COMMON
ERRORS IN ENGLISH
STRUCTURE
ü Objective
ü Introduction
ü Common Errors in the use of
Nouns
ü Nouns used in singular form
ü Nouns used in plural form
ü Nouns used as both singular and
plural in the same form
ü Some other important rules
ü Practice Set
ü Self Assessment Questions
ü Common Errors in the use of
Pronouns
ü Some rules
ü Practice Set
ü Common Errors in the use of
Adjectives
ü Practice Set
ü Common Errors in the use of
Adverbs
ü Practice Set
ü Common Errors in the use of
Articles
ü Indefinite articles: A, An
ü Definite article: The
ü No article:
ü Practice Set
ü Common Errors in the use of
Conjunctions:
ü Practice Set
ü Summary
ü Key words
ü Self Assessment Questions
Objective:
Most teachers of
English in India have to devote much time to eradicate certain constantly recurring
mistakes committed by their students. The reasons being:
• The students are in the habit of
thinking in their mother tongue and when they have to express themselves in
English, they resort to a literal translation.
• The students neglect the rules of
grammar. This section seeks to discuss the common mistakes a student commits
while using English. After studying this section, the students should be able
to write grammatically correct sentences.
Introduction:
Spotting Common
Errors in English requires as awareness of the basic rules of grammar – parts
of speech, noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction,
etc. Mastery of these rules is very important for writing effectively, and leads
to greater clarity, accuracy and style in writing.
Common
Errors in the use of Nouns
Nouns used in singular form:
• The following nouns are generally used in the singular
form: Scenery,
information, clothing, luggage, furniture, advice, machinery, bedding,
stationery, news, offspring, repair, issue, poetry, business, mischief.
Wrong: He has
gathered a lot of informations.
Right: He has gathered a lot of information.
Wrong: The furnitures
were put to auction.
Right: The furniture was put to
auction.
• The following nouns though plural in form are used as
singular:
(a)
Branches of learning: Mathematics,
Economics, Physics, Statistics.
(b)
Diseases: Mumps, measles.
(c)
Games and sports: Billiards,
gymnastics, athletics.
(d)
Miscellaneous: News, summons, innings,
gallows.
Wrong: The Mathematics
are a scoring subject.
Right: The Mathematics is a
scoring subject.
Wrong: Summons
were served on him.
Right: Summons was served on
him.
• Expressions as a ten-rupee note, a two-mile walk, a
five-year old child, a three-day workshop, a twenty-man committee are used
as singular.
Wrong: I found a
ten-rupees note.
Right: I found a ten-rupee note.
Wrong: She has a
three-years old child.
Right: She has a three-year old
child.
• Words like dozen, score, head, pair, hundred,
million when used after a numeral are used as singular.
Wrong: I bought four
pairs of socks.
Right: I bought four pair of
socks.
Nouns used
in plural form:
1.0 The nouns like socks, trousers,
pyjamas, stockings, shorts, scissors, spectacles, alms, ashes, assets, riches,
remains, goods, etc. are always used in plural form.
Wrong: The scissor
is not sharp Or The scissors is not sharp.
Right: The scissors are not
sharp.
Wrong: The stocking
is very tight.
Right: The stockings are very
tight.
2. The nouns like cattle, police,
gentry, poultry, people, etc. are also used in plural form.
Wrong: The cattle
is grazing in the fields Or The cattles are grazing in the fields.
Right: The cattle are grazing
in the fields.
Wrong: The police
has caught the thief.
Right: The police have caught
the thief.
Nouns used
as both singular and plural in the same form:
1. The nouns like fish, sheep,
deer, series, wages, etc. can be used as both singular and plural.
Right: The wages of sin is death.
Right: The wages have been
raised.
But wrong: The wage of
________________.
Right: A fish was lying on the
sea-shore.
Right: Two fish were lying on
the sea-shore.
But wrong: Two fishes _________________.
2. The nouns like jury, public,
audience, team, committee, government, etc. can be used as both singular and
plural.
Right: The committee is meeting
today.
Right: The committee are divided
in its opinion.
Some other
important rules:
1 The plural of a compound noun is
formed by adding ‘s’ to the principal word:
Singular Plural
Sister-in-law Sisters-in-law
Passer-by Passers-by
Commander-in-chief Commanders-in-chief
2 (a) The possessive case of a noun is
formed by adding ‘s’:
Boy’s book, Sheela’s pen, etc.
(b) But ‘s is used only for living
things. For non-living things, we use ‘of’:
Wrong: The telephone’s
cable is damaged.
Right: The cable of the telephone is
damaged.
Wrong: The child
broke the table’s leg.
Right: The child broke the leg of
the table.
(c) When a plural noun ends in ‘s’,
the possessive is formed by adding an apostrophe after ‘s’. However, when the
plural does not end in ‘s’, apostrophe ‘s’ is added as it is: Boys’ hostel;
Girls’ hostel; but Men’s club.
3. When two nouns show common
possession,‘s is added to the last one: Wren and Martin’s Grammar can be
very useful to you. (This means one grammar book written by two persons)
Note: When two nouns indicate separate
possessions,‘s is added to both of them: Tilak’s and Sen’s grammars can
be helpful to you.
4. ‘One of” or ‘any of’ are always
followed by plural words: One of my friends is going abroad.
Assessment Questions
Correct the following sentences:
1. I have lost my spectacle somewhere.
2. A five-rupees note was lying there.
3. India played a great inning.
4. She has no offsprings.
5. The judge issued order.
6. Here are the news.
7. The pond is full of fishes.
8. My house’s roof is leaking.
9. No pain no gain.
10. Mother-in laws are seldom
respected by their daughter-in-laws.
Common
Errors in the use of Pronouns:
A pronoun is used in place of a noun
as:
1. Nominative case: I, We, He, She,
They, Who. (It comes before the verb as the subject of the sentence.)
2. Objective case: Me, Us, Him, Her, Them,
Whom. (It comes after the verb)
3. Possessive case: My, Our, His, Her,
Their, Whose.
4. Reflexive case: Myself, Ourselves,
Himself, Herself, Themselves -
Some rules:
Pronouns have the same
number, gender and person as that of their antecedent. Examples: 1.Sheela is
a good girl. 2. She respects her elders.
It is used for lifeless
things, for animals, and for a baby. Example: He likes his cat and takes
good care of it.
When two singular pronouns
are joined by ‘and’ and refer to the same thing, the pronoun will be singular.
Example: The peon and attendant is absent from his duty.
Sometimes a pronoun refers
to more than one noun or pronoun of different persons, in this case, the order
will be as follows: You, he and I or He and I. The first person will come in
the end. But in admitting a fault, we use the first person first, then, the
third, and the second person last of all. The order will be as follows: I, he
and you are at fault.
The complement of the verb
‘to be’ should be in the Nominative case. Examples: (1) It is I. (2) If I were
he, I would not do it.
In the sentence beginning with
‘let’, a pronoun in the objective case is used: Examples: 1. Let us go there. 2.
Let me help you.
The pronouns following
‘than’ or ‘as’ can be in the Objective as well as the Nominative case, depending
upon the meaning of the sentence. Examples: 1. I love you more than he. (This
means more than he - a third person- loves you.). 2. I love you more than him. (This
means more than I love the other person.)
‘Who’ is used for persons
while ‘which’ is used for animals and lifeless objects that can be used for both.
Examples: I am looking for the boy who has taken my book. 2. This is the dress
which I like the most.
The pronoun ‘one’ must be
followed by ‘one’s’:
Wrong: One must keep his word.
Right: One must keep one’s word.
A relative pronoun should
be placed near its antecedent:
Wrong: I have read Shakespeare’s plays
who was a great dramatist.
Right: I have read the plays of
Shakespeare who was a great dramatist.
‘Each other’ is used for
two; ‘one another’, for more than two. Examples: 1. The two brothers love each
other. 2. All the members of the family respect one another.
Verbs like pride, resign,
enjoy, avail, apply, absent, assert, acquit are followed by reflexive pronoun:
Wrong: He resigned to fate.
Right: He resigned himself to fate.
Wrong: They enjoyed in the party.
Right: They enjoyed themselves in the
party.
Verbs like stay, conceal,
qualified, keep, rest, spread are never followed by reflexive pronoun:
Wrong: He kept himself away from the
game.
Right: He kept away from the game.
Common
Errors in the use of Adjectives:
An Adjective adds something to the
meaning of or qualifies a Noun or a Pronoun.
When there is no
comparison, we use the positive degree: Reena is a good girl.
When we compare two or more
persons or things, we use the comparative degree:
Reena is better than Kavita.
When the ultimate
comparison stating the highest degree is made between many persons or things,
we use the superlative degree. It is always preceded by ‘the’: Reena is the
best of all girls.
The comparative degree can
be formed either by adding ‘er’ to the adjective or writing ‘more’ before it,
as the case may be. However, we will use only one form of the comparative
degree:
Wrong: Reena is more better than
Kavita.
Right: Reena is better than Kavita.
When comparative degree is
used in superlative sense, it is followed by ‘any other’:
She is taller than any other girl in
the class.
Some adjectives like
excellent, ideal, perfect, unique, supreme, extreme, chief, complete,
universal, entire, eternal, unanimous, infinite, perpetual, round, impossible,
etc. are not to be compared:
Wrong: Your work is the most
excellent.
Right: Your work is excellent.
Wrong: This is the most perfect
solution to the problem.
Right: This is a perfect solution to the
problem.
Certain comparative
adjectives ending in ‘ior’ (Junior, senior, prior, superior, inferior,
posterior) have no comparative or superlative degree. These are always followed
by ‘to’. Examples: 1. He is junior to me. 2. Kavita is inferior to Reena in
intelligence.
Adjectives like preferable,
likely, sure, certain, etc. are followed by ‘to’. Examples: 1. It is likely to
rain. 2. Death is preferable to dishonour.
Less, fewer: Less refers to
quantity; fewer denotes number.
Some, any: Some is used in
Affirmative sentences; any in negative or Interrogative sentences: I will buy
some books (Affirmative). I will not buy any book (Negative).
Little, a little and the
little: Little denotes quantity and means ‘not much’ (hardly any). It has a negative
meaning. A little means ‘at least some’. The little means the whole amount that
is there. There is little hope of his recovery (This means there is no hope). There
is a little hope of his recovery (This means there is some hope). He has spent
the little money he had (This means all that he had).
Similarly, few, a few and
the few: Few denotes number: I have few books on this subject (This means
hardly any-no). I have a few books on this subject (This means at least some). I
gave him the few books I had on this subject.
Much, many: Much refers to
quantity and many refers to number.
Last, latest: Last refers
to the final one; latest is last up to the present. What is the latest score? The
last bus to Delhi leaves at 6.00 PM.
Older, elder: Older is used
for both persons and things. It refers to age; Elder is used for persons only.
It conveys the idea of seniority or of the first born in a family.
Later, latter: Later refers
to time; latter means the second of the two things.
Common
Errors in the use of Adverbs:
An Adverb is a word that qualifies a
verb, an adjective and another adverb.
1. Adverbs of manner, place and time
are usually placed after the verb or the object. Examples: 1. He was talking
slowly. 2. He helped me sincerely.
2.0 Adverbs of frequency such as
always, ever, never, often, seldom, usually, rarely, etc. and some other
adverbs like already, almost, just, quite, nearly, hardly, etc. are placed
between the subject and the verb. Examples: 1. I rarely go there. 2. He hardly knows
her.
3.0 The auxiliaries ‘have to’ and
‘used to’ come after the adverb: He often used to go there.
4. The adverb ‘enough’ is used after
the word it qualifies: He was kind enough to help me.
5. ‘Only’ is used immediately before
the word it modifies: I have only two books.
6. Very; much: Very is used with an
adverb or an adjective; much is used with a verb. Examples:
1. He knows you very well. 2. He does
not like tea much.
‘Too’ implies more than
enough and therefore, should never be used in place of ‘very’:
Wrong: I am too lucky.
Right: I am very lucky.
‘Too --- to’ has a negative sense:
She is too young to marry.
‘Too” can also be used in the sense of
‘also’; example; Reena, too, will go with us.
Common
Errors in the use of Articles:
1. Indefinite articles: A, An:
A is used before words
beginning with consonant sound: A boy, a table, etc.
It is used with vowel
letters having the sound of a consonant: A university, a European.
An is used before words
beginning with vowel sounds: An apple, an umbrella, etc.
It is also used before
words beginning with consonant letter having the sound of a vowel: An M.L.A (‘M’
has the sound of ‘em’), an X-ray.
An is also used before
words beginning with silent ‘h’: An honest man, an hour.
2. Definite article: The:
‘The’ is used when we speak
of a particular person or a thing already referred to: This is the book I was
looking for.
It is also used when a
singular noun represents the whole class: The horse is a very useful animal.
Note: This rule does not apply to the
noun ‘man’ when it refers to human race as a whole.
It is used before the
adjective in the superlative degree: She is the most beautiful girl in the
class.
It is used before adjective
of quality which stands for a class: The rich should help the poor.
It is used before the names
of the mountain ranges: The Himalayas, the Alps.
It is used before the names
of rivers, canals, deserts, etc.: The Ganga, the Bhakra canal, the Sahara
desert.
It is used before the names
of religious books: The Ramayana, the Koran, etc.
It is used before the names
of the newspapers: The Tribune, the Times of India, etc.
It is used before single
objects that are well known: The earth, the sun, etc.
It is used before a proper
noun to give it the meaning of a common noun: Kalidas is called the Shakespeare
of India.
It is used before the names
of a country if it is made up of smaller units: The United States of America,
The Netherlands.
It is used before the names of
trains and ships: The Taj Express, The Sagar Samrat.
3. No article:
No article is used
generally before the names of substances: Silver is a poor substitute for gold.
No article is used before
the names of meals: I went without dinner last night.
No article is used generally
before the plural nouns. Examples: 1. Students must work hard to get good
marks. 2. Mangoes are grown in many countries.
No article is used before
the names of games, countries, proper nouns, abstract nouns, diseases, etc.
Examples: 1. I like to play hockey. 2. My cousin lives in England. 3. I met Ran
yesterday. 4. Honesty is the best policy.
4. Common Errors in the use of Conjunctions:
Conjunction is a word that joins
different words or sentences. For example, if, but, yet, either, or, because, etc.
Some rules relating to the use of conjunctions are:
Scarcely and hardly
are followed by ‘when’, and not by ‘than’. Examples: 1. Scarcely had
I left the station when it started raining. 2. She had hardly reached the
station when the train arrived.
No sooner and no other are
followed by “than”. Examples: 1. No sooner did the doctor leave the place than
the patient died. 2. He has no other friend than you.
Both is followed by and,
not by as well as; it is placed immediately before the word the it refers to: She
is both beautiful and wise.
Not only is followed by but
also: She is not only beautiful but also wise.
Lest is followed by should:
Work hard lest you should fail.
Neither is followed by nor
and either is followed by or: She is neither smart nor intelligent. Either he
is the culprit or Ram is.
Summary:
In this lesson we
have learnt how to write grammatically correct, balanced and complete
sentences.
Key words: Noun, pronoun, adjective, adverb,
conjunction, articles, etc.
Self Assessment Questions
Correct the following sentences:
1. All my family members decided to go
there.
2. Our teacher will take a test.
3. Open the ninth page of your book.
4. He is my cousin brother.
5. This house comprises of five rooms.
6. Stop to write.
7. Our army has done well.
8. Being a wet day, he stayed at home.
9. The man is mortal.
10. He is M.A.
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