To right the wrongs EXPLORING ENGLISH By KEITH W.

WRIGHT As long as one is willing to correct ones mistakes, learning English can be a piece of cake. PERSEVERANCE, practice and persistence are what it takes to be a superior communicator of the English language. Besides that, not much is required except that one needs to be introspective. By recognising the common mistakes made in daily conversations and correspondence, learners can improve their grasp of the language. All right The term all right is two words, just like all wrong. Example: Is Jake all right after falling off that ladder? It is traditionally incorrect to write the word group all right as alright, allright or allright. Unfortunately, some dictionary publishers include the spelling alright thus causing confusion for learners. A lot There is no such word in English as alot. The term a lot should always be written as two words. Example: The gambler lost a lot of money betting on race horses. Only The adverb only should always precede the word it qualifies. Example: Only the Premier can resolve this political factional impasse. If only she were here. Real really The word real is an adjective that is used to describe a noun. Example: That was a real challenging experience. The word really is an adverb that is used to describe or qualify a verb or another adverb. Example: I felt really well after my holiday at the beach. It is incorrect to say: Jason is real sorry for crashing your motorbike. (really) Some any

While the adjectives any and some are usually interchangeable, these words should be used carefully in the context of a question. It is incorrect to say: Where can I buy any batteries for my torch? (some) It is preferable to say: Have you any AAA batteries? rather than Have you some AAA batteries?. Such as like It is common practice to use such as for examples and like for resemblances. Example: Some police officers, such as those who handle domestic disputes, need very good people-skills. Those elderly neighbours are like grandparents to my children. An a A common mistake is to use the wrong indefinite article. To use a instead of an or an instead of a. Example: I ate a orange for lunch. (an) Can you draw an unicorn? (a) The indefinite article an is always used instead of a before the vowels a, e, i, and o. Example: an apple, an eel, an ice cream, an orange. When the following word begins with a short u, an is used. Example: an umbrella. When the u sound is long, a is used. Example: a unit, a unicorn. With unstressed h-words, an is used. Example: an honest man. Pronouncing words with the neutral uh sound also causes indefinite article difficulties. Example: Do you have a answer to my problem? (an) The The word the is called the definite article. Unlike the indefinite articles a and an, its function is to definitely or specifically refer to someone or something. Example: That is the car I want. He is the captain of our team. In contrast, a and an are more general in their reference to words. Example: I would like a new bike, ie. the bike could be one of many. Similarly, in the sentence: I eat an apple every day, ie. any apple.

One of the mistakes made is to wrongly omit the definite article the. Example: That was only way to solve the problem. (... the only way...). Another less commonly made error is to confuse the definite article the with the pronoun they. Example: They concert was really wonderful. (the) Either or neither nor Either is always followed by or. Either should never be followed by nor. Example: We can either go to the theatre or to the art show. The words, either - or and neither - nor, form what are called correlative conjunctions. Both require singular verbs when used with singular nouns in a sentence. Example: Either a cat or a dog is an ideal pet for a child. In contrast, when one or both the specific subjects are plural, the verb too has to be plural. Example: Neither the dog nor the cats have been fed. Either the parents or the students have to pay for the books. It is a common grammatical mistake to use or with neither. Example: I like neither that blue tie or that red one. (nor) Another common error is using a plural verb when two singular subjects are joined by either or and neither - nor. Example: Either David or Mica are going to mow the lawn as neither Peter nor Andrea were able to do it yesterday. (is...was)