be damaging.

"Eventually" means "finally." To translate the French "éventuellement," use "possibly" or "perhaps" or even "if necessary" or "if appropriate," depending on the context. Or better, change the mode of the verb by using may, might or could, which is more "English" than the previous choices:

Other subroutines may be implemented later
Other subroutines will possibly be implemented later

If you write "other subroutines will eventually be implemented," you are making a commitment to do it in the end, which is not at all when you meant if you were thinking "éventuellement."

"Few," "a few" and "little"

Few means "only a small number," while a few means "some." This is often confused by non-native speakers, creating the wrong impression. If one asks, "how many pages of the manual have you now written?", the answer "few" is negative, the answer "a few" is more positive -- even though in both cases, the speaker may mean "10 out of 100 required." "Few" insists on the smallness of the number, it almost implies "fewer than there should be."

Conversely, if the desirable number is small, as in "How many mistakes did you make?" then "few" is good, meaning "hardly any," but "a few" sounds negative -- "more than I should have made."

In all cases, "few" (like its opposite "many") denotes discrete objects that can be counted. For quantities that can be measured, not counted, the correct words are "little" and "a little," with the same distinctions as above. In answer to the question, "how much gas is left in the car?", the answer "little" implies "we're going to run out soon," while the answer "a little" is more likely to mean "we have enough to get where we're going."

"Editors" vs. "Publishers"

There are several mistakes that revolve around the word "editor" (as well as edit, editing, etc.). They occur specifically with French speakers, although other romance language speakers may face the same challenges.

In French, "éditeur" means "publisher" -- the person who finances the process of putting out a book or newpaper. The person who reviews and approves the content is "rédacteur" in French, and "editor" in English. Now you can see where the confusion comes from: it's tempting to translate "editor" to "éditeur" or vice versa, but it's wrong.

To make things more complex, when "text editors" were invented in the 1970s, the French were lazy and translated this phrase into "éditeurs de texte" instead of the phrase they should have used, "rédacteur de texte," which you will never, ever hear.

Now, to top it all, in the 1990s the French started using the phrase "éditeur de logiciel" in the sense of "software vendor" or "software supplier." This is correct in the sense that the role of the company in question is indeed that of a publisher (= éditeur), however many French IT people, when speaking English, mistakenly translate "éditeur de logiciel" into "software editor" which is meaningless in English -- or could even be mistaken for a "text editor" used to edit the source code of the software!

So let's summarize the correct correspondences between French and English:

French English

Editeur de texte (incorrect, but usual) Text editor

L'éditeur a imprimé 3000 copies The publisher printed 3000 copies

Le rédacteur a corrigé les fautes de style The editor corrected the style mistakes

Microsoft est un éditeur de logiciel Microsoft is a software vendor/supplier

French	English
Editeur de texte (incorrect, but usual)	Text editor
L'éditeur a imprimé 3000 copies	The publisher printed 3000 copies
Le rédacteur a corrigé les fautes de style	The editor corrected the style mistakes
Microsoft est un éditeur de logiciel	Microsoft is a software vendor/supplier