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Common Mistakes In English

1. He is a good cooker.
   He is a good
cook.

2.Would you mind posting this postcard for me ? Yes, certainly.
   Would you mind mailing this postcard for me ? Of course not. OR Not at all
   
3. 
While walking along the street, I met my friend.
    While walking along the street, I met
a friend of mine.

4. Here is a pair of nice shoes.
    Here is a nice pair of shoes.

5. This steak is soft.  
    This steak is tender.

6.He hit me strongly.
   He hit me hard.

7.It's nine twenty o'clock.
   It's nine twenty.

8. I recommend you to take a long vacation.
    I recommend that you take a long vacation.

9. Don't step on the grass.
    Keep off the grass

10. I forgot my hat in the house.
     I left my hat in the house.

11. Let's begin from page 10.
      Let's begin at ( OR on ) page 10.

12. His temperature went down.
      His temperature came down.

13.I like blue color.
    I like the colour blue.

14.Today's newspapers has his article on Taiwan.
    Today's newspapers carries his article on Taiwan.

15. Give me money if you have.
     Give me money if you have any

16. He cannot read and write. 
      He cannot read or write.

17. How does she look like ?
     What does she look like ?

18. Do you have an automatic camera ? Yes I have it .
      Do you have an automatic camera ? Yes, I have one.

19. The train was late about an hour.
      The train was about an hour late.

20. He made a world record. 
      He set a world record.

21. Her marriage was happy.
      She was happily married.

22. Is there any place for me in the car. 
     Is there any room for me in the car.

23. Jelena is a popular name in Serbia.
     Jelena is a common name in Serbia.

24. History repeats.
      History repeats itself.

25. His new book will be sold well.  
      His new book will sell well. 

26. I think it will not rain tomorrow.
     I don't think it will rain tomorrow. 

27.His house was struck by thunder last night.
     His house was struck by lightning last night.

28.My father will be home today afternoon.
     My father will be home this afternoon.

29. We changed our train at Woodland.
     We changed trains at Woodland.

30. Wait for your turn, please.
      Wait your turn, please.

31. Congratulation ! You have passed the driving test.
     Congratulations ! You have passed the driving test. 

32. How long do you know him?
      How long have you known him? 

33. How many fingers have you got? 20
     How many fingers have you got? 10 (8 (eight fingers and two thumbs)). 

34. The lift is out of work
      The lift is out of order.

35. fourty
      forty

·Although both are named after Columbus, the US capital is the District of Columbia, whereas the South American country is Colombia.

·“AM” stands for the Latin phrase Ante Meridiem —which means “before noon”—and “PM” stands for Post Meridiem : “after noon.” Although digital clocks routinely label noon “12:00 PM” you should avoid this expression not only because it is incorrect, but because many people will imagine you are talking about midnight instead. The same goes for “12:00 AM.” You can say or write “twelve noon,” “noon sharp,” or “exactly at noon” when you want designate a precise time. It is now rare to see periods placed after these abbreviations: “A.M.”; but in formal writing it is still preferable to capitalize them, though the lower-case “am” and “pm” are now so popular they are not likely to get you into trouble. Occasionally computer programs encourage you to write “AM” and “PM” without a space before them, but others will misread your data if you omit the space. The nonstandard habit of omitting the space is spreading rapidly, and should be avoided in formal writing.

·Many UK English speakers and some American authorities object strongly to the common American expression “write me,” insisting that the correct expression is “write to me.” But “write me” is so common in US English that I think few Americans will judge you harshly for using it. After all, we say “call me”—why not “write me”? But if you’re an American trying to please foreigners or particularly picky readers, you might keep the “write me” phobia in mind.

·“Use” and “usage” overlap somewhat, but they are not entirely synonymous. Many people treat “usage” as if it were just a fancier form of “use” in phrases like “make usage of,” where “make use of” is the standard expression. As a rule of thumb, if either “use” or “usage” seems appropriate, go with “use.”

·Some country names are preceded by an article—like “The United States” and “La France”—but most are not. Sometimes it depends on what language you are speaking: in English we call the latter country simply “France” and “La República Argentina” is just “Argentina” although in the nineteenth century the British often referred to it as “The Argentine.”When the region formerly known as “The Ukraine” split off from the old Soviet Union, it declared its preference for dropping the article, and the country is now properly called simply “Ukraine.”

·The technical term for the test you use to kick the druggies off the team is not “urine analysis” but “urinalysis.”

·“Unpleased” is considered archaic; the standard modern word for your reaction to something you don’t like is “displeased.”However “unpleasing” is still current to describe something that fails to please: “the arrangement of ‘Silent Night’ for truck air horns was unpleasing.” But “displeasing” is more common.

·“Sci-fi,” the widely used abbreviation for “science fiction,” is objectionable to most professional science fiction writers, scholars, and many fans. Some of them scornfully designate alien monster movies and other trivial entertainments “sci-fi” (which they pronounce “skiffy”) to distinguish them from true science fiction. The preferred abbreviation in these circles is “SF.” The problem with this abbreviation is that to the general public “SF” means “San Francisco.” “The Sci-Fi Channel” has exacerbated the conflict over this term. If you are a reporter approaching a science fiction writer or expert you immediately mark yourself as an outsider by using the term “sci-fi.”

·In evolutionary terms, “the survival of the fittest” refers not to physical fitness in the sense of vigor and strength, but to the ability to reproduce successfully. Rabbits and ants are fitter to survive than lions: that’s why there are so many more of them. If you use the phrase “survival of the fittest” as if it referred to a contest of brute strength, you will annoy biologists and some editors, who will judge your usage as unfit to survive.

·


40. It's virtually impossible to cheat in the examination because invigilators patrol the room every ten minutes.

41.Mary could always be relied on to be late for work.

42. In desperation Ms Primshaw hoped she would be able to make one last effort to help Mary.

43. She told Mary that her lateness was now beyond a joke and she had to try very hard to get up earlier.

44. But it didn't work at all because again and again Mary found herself signing below the famous line.

45.There was however one small matter that Mary had overlooked the day she was early because the office was shut as it was Sunday.

 
39. When the president appeared on the balcony a large crowd started chanting 'Go home! Go home!' until the poor man had to leave.37. Did you notice any particular characteristics about the thief — did he have long hair?

38. It's a very rare occurrence indeed if a serious earthquake takes place in that country.
36. The cubicle over there is free at the moment if you'd like to try on those clothes to see if they fit.

 

 


For more visit:
www.learnenglish.de/mistakes/CommonMistakes.htm
 
 
              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

  

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