Bias? or Biased?
on Jan 12, 2014, Updated Jun 04, 2023
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It’s time for my weekly 5 Minute Grammar Rant. Bias or biased is an error I come across a lot in my college composition classes and in blogs I read. It drives me nuts, honestly.
Bias? or Biased?
Here’s the deal. BIAS is a noun. BIASED is an adjective.
A person should never be described as BIAS because ADJECTIVES describe nouns.
It’s proper English to talk about BIASED PEOPLE. A person can BE biased or HAVE a bias. For instance:
- I am a biased mom and think my kids are the cutest kids on earth.
- I have a BIAS and think my kids are the cutest kids on the earth. OR
- I am BIASED – my kids are the cutest kids on earth.
It’s NOT proper to say –
- I am bias – my kids are the cutest kids on the earth.
It’s simple! Just remember AM BIASED or HAVE A BIAS. That’s all there is to it. 🙂
More grammar posts you may like:
Your welcome or You’re welcome?
How to make the word PEOPLE possessive
Should have gone or Should have went?
If you’re looking for helpful grammar resources, here are my top picks:
Strunk & White Elements of Style
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Eats, Shoots, and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
You should meet my school teacher cousin Pam. She & I totally agree with you. Keep them coming.
Thanks! I’m not sure what’s being taught today, but I’m trying to help out in a small way. 😉
Thanks for the great hint about am biased. I enjoy learning, even at my age. I was brought up to speak and write well, and I appreciate info like this. I wish others that blog would take the time to learn how to do it gooder. 😉
Gooder! Ha!! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Excellent, nothing irritates me more! If you are using the English language then use it properly, well said Michelle!
Thanks, Julie. I make plenty of mistakes…but I try. 🙂
Love your 5 minute lessons!!! I learn so much! Since I ignored my teachers in English class when it came to the grammar part. Just give me a story!! My biggest pet peeve is anyway vs. anyways. ARGH!
🙂 I learned most when I started teaching college classes!!!
An irritating error very common nowadays is the use of “loose”instead of “lose”. Well worth a post.
Regards
This is going to be a tough one… The example is:
The judge was biased but he was unbias in his adjudication.
Many, including Google and many autocorrects, do not observe unbias as a word. In my view when you take an action you are acting in an unbias manner and when you have a belief you are unbiased or biased. the -ed signifies a past relationship with the belief. Thoughts?
Hi Kevin, definitely add the -ed and make it unbiased. 🙂
@Kevin, if bias is a verb or a noun, it does not appear correct to add the prefix un ( unbias) to make it an adjective.
Hi michelle.actually I am a limited speaker..I have been learing english for a year..anyway I just see your thread and understand what the difference between bias and biased! But I also have seen a word such as bias (vt)..and I am confused..you was like”just remember am biased and have a bias”but how does it work when it comes to bias (vt)
Bias (vt) means to create a bias in the object of the verb. For example: “If we administer our political survey only to people with facial piercings, it might bias the results.” In this example, the survey results would be biased / have a bias.
Hi Michelle