common errors in english.pdf

Common Errors in English by Paul Brians

brians@wsu.edu

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/

(Brownie points to anyone who catches inconsistencies between the main site and this

version.)

Note that italics are deliberately omitted on this page.

What is an error in English?

The concept of language errors is a fuzzy one. I'll leave to linguists the technical definitions.

Here we're concerned only with deviations from the standard use of English as judged by

sophisticated users such as professional writers, editors, teachers, and literate executives and

personnel officers. The aim of this site is to help you avoid low grades, lost employment

opportunities, lost business, and titters of amusement at the way you write or speak.

But isn't one person's mistake another's standard usage?

Often enough, but if your standard usage causes other people to consider you stupid or

ignorant, you may want to consider changing it. You have the right to express yourself in any

manner you please, but if you wish to communicate effectively you should use nonstandard

English only when you intend to, rather than fall into it because you don't know any better.

I'm learning English as a second language. Will this site help me improve my English?

Very likely, though it's really aimed at the most common errors of native speakers. The errors

others make in English differ according to the characteristics of their first languages. Speakers

of other languages tend to make some specific errors that are uncommon among native

speakers, so you may also want to consult sites dealing specifically with English as a second

language (see http://www.cln.org/subjects/esl_cur.html and

http://esl.about.com/education/adulted/esl/). There is also a Help Desk for ESL students at

Washington State University at http://www.wsu.edu/~gordonl/ESL/. An outstanding book you

may want to order is Ann Raimes' Keys for Writers. This is not a question-and-answer site for

ESL.

Aren't some of these points awfully picky?

This is a relative matter. One person's gaffe is another's peccadillo. Some common

complaints about usage strike me as too persnickety, but I'm just covering mistakes in

English that happen to bother me. Feel free to create your own page listing your own pet

peeves, but I welcome suggestions for additions to these pages.

What gives you the right to say what an error in English is?

I could take the easy way out and say I'm a professor of English and do this sort of thing for a

living. True, but my Ph.D. is in comparative literature, not composition or linguistics, and I

teach courses in the history of ideas rather than language as such. But I admire good writing

and try to encourage it in my students.

Why do you discuss mainly American usage?

Because I'm an American, my students are mostly American, most English-speaking Web

users are Americans, and American English is quickly becoming an international standard. I

am slowly reworking the site to take note of American deviations from standard British

practice. However, the job is complicated by the fact that Canadians, Australians, and many

others often follow patterns somewhere between the two. If the standard usage where you

are differs from what is described here, tell me about it; and if I think it's important to do so,

I'll note that fact. Meanwhile, just assume that this site is primarily about American English.

Isn't it oppressive of immigrants and subjugated minorities to insist on the use of standard

English?

Language standards can certainly be used for oppressive purposes, but most speakers and

writers of all races and classes want to use language in a way that will impress others. The

fact is that the world is full of teachers, employers, and other authorities who may penalize

you for your nonstandard use of the English language. Feel free to denounce these people if

you wish; but if you need their good opinion to get ahead, you'd be wise to learn standard

English. Note that I often suggest differing usages as appropriate depending on the setting:

spoken vs. written, informal vs. formal; slang is often highly appropriate. In fact, most of the

errors discussed on this site are common in the writing of privileged middle-class Americans,

and some are characteristic of people with advanced degrees and considerable intellectual

attainments. However you come down on this issue, note that the great advantage of an

open Web-based educational site like this is that it's voluntary: take what you want and

leave the rest. It's interesting that I have received hundreds of messages from non-native

speakers thanking me for these pages and none from such people complaining that my page

discriminate against them.

But you made a mistake yourself!

We all do, from time to time. Drop me a line if you think you've found an error in my own

writing. If I think you're right, I'll correct it; but be prepared to be disagreed with. If you write

me, please don't call me "Brian." My given name is Paul.

For instructions on how to write me, see the bottom of this page.

This resource is copyrighted by Paul Brians. Permission is granted to reprint or photocopy it

in its entirety or in part for all nonprofit, educational purposes provided that the author is

cited and the URL of this page is included. As a courtesy, please notify the author if you

copy or link to this material. Because the content changes frequently, and I need to maintain

control over the site, requests to create Web mirrors of the site are usually declined.

Recommended in "Yahoo Internet Life Magazine," July, 1997, pp. 82-83 and cited as a

Yahoo "Site of the Week." It has also been recommended in the pages of "The Weekend

Australian," "The Bangkok Post," the "Los Angeles Times," the "Seattle Times," the

"Indianapolis Star-Tribune," the "Halifax Chronicle-Herald," Ziff-Davis' "Inside the Internet"

newsletter, "Netsurfer Digest," and "The Web" magazine.

Common Errors

360 DEGREES/180 DEGREES

When you turn 360 degrees you've completed a circle and are back where you started. So if

you want to describe a position that's diametrically opposed to another, the expression you

want is not "360 degrees away" but "180 degrees away."

A/AN

If the word following begins with a vowel, the word you want is "an": "Have an apple,

Adam." If the word following begins with a consonant, but begins with a vowel sound, you

still need "an": "An X-ray will show whether there's a worm in it." It is nonstandard and often

considered sloppy speech to utter an "uh" sound in such cases.

When the following word definitely begins with a consonant sound, you need "a": "A snake

told me apples enhance mental abilities."

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