Everyday Errors In The Use Of English Language

We often make errors in our daily spoken and written English Language without knowing. Such errors are acceptable in our daily usage but in English proper, (Queens English), they are wrong.

In this article, we have various errors in different aspects of English Language.  They include:

1. Wrong to say: We had a fun. Rather say we had fun.
2. Wrong to say: the matter was put to test. Rather say the matter was put to the test. For instance, the phrase put to the test is used when we mean someone or something is forced into a difficult situation in order to discover what the limits of their qualities are.
3. Wrong to say: John raised a alarm over impending danger. Say John raised the alarm over impending danger.
4. Wrong to say: She is a mediocre. Say she is a mediocrity. The word mediocre is an adjective, meaning not very good. It can be used to qualify a noun. For instance, we can rightly say she is a mediocre writer.
5. Wrong to say: Otu has kidney infection. Rather say Otu has a kidney infection.
6. Wrong to say: He has ache in his stomach. Say he has an ache in his stomach or he has a stomachache.
7. Wrong to say: Efosa has head ache. Say Efosa has a headache. Also correct to say Efosa has caught a headache.
8. Wrong to say: My brother has cold. Say My brother has a cold.
9. Wrong to say: He has stomach ulcer. Say he has a stomach ulcer.
10. Wrong to say: He has been sick for about a year. Say he has been ill for about a year. Note: you are said to be sick if you vomit or feel as if this will happen or if you are temporarily indisposed. To be ill means suffering from disease or not feeling well.
11. Wrong to say: Ebi lives in self-contain flat. Say Ebi lives in self-contained flat.
12. Wrong to say: I and John are good friends. Say John and I are good friends. In polite usage, you do not address yourself first.
13. Wrong to say: It is for myself and Okoh to decide. Rather say it is for Okoh and myself to decide.
14. Wrong to say: She is living overs. Correct to say she is now living overseas or she is now abroad.
15. Wrong to say: She did not loss her wristwatch. Say she did not lose her wristwatch. Note loss is a noun. It is used when we talk about something lost. Lose is a verb meaning to suffer the loss o for to part with unintentionally.
16. Wrong to say: We have some stationary for use in this office. Say we have some stationery for used in this office. Note stationary is an adjectival word that means fixed, e.g. the car is stationary. Stationery is the collective word for writing materials, such as pen, pencil, book and others.
17. Wrong to say: Where are you going to? Say where are you going? Where refers to a place. It is repetitive or tautological to ask.
18. Wrong to say: The man who’s biro you used was here this morning. Say the man whose biro you used was here this morning. Note whose is the possessive of who whereas who’s is a contraction of who is or who has.
19. Wrong to say: She is suffering from heart disease. Say she is suffering from a heart disease.
20. Wrong to say: She has fibroid. Say she has a fibroid.

In summary, we strongly hope that the above corrections have been noted for our daily written and spoken English Language in our examinations and other social gatherings.