More common errors

The tone in that question simply meant, “Do you know all the errors in the English Language yourself?”  Whether the reader’s question meant good or bad, the straight answer is NO! No one knows all the common errors there are in any language. Serious learners of the English Language must know this though: Your attitude towards learning the English Matters determines eventually your mastery of the communication skills involved in the learning process. Your ego too – your pride if I may say, has a lot to do with what skills you eventually learn. If you have an ego that is easily bruised, you will not learn much but fill yourself with unnecessary bitterness culminating from pride.

Good writers of English Language, I am sure of any language, are not big-headed and self opinionated. It does not matter whether they are broadcasters, radio personalities or presenters, journalists, teachers or columnists. Those who develop an interest to learn the dos and don’ts  of English Language learn faster and eventually excel in speech or writing.

For example, it is important to know that the best writers or speakers of English Language make an effort to avoid verbosity – the disease that makes users of the language resort to big words whose meanings very few listeners or readers know or understand. They write or speak to impress and for some re4ason believe the harder you are to understand the more learned you are.

Let me tell you this: Some of the best sentences writers have written or speakers have spoken, were expressed in very simple but effective diction.

Long winding sentences are symptoms of a confused writer or speaker. Effective communication comes in shorter communication forms spiced by candidly flavoursome a styles.

Well, “How about our Common Errors?” You see – common error number 1! What about our common errors is correct, “How about” is wrong. The explanation is simple. How refers to an action – how something is done. So it does not apply in that question. We do not say, “How about Susan? What we want to say is, “What about Susan?”  What about the man you were talking to is correct. How about the man you were talking to is wrong.

When you write, “It was dug in his yard.” What do you want to say? Yes, you want to say, It was buried in his yard, but the word buried does not quickly come, so you use “dug”. The point here is this is not a terrible error but you have failed to communicate your point accurately.

“A man was hanging from his roof.” What exactly does this sentence mean? Read it again more carefully. Does the writer not want to say, “The man was hanging from the roof of his house? “ Yes he does. That is exactly what he wants to say but he thinks it is the same as what he has in ‘A man was hanging from his roof’ which is interesting nonsense of course. Does a man have a roof?

“Our parents are supporting us.” There is no serious grammatical error but in this sentence but look at wrong use of the continuous aspect of the Present Tense. The-”ing” suggests that an action is continuing does it not? Can we see this support instrumentally continuing as we do in other actions-eat….eating, walk . . . walking, fight . . . fighting etc? Is supporting really an action which can literally continue? The answer is no.

That is why is better to say, “Our parents support us . . . not they are supporting us.” Ask your teacher to explain this further if he or she understands what I am talking about.

“For the future ahead.” No matter what you are writing about what sense is there in a future ahead? Are other futures in the past? ALWAYS THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE WRITING. “She is merely 19 years.” Listen to yourself. Does this make sense? Certainly not! “She is 19” is correct in English or “She is 19 years old”, But never she is 19 years. Why? Because she is not 19 years, simple!

“The girl who does not have all parents.” Read this again-carefully. I thought we all have two parents and that is called both, not all.
An achievement worthy celebrating. Are you sure you do not want to write, “ An achievement worth celebrating? You better! Worth celebrating yes, not worthy celebrating!

“After he had been tested HIV positive.” Another interesting nonsense! Are you sure you do not want to write, “After he had tested HIV positive? Yes you do! Ndizvo mukoma zvamurikuda kunyora.

“He was approaching each match as it comes.” Wrong! “He was approaching each game as it came.” This is correct. Better still if you write, ‘He approached each game as it came.” Drop the continuous aspect of the Tense!

“He thanked them for thriving hard.” What does this mean? The writer certainly wants to write, “He thanked them for striving hard.” Malapropism is the name of the common error- confusing words because they sound the same. Others are persecute and prosecute / comprise and consist/ restrain and restraint / extend and extent/ temper and tamper/ awesome / awful/ nurture /nature. Etc.

Can we say, “He failed to avoid him from drinking heavily?” Surely the word we want here is ‘stop’. ‘He failed to stop him from drinking heavily.”

Enjoy winning the English Learning Battle. It is fabulous! So long as you adopt the right attitude. Finally, remember these exercises are strictly meant for pupils and students. Teachers too can learn a lot of common errors to teach both themselves and their clients.
End of story for one week. See you next week when I give you more common errors to inspire you.