Common Errors

As with any language, English is full of little traps that can trip up nonnative speakers. This section outlines a couple of the most common errors.

        

       All ready vs. Already

§         All ready means completely ready.

  "Are you all ready for the big presentation?"

 

§         Already is an adverb that means before the present time or earlier than expected.

  "You have had lunch already? It's only 11.30!"

 

 

       Interested vs. Interesting

§         Interested is a past participle that can be used as an adjective to explain how someone feels.

    "I was very interested in the outcome of the survey"

 

§         Interesting is a present participle that can be used as an adjective to describe the things that cause the feelings.

  "It was a very interesting session"

 

 

       Fewer vs. Less

§         Fewer is used for things that you can count, that is, how many of something there are.

     "There are fewer days in February than in any other month"

 

§         Less is used for things that you can only measure, that is, how much of something there is.

  "I drink much less coffee now than I used to"

     

 

       Send vs. Sent

§         Send is a verb that means you dispatch something by a communication medium.

    "I will send you a meeting request"

 

§         Sent is the past participle of the verb "send".

  "I sent it to you in the internal mail"

     

 

       Loose vs. Lose

§         Loose is an adjective that describes something that does not fit or is not fixed properly.

    "My headphones weren't working because a wire was loose"

 

§         Lose is a verb that means you no longer have something because you do not know where it is.

  "I am always losing my way in this building"

 

 

       Beside vs. Besides

§         Beside is a preposition of place that means at the side of or next to.

    "My telephone is beside my keyboard"

 

§         Besides is an adverb or a preposition that means in addition to or also.

  "Besides translation, we must plan for language editing"

 

Using By and Until

Do you know when to use by and until correctly in English? Does the request Please fill in this form until Friday seem a reasonable one to you? If so, then read on...

 

       When do we use by?

§         By sets a time limit for when a task has to be completed. It means before or no later than a specified time.

    The presentation must be ready by Friday

      There is a meeting on Friday and this presentation must be ready for then.

    We have to get this sorted out by the meeting on Friday

       Friday is the final deadline.

    Please fill in this form by Friday

       The form must be completed no later than Friday.

 

When do we use until?

§         Until indicates that an activity continues through the period up to the time limit. It means up to a time or before.

I will be working on this until 7 oclock

      The activity wiill continue until 7 oclock.

I have to stay until the results are back

      The activity will continue up to a time or before.

He worked for NetWeaver until January 2010

      The situation continues until the specific date.

 

Compare the difference in meaning of the following two sentences:

§         George is going to be in the office by 8.

      George is not in the office now, he will be in before 8.

 

§         George is going to be in the office until 8.

      George is in the office now, he will leave later.

Hi guys,
If you are nonnative speakers and if you think this is helpful, please let me know, I will update it every month.

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