Common Errors in English -Rules and Examples

This PPT is about Common Errors in English

1. COMMON ERRORS IN
ENGLISH
P. Sakthivel,
Assistant Professor of
English,
Government College of
Engineering,
Salem –636011.

2. Rule: 1
Subjects and verbs must agree with one
another in number.Thus, if a subject is
singular, its verb must also be singular; if a
subject is plural, its verb must also be plural.
Examples:
Rajueatsan apple.
The boyseatapples.
He hascome recently.
They havecome recently

3. Rule: 2
The verb agrees with the true subject
and not with any other part of a sentence.
Examples:
Studying computer languages is difficult.
The man who owns many houses is my friend.
The quality of the candies ispoor.
Oneof the books hasbeen missing.

4. Rule: 3
If the subject is connected ‘either’…..
‘or’, ‘neither’…. ‘nor’, the verb agrees with
the nearby subject.
Examples:
Neither I nor he were there. (incorrect)
Neither I nor he wasthere. (correct)
Either you or I are at work. (incorrect)
Either you or I amat work. (correct)

5. Rule: 4
Singular indefinite pronoun subjects like
‘each, either, neither, no one, nobody,
nothing, anyone, someone, everyone,
everybody’ take singular verbs.
Examples:
Everything isalright now.
Everybody likeslistening to music.
Either of my friends isgood.
Neither of his parents iseducated.

6. Rule: 5
Plural indefinite pronoun subjects like
‘several, few, both, many’ take plural verbs.
Examples:
Both doa great deal of work around the office.
Many students arein the class.
A few books areavailable in our library.
Several scholars haveassembled at the conference.

7. Rule: 6
Some nouns like ‘scenery, advice,
information, machinery, stationery,
equipment, furniture, news, poetry, business,
economics, physics, ethics, athletics’ always
take a singular verb.
Examples:
The scenariesof Kashmir are enchanting. (incorrect)
The scenery of Kashmir isenchanting. (correct)
He has given advices. (incorrect)
He has given advice. (correct)

8. Rule: 7
Some nouns are singular in form, but
they are used as plural nouns and always take
plural verbs. (e.g.) cattle, gentry, peasantry,
people, clergy, police.
Examples:
The cattle is grazing in the ground. (incorrect)
The cattle aregrazing in the ground. (correct)
The clergy is in the church. (incorrect)
The clergy arein the church. (correct)

9. Rule: 8
Collective nouns such as ‘jury, public,
team, committee, government, audience,
company’ are used both as singular and plural
subjects depending on the meaning.
Examples:
Thecommitteewasformed in 2012. (correct)
Thecommitteewerehaving sandwiches for lunch.
(correct)
The Tamil Nadugovernmenthasannounced pay hike for
its employees. (correct)
Thegovernmentaredoing a good job. (correct)

10. Rule: 9
Words like ‘superior, inferior, senior,
junior, prior and prefer’ always take ‘to’ not
‘than’.
Examples:
I prefer apples than mangoes (incorrect)
I prefer apples to Mangoes. (correct)
Shelley is junior than Wordsworth. (incorrect)
Shelley is junior to Wordsworth. (correct)
Iprefercoffee than tea. (incorrect)
Iprefercoffee totea. (correct)

11. Rule: 10
When ‘as well as’, ‘along with’, ‘together
with’, ‘no less than’, ‘in addition to’ ‘with’ are
used as connectives of two subject, the first
subject should be considered for fixing the verb.
Examples:
Ram, as well as his ten friends, are going to Delhi.
(incorrect)
Ram, as well as his ten friends, isgoing to Delhi. (correct)
The teacher, along with the students were going to the
ground. (incorrect)
The teacher, along with the students wasgoing to the
ground. (correct)

12. Thank You