Common Errors of Indian Users of English (Part 3)

As requested by many of you, here are a few more frequent mistakes :

She is my maternal/paternal aunty.

(She is my AUNTY.)

He is my maternal/paternal uncle.
(He is my UNCLE.)

Insert your shirt.
(TUCK IN your shirt.)

The nurse examined my pulse.
(The nurse FELT my pulse.)

Rain is coming.
(IT'S GOING TO RAIN.)

I am living here from/since six years.
(I HAVE BEEN living here FOR six years.)

I am practicing yoga from my childhood.
(I HAVE BEEN practicing yoga SINCE my childhood.)

She married last year.
(She GOT MARRIED last year.)

My wife delivered a healthy boy.
(My wife WAS DELIVERED OF a healthy boy.)

I'm sorry sir ji.
(I'm sorry SIR.)

I’m capable to do it.
(I’m capable OF DOING it.)

They worked hardly to pass the test.
(They worked HARD to pass the test.)

The driver, as well as four passengers, were injured.
(The driver, as well as four passengers, WAS injured.)

My younger brother is taller than me.
(My younger brother is taller than I.)

This task is more easy than the other one.
(This task is EASIER than the other one.)

The minister will reach today afternoon.
(The minister will reach THIS afternoon.)

I saw her in the park yesterday night.
(I saw her in the park LAST NIGHT.)

John caught five fishes.
(John caught five FISH.)

I have got headache.
(I have got A HEADACHE.)

She felt embarrassing.
(She felt EMBARRASSED.)

MOST COMMON ERRORS IN ENGLISH MADE BY INDIAN STUDENTS (Part 2)

Here are another twenty blunders in English that many non-native speakers often make:
Plese note that the sentences given in brackets are CORRECT)

He came back in India.
(He came back TO India.)

I'd like to study in abroad/overseas.
(I'd like to study abroad/overseas.)

He drives his bike so fast.
(He RIDES his bike so fast.)

I don't know to drive a car.)
(I don't know HOW TO drive a car.)

They entered into the hall.
(They entered the hall.)

I understood her the question.
(I MADE HER UNDERSTAND the question.)

He teches very well, isn't it?
(He teches very well, DOESN'T he?)

You are hiding something, isn't it?
(You are hiding something, AREN'T YOU?)

I would like to make a doctor.
(I would like to BE/BECOME a doctor.)

We had talked to him yesterday.
(We talked to him yesterday.)

We bought some furnitures.
(We bought some FURNITURE).

I cut my hair yesteday.
(I GOT MY HAIR CUT yesterday.)

If I am you, I will never do so.)
(If I WERE you, I WOULD never do so.)

I love listening music.
(I love LISTENING TO music.)

I missed my keys.
(I LOST my keys.)

Respected Sir, ................
(DEAR Sir, ................)

What's the time in your watch?
(What's the time BY your watch?)

Many foreign people visit my country.
(Many FOREIGNERS visit my country.)

Aamir Khan is my favourite hero.
(Aamir Khan is my favourite ACTOR/FILM STAR.)

My mom is a good cooker.
(My mom is a good COOK.)

Most Common English Errors of Indian students.......

Here's a list of some of the most common mistakes that many English speakers in India make. Of course the list is not complete. I will continue to add more in my oncoming blogs. If you remember some of such common blunders, please inform me through your comments as it may help a good number of Indian studnts who wish to hone their communication skills in English.

In each pair of the following sentences, the sentences given in brackets are the accepted standard English)

I like the peoples of my village.
(I like the PEOPLE of my village)

Their childrens are very naughty.
(Their CHILDREN are very naughty.)

She is my cousin-sister.
(She is my COUSIN.)

He is my cousin-brother.
(He is my COUSIN.)

What is your good name, please?
(What is your name, please?)

Mrs & Mr Khurana
(MR &MRS Khurana.)

My brother is reading in fourth class.
(My brother is STUDYING in fourth class.)
(My brother is in fourth class.)

I got many informations about....
(I got a lot of INFORMATION about....)

There are different types of equipments here.
(There are different types of EQUIPMENT here)

I want to buy a pant/pent.
(I want to buy A PAIR OF PANTS.)

It cost me only one rupees.
(It cost me only one RUPEE.)

200 kilometres are a ling distance.
(200 kilometres IS a long distance.)

Parents should aware their children about......
(Parents should MAKE THEIR CHILDREN AWARE ABOUT.....)

Anyways, hope to see you again.
(ANYWAY, hope to see you again.)

He oftenly comes here.
(He OFTEN comes here.)

My Mrs is not well today.
(My WIFE is not well today.)

I used to do exercise daily.
(I used to TAKE exercise daily.)

I am completely agree with you.
(I completely agree with you.)

He is belong to Delhi.
(He BELONGS to Delhi.)

Jack is one of my best friend.
(Jack is one of my best FRIENDS.)

PANGRAMS

PANGRAMS are the sentences which contain all the letters of the alphabet. Constructing a precise but interesting Pangram is really a challenging task. The most popular pangram in English is

'A QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER THE LAZY DOG'.

This pangram is also used in other ways:
'THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER A LAZY DOG' and
'A QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPED OVER THE LAZY DOGS'

As far as I know, there are no easy-to-remember meaningful 26 letter pangrams in English, although there are a few which are made up by using proper nouns, acronyms, initials and strange punctuation.
For example:  "Glum Schwartzkopf vex'd by NJ IQC".

Pangrams are mostly used by the learners of typewriting in order to get themselves familiar with all the letters, thereby speeding up their typing skills. They are also liked by those who are interested in recreational English.

Here are a few more interesting Pangrams:

The five boxing wizards jump quickly. (31 letters)

Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs. (32 letters)

Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes. (40 letters)

Sixty zippers were quickly picked from the woven jute bag. (48 letters)

Whenever the black fox jumped the squirrel gazed suspiciously. (53 letters)


A quart jar of oil mixed with zinc oxide makes a very bright paint. (53 letters)

The job requires extra pluck and zeal from every young wage earner. (54 letters)

''IF I WILL.......'' or ''IF I..............''

Normally, it is ungrammatical to use the following sentences:

I will phone you IF I WILL have time.

You will find Coca-Cola WHEREVER YOU WILL go.

IF YOU WILL call me, I will attend the party.

IF THEY WILL go abroad, they will help me a lot.

These type of sentences are so common among many speakers of English in India due to the strong influence of mother tongues like Hindi, but they are not used by native English speakers. Rather, they use the follwing substitutes:

I will phone you IF I have time.

You will find Coca-Cola WHEREVER YOU go.

IF YOU call me, I will attend the party.

IF THEY go abroad, they will help me a lot.

The rule is that a present tense goes with IF (and most other conjuntions) to refer to the future.

However there are certain situations where we may use IF......WILL.
E.g.,

1. I will give you $ 100 IF IT WILL help you to get good medicine. (meaning IF IT WILL BE THE LATER RESULT)
2. We will go home IF IT WILL make you feel better. (meaning IF IT WILL BE THE LATER RESULT)

Compare these sentences with the following ones:

1. I will give you $ 100 IF I win the lottery. (this 'IF' stands for a condition, not a later result)
2. We will go home IF we get a car. (this 'IF' stands for a condition, not a later result)

How to use WOULD HAVE/COULD HAVE?

WOULD HAVE / COULD HAVE is used to talk about an unreal past condition or an unfulfilled action in the past.
If we had known that you were there, we would have written you a letter.
(We didn't know that you were there) (We didn't write a letter)

The previous sentence or any such sentences can also be written as:
We would have written you a letter if we had known that you were there.
But do remember that there is no comma after the main clause in this style of construction.

If she had found the right buyer, she would have sold the house .
(She didn't find the right buyer)           (She didn't sell the house)

If we had known that it would rain, we would have taken an umbrella with us.
(We didn't know that it would rain)          (We didn't take an umbrella with us)

If the police had arrived in time, they could have caught the kidnapper.
(The police didn't arrive in time)          (They couldn't/didn't catch the kidnapper)


If the firemen hadn't arrived, the house could have been destroyed completely.
(The fireman arrived)                 (The house was not destroyed completely)

In short, IF THE STATEMENT IS POSITIVE, THE MEANING WILL BE NEGATIVE, and VICE VERSA.
It's also possible to indicate a past unreal condition without using the word 'if'. In this case, the auxialiary 'had' is placed before rather than after, the subject. This clause will usually come first in the sentence.

E.g., Had we known that you were there, we would have written you a letter.

More examples:
If you had invited me, I would have attended the party.
If Indian team had decided to bat first, it/they would/could have won the match.
If he had taken care, he wouldn't have caught cold. (He didn't take care. He caught cold)
If Pooja hadn't talked much in the class, she could have got 8.0 bands in IELTS. (She talked much. She didn't get 8.0 bands)
If it hadn't snowed, we would/could have left yesterday.
If Tom had done his B.A, he could have got the promotion.
If you had told me, I would have bought your laptop.

CANNOT or CAN NOT? Which is correct?

CANNOT or CAN NOT?

Although both these words are correct and used all over the world, CANNOT is more widely used in standard (formal) written English, and, no doubt, the majority of the renowned writers prefer to use it.
The form CAN NOT is, however, widely used in informal written English.

But there are certain situations in which CAN NOT must be preferred. For example:

"Jane CAN NOT only sing, but also dance".

In this sentence, using CANNOT may cause a little confusion.
Likewise, if you want to say/write something emphatically, use CAN NOT even in formal context as in:

"You CAN NOT enter the class tomorrow without your notebook".

A final word: if you are so confused about using the right form of the word, then use "CAN'T". No doubt the orthodox purists of the language may frown upon it, arguing that it is the colloquial contraction. But, definitely though slowly, CAN'T is getting popularity in the world of both formal as well as written English.

Please leave your valuable cemments & give feed back if you think my blog is of a little help to you....

Good Night
Binu Jacob (Nova English Campus, Amritsar)