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19 Common Errors in the English Language You Must Avoid Student Copy

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10 views

19 Common Errors in the English Language You Must Avoid Student Copy

Uploaded by

zahiyah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CENTRE FOR LANGUAGES AND CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

Common Errors in the English Language You Must Avoid

Significant and Simple rules every time you put pen to paper or finger to keyboard:

Its vs. It’s

its = a possessive pronoun. it’s = contraction of it is.

Example:

 The puppy played with its toy.


 It’s much too hot in July.

Easy reminder: You can replace it’s with it is every time and re-read your sentence for
meaning.

Try:
The computer and _____ power supply are for sale.
Do you know whether my car needs _____ own inspection?
I think ______ going to rain.
I doubt _______ ever going to be the same.
______________________________________________________________________

There vs. Their vs. They’re

there =an adverb, in or at that place.


their=a possessive pronoun.
they’re=contraction of they are.
Example:
 There is only one lemon left.
 Their mansion is beautiful.

 They’re simply stunning.


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Easy reminder: You can replace they’re with they are every time and re-read your
sentence for meaning.

Try:
I hope you don’t go _______ .
_______ baby cries a lot.
_______ going to perform for us.
__________________________________________________________________

Whose vs. Who’s

whose= possessive form of who. who’s= a contraction for who is.

Example:

 Whose plans are these?


 Who’s going to clean all this mess?

Easy reminder: You can replace who’s with who is every time and see if it makes
sense.

Try:
She was wondering _______ going to dance with her.
_______ money did he take?
Do you know_______ boat we saw the other day?
Do we need to tell them ______ going to be there?

______________________________________________________________________

Your vs. You’re

your=possessive pronoun. you’re=contraction for you are.

Example:
 Your job is very exciting.
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 You’re going to amaze them with your performance.

Easy reminder: You can replace you’re with you are every time and see if it makes
sense

Try:
I wish I were in _____ shoes.
I want you to know how much _______ delivering for us.
Perhaps ________ about to get started?
Did you tell me ________ secret yet?
____________________________________________________________________

Me vs. I

The best explanation for this rule is here; nonetheless here is a simple explanation:

I=subject. Me=object. Which one to use when?

Let’s learn by example:


1. This would be wrong: They are going to send my wife and I a package.
Why? The rule is that the sentence should make sense if you remove the person
and preceding the I. So in our case:
They are going to send I a package. This is obviously wrong. It should be: They are
going to send me a package.

2. This would be wrong: Jim and me are going to the beach.


Why? Remove Jim and. In this case, also adjust the verb to match single form of first
person. Then re-read the sentence:
Me am going to the beach. This is also obviously wrong. It should be: Jim and I are
going to the beach.

3. This would be wrong: The best one is sent to Ashley and I.


Easy way to remember this is that I does not follow a verb. I should always make sense
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if it is followed by a verb.
Correct form would be The best one is sent to Ashley and me.

I am rather pleased to learn that my favorite phrase, “it is she“, upon answering the
phone has formal correctness on its side but is rather antiquated

Try:
My colleagues and _____ went for ice-cream after our class.
The Emcee for the event was Sazli and _____.
______________________________________________________________________

Effect and Affect

effect=noun, produced by a cause; a result. affect=verb, to act on; to produce a


chance.
Example:

 The effect of your leadership is visible here.


 She affected all of us with her speech.

Try:
The rules are in _______ as of today.
The cold weather ________ my plants last night.
What if the change has no _______?
I let the movie ______ me deeply.
_________________________________________________________

Accept vs. Except

accept=verb, to take or receive.


except=preposition, excluding, save, but. So it will never follow a subject such as I,
they, we.

Example:
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 I accept the challenge.
 Everyone except me decided to go.

Try:
They _______the generous gift.
Do anything you can to please her _______ calling her.
_______ for her attitude, I think she is ideal.
Why not __________ our flaws and still love ourselves?
_______________________________________________________________

The Apostrophe Disaster for Plural Form

The most common error is to put apostrophe where apostrophe has no business. When
you form a plural for nouns, there is no need whatsoever to add an apostrophe.

These are all wrong forms of plural nouns = Cat’s, Dog’s, Lot’s (not even a word),
ABC’s,
Plural forms in most cases are made by simply adding an ‘s’ to the singular form = Cats,
Dogs, lots, ABCs.

Even though the use of apostrophe before an S in an acronym is almost universal when
you make it plural, it is still incorrect.
__________________________________________________________________
Then vs. Than
then=adverb, at the time; immediately or soon afterward.
than=used after comparative adjectives.

Example:
 If you want to be there by then, you had better hurry.
 He is taller than she is.
Try:
I wonder how much more ________this I can pay.
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I will eat;_______ I will go
Will you please speak louder ________them?
He shall see you_______.
______________________________________________________________________

Farther vs. Further

The word “farther” should be used in speaking and writing of physical distance, i.e.,
situations in which distances can be measured. The word “further” should be used in
speaking or writing of matters where in physical measurement is not possible.

Example:

 We walked father down the street.


 We considered the matter further
Try:
He searched for her _______across the room, hoping to see her again.
We will talk _______ when you get home.

8 Easy to Implement Suggestions to Avoid English Language Pitfalls

In my parting thoughts, I leave you with 8 quick suggestions that can help you avoid
these terrible pitfalls:

1. Proofread your writing. Twice.


2. Proofread it three times if you are going to publish it anywhere.

3. Have a friend or a peer proof read it with a critical eye for oversights and errors.

4. Use a dictionary and thesaurus when in doubt.

5. Train your spell checker to kick in before you send or publish anything.
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6. For long documents, walk away from them for a little while and come back with a
fresh mind and a critical eye.

7. Find a gentle way to tell others when you catch an error. Just do it in private.

8. Always be open to feedback and receive it with kindness.

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