COMMON ERRORS IN ENGLISH
WRONG
Expecting a large crowd, extra chairs were
provided by the management.
He wants to begin immediately and to make
his first sale before the end of the year. As a
result of this, he will probably become a
successful salesman.
The man liked meeting and to talk to people.
1)The Company should increase the price of all
products.
2) Increase the variety of products.
3) Provide more services.
4) They should review their advertising
programme.
He usually makes sensible decisions although
he frequently changed his mind.
Do this work carefully; you should also do it
slowly.
RIGHT
Expecting large crowd, the management
provided extra chair. (or)
Since a large crowd was expected, extra chairs
were provided by the management
He wants to begin immediately and to make
his first sale before the end of the year. As a
result of this attitude, he will probably become
a successful salesman.
The man liked to meet and talk to people. (or)
The man liked meeting and talking to people.
The Company should-
(i) increase the price of all products
(ii)Increase the variety of products
(iii) Provide more services
(iv) review their advertising programme.
He usually makes sensible decisions although
he frequently changes his mind.
You should do this carefully; you should also
do it slowly. (or)
Do this carefully; also do it slowly.
 WRONG
I, hoping very much to find Mrs Singh at home
and to sell her one of our new products,
knocked at the door.
I only telephoned those men.
The price of new products were reasonable.
The advantage of product A and B are the
profits.
There is a man and woman waiting to see me.
Everyone on the top three floors work for one
company.
There is only one of the girls who play sitar
Neither the report nor its appendix were
published
Every one brought lunch to work
He does not usually make those kind of errors
Neither the Manager nor his favourite
employee could do his work alone.
RIGHT
Hoping very much to find Mrs Singh at home
and to sell her one of our new products, I
Knocked at the door.
I telephoned only those men.
The price of new products was reasonable
The advantage of product A and B is the
profits.
There are a man and woman waiting to see
me.
Everyone on the top three floors works for one
company.
There is only one of the girls who plays sitar
Neither the report nor its appendix was
published
Everyone brought his lunch to work.
He does not usually make these kind of errors
Neither the the Manager nor his favourite
employees could do his work alone.
Singular:
Ram Plays ; She dances ; Time flies
Plural
They Play ; Girls dance ; You eat
Everyone in my class, including our teacher, ____(has/have) donated
blood.
Compound Subject:
The Boy AND the girl _____ (is/are)
The story and music ______ (is/are)
Either / or Subjects
Either he or his sisters ____ (is/are) expected.
Neither the mother nor the children _____(Know/knows) it.
Either he or his friends ______(have/has) done it.
Neither he or his brother ____ (is/are) coming.
Phrase and clauses as subject:
Forgiving faults ______(is/are) not easy.
To seek happiness ______ (is/are) is most natural.
What he wants to know _____ (is/are) why he is punished.
Collective nouns as subjects:
Our class ____ (have/has) won the match.
The committee ____(is/are) divided in their opinion.
Plural words that have a –s plural ending:
The news sayS
Physics is
Measles is
Words with –s endings as plural subject:
Eyeglasses are ---
Plants are ---
Jeans are---
Shears cut---
Thanks are due to----
Scissors cut----
Amount as subjects:
More than 100 km____(is/are) high speed.
Six bushels _____ (is/are)
Four hundred rupees _____(is/are)
Company names. Titles and terms as subjects:
Hindustan Motors ____(is/are) changing its model.
The New Realities ____(is/are) the latest book by Drucker.
Indefinite words as subject:
Each ____ (have/has) his own idea.
Each essay ___(is/are) marked by her.
All my pens ____(is/are) imported.
Some of the lesson ____(is/are) not clear.
One of…who, which or that used as subjects:
Manish ___(is/are) one of the student
who___(have/has) the text book.
She ___(is/are) the girl who sings well.
They ____(is/are) the people who suffer most.
There is an excellent book on this topic in our college
library.
There are several books on this topic in our library.
Choose the correct verb:
1) Ten pieces of loaf (is,are) too much for two of us.
2) There (was,were) a whole pile of files before him.
3) Each of the students (was,were) awarded.
4) The quantity of the books presented(vary,varies)
5) The most popular of the Indian epics (is,are)
Ramayana.
6) The cause for the delay and trouble (was,were)
known to all.
7) The president, along with his bodyguards, (is,are)
coming.
8) Politics (is,are) a subject of scoundrels.
9) It (is,are) they who wanted to go.
10)He is one of the managers who (is,are) attending the
training programme.