Module 7 : COMMON ERRORS

IN ENGLISH

Prof. Helen
DEPATRMENT OF COMMUNICATION Bodunde
AND GENERAL STUDIES

1
 Common Errors in English
COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE
An error is a noticeable deviation from the grammar from of a language reflecting the
competence of the speaker
It is an unintended deviation from the rules of a language variety
• due to non internalisation of the language yet
• incomplete of knowledge of the rules

A mistake is a performance error that is a random guess

It is a failure to utilise a known system correctly
It is an accidental or deviation from the rules of a language variety
• due to carelessness
• Lack of attention
It is a goof because the user knows it is wrong but the wrong word slips out.
Both can be reduced or avoided through careful and conscious effort.
 Common Errors in English Contd.

Correct the following L1 prompted structures:

• God is seeing you.
• I’m hearing it for the first time.
• Give it to me now now.
• I and Fola did the work quick quick.
• James wasn’t opportuned to buy the books.
• He seniors me by two years.
• Less the price for me, it’s too expensive.
• This case would not have happened if their parents were not hating each other.
• Literature also broders our knowledge.
• Beggars strike is a knitted plot.
• The H.O.D. is not on seat.
• I came to your .
 Common Errors in English Contd.

Possible sources of errors

• Literal translation or transfer of language patterns and ideas from one’s first language (L1) to the target language
(English). For example:
They are calling you. (When the subject is an elderly person.)
The correct pronoun form for the third person singular in English is he/she/it no matter the age of the subject.
• The use of long, complex sentences.
The Capulet which was the father of Juliet had promise
Paris to get marry to her daughter which makes Juliet to
seek for counsel at Frair Lawrence cell which gave her a
sleeping portion.
The mistakes that could have been avoided if shorter sentences were used.
• Writing as one speaks, this may lead to a wrong or poor style, as written work is usually formal while speech is
informal.
• (iv) Wrong use of a word for another, e.g. avoid for afford.
 Common Errors in English Contd.

Common Types of Errors

Concord Errors
• Subject and verb disagreement, especially singular and plural, with the incorrect verb form.
The news were interesting.
They was speaking to you.
The rotation of the wheels were fascinating.
The man with his dog were walking down the road when
the clouds gathered.
The man and his dog was walking down the road when
the clouds gathered.
• Shift in person i.e. omission of s at the end of the 3rd person singular present simple
tense(stem+s)
She come late to the Use of English class every day.
 Common Errors in English Contd.

• Shift in number i.e. wrong use of these + singular noun, this + plural noun, e.g.
This girls can do anything to make money.
• Misuse of the possessive form.
That is Alake of Egbaland’s palace.
the yam’s skin first.
Other Errors:
• Wrong use of uncountable nouns.
Waters are in short supply in the city.
When the educateds are around, it is better to keep quiet.
• Omission of the impersonal it or there as a subject.
is a fact that unprotected casual sex is a major cause of the
spread of AIDS. (It is a fact…)
 Common Errors in English Contd.

• Wrong comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs.

The price of yam is lesser here in Nigeria.
Ade is the most tallest boy in class.
Funmi bought the best of the two bags.
• Incorrect use of some:
prepositions (in, on, at, for…), e.g.
On the long run, he lost his job and went in exile.
articles(a/an/the), e.g.
His arrogance did a great harm to his political interest
relative pronouns (who/which), e.g.
The man which owns this car should kindly remove it from here.
possessive adjectives (his/her/their), e.g.
This my car is fast.
• Inappropriate choice of words
Before I proceed my story…
Common Errors in English Contd.
Spelling mistakes
It is not adviseable to cheat in examinations.
• The following sentences by respondents and correspondents on radio and television
contain some errors. Identify and correct these errors.
• 1. These are people who does not have anything to offer.
• 2. We lack of everything we need.
• 3. I want to revival the economy.
• 4. There will be no suffer again.
• 5. Look you…
• 6. It is only in Nigeria that woman and young people suffered.
• 7. Tribalism are those that have been there for 40 years.
• 8. I want to go abroad to dance.
• 9. Who deploy you here?
• 10. We need sharismatic (as pronounced) leaders.
Common Errors in English Contd.

Homophones and Near homophones

A homophone is a word:
• that is pronounced like another but different in meaning, spelling or origin.
e.g. new and knew.
• Some words are not really the same pronunciation.
• However, due to interference features from the first language (L1 or source language) to the
second language (L2 or target language), some similarities occur.
• If you sell drug, you may end up in a prison cell.
• You need to hear him when he gets here
• She has come air around here because of her long hair.
• The court clerk found the cat in a cot.
• As she climbed the hill, she injured a heel and also fell ill.
• “Shut the door!’’ the short man with blood-shot eyes yelled.
 Common Errors in English Contd.

Malapropism
• Malapropism is
• Wrong use of a word, especially in mistake for one resembling it
• often intentionally used for humorous effect.
borders (bothers)
board bored
The error occurs because the two words are somewhat similar in sound but different in meaning
Malapropism may
• occur both in speech and writing.
• arise, not from the speaker but from the listener, who mistakes a word for another.
Common Errors in English Contd.
• Examples are:
right for write tail for tale
new for knew but for bought
living for leaving safe for save
see for sea read for rid
course for curse faith(ful) for fate(ful)
result for resort disease (d) for desease (d)
cease (d)for seize (d) satisfy for certify
Beneficial for beneficent successfully for successively
write for wright (playwrite for playwright)
 Common Errors in English Contd.

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word in the bracket

• There is a __________ (stationary, stationery) store nearby.
• Professor Gbemileke is surprisingly very _________ (social, sociable)
• I can’t put up with his _________ (childlike, childish) behaviour.
• Mr. J.J. Johnson studied at the University of Ibadan and holds an ___________(hononary,
honourable) degree of law.
• Is it a __________ (through, thorough) job?
• I’ll ___________ (bare, bear) my mind on the matter later.
• The ___________ (dairy, diary) has enough milk for everyone.
• ___________ (Dying, Dyeing) is a painful experience.
• Shakespeare was a ____________ (genius, genus).
• He is an ____________ (imminent, eminent) personality.
• Mrs. Ojo is rather ___________ (official, officious).
 Common Errors in English Contd.

• Other Obvious Phonological Errors

Word Guide to Pronunciation

1. elite pronounced like ‘ay- leet’ not ‘ee-light’

2. plumber Silent ‘b’, pronounced as ‘plummer’

3. circuit pronounced as ‘cirkit’

4. architect pronounced as ‘akitect’

5. debt Silent ‘b’, pronounced as ‘det’

6. gear pronounced ‘g’ like in ‘get’

7. legal pronounced like ‘lee-gul’ not ‘leg-gal’

8. listen, fasten Silent ‘t’, pronounced as ‘lissen’, ‘fassen’

9. shepherd pronounced as ‘shepherd’ not ‘shefered’

10. Wednesday pronounced as ‘wensday’ not ‘wed-nes-day’

Common Errors in English Contd.
Pronounce the following words correctly, noting the sounds:
Vowel sounds:

Some Monophthongs Some Diphthongs

1. fetus mate

2. pretty way

3. village age

4. business oil

5. leopard soil

6. country buoy

7. cut says

8. burn mere

9. earth hair

10. sister dare

11. doctor dairy

12. nurse diary

 Common Errors Contd.

Word Classes
Noun Verb Noun Adjective

1.
licence license logic logical
2.
advice advise Statistic s statistical
3.
practice practise Mathematics mathematical
4.
device devise Economics economical
5.
envelope envelop Politics political
6.
belief believe
7.
proof prove
8.
seat sit
9.
loss lose
10.
sale sell
11.
effect affect
12.
choice choose
 Common Errors in English Contd.

Synonyms
• Some words are confused for others as a result of similarity in meaning. The choice of synonyms often depends
on usage or context as much as on meaning.
• lend ( to give something to another person) borrow ( to take something from another person)
• Lazy (unwilling to do work) idle (empty)
• Sound (what we hear) noise(unwanted sound)
• Stop ( come to an end, cease to happen) prevent (keeping from happening
• Force ( strength or energy of mind/body violence (action that causes destruction, pain)
• Take (to get into ones hand) seize (to deliberately take possession by force/law
Common Errors in English Contd.
Certain words have unusual singular or plural forms.
Singular Plural
• Information Information
• Staff Staff
• Datum Data
• Offspring Offsprings
• Hypothesis Hypotheses
• Radius Radia
• Slang Slangs
• Analysis Analyses
• News News
 Common Errors in English Contd.

• Other words with confusing singular and plural

Sometimes( one word)- occassionally
Some time(two words)- over quite a long time
All ready (two words) –get set
Already(one word)- by now, previously, before now
All right(two words)-
Alright(one word)- okay
Altogether(one word)- totally, on the whole
Ante(prefix)- before (ante-natal, ante-room)
Anti(prefix)-against(anti-social, anti-retroviral)
 Common Errors in English Contd.

Tautologies
• Tautology is the repetition of a word in a different way without adding a new meaning to it. Some of these are
treated below
• in actual fact – All facts are actual, therefore there is no need to refer to any particular one as factual
• reverse back, return back – Back renders tautological all expressions which have verbs containing the notion of
back within them.
This is usually in the prefix re as in reverse and return
• assemble together, combine together, connect together as in
The people assemble together (wrong)
* The people assembled (correct)
* The people came together (correct)
The notion of togetherness is contained in assemble, combined and connect. Thus, together adds nothing to
their meanings.
• Close proximity as in:
The students are reading hard because of the close proximity of exams
Mutual cooperation is tautological because the notion mutuality is contained in cooperation
Common Errors in English Contd.
• Consensus means agreement of opinion or evidence.
Thus the common expression, “consensus of opinions is both tautological and
nonsensical as it means “the agreement of opinion of opinions.
• It is tautological to talk about the “ultimate end of man, as all ends are, by
definition, ultimate.
• The use of new in “a new innovation is redundant because innovation means
something new, the introduction of novelty
• Other examples are:
protrude out past history” renew again
6a.m in the morning 5p.m in the evening should in case
not only Nigeria alone presently now so therefore
like for example finally and in conclusion
 Common Errors in English Contd.
Colloquialism, Slang, Cliché and Idiom
Colloquialism is:
• the body of language between Standard English and slang

Slang is :
• a highly colloquial language.
• below the level of standard educated speech and writing.
Some examples are chill out, old school, chassis and toast. If slang must be used for some reason in formal
writing, it must be put be in quotation marks. It is, however, appropriate in informal writing and speech.

Cliché is an over-used expression.

Examples are:
to all intents and purpose the pure and simple truth last but not least
in the twinkling of an eye when all is said and done done slowly but surely
• Colloquialism, Slang, Cliché and Idiom are not errors but are inappropriate for formal
 Common Errors in English Contd.

Idiom is a group of words which

• when used together in a particular combination, have a different meaning from the one they would have if
you took the meaning of all the individual words in the group.
• are resistant to syntactic rules.
• cannot be changed into passive or negative forms.
For example:
The bucket was kicked by little Temi (passive)
Little Temi did not kick the bucket (negative)
Similarly, many idioms have fixed regular singular or plural forms. Therefore, we cannot say
When we heard the blasts, we ran for our dear lives
but When we heard the blasts, we ran for dear life
He is determined to win the election at all cost
but He is determined to win the election at all costs
 Common Errors in English Contd.

Mis-spelling Errors:
• Omission of (a) letter (s) of a word-
Comittee( Committee) acknowlege (acknowledge) ommission (omission)
accomodation( accommodation) enviroment (environment)

• Addition of (a) wrong letter (s) to a word

priviledge(privilege) auxilliary( auxiliary ) noteable (notable)

• Wrong placement of (a) letter (s)

Recieve (receive) deciet( deceit ) strenght ( strength) greif (grief)

• Replacement of (a) letter (s) by another (others)

Mercyful(merciful) maintainance (maintenance)
Seperation (separation ) sustainance (sustenance)
Common Errors in English Contd.
British/American spelling

• British American
• Traveller traveler
• Cheque check
• Programme program
• Honour honor
• Centre center
• Metre meter
Stick to the British system of spelling
 Common Errors in English Contd.

Attempt the tasks below.

• Correct the following sentences:
• 1. Raise up your hands everyone!
• 2. Explain the reason why I should give you the money
• 3. Please kindly give me
• 4. Let him write it down in black and white
• 5. They perhaps may be travelling
• Correct the punctuation errors in the following sentences
• 1. I met Bukola Lola Grace and Agnes at the party
• 2. Did you say, “you love me”
• 3. My name is “Oduniyi Odulaja”
• 4. Your’s sincerely Ade Ajanlekoko
• 5. “Am travelling this night”
• 6. The male cat loves its female counterpart
• 7. I like rice: its tasty
• 8. Alas alas the die is cast