To leave the reader in no doubt as to what you mean, how do you decide on the right choice or words?
I believe my grammar and punctuation has improved through reading Penguin books on, Grammar, Punctuation and Plain English. Also, I believe I have benefited enormously from reading novels. But my Grammar and Punctuation needs much improvement.
The errors I make when I post are due to tiredness, carelessness, and rushing my response to a question. I am sure we are all guilty of that at times.
Do you question the strict dictionary definition or words as you write, or are you confident the reader will understand your meaning?
There are many words in common use which are used incorrectly.
An example is the word, Prejudice. It means to Pre-Judge, but mention the word Prejudice and there are many who automatically assume that it only has racial connotations.
I would be interested to see your examples of the misuse of words.
Hanged and hung... I only learned this one the other week when I went for a guided tour around our local castle. Hung is the past participle of hang, but not when it refers to a method for putting someone to death - in which case the correct word is hanged.
This one isn't a word, it's a phrase, but you do see/hear it all the time when people go on about a "fine toothcomb". Man, no one combs their teeth! It's a fine-toothed comb!
The other night I was at this cookery demonstration and the girl doing the demo kept putting in "canine pepper". For a minute, I just didn't get it, then I realised she meant "cayenne pepper". And then I was really struggling, because she was a nice girl and probably anxious and I didn't want to put her off, but I was sitting in the front row and I really, really wanted to laugh every time she told us how the "canine pepper" would spice up our family meals. God, I bet it would!
I think its a pity that some words are losing their original meaning in the English language. It has lessened the impact of words. The true definition of many words has been broadened to mean more than was originally intended.
The more my Grammar improves, the more I will try to stick to the strict definitions of words. The less chance of ambiguity in the readers mind the better.
Keep the examples coming.