English can be a tricky language to master. There are a number of words that sound the same but mean different things or that are spelled differently, and it's easy to get confused.
Another problem area is when people translate sentences from Hindi to English. Sentences in English are structured differently and a direct translation is often incorrect and can even be misleading.
To help you improve your English-speaking skills, we invited GA readers to send in bloopers they've heard or read in their everyday lives.
Praveen Madhukar Naik, from Bangalore, sends us some examples of bloopers he has heard.
1. Order of words
WRONG: My all relatives are coming.
CORRECT: All my relatives are coming.
WRONG: She is absent always.
CORRECT: She is always absent.
WRONG: What I can do for you?
CORRECT: What can I do for you?
WRONG: Where you are going?
CORRECT: Where are you going?
WRONG: There is anything left?
CORRECT: Is there anything left?
WRONG: These all are mine.
CORRECT: All these are mine.
2. Repeating certain words for emphasis
WRONG: Morning morning jogging is a good habit.
CORRECT: Jogging early in the morning is a good habit.
WRONG: The flowers are of different different colors
CORRECT: The flowers are of many different colors.
WRONG: Small small mistakes are forgivable, not big big blunders.
CORRECT: Small mistakes are forgivable, not big blunders.
Sanjeev Bedi, a 37-year-old chartered accountant based in Ludhiana, shares some bloopers he has come across.
1. I have given the exams.
This is one of the most common mistakes people commit. This is translated from Hindi: 'Maine exams diye hain.'
~ The correct usage is: "I have taken the exams."
2. He was both his father as well as his mentor.
This is another very common error. When you use 'both', the 'as well as' is unnecessary or redundant. Use either of the two.
~ He was both his father and his mentor
~ He was his father as well as his mentor.
Krishna Chandra Tripathi, a 28-year-old from Allahabad, sends in these examples.
1. She is very proudy.
The dictionary does not have a listing for the word 'proudy'. The correct usage is:
~ She is very proud. (This can be both negative and/ or positive.)
~ She is arrogant. (If intended to be used in a negative sense.)
2. Often 'advice' and 'advise' are confused and misused by people. 'Advice' is a noun, while 'advise' is a verb.
WRONG: Please advice me on the issue
RIGHT: Please advise me on the issue
WRONG: What is your advise?
RIGHT: What is your advice?
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We thank our readers for the witty emails detailing common English bloopers they've come across! Keep them coming in, and we'll keep publishing them. Three times a week, we'll provide articles featuring your responses.
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 alternative to englishbloopers@rediffmail.com -- we'll highlight them right here as a helpful guide to those trying to improve their English. Also make sure you include your FULL NAME, AGE, OCCUPATION and the CITY you are based in.
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