OXFORDVol THE ENGLISH ERRORS OF INDIAN STUDENTS T.L.H. SMITH-PEARSE, L.E.S. Formerly Principal, Rajkumar College, Raipur FIFTH EDITION OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESSINTRODUCTION TO SECOND EDITION The object of this small book is to collect the common mistakes of idiom, vocabulary and 3] which Indian boys make and to obliterate them by exposure. I presume that before really set about mastering the contents, they will have been learning English for two or three years and my opinion is that every secondary schoolboy ought to be able to rid his English of the mistakes recorded herein at least a year before he takes his Matriculation or similar examination. I think most teachers of English in India must have grudged the amount of time that they have to devote in top classes to the eradication of certain constantly recurring mistakes, and that their pupils have to (or ought to) devote to their correction. They feel, I think, that it could be much better devoted to obtaining a greater command of the , a wider vocabulary for instance. But there is, as it were, a jungle to be cleared before such cultivation can begin; at present the jungle grows up again as fast as it is cut down and it is easy to find plenty of university students with such growth in their language. This book, if it serves its purpose, will clear this jungle faster and more permanently. The recommended method of use of this book is this. Part I which contains the common errors and the words commonly confused should be given to normal boys of twelve or thirteen to learn and they should be told that they will have at least eight tests of their knowledge oft in the next four years, and that certain unpleasant consequences will follow their failure to pass with, say, 60 per cent of marks the first year and with 90 per cent the fourth, The condition of repeated tests is fundamental. Thad better mention two points about Part I. Not all common mistakes are there. ‘Some are omitted because they are presumed to have been tackled in the elementary classes, for instance that nasty third person singular of present tenses, and the orderwv INTRODUCTION of words in questions and with negatives; some because they seemed not common enough; some because too many its would have been as bad as too few; others because I have forgotten or missed them. Nevertheless, the warning holds that too many would be just as bad as too few. , some of these errors are fairly easy to eradicate and others very hard. For instance, to teach a boy to say a pair of ‘shorts’, instead of ‘half pants’, 1s plain sailing and he probably will stop saying ‘half pants’ long before his eighth test. It may seem as easy to teach a boy not to say ‘though he is fat but he runs fast but it isn't; and when the teacher is faced with mistakes like'l amill since sixmonths', and those arising from, misuse of ‘the’ and ‘a’ he has a hard nut to crack, Therefore I advise teachers using Part! to divide its mistakes into two those easy and those hard to eradicate.The former the boy, Binet lenta fet binnsell an they need no time in ae fe later meetib frequently in class, my illustrative sentences being only a few of many Tetmpecas the it and obliterate the wrong idioms. The correct use "Dthe and ‘a’ needs this 5] ‘treatment most, and of indirect speech nearly as much. [had thought of the sentences containing the most chronic errors, but came to the conclusion that it would be better to let each teacher decide these for himself. What Mr Ryburn calls ‘the substitution method’ ! would help very much with the most chronic errors. Part II consists of roughly 1,000 words in fairly common use, as commonly misspelt. A boy should have learnt not merely the spelling, but the meaning and the use ot these in his own sentences by the time he has passed through five English classes. I do not advise trying to make him master more than about two hundred a year. I prefer to have several tests of his particalar 200 in the year, and of course thorough revision of all hundreds learnt in previous years. In the elementary groups I have tried to group 1 W.M.Rybum, The Teaching of English, 8th ed., 1961. pp. 24-38.INTRODUCTION v together words of rather similar pronunciation, whose spelling differs. A few words appear in more than one lst as they are very often misspelt. One way of presenting sts to classes is to print the words in a list, one under the other, on along narrow roll of paper and to attach the two ends to two rollers fixed in the classroom sui far to allow ten words to be visible at a time. The class sees these for three days in jods and can use them in sentences in any English period. Then a roller is till another ten appear. It is also a good plan to allow a boy to draw a pencil line through each word in the lst which he is learning that he is found able to spell correctly, provided of course that this line is rubbed out if later on he is found to have forgotten the correct So a competition can be held in each class to discover the with the smallest number of words. There are bound to be several words not in my lists, which a boy nevertheless uses and misspells. It is suggested that all these words also should be written in ink by the boy on the appropriate pages of his copy of this book at the time of . There isample space between the columns for this writing. These words have also to be learnt and erased in pencil when they have been. If this suggestion 1s followed, each boy will learn each year to spell some 200 words which the whole class ought to be able to, and another list peculiar to himself the length of which will be in inverse proportion to his cy as a speller. This suggestion can also be used with advantage to supplement lists in Part IIT. Part III is for the teachers of subjects other than English when it is the medium of instruction. The lists are of technical and semi-technical words commonly used and misspelt, which these teachers can easily get spelt correctly if they devote a little time to them in the way advocated for the words in Part Il. These specialist teachers ought to regard it as their work, and not that of the English teacher, to teach the s and“ INTRODUCTION use of words unlikely to be met in an English lesson but common in their own eubjects. Part IV is a new addition. It contains the simplest possible explanation of certain ities commonly experienced by Indians learning English. I have regarded it as more important to give easily understood than exhaustive advice upon these difficul- ties. Thereby I have laid myself open to the criticism that there are objections to some of ‘myrules' in Part IV. My defence is that High School boys cannot be expected to attain such accuracy that no trick of idiom or usage can trip them up. If'my rules’ guide them correctly 75 times out of a 100, they are worthy of their study. Were they more accurate they would be more complicated; ‘were they more complicated they would be harder to remember. I feel that it is advisable to repeat myself in conclusion. I find that I usually can in a few minutes teach a class not to make a certain English grammatical mistake. The class may be able to use the correct form the next day; it may be able to remember the correct form next week; but it will not use the correct form very long if leave it at that. especially if the English idiom differs from that in the mother tongue. No habit will have been formed, and it is habit that must be created. Habits are formed only by recurring practice. As soon as a boy has learnt any Part of this book he should start to learn it again. T owe a great debt to Mr F.K. Clark, M.A., E.S., not only because he has kindly fead over the MS,, and made many very’ useful suggestions, but because hile own let Common Errors (Saraswati Press, Nagpur) fist made me think that a larger on the lines of his might be still more useful. T.LH.S.-P. PUBLISHER'S NOTE ON THE FIFTH EDITION Although this edition bears the tlle. ‘The English Errors of Indian Students’ its a reprint of fourth edition of ‘English Errors in Indian Schools’ with a few minor changes. }CONTENTS PARTI: COMMON MISTAKES (1) witt Nouns AND NOUN-PHRASES 1 (6) wrrt consuncTions 22 (2) wrt pronouns 4 (7) wrnt PREPosmmions 25 (3) wrt abvectves 6 (8) miscELLANEOUS 29 (4) wrt verss 12 (9) Two worDs oR ONE ? 31 (6) wrt apverss 20 (10) worps commonty conruseD 31 PART Il : SPELLING (1) some USEFUL SPELLING RULES 39 (2) worps commonty masspext 46 PART I: LIST OF WORDS DIFFICULT TO SPELL ARRANGED ACCORDING TO SUBJECT (1) worps usED IN MATHEMATICS 57 (4) worps useD im GeocrapHy 60 (2) worps USED IN NATURE STUDY «58 (5) worps useD IN tmstory 61 (3) WoRDs USED IN SCIENCE 58 PARTIV: SC DIFFICULTIES. (5) Use oF 'WILL' AND ‘SHALL’, (2) momect sPEECH $s "WOULD' AND 'SHOULD" 72 (3) THE USE OF THE PAST PERFECT (6) RELATIVE PRONOUNS AS: TENSE (PLUPERFECT) 70 (CONJUNCTIONS. 72 (4) masuse oF 'wiLL', ‘SHALL’, (7) THe Use oF caprral LeTTERS 75 "WOULD' AND ‘SHOULD’ 71 yy (1) How To USE COMMASNO akene 10 li 12 Part I : COMMON MISTAKES (1). WITH NOUNS AND NOUN-PHRASES: INCORRECT ‘The sceneries here are not good. Uhave lost my furnitures. We have received no informations. He told these news to his mother. I packed my luggages. ‘There are no breads in this shop. Please excuse the troubles. He took troubles to do his work. In India there are many poors. He provided the blinds with food. Scouts wear half pants. He bought a pair of half hose. CORRECT The scenery here is not good. T have lost my furniture. We have received no information. He told his mother this news. I packed my luggage. There {!8 0 bread in this shop. are no loaves in this shop. Please excuse me for the trouble (1 have caused). 2 ains over his work. He took { Fouble over his work. In India there are many poor (men). He provided the blind with food. Scouts wear shorts. He bought a pair of socks.COMMON MISTARES WITH NOUNS AND NOUN-PHRASES INCORRECT ‘Students should wear white pants.! I spent the holidays with my family members. ‘There is no place in this compartment. Give him some blotting. Write this in your copy. Our boarding is full. Iam learning a new poetry. Give my B.C.s to all. He hit an over boundary. There are two waiting members in our We saw a joker at the circus. We had a good play of football. We saw a theatre. We like taking part in drama? Part I (1) CORRECT Students should wear white trousers. I spent the holidays with my family. 1 spent the holidays with the members of my family. ‘There is no room in this compartment. Give him some blotting paper. Write this in your notebook. boarding-house is full. Our { ste! is full. Iam learning a new poem. Give my kind(est) regards to all. He hit a six. a on our side. ‘There are two reserves { pees, We saw a clown at the circus. We had a good game of football. We saw a play. We like acting (plays). 1 ‘Pants’ means underclothes covering the upper part of the leg. 2 A theatre is a building in which plays are acted, not the play itself. 3 ‘Drama’ fs rarely used nowadays in the sense in which an Indian schoolboy is likely to use it, that is to say to mean a play, whether acted by professionals or amateurs.Part I (1) 27 28 29 30 31 32 33. 34 35 36 37 COMMON MISTARES WITH NOUNS AND NOUN-PHRASES. 3 INCORRECT He ts a tall gentleman. I saw two females? correct He is a tall man. Isaw two women. + The boy was wearing a new dress.° The boy was wearing a new suit (some new clothes). Ss He took insult at this. He took offence at this. ‘The box contains pens, papers and others: The box contains pens, paper and such things. Please put your sign here. Please put your signature here. He is my cousin brother.‘ He is my cousin. We are all fellow brothers. We are all brothers. I passed the noon® in study. I spent the middle of the day working. He had a large number of money. He had a large amount of money. He got a bad companionship. He got into bad company. * Sentleman’ sa difclt word to use corel in clout Engh 1 seme to me best o each ba lise ‘gentleman’ when they are referring toa man’s character ( he is Feal gentleman © prateing Tie id not a gantlerran’ ertticizing iamd’: endl te use imant to dete ext Satan a 2 dont be self-conaclous ever lady’ and ‘woman. The latter is the usual word and ie quite polite, “She ie 4 indy means that she is a woman of particularly good birth, breeding and taste, Dresa'n generally used with reference to women tie but note that we do Saya main fll dea’ ox ‘ oa “The sh language uses much more loosely terms expressing relationship than the Indian languages. ‘Aunt’ means the sister of elther father or mother. ‘Uncle means the brother of either father or snoter, ‘Cousin’ means any child of any aunt or uncle. ® ‘Noon’ means exactly twelve o'clock in the middle of the day ard noi a period of time round about that hour.38 \ 39 40 PONE ‘COMMON MISTAKES WITH PRONOUNS Part 1(2) [incorrect CORRECT \One pf my t tells me. One of my servants tells. me. ‘Some of my serfant tells me. ~~ Some of my servants tell me. The front The front <= thany \ Tock } Side of the house. (Pre Font tof. ‘the house, I took a bath in| the sea.* ~-Thad a bathe in the sea. Ihave hurt a foot-finger. j | Ihave hurt a toe. \ pet o i / ‘er went. We all did nto // None of us went. / Aman } should wo: A i '{' some of‘ and similar expregétons Must be plural in amber, but the verb " Kith the subject of the sentence, See also the note on page 6. ? The ‘backsic buttocks of the body. It will cause mirth to use’it tiv ‘any other sense. ® Use ‘bath’ Hing the water is to clean yourself: use “bathe’ when the object is to swim or bisa 7 ‘one should ts a by shy-achool-nemory of a mem ant see, uel of one nowadays» t—f Iv LWPart I (2) 5 6 - 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 COMMON MISTARES WITH PRONOUNS 5 INCORRECT One should not waste his time. Here ts my cup; please fill. Have you a pencil ? I have not got. ‘Is he coming ?' 'Yes, | think.' He enjoyed during the holidays. T asked for my pencil, but he did not Bive® me. The boy who does best he will get a prize. Whoever does best he will get a prize.* Who did this ? Myself. and he are brothers.* I with some friends went for a walk.® He is wiser than me. The master tested the boy if he could read English.” correct {Aga} should not waste his time. Here is my cup; please fill it., Have you a pencil ? I have not got one. ‘Is he coming ?' ‘Yes, I think so.’ He enjoyed himself during the holidays. Tasked for my pencil, but he did not give it to me. “The boy who does best will get a prize. Whoever does best will get a prize. Who did this ? I (myself). He and | are brothers. I went for a walk with some friends. He is wiser than I. The master tested the boy to see if he could read English. 1 Here ‘one should not waste one's time ' would also be correct but, to me, objectionable. ? All transitive verbs, .. ‘fill, must have an expressed object. ® Some transitive verbs, ¢.g., ' give ' and ' lend ', must have two expressed objects. 4 ‘The idiom of the mother-tongue 1s responsible for the mistakes in sentences 11 and 12. ® Its considered conceited (1) to put 'I' first when there are two subjects. ® A pronoun used as subject should not be separated from its verb if possible. 7 The object of ' tested ' is not ' boy ' but the whole noun clause.COMMON MISTARES WITH ADJECTIVES Part 1(3) INCORRECT corRecT I shall see the brakes whether they X alin 9¢0 whether the brakes wart work well.? Everyone is frightened when they see erene is frightened when he sees a tiger. None of us have seen him. None tis has seen him. People starves when he has no money.?__People starve when they have no money. The size of the shoe should be the same —_The size of the shoe should be the as this shoe.> same as that of this shoe. My books are better than my friend. My books are better than those of my friend. Every people know this. ee oh knows this. ‘These all mangoes are ripe. Aner 1 The of ‘see’ is not ‘brakes but the whole noun clause. 2 Note ‘every’, ‘none’, ‘much’, ‘person’ are lar words: ‘all’, ‘some’, ‘most’, ‘many’ and ‘people’ fre plural. Ilo a very common mistake to use pronouns and posecasive adjectives in the wrong ring to any of the above-mentioned words, For similar mistakes with possessive adjectives see ® in these comparative sentences be careful to compare f c same part of two things, ‘ That of these of ' and‘ those of ' are ne ‘words often ome. ' ils teaching was like Buddha "is a very common mistake; ‘that of Buddha’ must be written. 4 Trecommend the writing of ‘everyone’ as one word. iii aindaPert (3) om VY oaRe 10 oN 13, 4 INCORRECT He held the book in the both hands. Ihave no any friends. Both men have not come. An idle man should do some or other work. Shakespeare is greater than any other poets. Open your book at six page. He is in class ninth. This article costs rupees ten. He came a 2nd time.’ King George the sixth.’ He fs elder than I. He is more better than I. * Tadvise teaching Jndian boys when to write numbers in words and when tn iumbers of kings and queens in Roman characters thus fa) Write the m {b) Write ordinal numbers up to ‘tw. Hh’ in words except in dates. COMMON MISTAKES WITH ADJECTIVES CORRECT both hands. He held the book in (PO) is hands. Lhave no friends. Neither man has come. An idle man should do some work or other. Shakespeare is greater than any other poet. Open your book at page six. class nine. He is tn (ire ninth class, This article costs ten rupees. He came a second time. King George VI. He is older than I. He is better than I. as follows: Ir {G) Write dates thus, July 7Uy or 7th July and not thus, Use Mh of July’ or ‘the seventh of July’ (a) write cardinal mimbera up fo twelve in words, except when teing the a5 (©) Write cardinal and o numbers above twelve and twelfth kn cl seems in each case the more convenient. the time, eg ll pam” ts dee rnd aged SsCOMMON MISTAKES WITH ADJECTIVES Part 1 (3) INCORRECT CORRECT He is worst than I. He is worse than I. Raipur is hot than Simla. Raipur is hotter than Simla.” Horse is usefuller than car. A horse is more useful than a car. He gets a less salary. He gets a small salary. In our library the number of books In our library the number of books is less. is small. He is the more clever of the two. From the two he is clever. (He is the cleverer of the two. From the three he is more clever. He is the cleverest of the three. Of the two plans this is the best. Of the two plans this is the better. He is becoming strong.’ He is becoming stronger. There is a best teacher in that class. There is a very good teacher in that He will spend his (fine tie tees} Be ‘will spend the rest of his life here. remaining life here.. This is a worth seeing sight. This is a sight worth seeing. 1 He ts becoming strong ‘1s of course correct English. I want, however, by this sentence to call after tion to the English fondness for the use of a comparative adjective, instead of a positive: when growth or change is implied in a sentence, : seem alking of boy's progrese in clase you can say ' he is working well now. but in Eglich we Sin cay "he ta working better now °, thinking of a time past when he worked less well. | have found great reluctance among Indian boys to use this comparative form. Tae ea ihe to becoming strong every day ‘1s clearly wrong and, once ‘every day ‘ts added * stronger ‘ must be used.Part 113) ‘COMMON MISTAKES WITH ADJECTIVES INCORRECT connect ‘ four days’ leave. 27 He had leave of four days. He bad {ee one ae 28 1am hopeless to pass. Ihave no hope of passing. 29 We have never seen a so good boy. We have never seen so good a boy. 30 He was so big man }that he could not sit He was so big a man that he could He was a so big man Jin this chair. not sit in this chair. Ben ee inaat hind Your affectionate friend. Sma apetg = Yours affectionately. 32. Your lovely friend. Your loving friend. 33. The country is plain. The country is flat (or level). 34 He got nearly cent per cent marks. He got nearly full marks. 35. We live in Tribal Area.’ ‘We live in a (or the) Tribal Area. "Noe 35 to 62 are exampice ofthe innumerable mstalee made by miauae of the ands ‘grammar gives the rules for the use and omission of the articles. My attempt to mkt tice ‘to tpl for indian boys aa posible rua aa follows: t in one sentence and common in another: 20 it i useless to label a particular noun ‘or ‘common’.10 37 39 al 42 43 45 47 48 49 COMMON MISTARES WITH ADJECTIVES INCORRECT He is best player. The London is big city. I mean London in U.S.A. I live in the Bengal. The gold is yellow. Himalayas are mountains. Man is a member of the society. The mankind should love the nature. We should love the God. Many are Gods of Hinduism. He got an employment there. — We should not make noise. I have an urgent business. He found hundred rupees. Part] (3; CORRECT He is the best player. London ts a big city. I mean the London in the U.S.A. I live in Bengal. Gold is yellow. The Himalayas are mountains. Man is a member of society. Mankind should love nature. We should love God. Many are the Gods of Hinduism. He got employment there. We should not make a noise. Ihave urgent business or some urgent business. He found a hundred rupees. @ Ifthe common noun is not the name of one particular person or thing, it requires the indefinite article ‘a’ when the noun is singular: when plural, ‘a’ is never used and usually no article is required, though ‘some’ sometimes takes its place. @) There are several phrases, most of them prepositional (c.g.. ' in view of * on condition that }) or yerbal (c.g. "to put heart into ’ to keep house for ). tn which nouns, usually common, must be used out articles. The reason fs that a phrase, of however many words it may consist. 1s for all practical purposes one word of spectal meaning, which will be destroyed by the addition fe. of even an artic! [The above ' rules ' are not intended to satisfy strict grammarians, but are offered as a reasonably satisfactory and clear explanation to Indian schoolboys of what they usually find to be the most difficult problem in learning English.]SC Part 13) 57 88 INCORRECT What a fun! Ganges is a river. We had picnic. We had a picnics nearly every Ee amsabeontoe cur 8 Each of us loves { 7" }home. None of the boys had learnt their lesson. People often spend his leisure in cinemas. Much efforts bring their reward. Many villagers cannot write his own name.” Each and every person? wore a hat. He is a coward caleer }™a } This tsa COMMON MISTAKES WITH ADJECTIVES word ‘running’. A iw coRRecT What fun ! The Ganges is a river. We had a picnic. We had ptenics nearly every day. He won a challenge cup. Each of us loves his home. None of the boys had learnt his lesson. People often spend their leisure in cinemas. Much effort brings its reward. Many villagers cannot write their own name. { Bach person wore a hat. Everybody wore a hat. {Hers acowardly ) man. suena a common misus running 2 Acup held only unt the date ofthe now touranenti schallenge ca 2 Sentences 55 to 59. For schoolboy is too fond of 2 Sentbnces or ns a thi ype whch are very comma oe ano and every’ can be used togeher core sae esp gether when cnly one of the two aakcatee te required.12 88 WONON BON —— 3 COMMON MISTARES WITH VERBS INCORRECT We it . anes Part! (4) coRRECT ‘We want a thorou; jul The horse is lame. eee ee He asked had we taken our food. He asked that what are you doing. Ram said can he go home. He 1s to Rama why your father He does not care for my words. I do not care for you (spoken angrily).? He does not care for money. He does not care for his work. No one cared for him after his wife When I went there I found that the lion was disappeared. * * Sifting " has degenerated into a ‘cliché " tf'we had taken our food. He asked { yether we had taken our food. He asked what we were doing. Ram asked if he could go home. He asked Rama why his father was angry. He pays no attention to what I say. I do not care what you do. He does not take care of his money. He takes no care over his work. No one took care of hm after his wife had ‘When I went there 1 found that the lion had disappeared. It is the wrong epithet. ‘Exhaustive’ is an alternative to ee ‘ Limping ' ts correct but there ts no English adjective ‘Taming’ 3 +1 do not care for you ', properly used, means ' I do not like you as a fend means ‘I do not enjoy playing hockey . “1 do not care for hockey * 4 The taleuse of ' care for‘ is very common and sentences 5 to 9 need much practice.<< Gae Port (4) COMMON MISTAKES WITH VERBS i 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 13 INCORRECT CORRECT He said that he saw him last | He said that he had seen him last year. Idid not stop because he weitout T'did not stop because he had gone out before I arrived. before I arrived. He got angry before I said a word. He got al before I had said a word. I met a man who was my tutor I met a man who had been my tutor 20 years ago. twenty years ago. This was going on since a long time. This had been going on for a long time. Thad been for walking yesterday. I went for a walk yesterday. Int did this | 9} !shall be wrong? _IfI do this I shalll be wrong When I shall go to Bombay, 1 shall. When I go to Bombay, I shall see him. see him. If would have done this, I would If [had done this, I should have done have done wrong. wrong. Ihave left scouting. I have given up scouting. Ileft playing. I stopped playing. Leave the horse's reins. Let go the horse's reins. He had to leave his rights.° He fiad to abandon (or relinquish) his right. 1 ‘These are examples of the common failure to use the past perfect tense when the time of one past tense verb 1s more past than that of another. See page 71. 2 Nos. 17 to 19 - I have found much difficulty in teaching boys to omit ‘will’, ‘shall’ . ‘would’ and Should from adverbial clauses. There are exceptions to this rule, but it seems wise to ignore them in High Schools. See page 71 3 Nos.20 to 23 - show that ‘To leave' is a verb often misused. Correct uses are : ("to leave a place. (b) to leave something at some place, (c) to leave someone to do something. dl= SSR ¥ SSSSBSSeyy COMMON MISTAKES WITH VERBS INCORRECT I take my food. I take your leave.? In the noon I took rest. _, I came to know as to how he did this. I came to know? why he was sad. He went to school to know ‘ arithmetic. He knows to swim. Later on he knew his mistake. We should not cut jokes in class. He cut his pencil. Shall I cut this word ? They cut Charles I's head.* I said to him to go. He said to go. Partii4 coRRECT Ihave my food. I must say goodbye. Thad a rest in the middle of the day. Ilearnt how he did this. I found out why he was sad. He went to school to learn arithmetic, He knows how to swim. Later on he realized his mistake. ‘We should not make jokes in class. He sharpened his pencil. Shall 1 {Sf3tP OU) ans word ? They cut off Charles I's head. I told him to go. He told me to go. 1 Take my food ' is not wrong, but an Englishman rarely uses this expression. 2 +I take your leave ' is not wrong, but is suitable only for a formal occasion. 3 + Came to know ' is a difficult phrase to use correctly and is better avoided. 4. We ‘eam’ before we ' know '. ' Know ' is used when learning is finished, as in sentence 30. 5 When the cutting divides what is cut into pieces, use ' cut off’ cut up ‘ or‘ cut into"f *» Part I (4) (COMMON MISTARES WITH VERBS 15 INCORRECT correct 38 [asked my servant to bring water.! I told my servant to bring water. 39 I told the master to excuse me. Lasked the master to excuse me. 40 I wanted that he should get leave. I wanted him to get leave. 41 [want that I should get leave. I want to get leave. like to play h 53 I want 5 42. 1 like to play hockey. 1 Should ke a ‘oppressing his si t 43 He is troubling his subjects. He is, Pen tene bie ae giving me trouble. 44 He is trou?» 2g me. Heis { treating me badly. bullying me. Ihave a pain in my foot. 45 My foot is paining.° { ‘My foot is hurting. 46 My tooth is paining. My tooth is aching. 47 Thave got a hurt on my leg. Ihave hurt my leg. 48 He gave a speech. He made a speech. 1 Nos.38 and 39 - It is advisable for boys to form a habit of using ‘I told him to, 4 Sermon to whom they have a right to give an order, and asked him to. 2 ofwhom they can or want to make a request only. ° Uke "in this sentence should be used only to mean ' am fond of * and not to mean ‘wish’ 3 +To pain’ (verb) should be used transitively only. a49 51 52 55 57 58 61 62 COMMON MISTARES WITH VERBS INCORRECT He has given his examination. He made a lecture. Rama can now sit on a bicycle. He got down from his bicycle. He took out his shoes. Please see my book. He would not hear me. All day I was putting on a sweater." He came putting on a smart turban. I cannot pull on with my work. Ihave ordered for a new racquet. I have disposed off my car. I put up with him (meaning stayed).? Keep this on the table. 1 always put my money in this box.? { To put on clothes ' refers to the act of dressing, Part 1 (4) CORRECT He has sat for his examination. He has done (or taken) his examination. He gave a lecture. Rama can now ride a bicycle. He got off his bicycle. He took off his shoes. Please look at my book. He would not listen to me. All day I was wearing a sweater. He was wearing a smart turban. I cannot manage my work. I have ordered a new racquet. I have disposed of my car. He put me up. Put this on the table. Talways keep my money in this box. 8. ‘he is in his room putting on his shoes '. Once the act of dressing is over, ' to wear ' Is used to express the act of carrying clothes on the body. ‘To put up with ’ should be used only to mean to tolerate an annoying person or thing. * Use ' keep ' of a more or less permanent resting place, ' put ' of only a temporary one.post (4) COMMON MISTAKES WITH VERBS 17 INCORRECT cutesy People treated him with respect at the People respected him 1 ition. & eee People liowed respect for him at the 65 Thad a mind to play. rere 66 It goes hard with him to do this. He toed abd do tnis. 67 We cannot maintain our livelihood. (We: cannot earn a We cannot get a 68 I persuaded him to stop but ied to persuade him to stop. va aan Pe I struck him in the face. 3 ¢ face. 69 Ist a blow on his face. {iis te fae. I missed the tiger. ve Tecaercecgant rial Hew ngueemare ce went for s! and enjoyed. went out shoo! enj 72 Do not play mischiefs, Dovnot get up to mischief, 73. The ship was drowned. The ship sarc 74 He denied to come.* He refused te come. 75 I stood second in my class.* Iwas second in my class. 76 1am reading at the High School.® Tam at the High To respect someone ‘ properly means ‘to have a high opinion of someone's character ‘. This is a very common error. Ifyou say “I shot the tiger '. you mean you hit and probably killed it. Prtctice o needed in tie corvect uve of to refuse and “to deny "Stand second "1s not wrong but | think an Englishman would rarely use tt. “Torread’ should be used tomean 'to peruse oF to study books *18 78 81 82 83 85. 87 88 91 (COMMON MISTAKES WITH VERBS INCORRECT Columbus invented’ America. He lived there for a day. ‘We won our opponents. He made a goal. He did no fault. We make drill. We ought to make exercise. Thope he must come.? { The Council is consisted of ten members. Iron finds in many countries. Romulus found Rome. "Where is the book ?’ 'It is not found.’ Always fair out a written exercise. 1 filled water in the bucket. He prevented? him from harm. 1 Use ‘invent! of which did not exist till man created it, vent of something created it, ©, which existed without man's 2 This ‘rror is cattsed by two alternative idioms ‘Prevent’ and ‘protect’ are often confused. ‘Prevent’ do harm: ‘protect’ means to save someone from harm. Part I (4) CORRECT Columbus discovered America. He stayed there for a day. We beat our opponents. He scored a goal. He committed no fault. We do drill. We ought to take exercise. Thope he will come. lam sure he will come. He must come. The Council consists of ten members. Iron is found in many countries. Romulus founded Rome. "Where is the book ?' ‘It is lost.’ Always make a fair copy of a written exercise. I filled the bucket with water. He protected him from harm. knowledge, eg. See rt combin« used to stop someone from beginning toCOMMON MISTARES WITH VERBS. = INCORRECT correct Open the light. Turn on the light. ‘Shut the light. Turn off the light. My leg has been operated.! I have had an operation on my leg. It is written in this letter that? .... ‘This letter says that ..... th He wondered : He thought how is it made. (ce red ink } how tt was made. I must revenge muy brother. I must avenge my brother. I must revenge my enemy.* I must take revenge on my enemy. He choosed a book. He chose a book. He loosed a rupee. He lost a rupee. ‘When he comes you must wish him. When he comes you must greet (or welcome) him. ‘This boy always needs poking. ‘This boy always needs pushing along (colloquial, ‘his:tail twisted’). I won him in the race. I beat him in the race: 5 chuanids [took love-set off him. I beat him in a love-set. 1 To operate’ (verb) in a surgical sense must only be used in the active voice followed by ‘on’. ‘itis written . . "1s not wrong, but is usually clumsy English. 4 and ‘revenge’ are often confused: ‘To avenge my brother’ means to punish someone who has hurt my brother.105 106 © ®PNOgko Ww COMMON MISTARZS WITH ADVERBS Part 1 (5) INCORRECT correct I marked what he was doing. I noticed what he was doing. You can avail of this. ‘Shis ari be availed ab You can avail yourself of this. He is very much sorry. He is very sorry. He was so kind as to invite me. He was very kind enough to invite me. eh { He was kind enough to invite me. We rarely see a lion. We scarcely see a lion. I did it anyhow." I managed to do it somehow. To tell in brief. In short He told the story in details. He told the story in detail. Aeroplanes reach Europe soon. Aeroplanes reach Europe quickly. Yesterday in the night he came to dinner. Yesterday evening he came to dinner. If he fails he will get into (great) If he fails, he will be nowhere.” trouble. If he fails he will be ruined. 1 Use ‘anyhow’ to mean (a) ‘in disorder’, ¢.g., ‘He keeps his books anyhow in his desk’ : (b) ‘for certain’, e.g., He may not come but anyhow I shall’. 2 *To be nowhere’ in this sense will pass as English, but of a poor kind.ae 21 (COMMON MISTAKES WITH ADVERBS port 1) INCORRECT Sb Wa SE 10 Before long there was no one there.! Long ago there was no one there. 11 What for do you go to school ? {Shy dovettehte same t What do you go to school for ? 12 This book is too? interesting. This book is very interesting. 13 He behaved cowardly. He behaved in a cowardly manner. (or like a coward). 14 He lives miserly. He lives in a miserly way. 15 Just I had gone when he came. Thad just gone when he came. 16 He plays good. He plays well. 17 He plays good than I. He plays better than I. 18 Never I have seen such a sight.° Never have I seen such a sight. 19 Hardly I have had any rest since one week.° Hardly have I had any rest for a week. As a matter of fact 20 Really speaking it is not hot. {eee pew noe In fact + ‘Ago! means ‘counting from now ; ‘before long’ means ‘soon’ 2 “Too! is properly used (a) to mean ‘more than it ought to be' ; e.g.. "He is too fat’ : (b) followed by the words ‘to do something’ understood or expressed, ¢.g.. It 1s too hot (to play ericket) 2 See note on Conjunctions, sentences 8 to 10. ‘I have never seen such a sight’ and ‘T have had hardly any rest for a week’ are also correct and more common English.21 2 Red o COMMON MISTARES WITH CONJUNCTIONS Part (6) CORRECT tits.a very goodifilm: |} {Ita very pod fie: : I liked the whole of it. INCORRECT but he runs fast.? Though he is raf still he runs fast. } Though he is fat, he runs fast. yet he-runs fast. As he is fat, he runs slowly. As he is fat sovhe runs slowly. If he is fat then he will run slowly. If he is fat, he will run slowly. As I fired at the tiger at that time he shook As | fired at the tiger, he shook my arm. my arm. Because he is clever therefore (or so) he Because he is clever, he gets gets good marks. good marks. He did not come to school. Because he He did not come to school, because he was ill. was 111? * "On the whole "Is only used to sum up your opinion of something which ts good and bad in parts. For instance, ‘The photography of the film was bad but the plot was exciting. On the whole I enjoyed it! 2 «Though ' is the conjunction and English does not require a second conjunction —* but *, "yet ". * still '. The idiom in sentences 1-5 requires two conjunctions in the mother-tongue, but not in English. ° ‘This very common punctuation mistake arises because in the mother tongue the equivalent #7 is used as a noun. but ' because ' is always a subordinate conjunction, except in the prepositional phrase ' because of’, and must never be separated from its main clause by a full stop.WE ee Part 1(6) ‘COMMON MISTAKES Wi H CONJUNCTIONS. INCORRECT correct until he tries. 7 Until he does not try, he must He must be punished J so long as he be punished. does not try. 8 No sooner I had spoken, than he left. No sooner had I spoken than he left. 9 Not only he will go, but also he will Not only will he go, but he will also remain remain there. there. 10 Neither he comes nor he writes. ' Neither does he come nor does he write. 11 [have bought many fireworks Ihave bought many fireworks such as as rockets and etc. ? rockets. 12 [am fond of all games as for an 1 am fond of all games, for example, example hockey. hockey. 13 I want to know as to why I have I want to know why I have been detained. been detained. 14 He called me as a fool. He called. me a fool. 15. He ts the fastest runner and He is the fastest runner but he he came last.* came last. * | He neither comes nor writes ' 1s equally correct and probably more common. But sentences 8 to 10 are intended to emphasize the rule that when the first word of the sentence is a negative the main verb must be inverted, as in a direct question. ® It would be good if that overworked Latin abbreviation ‘ ete.’ were forbidden in all composition. ® * But ‘is the conjunction to use when the second main clause gives unexpected information.24 16 17 18 19 20 2 22 23 24 COMMON MISTAKES WITH CONJUNCTIONS INCORRECT He was angry therefore I ran away." This is my friend, he was at school with me. I was trying to work, at that time he was disturbing me. I fired at the tiger, at that time he shook my arm. This is my house, | live here. This is an interesting book, I am reading it. This is my servant, I was telling you about him. 1am glad for tomorrow ts holiday. Supposing if he fails, what will he do? { —__ Partl (6) CORRECT He was angry so I ran away. This is my friend who was at school with me. While I was trying to work, he was disturbing me. As | fired at the tiger, he shook my arm. ‘This is my house where I live. This is an interesting book,which I am reading. This is my servant about whom I was telling you. 1 am glad because tomorrow is a holiday. ‘Supposing he fails Tres }what will he do ? 1 Nos.16 - 22. [have always found a few boys. but not all boys, who seem to find it most difficult to link two connected sentences together either with the conjunctions or with the help of the relatives. Thave not discovered the reason for this difficulty. ,. though I guess that Indian languages object less than English does to two main clauses, neither separated by a full stop nor linked by a con- junction. See pages 73 and 74. 2 For ' is hardly wrong, but it is better to use ' because ' to introduce a causal clause.Part 1(7) SOON gnaw 11 12 13, 14 ‘COMMON MISTAKES WITH PREPOSITIONS INCORRECT 1 am ill since three months." This is my first time to play cricket since a long time. This paper is inferior than that. This is different to that. This resembles to that. My brother is superior than you in s trength. Everyone should pray God. He wrote me. I shall explain them this. Send this letter on my address. Diwali corresponds with Christmas. He suggested me this. He goes in the school. He goes on his work. When reckoning from a parth: we always use ‘for' for a period, ¢. errors. Why are these incorrect : time"? CORRECT I have been ill for three months. I have been ill since July. Ihave not played cricket for a long time. This is my first game of cricket for a long time. ‘This paper is inferior to that. This is different from that. This resembles that. My brother is superior to you in strength. Everyone should pray to God. He wrote to me. I shall explain this to them. Send this letter to my address. Diwali corresponds to Christmas. He suggested this to me. He goes to school. He goes to his work. + date we use ‘since’, e.g., ‘since last Friday’, ‘since July 8th’: but . tor a week’. ‘for a long ‘am not playing since March’, ‘I am not seeing you since a long time’. This is one of the commonest of all26 15 16 17 1s 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 27 28 29 31 32 33 COMMON MISTAKES WITH PREPOSITIONS Part! (7) correct 1 am obliged to you for this good turn, He invited me to dinner. He went to the station. INCORRECT 1 am obliged of you by this good turn. He called me in dinner. He went near the station. He reached to Nagpur. He reached Nagpur. He was favourite with his friends. He was a favourite with his friends. He told to me to go. He told me to go. She did not ask any question to him. _She did not ask him any question. From our class he did best. He did best in our class. The term begins from July Ist. The term begins on July Ist. He will be cured from his fever. He will be cured of his fever. There are many advantages from this. The advantages of this are many. He threw the stick in the river. He threw the stick into the river. ‘There is a saying in the Hindus. There is a saying among the Hindus. We waste much time in trifles. We waste much time on (or ‘ over ’) trifles. He rides in a cycle. ! He rides on a cycle. There is no harm to do this, There is no harm in doing this. Write with ink. Write in ink. He rides on a car, He rides in a car. He sat ona tree. He sat in a tree. " Nos.29-33. Use ‘on’ when the meaning ts clearly ‘on top of’. e., ‘on a horee’, and use ‘in' when ‘on top of ‘Is not appropriate, e.g., ‘in an aernplane’,Part (7) INCORRECT 34 This is a comfortable house to live. 35. This is the road to go. 36 He gave me a gun to shoot. 37 I gave him a chair to sit. 38 He married with an Indian lady. 39 They are called with different names. 40 He accompanied with his friends. 41 We should not spend money for luxuries. 42 He went away for doing some business. 43 He went for riding. 44 We discussed on the matter. 45 I pitied on him. 46 He is angry on me. 47 He is pleased on me. 48 He angried on me. 49 When this was searched it was found.! 50 I searched the man.' { COMMON MISTAKES WITH PREPOSITIONS 27 correct This is a comfortable house to live in. This is the road to go by. He gave me a gun to shoot with. I gave him a chair to sit on. He married an Indian lady. They are called by different names. He accompanied his friends. We should not spend money on luxuries. He went away on business. He went riding. He went for a ride. We discussed the matter. I pitied him. He is angry with me. He is pleased with me. He was angry with me. When this was searched for, it was found. This is only correct when it means '1 looked in his pockets ' or something similar. " Thave found the mistakes in sentenc=s 49 and 50 very common.28 51 53 57 58 59 61 62 63 (COMMON MISTAKES WITH PREPOSITIONS INCORRECT He asked a holiday. 1 shall inform them this. Our school is built by bricks. Due to illness, I cannot go to school. He went to the back side of the house. He was prevented to come. He walked ten miles by foot. The Post Office will compensate the loss. I must go: there 1s no help. There was a match between Bombay against Madras.’ I met with your friend there. There was a fight with Ram and Hari yesterday. * The First World War was fought during 1914 -18.? England grew prosperous between Queen Victoria's reign.” Part I (7) CORRECT He asked for a holiday. 1 shall inform them of this. Our school is built of bricks. Owing to illness, I cannot go to school. He went behind (or to the back of) the house. He was prevented from coming. He walked ten miles on foot. ‘The Post Office will compensate us for the loss. I must go; there is no help for it. ‘There was a match between Bombay and Madras. I met your friend there. There was a fight between Ram and Hari yesterday. The First World War was fought between 1914 and 1918. England grew prosperous during Queen Victoria's reign. 1 ‘This common mistake seems to be caused by mixing up two expressions. You could say, ‘There was a match, Bombay against Madras’. ? Practise using ‘during’ and ‘between’ correctly. Two events must be mentioned if you want to use ' between *.MISCELLANEOUS COMMON MISTAKES Part! (8) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 @ INcoRRECT Quite well, thank you. The correct reply is to repeat How do you do 8, (Fe taeicet you, "How do you do 7’ only. No more to pen. (Avoid this.) He is fifteen. He ts running sixteen. (ites mhis stent: year. He ts sixteen complete. He is over sixteen. No mention, Please do not mention it. Mr L. B. Joshi, or Mr L.B. J 2! : eebt kad {LB Josh, Esq. Dr L.B. Joshi, Esq.! Dr L.B. Joshi. Professor L.B. Joshi, Esq. Professor L.B. Joshi. Ral Sahib L.B. Joshi, Esq. Ral Sahib L.B. Joshi. In my opinion it is wrong. In my opinion I think it is wrong. { I think it is wrong. Sir Bose. Sir J.C. Bose. Your sincerely . Your's sincerely .. } ise Tours elncerely. 1 Personally, I do not see why any Indian should ever be addressed as Esquire. There are many more suitable Indian prefixes.ll 12 13 14 15 16 17: 18 MISCELLANEOUS COMMON MISTAKES Part 11s) INCORRECT correct He feared that it would not rain means He wanted it to rain.* He feared that it would rain. He did not want it to rain, ype it will rain. 7 I think it will rain and I want it to. I fear it vill rain, ” | think it will rain and I do not want it to. Excuse for the troubles. Forgive my troubling you. ‘Will you have some lemonade ? The correct answer is’ Thank you' or'No, A. I don't mind. ? } thank you.’ 1 am fond of outdoor games; for After ‘for Ynstance! and ‘for example’ instance, hockey, football and only one or at the most two examples are others and so on and such like. usually required. and additions like ‘and others, etc.’, ‘and so on’ should be omitted. No, pk ad No, sir. Please. (ie thonte you, } depending on the context 1 Nos. 11 14 ‘Hope and ‘fear’ in these senses should be used instead of the vaguer verb ‘think. ‘I don't mind ' is rude. This reply connotes indifference: that the person invited dove net care nbether be drole Iemocece or not. Tho expreseian should be'used only when tie le to indicate no strong preference. For instance: Q. Shall we walk or a tonga? A. I don't mind. oe e Sorbie ‘No; please’ is always wrong. Yes, please’ and ‘No; thank you' are the polite replies when accepting | and declining some offer. 'No, sir ‘is a polite reply to a question asking for infor e. pa cect onset polite repl s mation.e.g.nati, 5 aE EE Part 1 (9) TWO WORDS ORONE? The following are written as one word: nowadays cannot afterwards schoolboy somehow together everywhere outside anyhow today nobody almost tomorrow ourselves already into sometimes meanwhile moreover everyone (usually) newspaper anyone (usually) The following are written as two words: all right some time per cent all round at once well done ! at least no one (10) WORDS COMMONLY CONFUSED (A) WORDS OF SIMILAR SOUND WORDS ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES 1 Whether Lasked whether he had come. Weather In May the weather is hot. 2 Practice ( noun) You need cricket practice. Practise (verb ) Did you practise cricket ? 3 Alter (verb) You must alter the order of the words. Altar ( noun ) An altar is a table in a church.WORDS Principal (noun ) Principal (adj. ) Principle Herd (noun) Heard ( verb ) Peace Counsel Fair (noun) Far (adj. ) Fare (verb) Fare (noun ) Birth Bare (adj.) Bear (verb) Bear (noun ) WORDS OF SIMILAR SOUND COMMONLY CONFUSED Part (19, ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES He ts the principal of the college. He is the principal actor in the play. To gamble is against my principle. A herd of cattle. Iheard a man talking. Please give me a piece of wood. Do you want war or peace ? Counsel is advice, and people who give advice are called counsellors. A council is a number of people met together on some business. A melais a fair. His skin is fair, not dark. Farewell ! How much is the railway fare ? What is your date of birth ? You can reserve a berth in the train. As he had no sleeves the sun burnt his bare skin He must bear the pain of the sunbum. A bear has thick fur.Part I (10) WORDS 11 Plane Plain (noun) Plain (adj.)' 12 Allowed (verb} Aloud (adverb ) 13 Sight Site 14 Hole (noun) Whole (adj. ) 15 Brake (noun) Break (verb) 16 Prey Pray 17 Clothes Cloth (noun ) Acloth (common noun ) WORDS OF SIMILAR SOUND CoMMonLy, Conrusen I dm allowed to take leave, He spoke aloud, not ina A blind man has no sight. 1 shall build my house on the site. Snakes live in holes, I want the whole story, not half of it. You stop a car by using the brake. A strong man could break this stick into two. What a tiger lulls is his prey. I pray that no tiger will ever catch me. We wear clothes on our bodies. Cloth is manufactured in mills out of wool, cotton, etc. A cloth is a small piece of cloth used for cleaning work by servants or for covering tables. " Plain as an adjective can never mean ‘flat’ or ‘level’.x 34 WORDS COMMONLY CONFUSED OWING TO FAULTY PRONUNCIATION PartI(10) worDs ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES 18 Current (noun) The current of this river is very strong. Current (adj. ) Newspapers tell us the current events. Currant (noun ) Currants are small dried grapes. 19° Bore {verb}" You are bored when you have no interest in what is being done. Boar ‘The boar is one of the bravest of Indian wild animals. (B) WORDS CONFUSED OWING TO FAULTY PRONUNCIATION ‘Note (1) Words in the same group which are marked with asterisks are pronounced alike, e.g.. flour *, flower * (2) The correct pronunciation is indicated by adding a well-known word in brackets which rhymes with the word whose pronunciation is often confused, e.g.. wick [sick], floor [door]. 1 Floor [door] A t lies on the floor. Flour Bread is made of flour. Flowers } [shower] Flowers grow in gardens. 2 Weak Uttle children are weak. Weeks } leak) There are fifty-two weeks in a year: Wick ” [sickl An oil lamp needs a wick. * Bore (verb) also means ‘to make a hole’ ; and bore (noun) means ‘a dull person’, ‘the inside. diameter of a rifle barrel’ and" a tidal wave '. :ee Part 1 (10) WORDS COMMONLY CONFIISED OWING TO FAULTY PRONUNCIATION roEre ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES 3. Heir [pronounced exactly He is the heir to this estate. like ‘air '] ee Hair* } learel Hair grows on our heads. Hare* A hare looks like a big rabbit. 4 Wonder [plun-der] I wonder why I failed to pass. Wander [yon-der] Gipsies wander over the country. 5 Advice (noun) [nice] My father gave me some good advice. Advise (verb ) [eyes] My father advised me to save some of my pocket money. 6 Leave [de-ceive] Our train leaves Nagpur at 9 a.m. Live [give] 1 live in Nagpur with my parents. 7 Quite (adverb ) [white] You are quite wrong. Quiet (adjective or noun) A sick man needs a quiet room. {diet} 8. Price [nice] The price of this book is one rupee. Prize [eyes] He got this book as a prize for good work. 9 Lose (verb ) [choose] You will lose your dog if you don't tie it up. Loose* (verb) When he loosed his dog it ran away. Loose* (adj.) } [goose] This knot is loose and will soon come undone. 10 Taste [waste] The food tasted nice. Test [nest] He tested the food in the science laboratory. 11 Pore* (noun) tdoort Holes in your skin are called pores. Pour* (verb) He poured water into the basin. Poor ( adj. ) [tour] Many people in India are very poor.36 HARDER WORDS COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS 12 Patrol -trol, accent on 'trol'] Petrol i I. on'pet'} 13 Latter (adj,) [matter] Later (ado) waiter se ete tter (noun ) [better] Bathe jlathe-long ‘a! 15 Use (verb) [news]* Use inoun ) [obtuse] 16 Princes [accent on ‘prin'] Princess [accent on 'cess'] Part! (10) ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES Scouts work in patrols. Motor cars use petrol. Ais tall, and B is short but the latter Ge., B) is stronger. ‘see you not now but later. ‘The Post Oice handles letters. We have a bath to clean our We bathe, or have a bathe, to enjoy ourselves, with no thought of cleanliness. Motor cars use petrol. Motor cars without petrol are of no use. The sons of a king ar ‘The daughter of a king is called a princess, (C) HARDER WORDS 1 Compliment Complement 2 Medal (noun) Meddle (verb ) I compliment you on your good work. The party must consist of fay people. Here .We want ten more to reach our coruplement, Soldiers wear medals on their uniforms. Do not meddle with other people's affairs. " Note also the similar difference in pronunciation between ‘abuse’ (verb) and ‘abuse’ (noun).nary NARDER WORDS COMMONLY COnPUseD worps ; ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES 9 Adee (vere Mongooses are not so much affected by Bisct noun} -bites as men are. The effect of a cobra-bite on a man is often Effect (verb) deadly. The new headmaster effected many changes in the school. 4 Prophesy (verb accent on ‘sy') I prophesy that it will rain te lomorrow. Prophecy (noun, accent on 'proph’) Did you hear my prophecy that it would 5 Stationary (adj. ) when a car is standing still it is stationary. Stationery (noun) Articles like writing paper, pencils and pens are called stat 6 Dependant (noun) I have many dependants to whom I have to give lodging, food and clothes. Dependent (adj.) Boys are usually dependent on Soar ts ey can earn enou; Toney to support themselves. 7 Licence (noun) You must get a driving licence. License (verb ) This shop is licensed to sell liquor. 8 Disease ('s' pronounced like ‘z') Cholera is a terrible disease. Decease "The deceased ' means ‘ the dead man ‘, but the former word is not one which you need ever use. 1" To affect’ also sometimes means 'to pretend’.10 lL 12 13 14 woRDs Difference Deference Assent Mlicit (adj. ) Elicit (verb ) Imminent Illusion Allusion President Precedent xs MARDER WORDS COMMONLY CONFUSED Parti gy ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES There is no difference between this and that. He is very polite to his parents, and treats them with great deference. He gave his assent to this proposal. The temple is at the top of the hill and the ascent is very steep. Liquor made without a licence is illicit. Lasked him many questions to elicit what had really happened. People whose names are familiar to everyone are eminent. The sky is heavily clouded, so rain seems imminent. It ts an illusion to think that the sun moves across the sky. He did not make a single allusion to the examination results in his speech. He is the President of the United States. If let you do this now, you must not take it as a precedent, because I shall not let you do it again.Part Il: SPELLING 1 (@) When aweak verb ends in afinalconsonant, except’ l’, preceded by a short vowel, the final consonant is not doubled to form the past tense, unless the accent falls on the last syllable. Therefore budget budgeted Not budgetted 6ffer offered Not offerred bénefit benefited Not benefitted Nowadays the tendency is to spell even focus focused Not focussed bias biased Not biassed under the influence of this rule. The only exception I can think of is worship worshipped Not worshiped ) If the accent does fall on the last syllable, the consonant is doubled. So we have occur occurred Not occured transfér transferred Not transfered a ae beginning Not begining40 ‘SOME USEFUL SPELLING RULES Part (1) (¢) Ifthe final consonant is'1', tt is always doubled, with only one exception. For example, travelled Not traveled Iewel levelled Not leveled The exception is 1 paralleled. lel ‘These three rules also apply to the nouns formed from the same roots as these verbs, ‘eg. ‘offering (rule 1 (a) ). ‘occurrence’ (rule 1 (b) ), ‘traveller’ (rule 1 (¢) ). {@ Short monosyllables always double their final consonant. Examples: shop shopping let letting 2 ‘te and ‘et. The general rule is 't' before 'e’ except after 'c’. siege but receive believe deceive friends ceiling ‘There are however several exceptions: reign neighbour heir seize leisure weird 3 ‘dis’ and'mis'. Never double the 's' of these prefixes. When a second 's' occurs, it is the first letter of the next syllable. So dis-miss ut dis-sent mis-place mis-spell 4 ‘se’ axis also 'sy' and ‘cy’. When two words, verb and noun, are spelt muchport (0) ‘SOME USEFUL SPELLING RULES 41 and ‘sy’ are verb endings and ‘ce’ and ‘cy’ noun endings. So these are verbs license practise prophesy advise and the following are nouns : cence Practice prophecy advice But ‘promise’ is an exception. ‘This rule does not hola ‘us’ and’ous'. Nouns end in ‘us’. Adjectives end in ‘ous’. So we have, phosphorus jealous census Nouns and unanimous | adjectives genius } tremendous } 6 The final'e’. When followed by ‘ment’. Till recently the final ‘e’ was from words ending in ‘dge’, e:g. Mcaeae But now it is Deontae to say that the heck ‘e need never be roped before ‘ment’ and that you can write (see The Conciee Oxford Dict Judgement and acknowledgement as well as arrangement and advertisement (0) When followed by ‘able. Always drop the final 'e. move movable —_ Not moveable lke likable —_Not likeable Even ‘salable’ and 'ratable’ are the only forms now given in the C.0.D. ood when verb and noun are not spelt alike, so ‘suspense" and ‘hypocrisy’ are nouns. © net42 SOME USEFUL SPELLING RULES Part 0 (1) The exceptions are words ending in ‘ge’ or ‘ce, when ‘cis retained to preserve the soft ‘sound of the 'g' or 'c’. For instance, change changeable Not changable peace peaceable Not peacable When followed by ‘ous’ or ‘age’ or isi, the rule is the same as in (b)._ So. o virtuous mile tallage (occasionally stil: late Yaush blue but courage courageous {@) When followed by ‘i The ‘e' is always dropy except when the final 'e’ vd paeiededd Ey 2 pone wit wey ee eeeped, ee eB. see seeing dye dyeing 7 ‘cand'ck. Words ending in ‘c' take 'k’ after the ‘c’ before adding ‘ed’ or ‘ing’, e.g., frolic frolicked mimic mimicke (a) The terminations ‘ar’, ‘er’, ‘or’, ‘our’, ‘re’ » ‘ure’, ‘ur, The pronunciation of these different terminations is often very similar. There is no rule to decide when to use one or another. The lists below give some common words ending in each of these terminations and these should be learnt by heart. -ar rae — calendar vicar particu! sol circular peninsular (adj.) ee grammar stratlar altar (aayPart (0) ‘SOME USEFUL SPELLING KULES 48 ~er miner robber jsoner farmer traveller summer ow meter saddler alter ‘manner tiger conjurer clever messenger interpreter -orconjuror character villager -or minor surveyor jovernor impostor actor visitor inventor tailor Satcces liquor traitor doctor author director debtor ancestor -our (common termination of abstract nouns) endeavour vigour colour candour humour "gour ardour demeanour hour yur -re centre sombre metre reconnoltre caitbre sceptre manoeuvre‘SOME USEFUL SPELLING RULES Part (1) -ure leisure iculture imposture _ enclosure signature iftrature nature miniature manufacture venture -ur murmur sulphur augur Note also ‘martyr’. () ‘ceed and'cede’. As in 8 (a) there is no rule. Common words ending in these terminations are given below and boys should add to my lists as they come across fresh examples. -ceed proceed exceed succeed ~cede accede le cede ac q precede cont Note the spelling of ‘supersede’. (0 So also with - able recognizable implacable advisable manageable peaceable agreeable indispensable acceptable liable respectable detestable vegetablePart 1 (1) -ible Tesponsible feasible plausible (@ Soalso with -al cannibal material gradual menial SOME USEFUL SPRLUNG RULES divisible forcible: middle obstacle vehicle noble label nickel accessible Permissible jackal total fickle muscle principle level 4510 = 8 sauagyuenanaeaapreritt eee] home light kite white blue WORDS COMMONLY MISSPELT mine yours poor eat heat neat feat feet ought caught board floor flower name rain Rouse bath water hockey plate window 70 80 90 Part II (2) FOR STUDENTS IN THEIR SECOND YEAR OF ENGLISH rupee cloud down| Part (2) 10 WORDS COMMONLY MISSPELT pee kitchen 100 ro bow 110 through Tu threw blood curtain doctor food street picture (B) FOR STUDENTS IN THEIR THIRD YEAR OF ENGLISH 20 miner 40 suit 60 wait minor fruit might sail Tange = & FF beam Speech oye week one goddess weak won nothing pane own. happily pain 30 steel 50 mice 70 Plane si young Plain sea noise saw sick a baron priest pair hereon i wizard bowie absent iiny brought birthday48 80 100 flour reader 110 WORDS COMMONLY MISSPELT 140 150 180 160 Part ll (2) ittle goldenPart II (2) - WORDS COMMONLY MisspELT woman k princes oo pest work Bont’ 200 princess 1 arm ‘door Vitiain ou riches (©) FOR STUDENTS IN THEIR FOURTH YEAR OF ENGLISH babies metal obey peacefully judge Sarliges view Tecitation discover courage opinion necessary famous principle coming wisdom, tance principal address continue neither Pair particularly wheat eighth sea curious express: jonour ality soul amount forward 10 wn 30 sole 50 require 70 ocean born sincerel cricketer sought musi thor Present fea Bare circle To Wednesday examination tongue ae Thursday usual allowed cle Saturday ome aloud har pl journament enjoyed wee . Monday st Noyce safel telephone t 20 truly 40 pleasant 60 prayers 80 aeroplane120 130 WORDS COMMORLY MISSPELT bone uncle aunt above Eyesight eye believe 140 150 160 blow soldier shoulder entleman ughter travel several course coarse 180 horse hoarse mistake battle island treat measure hockey Part II (2)WORDS COMMONLY MISSPELT conquer 51 (D) FOR STUDENTS IN THEIR FIFTH YEAR OF ENGLISH int quid noel freeze yund feather feral dering among 200 straight throne exist hrown 0 dense hay less urit hapoin panty idle province feature period committee growth telegraph result issue failure suspicious jesecn, magic lesson dru capsize 30. conscience leisure conscious cousin society extreme station: Pavilion vinliooney 40 juice samble iscuit freight autumn interfere release cinema dissolve exchange bridge fraction brief yunctual \dget por visitor————_$ $$$ yacht type indispensable activities 90 theatre relation WORDS COMMONLY MISSPELT junction d joint pause inventor physique notice 100 happened resourceful inquire across benefit benefited discover quarter o'clock unite 110 purpose 120 agreement agreeable descent decent disease decease pursuit pursue persuade deliver breathe preserve whisper fierce lamb mourn morning voyage religion minister anxious anxiety ankle 140 choose 130 150 160 Part Il (2) chose chosen practice practise moment frighten skilful employ wealthy satisfy descendant message deceive material excellent disappear shepherd kingdom armour horizon P' worshipped190 WORDS COMMONLY MISSPELT nature account receipt succeed successful yield curtain matches calm honest custom 200 dismount 210 (E) FOR STUDENTS IN THEIR SIXTH YEAR OF ENGLISH poe 12! sketching opposite outlaw companion wheel go nttempt 180 poison Preature Probable tease 14 cheese fault language juce recognize Becident science consider Christmas comfort yesterday servants advise programme advice prophecy saddler prophesy pedlar sandal beggar ioe harass competitor licence 20 proprietor 10 measies propeller cholera impostor 30 traveller seni counsel council s able humour quotation. ace: -SSOTy boundary 40 cannon grease embarrass prevail atmosphere delivered allowance Eskimo or altar alteraerial gauge manure criticize guarantee libel label expense unique skeleton agency compact abandon conceited defeated Possession subtle sentence mystery rogue tyranny ally 70 90 WORDS COMMONLY MISSPELT allay woollen defendant morsel museum collapse scissors draught poisonous currant problem circular lieutenant breadth reflection potato treachery paralleled century referee 100 110 Part (2) eclipse diverse sympathy meadow antagonism design meagre deficient vertical 120 exile article survive drought survivor solemn colony lettuce burden syllable graze reconnaissance ribbon. reconnoitre array develop figure dispatch buckle pigeon 130. stroll enclosure pail kerosene serious suction exhaust permanent intelligent lemporary bes civilized establish invasion crisis esteem direction prophet uniformpat 1 WORDS COMMONLY MisspeLT ne 40 disturb impertinence : destiny approach pera reverse attention 160 tenant cycle ible Tetaliate rein muscles evel dispense 180 despise ont. naked Jealous ore magnat distort creation eastern 200 Mery or. converse resident buried author diminish entrance ohered” cavalry layer Portrait decision 150 infantry interior nobility J or suspend margin omission compression 170 straight hourly vessel energy connexion peculiar 190 gorge accommodation manoeuvre rioting collapse convenience musician immense vein convenient settle eminent central disguise (f) A FEW COMMON WORDS ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT TO SPELL separate agreeable milage or mileage skilful pursuit inquire Patopensable conscientious harass indispensal = embarrass 10 accommodationPart Il (2) 56 WORDS COMMONLY MISSPELT scissors 30 treacherous extreme st bade committee 40 hypocrisy inventor occurred leisure ancient 50. sulphur transferred lieutenant disease rogue, conceit meant pigeon wiles anxiety necessary subtlety lettuce quarrelled secrecy impostor exhaust unparalleled kerosene pedlar symmetry beginning gauge traveller suicide It may be amusing as well as profitable to test your best spellers by means of the following two nonsensical passages which are as difficult to spell as to understand. The first is the easier. 1. ‘l wonder whether shepherds wander curiously across the plains in their leisure tuinutes tearing up pieces of clothes, persuading people to pursue sensible schemes of business and preparing to torture children who have eaten biscuits.’ 2 ‘Itis necessary and agreeable to witness the embarrassments and idiosyncrasies of a harassed pedlar gauging the symmetry of a peeled pair of pears on top of a monument in the middle of the Mediterranean. But it is more indispensable to appreciate the subtlety of the apophthegm which declares that as spermaceti is to the candle so is sandalwood to kerosene. Even a diseased villain exhausted by erysipelas will be benefited by consci- entious reveries in unparalleled secrecy upon this supreme mystery.’ No member of the I.A.S. can hope for fewer than three mistakes th a Settee: es the first time he takesar oie woh Part III: LISTS OF WORDS DIFFICULT TO SPELL ARRANGED ACCORDING TO SUBJECT @) WORDS USED IN MATHEMATICS mathematics factorize equation zero algebra magnitude algebraical naught formulae simultaneous indices dimension arithmetic maund percentage commission principal succession square metric cistern miscellaneous practice approximation recurring exercises, denominator quarter decimal equal numerator quotient proportion division second metre subtraction minute ratio article multiply premium hypothesis geometry S corollary hypotenuse coincide isosceles ° ent axis scalene acute rectilineal parallelogram corresponding obtuse symmetrical vertically radii equilibrium hexagon quadrilateral radius horizontal ambiguous supplementary theorem measurement cyclic conversely diameter vertex:WORDS DIFFICULT TO SPELL IN NATURE STUDY Part Ii (2) vertices protractor bisector adjacent concurrent rhombus enunciation diagonal circle complementary st flower thorn Ilination ‘hloric starch spiration dl resin veins humus fungus cells et as respiration su iydrogen assimilation soluble nitrogen. protoplasm muddy kangaroo osmosis filter rabbit rous animals wolves Rorsal insect cotton microscope (3) WORDS USED IN SCIENCE Archimedes Oersted Ohm calipers or ‘Ampere Fahrenheit calipers divider electroscope compass beehive shelf barometerPart Ill (3) kerosene potassium phosphorus chlorate metre centre possible dually Subtracted increase carrier levelling electricity optical refraction WORDS DIFFICULT TO SPELLIN SCIENCE magnesium manganese aluminium circumference diameter compare rolled accurately difficult mineral sheet supporter apparatus laboratory linder ispersion noxious vapour science repulsion ‘ocess Feutral ebonite anthracite lead alcohol volume suspend app! heavier similarly displace bulb diag iagram thistle pour total separate notice sition Bubbte positive piece correction methylated copper sulphur restored touch expansion precipitate level liquid scissors well surface dynamo connexion figure manipulate concave convexArctic Antarctic Siberia Amazon Andes Mediterranean Pacific current torrid i temperate solar calips iy maritime glacier erosion denudation weathering canal machinery tobacco maize plateau coastal dune plain deposition transportation contour tributary declination wheat oats coffee cocoa barley Russia Switzerland Greece Madagascar valley" delta physical section isotherm isohyet orbi coniferous deciduous season clone pastoral agricultural woollen cotton mineral > Part Mt (4) Montreal Beijing Buenos Aires Belgium Hawaii atmosphere ressure ometer thermometer oceanic insular savanna steppe rairie skimo or Esquimau irrigation manufacture commerce economic communicationMahrattas or Marathas Cornwallis Wellesley Bentinck Ellenborough WORDS DIFFICULT TO SPELLIN HISTORY horizon latitude longitude Canning Dufferin Dupleix Vasco da Gama Augustine Canute Caesar John Confessor Portuguese Charles Elizabeth European Augustus Charlemagne Christian Christianity vegetable population continent Britons Claudius Harold Spanish Spaniards 61 route verticalconstitution municiy municipality assembly provincial commission comunittee minister WORDS DIFFICULT TO SPELL IN HISTORY cabinet Protestants Catholics Puritans Witan Dominion Renaissance Reformation benefit(ed) conqueror slege peasants possession beginning career provisions administration religion religious rebelled tariff pillar statue soldier jizya prisoner merchant si ler justice revenue Part M1 (5) neutral honourable company commander general ancient chouth troops oppress invasion plunder western province inscription annexation roclamation * baronPART Iv: MISCELLANEOUS DIFFICULTIES ty ses in a sentence should be read closely together and which should not. The better you Succeed in arranging your words in their right and natural order the less need there will be for you to give your readers the articles help of mark of punctuation) are five in number. 1. Round a Parenthesis or a Phrase, especially when either occurs in the middle of a sentence grammatically complete without. Phrases, especially Participial, placed at the beginning of a sentence are often separated by commas fram the main sentence. 2. Round words in Apposition and the name of the person Addressed in direct speech. 3. When Inverted commas open and close. 4. Round Relative clauses when the relative pronoun is doing the work of a conjunction also. 5. Round a Subordinate clause in a sentence. These five occasions can be remembered by remembering the word PAIRS. P -Parenthesis, Participle and Phrase. A-Apposition and Addressee. 1 - Inverted commas. R- Relative clause. S - Subordinate clause.. 64 MISCELLANEOUS DIFFICULTIES : COMMAS. Part 1V(1) ‘There is also the occasion when a comma is obviously required because the absence of one may lead to the wrong words being read together. Examples are given below: Phrases {a) Putting down her bag, the lady got up and went outside. (b) He always treated the lady's remarks, as a matter of course, with great respect. Parenthesis - (a) No one here, Iam sure, will deny that. (b) He is, hope, no friend of yours. {@) We must learn to use commas, that difficult mark of punctuation, correctly. (b) Hari, my best friend, has gone away. Person Addressed - (peculiar to direct speech). a) ‘want to see you, Hari,’ called out Rama. (b) Hari replied, ‘i have no time now, Rama. I'll see you later,’ and left the room. The above two examples also show that a comma is usually put where inverted commas open or close, unless some other mark of punctuation, e.g., full stop, is more appropriate. Relative Clause - (@) You spoke in a very rude tone of voice, which ts not the way in which to speak toa ter. ) Have any of you seen a tall man with grey hair, who was waiting outside the school gat But note that the short relative clause, purely adjectival in effect, sandwiched between two parts of a sentence, does not reed commas - (a) My friend who is tall and grey-haired was waiting at the school gate. (b) The house in which I live is in the middle of the town,misc ron V2) -LLANEOUS DIFFICULTIES : INDIRECT SPEECH = When it Is possible to substitute the word ‘that’ for the rel thou tive idiom or a change of meaning, the relative clause should not hay ovement ‘ail roees Subordinate Clauses — (adverbial) é ‘These clauses begin with subordinat. S because. Bigot peered conjunctions, such as f, while, when. {a) [have never shot a tiger, though I have long wanted to, so I am ready to come with you. (b) Ifyou have done wrong, you should make a clean breast of it, so that your conscience will not prick you, when you think of the past The comma after ‘prick you' is very optional, tee S. ‘The mnemonic is PAIRS or PARI: {2) INDIRECT SPEECH There are five main types of sentences: (1) statement, < (2) order, (3) request, (4) question, (5) exclamation. you turn each of these into indirect speech, each type requires a special kind When of introducing verb followed by a special subordinate conjunction or special construction. () Introducing verbs and the construction to follow them. STATEMENT Say remark } followed by ‘that’ reply answer etc.66 MISCELLANEOUS DIFFICULTIES : INDIRECT SPEECH Part IV (2) ORDER Tell want order followed by direct object and ‘to’. command forbid etc. REQUEST Beg ree } followed by direct object and ‘to’. pray etc. QUESTION Ask \ inquire wonder etc. EXCLAMATION Cry shout exclaim ‘that’ ene ane followed by ‘that' (as in a statement). qualified by an adverb) (tu) Change of tense in the sentence put into direct speech. Note the tense of the introducing verb. (1) Ifitis in the present tense, the verbs in the sentence will not change their tenses. (2) fit i in the past tense (as it usually is) the verbs, to be put into indirect. change into the past tense if originally present, and into the past periect, if origin: past. radiata ate nae amnaioer nahi followed by interrogative adverb, adjective or pronoun if any; otherwise by ‘if or ‘whether’.pec V2 MISCELLANEOUS DiEricuLT : Example - (direct) :- The boy is good, He says that the boy is good He said that the boy was good, Example - (direct) :- The boy w. He says that eg boy tee ged te that vera in the nitive po a ee preset infive neve But no verbs in the infinitive mood never ©. ‘To go" changes to ‘to went' nor 'to have gone’ (perfect infinitive) to toad ones. : re cated cut Common tistake. As common but less elementary is the mistake (committed uni ¢ impression that all > oka pression that all verbs in indirect speech change their on ‘would had gone’ Va instead of ‘would have gone’ IES : INDIRECT SPEECH ‘must had gone’ " ‘must have gone’ ‘could had gone’ is ‘could have gone’ ‘might had gone’ 5: " " ‘might have gone’ ‘Will go' is a verb with one auxiliary ‘will’. a have gone’ is a verb with foro, ‘will and ‘have’. rule governing the change of tense of such verbs is invariable. Only the first auxiliary changes. fete tee examples above, ‘will’ can change to ‘would’ but “have, ‘been’. ‘go. E. and ‘going’ never change. The reason is that those parts of any verb which follow the st auxiliary are in the infinitive mood. No verb in that mood can change its tense. (ii) Change of pronoun in indirect speech. {a) A pronoun in the indirect sentence which refers to the person speaking the sentence will be put in the first person.