English is today?s lingua franca; its evolution is driven by the current demands for information and the need for world communication. English serves as the native language for nearly 400 million people, a second language for one more 400 million people, and a foreign language to 800 million individuals across the globe. It has unarguably turn into an necessary academic and skilled tool. It is acknowledged as crucial language by means of which the increasingly cellular international neighborhood interacts and learns.
However, regardless of its worldwide use, English continues to be considered probably the most difficult European language to learn and read, primarily as a result of its unique characteristics hinder non-native English speakers from obtaining a strong command of it. English syntax, with its strict subject-verb-object structure, is particularly difficult to grasp. English can be unique in its uses of articles. When mixed with the truth that English is an unphonetic language and possesses different small peculiarities, it is a daunting challenge to learn and master.
Below, we’ve got compiled an inventory of widespread English utilization problems that may cause confusion in both writing and speaking. We also provide corresponding examples as an instance these problems and demonstrate correct usage. Read every item carefully, and be aware what you’re feeling requires particular attention. As you grow to be more aware of the contents of our booklet and master them, you might refer to particular person items now and again as needed. Remember, the one way to develop a good command of the English language is to master its guidelines and apply them accordingly in your on a regular basis speech and writing.
1 The article a is used earlier than consonant sounds, and the article an before vowel
sounds. Words beginning with h, o, or u may have either a consonant sound or a vowel
sound.
a histology class (h-sound)
a one-way path (w-sound)
a uniform look (y-sound)
2 Accept, a verb, means ?to receive.? Except, a preposition, means ?leaving out? or ?other than.?
VERB- She didn’t accept the job provide for flimsy reasons.
PREPOSITION- We were all excited concerning the reunion, except Maggie.
3 Accuse means ?to blame? or ?to convey a cost against.? Allege means ?to claim one thing that has not been proven.?
He was accused of treason, which he vehemently denied.
It was alleged that he secretly cooperated with the Japanese throughout the war.
4 Adapt, a verb, means ?to change.? Adopt, additionally a verb, means ?to take as one?s own.?
We have been finally able to adapt to the chilly climate of the area.
The group adopted the strategy and implemented it in your entire unit.
5 Advice is a noun which means ?an opinion.? Advise is a verb that means ?to give an opinion to.?
I miss the pieces of recommendation that mother used to bombard me with.
She has always advised me to remain strong and independent.
6 Affect is almost at all times a verb which means ?to influence.? Effect, usually a noun, means ?result.? Occasionally, effect is a verb that means ?to deliver about? or ?to cause.?
I would not let my personal problems affect the standard of my work.
The effect of the earthquake on Beijing was disastrous.
She effected policies that benefited all the organization.
7 Aggravate means ?to make worse.? Avoid utilizing this phrase as a synonym of ?annoy.?
LESS ACCEPTABLE: She was severely aggravated by his impolite behavior.
PREFERRED: Delaying your go to to the physician will only aggravate your ailment.
8 Ain?t, originally a contraction of AM NOT, shouldn’t be considered acceptable in standard English. Avoid utilizing it in all writing and speaking.
NONSTANDARD: I ain?t going to the celebration tonight.
CORRECT: I am not going to the celebration tonight.
9 Allot, a verb, means ?to divide in parts? or ?to give out in shares.? A lot is a casual expression which means ?a nice many? or ?a nice amount.? Avoid using it in formal writing.
VERB: My husband allotted a portion of his month-to-month pay for his sister?s matriculation.
INFORMAL: He has a number of relatives within the suburbs to support.
FORMAL: He has many relatives within the suburbs to support.
10 All prepared is an expression functioning as an adjective and which means ?ready.? Already is an adverb meaning ?by or before this time? or ?even now.?
ADJECTIVE: We are all able to listen to the proposition.
ADVERB: We have already arrived at a decision.
11 Alright is nonstandard spelling. Always use the two-word type in your writing.
NONSTANDARD: It is alright with the group that you just take your share in advance.
CORRECT: It is all proper with the group that you take your share in advance.
12 All together means ?all at once.? Altogether means ?completely? or ?in all.?
CORRECT: All together, the members of the Parliament moved that the movement be
reconsidered.
CORRECT: They didn’t agree altogether that the invoice was value passing.
13 A.M. refers back to the hours earlier than noon and P.M. to the hours after noon. Do not spell out numbers if you use these abbreviations, and do not use such phrases as ?in the morning? or ?in the afternoon? with them.
INCORRECT: We will go away for Calgary at nine A.M. in the morning.
CORRECT: We will leave for Calgary at 9:00 A.M.
14 Among and between are each prepositions. Among all the time implies three or more. Between is usually used with simply two things.
John was certainly among the most talented students in his class.
John all the time comes between Frank and myself.
15 Use quantity with quantities that cannot be counted. Use quantity with things that can be counted.
a small quantity of lotion, a large amount of profit
a variety of books, various delegates
16 Anxious means ?worried,? ?uneasy,? or ?fearful.? Do not use it as an alternative to ?eager.?
We are always eager to fulfill new friends.
AMBIGUOUS: We are at all times anxious to meet new friends.
CLEAR: We are at all times anxious about meeting new friends.
17 Anyone and everyone mean ?any person? and ?every person,? respectively. Any one means ?any single particular person (or thing).? Every one means ?every single individual (or thing).?
Anyone may strive out the brand new dish.
Any certainly one of these dishes may be tried out.
Everyone didn’t like the dish.
Every one of many dishes was horrible.
18 The following adverbs ought to never finish in ?s: anyway, anywhere, everywhere, nowhere, somewhere.
NONSTANDARD: It doesn’t matter if the host refuses as a result of the group will still go anyways.
CORRECT: It doesn’t matter if the host refuses as a result of the group will still go anyway.
19 Do not use the conjunction ?as? to mean ?because? or ?since.?
LESS ACCEPTABLE: As she was terribly sick, she was not able to join the competition. PREFERRED: Because she was terribly sick, she was not in a position to join the competition.
20 As to is awkward. Replace it with about/on.
NONSTANDARD: There are various theories as to how life began.
CORRECT: There are a lot of theories about how life began.
21 Do not use at after ?where.? Simply remove it.
NONSTANDARD: Do the visitors know the place the prepare station is at?
CORRECT: Do the visitors know where the prepare station is?
22 Avoid using at with about. Simply remove at or about.
LESS ACCEPTABLE: The delegates arrived at about noon.
PREFERRED: The delegates arrived at noon.
23 Awful is used informally to imply ?extremely bad.? Awfully is used informally to mean ?very.? Both modifiers are overused and must be replaced with more descriptive words. In formal writing, awful must be used solely to mean ?inspiring fear.?
INFORMAL: Mary appeared awful when she was hospitalized.
BETTER: Mary seemed pale and weak when she was hospitalized.
INFORMAL: Mary was awfully weak.
BETTER: Mary was very weak.
24 Awhile is an adverb, which in itself means ?for a while.? A while is an article and a noun, and is often used after the preposition ?for.?
Rest awhile if the driver isn’t yet around.
Stay for some time and preserve me company while you wait for the driver.
25 Beat means ?to overcome (an opponent).? Win means ?to achieve victory in.? Do not use win rather than beat.
NONSTANDARD: The Tigers won in opposition to the Yankees in the final game.
CORRECT: The Tigers beat the Yankees in the final game.
26 Do not use as a result of after ?the reason.? Say ?The cause is?.that? or reword the sentence.
NONSTANDARD: The cause I resigned is as a result of I was not ready for the job.
CORRECT: The reason I resigned is that I was not prepared for the job. I resigned because I was not ready for the job.
27 Avoid utilizing the expressions being as and being that. Use ?since? or ?because? instead.
NONSTANDARD: Being that it was raining outside, we cancelled our exercise for the day.
CORRECT: Because it was raining outside, we cancelled our activity for the day.
28 As prepositions, beside and in addition to have different meanings and cannot be interchanged. Beside means ?at the side of? or ?close to.? Besides means ?in addition to? and ?except for? or ?apart from,? but shouldn’t be confused with the conjunction moreover, which will probably be discussed later.
Linda was beside me during your complete course of the interview.
Besides my educational background, I was asked about my job experiences.
29 Bring means ?to carry from a distant place to a nearer one.? Take means the opposite: ?to carry from a near place to a more distant one.?
It is lunch time so please bring the lunch containers here.
It is lunch time so please take the lunch packing containers to the kids.
30 Bunch means ?a variety of things of the identical kind.? Avoid using this word to imply ?group.?
PREFERRED: A group of professionals formed their own labor union. They brought a bunch of fruits with them.
31 Burst is the usual present, past, and previous participle of the verb burst. Bust and busted are nonstandard forms.
NONSTANDARD: Marco will bust if he takes yet another bite!
CORRECT: Marco will burst if he takes another bite!
32 Do not use however what. Instead, use that.
NONSTANDARD: I don’t doubt however what I will succeed.
CORRECT: I don’t doubt that I will succeed.
33 Use can to mean ?to have the ability to.? Use might to imply ?to have permission to? or ?to be attainable or possible to.?
ABILITY: You can certainly carry that load.
PERMISSION: Yes, it’s possible you’ll use it.
POSSIBILITY: You may overcome that challenge.
34 Cannot help however is a nonstandard expression. Use can’t help plus a gerund instead.
NONSTANDARD: I cannot help but think of all the distress I went through.
CORRECT: I can’t help questioning how I was able to solve all my problems.
35 Avoid clipped or shortened words, corresponding to gym, phone, and picture in formal writing.
INFORMAL: I kept a photograph of you and your family all these years.
FORMAL: I stored a photograph of you and your loved ones all these years.
36 Condemn means ?to express sturdy disapproval of.? Condone means ?to pardon or overlook.?
She was condemned for betraying her personal country.
The authorities condoned her cruel acts.
37 Continual means ?occurring time and again in succession.? Continuous means ?occurring without interruption.?
His continuous tardiness precipitated his dismissal from his post.
His steady absence from his submit caused his dismissal.
38 Between totally different than and totally different from, the latter is preferred.
LESS ACCEPTABLE: Her thought of marriage is totally different than mine.
PREFERRED: Her concept of marriage is completely different from mine.
39 Do not use don?t with third-person singular subjects. Use doesn?t instead.
NONSTANDARD: She don?t know where she is heading to.
STANDARD: She does not know where she is going to.
MOST FREQUENTLY USED: She doesn?t know the place she is going.
40 Done is the past participle of the verb do. It should always follow a helping verb.
NONSTANDARD: Mr. Jones? children all the time done properly in school.
CORRECT: Mr. Jones? youngsters have always done effectively in school.
41 Due to means ?caused by? and ought to be used only when the words attributable to can logically be substituted.
NONSTANDARD: The assembly was postponed due to the gloomy weather.
CORRECT: The postponement of the meeting was as a result of gloomy weather.
42 Replace the wordy expression due to the fact that with since and because.
LESS ACCEPTABLE: Due to the truth that we were late, we lost the sport by default.
PREFERRED: We lost the game by default because we were late.
43 Each different and each other are usually interchangeable. At times, however, one another is more logically utilized in reference to solely two, and one another, in reference to more than two.
Jesus taught us to love one another.
The couple held each other?s hand as they walked down the aisle.
44 Emigrate means ?to leave a country for a new residency.? Immigrate means ?to enter a country to establish residency.?
During the war, many Vietnamese emigrated from the country.
Many Vietnamese immigrated to the United States.
45 Enthused is nonstandard. Replace it with enthusiastic.
NONSTANDARD: The workers were all enthused in regards to the new work arrangement.
CORRECT: The staff were all enthusiastic concerning the new work arrangement.
46 Farther refers to distance. Further means ?additional? or ?to a better degree of extent.?
Grandmother?s place is farther than what we expected.
Grandmother asked us additional how we were in a position to get to her place.
47 Use fewer with things that may be counted. Use much less with qualities and quantities that cannot be counted.
Fewer books, fewer complaints
Less trouble, less milk
48 Former refers to the first of two previously mentioned items. Latter refers back to the second of the two.
We purchased some meals and new toys for the orphanage.
The former we gave to the orphanage employees; the latter we gave to the kids.
49 Get, got, and gotten are forms of the verb get and are acceptable in standard English, however whenever possible, it’s best to find a more particular word.
INFORMAL: get a permit, obtained a job, have gotten wealthier
BETTER: acquire a permit, hired for a job, have acquired wealth
50 Gone is the previous participle of go and ought to be used as a verb only with a helping word. Went is the past form of go and isn’t used with a serving to verb.
NONSTANDARD: Joe gone to see his family in Miami.
CORRECT: Joe went to see his household in Miami.
CORRECT: Joe might have gone to see his household in Miami.
51 Whenever possible, substitute the weak and overused phrases such as good, lovely, and good with a more specific adjective.
WEAK: good explanation, lovely weather, nice garments
BETTER: elaborate explanation, warm weather, fashionable clothes
52 Use hanged to mean ?executed.? Use hung to imply ?suspended.?
The traitor was hanged before his personal countrymen.
Spider vegetation hung from the ceiling of the residing room.
53 Things are healthful; persons are healthy.
LESS ACCEPTABLE: Tofu is wholesome food.
PREFERRED: Tofu is healthful food.
54 If and whether or not are two subordinate conjunctions which might be interchangeable. When using
whether, it isn’t necessary to include or not after it.
The diplomats were wondering whether or not (or if) they made the precise proposition.
55 In refers to position. Into suggests motion.
Position: Each piece of accessory was placed within the cabinet.
Motion: Please put your entire things into the drawer.
56 Avoid the phrase irregardless. Use regardless.
NONSTANDARD: Irregardless of the election results, you are still our choice.
CORRECT: Regardless of the election results, you’re still our choice.
57 Judicial means ?relating to the administration of justice.? Judicious means ?showing wisdom.?
The highest judicial body within the land is the Supreme Court.
The judge?s considered decision earned for him a lot respect.
58 When just is used as an adverb which means ?no extra than,? it ought to be placed right before the word it modifies.
LESS ACCEPTABLE: Just clean the porch, not the garage.
PREFERRED: Clean simply the porch, not the garage.
59 Do not use type of and form of to imply ?rather? or ?somewhat.?
NONSTANDARD: Anne was type of disappointed along with her colleague?s performance.
CORRECT: Anne was considerably disappointed together with her colleague?s performance.
60 Do not use a after sort of and kind of.
NONSTANDARD: Which kind of a book do you prefer?
CORRECT: Which form of book do you prefer?
In addition, keep away from such expressions as ?this kind of clothes? or ?these kinds of examinations.? If variety or kind is singular, the article of the preposition of must also be singular. If type or kind is plural, the object of the preposition of also needs to be plural.
NONSTANDARD: this type of clothes, these sorts of examination
CORRECT: this type of cloth, these types of examinations
61 Lay means ?to put or set (something) down.? Its tenses are?lay, laying, laid, and laid?and are usually followed by a direct object. Lie means ?to recline.? Its principal parts?lie, lying, lay, and lain?are by no means followed by a direct object.
LAY: Lay the vase on the desk. They are laying the carpet tomorrow afternoon. Jack gently laid the eggs in the container.
LIE: Lie down and relaxation for a number of minutes. The youngsters are lying on the carpet. They were so drained that they lay down to rest.
62 Learn means ?to acquire knowledge.? Teach means to impart data to.?
I learned a lot from my elementary English teacher.
My elementary English teacher used to teach me so much.
63 Leave means ?to permit to remain.? Let means ?to permit.?
NONSTANDARD: Leave me to do this on my own.
CORRECT: Let me do that on my own.
64 Like is a preposition and should not be used instead of the conjunction as.
NONSTANDARD: He is smart like a monkey is wise.
CORRECT: He is wise as a monkey is wise.
65 Loose is normally an adjective or part of such idioms as reduce loose, flip loose, or break loose. Lose is always a verb, generally meaning ?to miss from one?s possession.?
Grandma loves to wear loose clothes.
Lose this game, and you might be out of all the tournament.
66 In formal usage, the adjective mad means ?insane.? Used informally, mad means ?angry.?
INFORMAL: Jenny was so mad that she threw the book at her brother.
FORMAL: She was dropped at the sanitarium as a result of she was mad.
67 Maybe is an adverb which means ?perhaps.? May be is a serving to verb and a verb.
ADVERB: Maybe we are going to make it to the meeting on time.
VERB: She may be permitted to make use of the conference room.
68 Moral means good or virtuous; it also refers back to the lesson or principle that can be learned from a story or an event. Meanwhile, morale refers to a mental condition or the state of the spirits of a person or a bunch of persons.
A moral individual is admired by people.
The moral of the fable was recognized by the listeners easily.
After dropping the game, the team?s morale was low.
69 Use the conjunction furthermore to mean the identical thing as furthermore. It is used to expound on a given thought and shouldn’t be confused with in addition to which, when used as a conjunction, additionally means anyway (other than to mean in addition to) and is more appropriate for informal use.
INCORRECT: Nurses are leaving the country for greener pastures. Besides, other
professionals and skilled workers are following suit.
CORRECT: Nurses are leaving the nation for greener pastures. Moreover, other
professionals and skilled staff are following suit.
70 Do not use of after a helping verb similar to should, would, could, and must. Use have instead. Do not use of after outside, inside, off, and atop. Simply eradicate it.
NONSTANDARD: She must of remembered she had an appointment.
CORRECT: She will need to have remembered she had an appointment.
LESS ACCEPTABLE: The child fell off of the high chair.
PREFERRED: The child fell off the excessive chair.
71 In informal writing, OK, O.K., and okay are acceptably used to mean ?all right.? However, do not use either the abbreviations or okay in formal writing.
INFORMAL: It is okay to bring your children with you to the annual company outing.
FORMAL: It is all right to bring your kids with you to the annual firm outing.
72 Only needs to be placed in entrance of the word it logically modifies.
We brought with us only crucial items.
Only the staff were allowed entry to the convention room.
73 Never use ought with have or had. Simply get rid of have or had.
NONSTANDARD: The photocopy machine had should work now.
CORRECT: The photocopy machine should work now.
74 Do not use the expression outdoors of to imply ?besides? or ?except.?
NONSTANDARD: Outside of Terry, there was no different eligible applicant.
CORRECT: Except Terry, there was no different eligible applicant.
75 Parameter is correctly used solely in mathematical contexts, during which it designates a variable. Do not use parameter to mean ?boundary,? ?limit,? ?scope,? ?detail,? and so on.
LESS ACCEPTABLE: The crew can solve the issue within the parameters of the
requirements.
PREFERRED: The crew can solve the problem within the scope of the requirements.
76 Persecute means ?to subject to ill treatment.? Prosecute means ?to deliver a lawsuit against.?
He was not understood by the society at first, so he was persecuted.
The former president was prosecuted for the anomalies during her administration.
77 The plural of certain nouns from Greek and Latin are fashioned as they were of their original languages. Word akin to criteria, media, and phenomena are plural and shouldn’t be treated as in the event that they were singular (criterion, medium, phenomenon).
INCORRECT: The committee has selected the judging criteria, which is to be used for the competition.
CORRECT: The committee has decided on the judging criteria, which are for use for the competition.
78 Poorly is used informally to mean ?ill.? Avoid this use in formal situations.
INFORMAL: She missed her class because she was feeling poorly.
FORMAL: She missed her class as a result of she was feeling ill.
79 Precede means ?to go before.? Proceed means ?to transfer or go forward.?
The board meeting preceded the election of officers.
The board proceeded with the deliberation.
80 As an adjective, principal, means ?most important? or ?chief;? as a noun, it means ?a one that has controlling authority.? Principle, all the time a noun, means ?a fundamental law.?
ADJECTIVE: Our principal plan is to make an investment.
NOUN: Mrs. Gallagher is the college principal.
NOUN: She follows her guideline wholeheartedly.
81 Raise often takes a direct object. Rise never takes a direct object.
Raise your complaints earlier than the board.
Rise to a new day.
82 Real means ?authentic.? The use of real to mean ?very? or ?really? needs to be avoided in formal writing.
INFORMAL: This job is one real challenge.
FORMAL: This job may be very challenging.
83 Refer back is often confused with refer and look back. This utilization is not beneficial in formal writing on the premise that the ?re-? of ?refer? means “back,” so refer back is redundant. Refer back, however, is suitable when it means “refer again.” Otherwise, refer needs to be used.
NONSTANDARD: In elucidating on the topic, I want to refer again to the work of Johanssen et al.
CORRECT: In elucidating on the topic, I wish to refer to the work of Johanssen et al. The proposal was referred back to the committee which drafted it. Please discuss with the notes on the peace conference.
84 Says should not be substituted for said.
NONSTANDARD: Then the teacher says to us, ?Keep quiet!?
CORRECT: Then the teacher said to us, ?Keep quiet!?
85 Seen is a previous participle and can be used as a verb only with a serving to verb.
NONSTANDARD: We seen this movie a few times already.
CORRECT: We have seen this movie a few times already.
86 Set means ?to put (something) in a sure place.? Its principal parts?set, setting, set, and set?are normally followed by a direct object. Sit means ?to be seated.? Its principal parts?sit, sitting, sat, and sat?are by no means followed by a direct object.
Set the dining area in this corner.
Sit within the chair and get a feel of it earlier than your buy it.
87 The which means of shape is ?spatial form.? In formal writing, avoid using shape to imply ?condition.?
INFORMAL: My dad and mom are in good shape.
FORMAL: My mother and father are in good condition.
88 Although slow can now be used as both an adjective or an adverb, careful writers use it as an adjective. Slowly is preferred because the adverb.
LESS ACCEPTABLE: Walk sluggish because the path is slippery.
PREFERRED: Walk slowly because the path is slippery.
89 So is a coordinating conjunction. It should be avoided when you mean ?so that.?
LESS ACCEPTABLE: Can you please move over so the other passengers can sit down?
PREFERRED: Can you please transfer over so that the opposite passengers can sit down?
90 Take and is a nonstandard expression. Eliminate it entirely.
NONSTANDARD: Take and put these manuscripts in the filing cabinet.
CORRECT: Put these manuscripts within the filing cabinet.
91 Than is utilized in comparisons. Do not confuse it with the adverb then, which normally refers to time.
The applicant who came in at this time is smarter than that who came yesterday.
Put the greens first, after which allow it to simmer for a couple of minutes.
92 That refers to people or things; which refers only to things; who refers solely to people.
This is the resort that (or which) I even have been telling you about.
She is the teacher who (or that) received the Employee of the Year award.
93 Their, a possessive pronoun, always modifies a noun. There can be utilized either as an expletive at the start of the sentence or as an adverb. They?re is a contraction of they are.
PRONOUN: Their presentation is the very best I have seen in years.
EXPLETIVE: There must be no complaints, or else the plan will fail.
ADVERB: Jane positioned all her issues there.
CONTRACTION: I fervently hope they are all in high spirits.
94 Them is always a private pronoun, by no means an adjective. When a sentence requires an adjective, use these or those rather than either them or them there. To correct a sentence containing this here, these here, and that there, merely leave right here and there.
NONSTANDARD: Them essays are written very well.
CORRECT: These essays are written very well.
95 Till and until are interchangeable. Be careful, however, of spelling. Till should not be spelled til or ?til; until at all times ends in a single l.
We played by the seashore till we had been all tired.
96 To, a preposition, begins a prepositional phrase or an infinitive. Too, an adverb, modifies an adjective and different adverbs. Two is a number.
PREPOSITION: We went to a live performance last night.
INFINITIVE: To put up one?s own business just isn’t an simple task.
ADVERB: She took the advice too complacently.
Kathy bought a pink shirt so Ashley purchased one too.
NUMBER: Two kids, two pens
97 Unique means ?one of a kind. It shouldn’t be used to imply ?odd,? ?interesting,? or ?unusual.? The word means ?one of a kind,? so such expressions as most unique, very unique, and intensely unique are illogical.
ILLOGICAL: The group presented their output in an especially unique way.
CORRECT: The group introduced their output in a unique way.
98 Ways is plural. Do not use it after the article a. Use as a substitute the singular type of way.
NONSTANDARD: The chauffeur has a substantial ways to drive yet.
CORRECT: The chauffeur has a considerable option to drive yet.
99 Do not use when or where directly after a linking verb. Do not use where as a substitute for that.
NONSTANDARD: My greatest memory of Mom was when we went by the beach, and we
walked hand in hand.
An automat is where food is disbursed by machines.
CORRECT: My finest memory of Mom is of going to the beach and walking hand in hand
with her.
An automat is a cafeteria where meals is dispensed by machines.
100 Avoid utilizing the suffix -wise to create new words for a selected situation. LESS ACCEPTABLE: Costwise, this new product we launched is better. PREFERRED: This new product we launched is cost-effective.
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