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Common Errors We Often Make When Speaking English - Education - Nairaland

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Common Errors We Often Make When Speaking English by kingIfey(m): 7:51pm On Mar 19, 2019
Let's get down to brass tacks people.

1. You don't write exams except you are the examiner. The person being examined, sits for an exam or takes an exam. It is wrong to say

'I wrote WASSCE in 2004' ❌
'I sat (for) waec in 2004' ✔
'I took WASSCE in 2004'✔

'sit for' is used in Britain while 'take' is used in the US. Sit in this context can be used transitively or intransitively. According to some websites, 'write an exam' is used in standard Singaporean English and sometimes by Canadians.

2. 'Where did you school'❌.
'I school at Uniport' ❌
To school (verb) means to educate, to teach.e.g of its usage.
a. I am being schooled on Facebook by a radio personality, King Ifey.✔
b. You will be properly schooled on the use of English at King Ifey Academy.✔
c. I just got a job to school people at Uniport. (you have become a lecturer).✔

When someone sayshe schools at a particular school. I feel like he is saying he teaches there.

I am schooling at Unizik❌
Where are you schooling ?❌

You can say.
I attend Uniport.✔
I study at Unizik. ✔
i am being schooled at Unilag.✔

In case you want to ask a question, please ask.
Which school do you attend? ✔
Where do you study?✔
Where are you being schooled?✔

NOTE: SCHOOLING as a noun mean 'school education'

I had my schooling at C.I.C, Enugu.✔
I'm saving for my child's schooling ✔

3. Severally doesn't mean several times. Severally mean 'singly or separately. E.g.

she washed my clothes severally(one after the other. )

4. Practically doesn't mean completely. It means 'almost'.
E.g. the food was practically finished when I came to join them. It means that something was still remaining on the plate.

5. You lay emphasis on something but you don't emphasise on something. Rather you emphasise something. When using the verb 'emphasise' you don't use the preposition 'on' with it because the veeb is transitive.

He emphasised on the need to come early ❌
He emphasised the need to come early✔

6. The adjective of the word ' plump' is still plump and not plumpy.

Plumpy man,
plumpy woman,
plumpy cheeks are all used in non-standard English.

Rather you say.
Plump man, ✔
plump woman, ✔
plump cheeks.✔

7. It is not correct to say

' the devil you know is better than the angel you don't know'.❌

The correct expression is

' better the devil you know than the devil you don't'.✔

8. 'You can't eat your cake and have it'�

this expression is not frequently used in contemporary English. The correct expression is

' you can't have your cake and eat it.✔

9. You don't say
send-forth party❌
or even
send-off party❌.
Rather, you say send-off.
Send-off is a party organised to wish someone farewell.

I will attend a send-off today.✔
We are organising a send-off for the graduates.✔

10. Decipher is not pronounced
'desifa'❌
rather you say
'disaifa' /dɪˈsʌɪfə/✔

Determine is not pronounced as

'deterMINE'❌
rather it is pronounced as
'deTERmin' /dɪˈtəːmɪn/ ✔

Please tell your village people to stop you from saying
/dɪtəː'maɪn/❌

11. It is uncommon to hear native speakers say
roasted corn,
roasted meat,
roasted chicken,
roasted yam.

Roasted is usually a verb. The adjective of the word 'roast ' is still 'roast'. So you say.
'roast corn, ✔
roast chicken, ✔
roast yam✔
roast meat.✔

12. You don't say people are corrupted. The correct adjective of 'corrupt' that is used for humans is 'corrupt'.

Some men are corrupt. Corrupt minds, corrupt judges, corrupt people, corrupt judge nation. Please, avoid using 'corrupted' as an adjective for humans.

13. Finally, talkative is an adjective not a noun.

She is a talkative ❌
You are a talkative❌

She is talkative✔
You are talkative ✔.

Thank you so much for reading this.

I am King Ifey and I love to see you prosper

Twitter
Re: Common Errors We Often Make When Speaking English by pointblank247(m): 8:15pm On Mar 19, 2019
Thanks a lot
May be you should also school us on one of the most frequently occurring errors of spoken English on nairaland. The use of double superlatives in a sentence eg "she is the most greediest person in the church"

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