Do you make these mistakes?
"I cannot only dance but I can also sing." Oops, did I say that? I meant "I can not only dance but I can also sing". This is one of the numerous mistakes made in English. The blunder comes in the unspaced collocated word "cannot" and its usage in this context.
If you read this post till the end, I assure you that you'll discover common errors which you initially thought were correct.
I remember being involved in a heated argument due to this error, I held my ground making the point that it was not spaced until I learnt that "cannot" denotes an impossible action and "can not" shows one can perform two activities. So, when "cannot" is used, it states an impossibility e.g. She cannot drive. This means she lacks the ability to perform such action. "Cannot" can also be contracted to the word "can't" while "can not" is used when an individual is able to perform two different activities and it is usually followed by "only" e.g. She can not only sing but she can also dance.
No one ever wants to be embarrassed for making such blunders, you can agree with me that we want to speak fluently without making blunders. You would love to speak and leave people mind blown with the way you control your words and also with your A's / B's in exams.
Here’s a fact for you, research shows that people make over 1,000 blunders everyday they speak the English language, funny right? Even after years of education some people still mess it up although no one is perfect how can we minimize such errors? Study and Practice!!!!! Well, you can start by reading this post to get a head start.
Today, I’ll be sharing with you 5 Common Errors made in English Language which we initially thought were correct.
Without any further ado, let's jump right into it.
1. “Prefer” and “Than”
“Prefer” is used when one promotes/commends one thing over another e.g., I prefer long cucumbers to short cucumbers while “Than” is used with comparative adjectives for comparisons e.g., John is taller than James.
So, we prefer one thing to another and say one is better than the other.
2. “i.e.,” and “e.g.,”
Many people use the terms interchangeably when trying to explain a point and to list examples. “i.e” roughly means “that is” or “in other words” while “e.g” means “for example” or “example given”. “i.e” clarifies examples while “e.g” adds color to a story through examples. E.g., (see what I did there)
Only one planet, i.e., (that is) Earth, is habitable for humans.
Some countries in Africa. e.g., (for example) Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, etc.,.
3. “its” and “it’s”
This one tends to confuse many people even the best of writers. “its” is possessive and “it’s” is a contraction of “it is”. People get confused because “it’s” has an ‘s after it, which normally means something is possessive. But in this case it’s usually a contraction. E.g.,
It’s a toy. (It is a toy) simply meaning reference to a grammatical person in this case, an object while The boy could hear its footsteps. “its” in the second example shows possession, an unknown object’s footsteps could be heard.
A simple trick I use to differentiate between both is by saying it in full. Will it be “…hear it is footsteps” or “…hear its footsteps”? Obviously, in this case it is “its”. That clarifies things.
4. “Who” and “Whom”
“Who” is used to refer to humans and stands as the subject of a sentence while “Whom” although it also refers to humans is the objective version, for someone who is receiving something. e.g.,
Who is she? ”Who” stands as the subject referring to a girl while To whom did you give the money to? ”Whom” indicates someone of unknown gender received an unspecified amount of money.
5. “Been” and “Being”
“Been” and “Being” are both past participle and present continuous forms of “Be” respectively, they are used interchangeably at times and tend to confuse people.
“Being” is to be used with “is”, ”was”, ”are”, ”were” and “am”. e.g He is being drilled in an online class. The action is going on in present time while “Been” is used with “has”, “had” and “have”. e.g.,
She has been to Lagos. This action shows an action in present time which has been completed, a present perfect tense.
If you’re still reading, it means you’ve made the right choice and are ready for success. As I assured you earlier you’ve discovered some common English errors. Learn more and have a better control of your spoken words so you can be nicknamed “Prof”. If you also want to skyrocket your grades in English Language, then this is definitely for you!!
Exclusive English with OMJ offers you full insights on all you need in English Language.
Due to the current problem that has befallen the world, online classes are the new schools.
These classes guarantee flexibility and convenience with the freedom to juggle activities without a fixed schedule, learning from the comforts of your bed. Reduced cost as the only expenses will be the cost of data.
Classes are available at anytime as they are on the internet, student time personalised attention as the instructor will go through comments to answer questions you have.
Each class promises to be fact and fun filled as it tackles various grammatical ills and covers a wide range of topics. The classes hit the nail straight on the head, tackling various errors.
Anchored by the guru himself, Ojelabi Joseph.
These classes are free!!!!!!!!!!!!
I assure that if you don’t get the results which you expect while partaking wholeheartedly in these classes, you can simply unsubscribe from our channel and unfollow us but if you enjoy our classes be sure to tell a friend.
What are you waiting for? Hurry now and grab this once in a lifetime offer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comments
Post a Comment