Error A mistake made in the basic construction or the arrangement of parts in a communication; a mistake in sentence structure, especially with reference to syntax, inflection, or semantics. We expect our reviewers to be experts in their respective fields, not necessarily linguists or grammarians. Poor Usage Better His superior training was the great factor in his winning the match. He won the match by being better trained. He is a man who is very ambitious. He is very ambitious. He had less men than in the previous campaign. He had fewer men than in the previous campaign. Close