Thursday, November 6, 2014
For Filipinos, learning the English
language has not been a problem. The usage of English has been used as a medium
of instruction from kindergarten to university. The exposure in the said
language is very strong that speaking in English has become a part of our daily
conversations – formal or informal. However, just like any other native English
speaker, Filipinos still commit mistakes on certain usages and rules in the
English language. Let us discover the common English usage problems we normally
commit.
1. The articles A and An
When we were younger, we
were taught in school that “a” goes for words that start with a consonant
letter while “an” is for the vowels. However, why do we use “a” for “uniform”
and “an” for “umbrella”. This is because the rule should be stated as vowel or
consonant sounds. It should not be
based on the first letter of the word rather the first sound of its syllable.
2. Accept and Except
Accept is a verb which
means to receive while except is a preposition that means to leave out.
Example:
Regina accepted
all the gifts given by Charming except
the new house.
Except
him, everybody accepted the
manager’s apology.
3. Among and Between
Both are prepositions –
among is for three or more while between is for two things.
Example:
Among the
five children, Mary seems to be the most stubborn.
The spatula is placed between the mixing bowl and the measuring cups.
4. Beside and Besides
To say “in addition to,”
we use besides. To mean “close to,” besides is used.
Examples:
Besides my
background in computers, I am a very savvy writer.
Mother rested the plant beside the sofa.
5. Bring and Take
Bring means “to carry from
a distant place to a nearer one” while take means the opposite.
Examples:
Can you bring
those books over here? I want to read them.
Can you take
these books over there? Pile them up nicely.
6. Cannot help but
This is just a nonstandard
expression. To use this in the appropriate way, use “cannot help” plus a
gerund.
Example:
I cannot help but notice the misfortunes our family
has been experiencing.
I cannot help noticing the misfortunes we are
experiencing.
7. Clipped words
Clipped words are those
words which come from a longer word. Example, gym is from gymnasium, and photo
from photograph. Do not use them in formal writing.
Example:
I saw an old photograph of my grandmother in the
closet.
8. Continual and Continuous
Continual means “occurring
again and again in succession.” Continuous means “occurring without
interruption.”
Examples:
His continual
tardiness caused him his suspension.
His continuous
use of the product made his skin fairer.
9. Done
It is the past participle
of the verb do which means it needs
an auxiliary verb or helping verb in a sentence.
Examples:
They have done washing the dishes. It is time to get
some rest.
She has done a very bad thing. She must be punished.
10. Due to the fact that
This has become less
acceptable in writing and speaking. Use since or because instead.
Examples:
Due to the fact that/Because we were late, the teachers scolded us.
The team lost
due to the fact that/since one of
the players missed hitting the ball.
11. Farther and Further
To describe distance, farther is used. Further is used to say “additional.”
Examples:
We need to walk a little farther to reach the
waterfall.
She was promoted as senior manager. Further, she also
got a huge commission.
12. Fewer and Less
Fewer is used for countable nouns while less is for uncountable nouns.
Examples:
We got fewer requests for changes this semester.
The more we deal with the problem, the less trouble
we can get.
13. Hanged and Hung
Hanged is for execution while hung means suspended.
Examples:
In the olden times, witches were either hanged or
burned on a stake.
The lanterns are hung in the living room.
14. In and into
Some may think they mean
the same, but actually, they differ in meaning. Into suggests a movement while in
refers to a position.
Examples:
A rocking chair is in the room.
They saw some men walked into the room.
15. Learn and Teach
Learn means to acquire knowledge while teach means to share what you learned
or impart knowledge.
Examples:
Today, the students learned the rule of inertia.
Teachers teach not only academic subjects but also
moral values.
16. Mad
In formal usage, it means insane while informally, it means angry.
Examples:
She needs to be restrained because she was mad.
(formal)
She was so mad that she threw the book at me.
(informal)
17. Maybe and May be
Maybe is an adverb that means perhaps
while may be is a modal verb plus a
verb.
Example:
Maybe he will send the contract tomorrow morning.
She may be at the party since she is not in her room.
18. Only
To avoid confusion, place only before the word it modifies.
Examples:
She needs only red shirts for the parade.
Only I can ask you personal questions.
19. Precede and Proceed
Precede means “to go before” while the
latter means “to move forward.”
Examples:
The awarding of prizes preceded an intermission
number from the judges.
Please proceed to Window A after the transaction is
done.
20. Than and Then
Than is used to show
comparisons. Then is an adverb that refers to time.
Examples:
I love this couch than the one I sat on before.
Apply the toner first, and then let it stay for about
twenty minutes on your skin.
Common mistakes but avoidable. Be familiar
with the rules and use them appropriately the next time you speak or write an
essay.
