Mistakes We Make While Speaking English
Sunita R Kamath, Nasreen Haque
April 26, 2007
The girl next door is as cute as a button, but when she opens her mouth, her English is bad enough to get her sent back to kindergarten! Well, it's a common enough problem today—almost everyone is mourning the lack of fluency in English among our school and college-going generation, as well as in the new entrants into the workforce.
Presented here are a few English bloopers sent in by our readers—they are a good lesson in the English language!
Let's start off with a few common blunders that reader Sunita R Kamath comes across frequently:
1. "It was a blunder mistake."
Correction, people! The word 'blunder' means mistake, so you could say:
- "It was a blunder," or
- "It was a big mistake."
2. "It would have been more better."
The word 'better' itself implies that the option in question is superior—the use of the word 'more' in the sentence is therefore both inappropriate and unnecessary. Thus, the correct sentence would go as follows:
- "It would have been better."
3. "Why don't he get married?"
The term 'don't' applies when discussing a plural subject. For instance, "Why don't they get married?" The right way to phrase that sentence would be:
- "Why doesn't he get married?"
4. "I want two Xeroxes of this card."
The term 'Xerox' is used in North American English as a verb. Actually, 'Xerox' is the name of a company that supplies photocopiers! The correct thing to say, therefore, would be:
- "I want two photocopies of this card."
5. "Your hairs are looking silky today."
This is one of the most common Indian bloopers! The plural of 'hair' is 'hair'! Thus:
- "Your hair is looking silky today."
Get Ahead reader Nasreen Haque says, "We must realize that English is not the native language of Indians. Having said that, we should tell ourselves, 'Yeah, I could go wrong and I could make innumerable mistakes, but of course, there is always room for improvement.'"
Here are a few bloopers Nasreen has come across often:
1. Loose vs lose
Many people make this mistake. They inevitably interchange the words 'loose' and 'lose' while writing. 'Lose' means to 'suffer a loss or defeat'. Thus, you would write:
- "I don't want to lose you," and not "don't want to loose you."
'Loose', on the other hand, means 'not firm' or 'not fitting.' In this context, you would write,
- "My shirt is loose," not "My shirt is lose."
2. "One of my friend lives in Kolkata."
This is one of the most common Indian English bloopers ever! The correct way of putting that is:
"One of my friends lives in Kolkata."
Why? Because the sentence implies that you have many friends who live in Kolkata, but you are referring to only one of these friends.
3. Tension-inducing tenses.
People often use the wrong tense in their sentences. For instance, someone might say:
- "I didn't cried when I saw the movie."
Unfortunately, the word 'didn't' is never followed by a past tense verb, in this case 'cried'. The correct way of putting it would be:
- "I didn't cry when I saw the movie."
We invited readers to share common English bloopers with us. This is the first in a series of articles featuring your response.
If you'd like to share common bloopers you come across when people speak/write in English, do mail your list of common bloopers, along with their correct alternatives to
. We'll highlight them right here as a helpful guide to those trying to improve their English.
From India, Coimbatore
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746Sunita R Kamath, Nasreen Haque
April 26, 2007
The girl next door is as cute as a button, but when she opens her mouth, her English is bad enough to get her sent back to kindergarten! Well, it's a common enough problem today—almost everyone is mourning the lack of fluency in English among our school and college-going generation, as well as in the new entrants into the workforce.
Presented here are a few English bloopers sent in by our readers—they are a good lesson in the English language!
Let's start off with a few common blunders that reader Sunita R Kamath comes across frequently:
1. "It was a blunder mistake."
Correction, people! The word 'blunder' means mistake, so you could say:
- "It was a blunder," or
- "It was a big mistake."
2. "It would have been more better."
The word 'better' itself implies that the option in question is superior—the use of the word 'more' in the sentence is therefore both inappropriate and unnecessary. Thus, the correct sentence would go as follows:
- "It would have been better."
3. "Why don't he get married?"
The term 'don't' applies when discussing a plural subject. For instance, "Why don't they get married?" The right way to phrase that sentence would be:
- "Why doesn't he get married?"
4. "I want two Xeroxes of this card."
The term 'Xerox' is used in North American English as a verb. Actually, 'Xerox' is the name of a company that supplies photocopiers! The correct thing to say, therefore, would be:
- "I want two photocopies of this card."
5. "Your hairs are looking silky today."
This is one of the most common Indian bloopers! The plural of 'hair' is 'hair'! Thus:
- "Your hair is looking silky today."
Get Ahead reader Nasreen Haque says, "We must realize that English is not the native language of Indians. Having said that, we should tell ourselves, 'Yeah, I could go wrong and I could make innumerable mistakes, but of course, there is always room for improvement.'"
Here are a few bloopers Nasreen has come across often:
1. Loose vs lose
Many people make this mistake. They inevitably interchange the words 'loose' and 'lose' while writing. 'Lose' means to 'suffer a loss or defeat'. Thus, you would write:
- "I don't want to lose you," and not "don't want to loose you."
'Loose', on the other hand, means 'not firm' or 'not fitting.' In this context, you would write,
- "My shirt is loose," not "My shirt is lose."
2. "One of my friend lives in Kolkata."
This is one of the most common Indian English bloopers ever! The correct way of putting that is:
"One of my friends lives in Kolkata."
Why? Because the sentence implies that you have many friends who live in Kolkata, but you are referring to only one of these friends.
3. Tension-inducing tenses.
People often use the wrong tense in their sentences. For instance, someone might say:
- "I didn't cried when I saw the movie."
Unfortunately, the word 'didn't' is never followed by a past tense verb, in this case 'cried'. The correct way of putting it would be:
- "I didn't cry when I saw the movie."
We invited readers to share common English bloopers with us. This is the first in a series of articles featuring your response.
If you'd like to share common bloopers you come across when people speak/write in English, do mail your list of common bloopers, along with their correct alternatives to
From India, Coimbatore
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Hilarious!
But, I would like to point out that misspellings and grammatical errors are not exclusive to the Indian Public. Any nationality unfamiliar with English can make similar errors. Even the British and Americans don't completely agree on the English language, and with the Aussies creating their own style, it's definitely open season on the English language.
Have you read the book "Anguished English" by Richard Lederer? He has collected errors of such gargantuan proportions that it is possible to sprain a muscle laughing.
Have fun!
Ryan
From India, Mumbai
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But, I would like to point out that misspellings and grammatical errors are not exclusive to the Indian Public. Any nationality unfamiliar with English can make similar errors. Even the British and Americans don't completely agree on the English language, and with the Aussies creating their own style, it's definitely open season on the English language.
Have you read the book "Anguished English" by Richard Lederer? He has collected errors of such gargantuan proportions that it is possible to sprain a muscle laughing.
Have fun!
Ryan
From India, Mumbai
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Hi,
This is very true. I could see lots of people, even managers, having good fluency but spelling errors are present when they come to write. Also, not sure, but I have read in a book about the proper usage of 'PRESENTLY'. We usually use this word in day-to-day conversation, but I read in a CAT book that it should never be used for the present. Its exact meaning is 'very soon' (about to happen), so it should be used as a future reference, not in the present. However, when I see the meaning, it shows 'present'.
Other ideas are welcome.
From India, Gurgaon
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This is very true. I could see lots of people, even managers, having good fluency but spelling errors are present when they come to write. Also, not sure, but I have read in a book about the proper usage of 'PRESENTLY'. We usually use this word in day-to-day conversation, but I read in a CAT book that it should never be used for the present. Its exact meaning is 'very soon' (about to happen), so it should be used as a future reference, not in the present. However, when I see the meaning, it shows 'present'.
Other ideas are welcome.
From India, Gurgaon
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amazing stuff dude......................................... gr8 work......keep coming up with such brilliant articles
From India, Khopoli
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From India, Khopoli
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Hi,
That is indeed a good point that you have made. Otherwise, I would like to initiate the discussion in another related direction: the importance of Spoken English in Recruitment. I have often seen good candidates being refused for their inability to speak fluent English. Though it is a primary requirement in the corporate world, I feel that this should not be the sole criterion for acceptance in a company. While we may debate that we do not base our selection solely on this aspect, recall when you were selected in an interview and the reason given was for your 'good communication skills.' I believe 'communication' is a state of mind, and language is not the only tool to achieve it. I would love to hear from fellow members about their viewpoints and feedback.
Nevertheless, your point of view above is amazing.
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That is indeed a good point that you have made. Otherwise, I would like to initiate the discussion in another related direction: the importance of Spoken English in Recruitment. I have often seen good candidates being refused for their inability to speak fluent English. Though it is a primary requirement in the corporate world, I feel that this should not be the sole criterion for acceptance in a company. While we may debate that we do not base our selection solely on this aspect, recall when you were selected in an interview and the reason given was for your 'good communication skills.' I believe 'communication' is a state of mind, and language is not the only tool to achieve it. I would love to hear from fellow members about their viewpoints and feedback.
Nevertheless, your point of view above is amazing.
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This one was really good fwd. Keep sending such good stuff. Can we get more mails on the same topic. Rgds, Rajni
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Binodan,
Would you agree with the statement "Words are the most ineffective form of communication"? Sorry, I don't know the originator of the statement, but I was struck by its implications.
Regards,
Ryan
From India, Mumbai
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Would you agree with the statement "Words are the most ineffective form of communication"? Sorry, I don't know the originator of the statement, but I was struck by its implications.
Regards,
Ryan
From India, Mumbai
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Hi,
I have seen people mispronouncing words, e.g.:
Divorce - Wrong: Die-vorce / Right: Dee-vorce
Parents - Wrong: Paa-rents / Right: Pay-rents
Care - Wrong: Car--e / Right: Kare
People say, "I removed the ticket," whereas they should say, "I bought the ticket."
Regards,
Sheetal
From India, Mumbai
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I have seen people mispronouncing words, e.g.:
Divorce - Wrong: Die-vorce / Right: Dee-vorce
Parents - Wrong: Paa-rents / Right: Pay-rents
Care - Wrong: Car--e / Right: Kare
People say, "I removed the ticket," whereas they should say, "I bought the ticket."
Regards,
Sheetal
From India, Mumbai
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True enough!
I have also heard people saying: "I got hurted" whereas the correct manner is "I got hurt."
Moreover, at times, people say "peoples," not realizing the fact that "people" is already used in the plural sense.
Regards,
Rupali
From United States, Cambridge
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I have also heard people saying: "I got hurted" whereas the correct manner is "I got hurt."
Moreover, at times, people say "peoples," not realizing the fact that "people" is already used in the plural sense.
Regards,
Rupali
From United States, Cambridge
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GOOD ONE another few are REVERT BACK — — USE ONLY REVERT TAKE EXAMS a pair of spectacles/scissors pronunciation of the word pronunciation l KIRAN ARORA
From India, Srinagar
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From India, Srinagar
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Hey Peer! Absolutely.
It's not hilarious, rather as a trainer, we need to explain why the sentences are wrong, and by giving reasons, you have done so. Great work! :)
Some more:
Using the -ing form for most words like "I am having a car" instead of "I have a car."
From India, Bangalore
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It's not hilarious, rather as a trainer, we need to explain why the sentences are wrong, and by giving reasons, you have done so. Great work! :)
Some more:
Using the -ing form for most words like "I am having a car" instead of "I have a car."
From India, Bangalore
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Dear All,
It's a good article to read. Whenever we visit any government office and inquire about something, these government officials often use the sentence, "Madam, what is your good name?" They are translating it from Hindi to English, "Apka shubh naam kya hai?"
However, in English, there is no concept of a good or bad name as such. It's a very common mistake. Another mistake is that people forget about the present tense in a question. It should be "did" and the verb in the first form.
Incorrect form: Did you went over there?
Correct form: Did you go over there?
We acknowledge that we are not native English speakers, but the British ruled us for 200 years, and our English is far better than that of the Chinese and Japanese. The best way to improve English is to read newspapers, magazines, and think for a while before speaking or saying something.
Cheers,
Gauri
From India, Delhi
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It's a good article to read. Whenever we visit any government office and inquire about something, these government officials often use the sentence, "Madam, what is your good name?" They are translating it from Hindi to English, "Apka shubh naam kya hai?"
However, in English, there is no concept of a good or bad name as such. It's a very common mistake. Another mistake is that people forget about the present tense in a question. It should be "did" and the verb in the first form.
Incorrect form: Did you went over there?
Correct form: Did you go over there?
We acknowledge that we are not native English speakers, but the British ruled us for 200 years, and our English is far better than that of the Chinese and Japanese. The best way to improve English is to read newspapers, magazines, and think for a while before speaking or saying something.
Cheers,
Gauri
From India, Delhi
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Another one that comes to mind is " Please Revert Back " Revert & Back mean the same thing.
From India, Mumbai
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From India, Mumbai
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Hi,
In the office, when we ask a customer or client, we usually say, "Would you like to have some coffee?" or "What would you like to have? Coffee or tea?" Instead, we can ask, "Care for some coffee?" or "Care for a cuppa?"
Regards,
Vairamuthu
From India, Madras
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In the office, when we ask a customer or client, we usually say, "Would you like to have some coffee?" or "What would you like to have? Coffee or tea?" Instead, we can ask, "Care for some coffee?" or "Care for a cuppa?"
Regards,
Vairamuthu
From India, Madras
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hey i thought "what is ur good name" is a valid sentence' :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: bcoz many ppl ask me ,, and i ask them...
From India, Pune
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From India, Pune
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