Common errors miscellaneous

Incorrect: My hairs are grey. Correct: My hair is grey. Hair is an uncountable noun in English and as such it does not have a plural form. Incorrect: I availed of this opportunity. Correct: I availed myself of this opportunity. Incorrect: I enjoyed during the holidays. Correct: I enjoyed myself during the holidays. To talk about having a good time, we use enjoy yourself, enjoy myself etc. Incorrect: He is guilty, isnt it? Correct: He is guilty, isnt he? Incorrect: The gold is a precious metal. Correct: Gold is a precious metal. Material nouns are used without articles. Incorrect: It is raining for four hours. Correct: It has been raining for four hours. To talk about an event that started in the past and has been continuing up to the present, we use a present perfect continuous tense. Incorrect: Work hard lest you may fail. Correct: Work hard lest you should fail. The only auxiliary verb that can be used after lest is should. Incorrect: Please describe us your wife.

Correct: Please describe your wife to us. Incorrect: Could you suggest me a good dentist? Correct: Could you suggest a good dentist to me? The verbs explain, suggest and describe cannot be used with the structure indirect object + direct object. Incorrect: He is cleverest of the four brothers. Correct: He is the cleverest of the four brothers. We use the article the with superlative adjectives. Incorrect: Choose the best of the two options. Correct: Choose the better of the two options. When a group has just two members, we use the comparative instead of the superlative.

Errors in the use of nouns

Here are some mistakes students often make in the use of nouns. Incorrect: She likes to feed the poors. Correct: She likes to feed the poor. Incorrect: He is working for the blinds. Correct: He is working for the blind. Expressions like the poor, the blind, the deaf etc., are always plural. We dont have to make their plural forms by adding s to them. Incorrect: I told these news to my father. Correct: I told this news to my father.

News is a singular uncountable noun. Therefore it has to be used with a singular determiner. Incorrect: The teacher gave us many advices. Correct: The teacher gave us some advice. Advice is an uncountable noun. It does not have a plural form. The determiner many is only used with plural countable nouns. Incorrect: I have a five dollars note. Correct: I have a five dollar note. Incorrect: She has bought two dozens apples. Correct: She has bought two dozen apples. Incorrect: I saw many deers in the jungle. Correct: I saw many deer in the jungle. The nouns sheep and deer have identical singular and plural forms. Incorrect: Bring me some bloating. Correct: Bring me some bloating paper. Incorrect: The boy is in the boarding. Correct: The boy is in the boarding house. Incorrect: Please put your sign here. Correct: Please put your signature here. Incorrect: She is my cousin sister. Correct: She is my cousin. Expressions like cousin sister and cousin brother are wrong.

Errors in the use of prepositions

Some verbs are directly followed by direct objects without prepositions. Examples are: discuss, enter, marry, lack, resemble and approach. Incorrect: My father loves with me. Correct: My father loves me. Incorrect: We reached at the airport. Correct: We reached the airport. Incorrect: He ordered for my dismissal. Correct: He ordered my dismissal. Incorrect: John married with his cousin. Correct: John married his cousin. Incorrect: Jane entered into the room. Correct: Jane entered the room. Prepositions are not used in expressions of time beginning next, last, this, one, each, every, some, any and all. Incorrect: See you on next Monday. Correct: See you next Monday. Incorrect: I will be rich on someday. Correct: I will be rich someday. Incorrect: We met on one Friday in February. Correct: We met one Friday in February. Prepositions are not used directly before the conjunction that. Incorrect: I knew about that she had decided to quit.

Correct: I knew that she had decided to quit. OR I knew about her decision to quit. Incorrect: I had no idea of that she had problems. Correct: I had no idea that she had problems. OR I had no idea of her problems. Prepositions are not normally used before infinitives in English. Incorrect: I am thinking of to write a novel. Correct: I am thinking of writing a novel. Incorrect: I dont like the idea of to get old. Correct: I dont like the idea of getting old. Incorrect: She is very good at to cook. Correct: She is very good at cooking.