If David Letterman can devise top 10 lists, we letter men and women can do it, too. Here are today's Top 10 Usage Controversies.

The use of ...

10 — "literally" to mean its opposite: "figuratively," e.g., "His arrogance literally killed me." Purists: If it literally killed you, why are you still here? Realists: "Literally" is simply hyperbole used for emphasis.

9 — "disinterested" to mean "uninterested," e.g., "Tom became disinterested in his homework." Purists: "Disinterested" means "unbiased, neutral." Realists: "Disinterested" has acquired a second meaning — "not interested."

8 — "beg the question" for "raise the question." Purists: "Beg the question" means only one thing — "to ignore a question by assuming it's settled." Realists: Perhaps one in 100 people is even aware of that esoteric definition.

7 — "I feel badly" for "I feel bad." Purists: The state-of-being verb "feel" should be followed by an adjective. "I feel badly" means you're having trouble with sensation. Realists: Touchy, touchy! Everyone knows what you mean.

6 — "impact" to mean "affect," e.g., "How will the new rules impact us"? Purists: Save "impact" for physical collisions — kapow! Realists: The "affect" meaning is a logical extension of the physical meaning.

5 — "very unique" for "quite unique." Purists: "Unique" is an absolute adjective that means "one-of-a-kind," so it can't be modified. Realists: "Unique" has gradually added the more general meaning "unusual," so it can be modified.

4 — "less" for "fewer," e.g., "Less people came than last year." Purists: "Fewer" must be used with countable items, e.g., people, cars. Save "less" for uncountable, bulk items, e.g., grain, money. Realists: Countable, schmountable! The meaning is clear.

3 — "fun" as an adjective, e.g., "We had a fun time!" Purists - "Fun" is a noun. Period. And as for "funner" and "funnest," aaarrrggghhh! Realists: "Fun" has been used as an adjective since the mid-1800s. Have fun!

2 — "myself" for "I" or "me," e.g., "Tom and myself will speak," "Give it to Jill or myself." Purists: People don't know whether to use "I" or "me," so they weasel out with "myself." Realists: Personal pronouns are tricky. Give folks a break, especially in speech.

1 — "between you and I" for "between you and me." Purists: The objects of prepositions must be in the objective case ("me"). Realists: Hey, at least they didn't say, "between you and myself"!

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to [email protected] or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254