#10.

Alright and All Right

We see the word alright everywhere, and its begun entering the major dictionaries, but for formal writing, such as academic papers and business correspondence, you should still use the two-word version.

#9. Pinaka-Latest
Latest is already in the superlative, meaning there nothing later than it. Most latest is just redundant. Therefore, pinaka-latest is also redundant. But I have to admit, its pretty catchy. Thats probably why local showbiz specials love to use it.

#8. More + Adjective-er

Phrases like more harder and more brighter just give me more headaches. Just say harder o r brighter, okay?

#7. Your and Youre

Two words that should never, ever, ever be interchanged, at least if you want to be taken seriously as a writer. Your is a possessive adjective. In other words, it is used to express possession: Your job. Youre is a contraction of two words: the pronoun you and the verb are. Therefore, its always youre welcome and not your welcome.

#6. Its and Its

This is almost identical to you and youre. Use its to express possession: I scratched its fur. Its is a contraction of it and is. Therefore, always write its nice and never its nice.

#5. Their and Theyre and There

Same banana. Their is a possessive adjective, Theyre is a contraction, and There refers to a place: Im going there.

#4. He and She

Claras there na. Hes, ah, I mean, shes waiting for you. This happens because most Filipinos think in Tagalog, in which the word siya means both he and she. This tiny difference between English and Tagalog trips up millions of Filipinos on a daily basis.

#3. Already
She went there already. This sounds correct to a Filipino, but the correct use is She already went there. Personally, this still sounds a bit off. I would say She has already gone there. But thats just me.

#2. The Ellipsis

This is one of the most abused punctuation marks in the history of humankind. Simply put, an ellipsis is the formal term for the three dots () that follow some types of sentences. Filipinos love to abuse it in the following ways:

By using only 2 dots: .. By using more than 3: .. (of course, there are some instances in which 4 dots are acceptable) By using it several times in a single sentence: Oh Well Ill see you later, then

#1. Pluralizing all the wrong words

I visibly wince whenever I hear Filipinos add -s to the wrong words. Fats. Furnitures. Evidences. Stuffs. Stuffs. For the love of God, all of these words are already in the plural form. And saying anyways instead of anyway has always struck me as being singularly pretentious.

Dear Mr Carillo If you havent done so already, maybe you can address some common mistakes in writing. One is, e.g., The church is across McDonalds on Rizal Avenue instead of The church is across from McDonalds . . . or, better, The church is opposite McDonalds . . . I often come across such things as I was discriminated by the head of the Organization instead of I was discriminated against . . . Another very common misuse of English here is I asked sorry or I asked for an apology when the very opposite is meant: I apologized. Another common mistake I come across often in the broadsheets is Majority of Filipinos are opposed to . . . instead of either A majority or The majority, depending on the context. The word majority should always have either the definite or the indefinite article in front of it except in headlines. Taken cared of instead of taken care of is one of the most common mistakes. I often read The Presidents plane arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport instead of . . . arrived at Ninoy Aquino . . . You dont read in American papers He arrived at the John Kennedy . . . or He arrived at the JFK but rather He arrived at John Kennedy . . . or He arrived at JFK . . . On the other hand, if the name of the airport isnt used the use of the article is proper, e.g., He arrived at the airport.

Maybe this is due to the influence of the languages of the Philippines which use the preposition sa, e.g., in Cebuano, Nakaabot siya sa Ninoy Aquino . . . I have come across some very fluent writers of English who nevertheless make grammatical mistakes. I dont know if there is a good summer course available to give good writers a good grounding in English grammar. PS I prefer to follow British usage with regard to abbreviations, e.g., Mr instead of Mr. The top English and Irish broadsheets go even further: Major-General, for example, becomes Maj Gen. Im surprised that American-usage is still so oldfashioned in this digital age! My reply to Fr. Coyle: Thank you so much for pointing out the English-usage errors you commonly encounter in your readings. I have had occasion to discuss many of those errors myself in my weekly English-usage column in The Manila Times over the past eight years and, lately, also in my English-usage website, Jose Carillos English Forum, that I launched in May 2009. I agree with the correct usages you prescribed, and Im enjoining the members and guests of the Forum to take careful note of them. The only point where I differ with you is in the matter of your preference for not using the article the in sentences like The Presidents plane arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. I think this a stylistic choice thats best left to the writer or speaker, not prescribed or forced on him or her. As far as I can gather, in both their written and spoken English as well as in the print media, Filipinos automatically put the article the before the proper name of international airports as a matter of convention and stylistic choice, and I think its best to leave it at that. On the matter of punctuation: Since you are a native English speaker from Ireland, Fr. Coyle, I made it a point to print your e-mail as is, retaining the exact way you use punctuation marks like the period (its the full stop in British English, of course), the comma, and the single-quote quotation mark as well as the way you dont use the period to punctuate abbreviated words like Mr and Maj Gen. The way you use those punctuation marks is actually very illustrative of how British English differs from American Englishthe English standard used in the Philippinesin the matter of punctuation alone. Let me just quickly summarize those punctuation style differences for everybodys benefit:

1. British English uses single-quote quotation marks, while American English uses double-quote quotation marks; then, for quotes within quoted material, British English uses double-quote quotation marks, while American English uses singlequote quotation marks. 2. British English puts the closing quotation mark inside the period (full stop) that marks the end of a sentence, while American English puts the closing quotation mark outside the period that marks the end of a sentence. 3. British English puts the comma outside the quotation mark that closes quoted material (whether the quoted material is a statement or a quoted term) before the word outside the quotes that immediately follows it, while American English puts that comma inside the quotation mark in such grammatical constructions. (Click this link to read my extensive discussion of how American English and British English differ in the way they handle quoted material.) You say that the American English style for the use of punctuation marks, particularly its preference for putting the period in the abbreviated Mr., is still so old-fashioned in this digital age. I must say that I disagree with you on this. I think its simply a widely accepted grammatical convention thats no different from the way British English spelled music as musick, traffic as traffick, and check as cheque way back in the early 1800s, until Noah Webster in the United States decided to change them to their simpler spelling that are much more widely used until today. As I said earlier, style in language is a matter of choice and whatever becomes predominantly accepted is the correct one. Like you, Fr. Coyle, I also dont know if theres a good summer course currently available in the Philippines to give writers a good grounding in English grammar. Perhaps we should address this question to Forum members who might happen to know of one. In the meantime, if I may be allowed to pitch a little commercial, I would like to suggest as reference my three English-usage books, Give Your English the Winning Edge, English Plain and Simple, and The 10 Most Annoying English Grammar Errors. They deal with practically all of the grammatical mistakes you mentionedplus so many other interesting things besides about English writing and exposition.

To add to Fr. Coyle's list of common Filipino mistakes in English, may I point out the following common mistakes which I often encounter in my students' papers, in newspapers, in street signs, and in some uniforms of traffic officers:

1. "cope up with" instead of cope with 2. "avail of" instead of avail oneself of 3. "request for something" instead of request something 4. "bound to Antipolo" instead of bound for Antipolo 5. "Filipino-Chinese" to refer to Filipinos with Chinese genes instead of the correct term, Chinese- Filipino. A "Filipino-Chinese" is a Filipino immigrant in China just like a "Filipino-American" is a Filipino immigrant in the US. 6. "for a while", used in answering a telephone caller, instead of the correct "just a minute" 7. "result to" instead of result in 8. "traffic enforcer" instead of traffic regulator or traffic officer. One can enforce traffic rules but one cannot enforce traffic. I can cite many more common Filipino mistakes, particularly in English pronunciation, but this list is getting too long. I'm certain that you have already addressed most, if not all, of these mistakes in your previous postings and columns.

I suspect that most of our errors can be avoided by using short and simpler sentences. I also suspect that we need to learn how and when to use each of the 90+ one-word prepositions. Such may help retire most of our trite prepositional phrases we call clichs. For subject-predicate disagreement, it is easy to lose sight of the subject that is amidst wordy clauses, modifiers, and prepositional phrases. Misplaced modifiers and clauses suggest that we did not plan to say them before we opened our mouths. They were second thoughts. They should not be forced insertions. They belong in the next sentence. The next sentence will allow us to place the modifier close to the modified, whether before or after.

As communicators (writers, speakers), we need not feel like we should say everything in one breath. Pausing, we may hear how our listeners hear us. We may realize how good, or awkward, or pretentious, or even ludicrous we sound.

other words that end in 'ise' or 'ize' and also about words such as 'windshield', the British usage for 'windscreen'. I accept your point about Philippine usage with regard to 'arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport' even though I would never write that myself nor do I think that 'he arrived at the Heathrow Airport' would be accepted outside this country. However, it is an area where the writer's 'feel' for language comes into place. I would be inclined to write 'He went to the University of San Carlos' because it 'runs' better than 'He went to University of San Carlos'. Yet I would write 'He went to USC' and not 'He went to the USC'. With regard to quotation marks, British usage allows both, single or double, using the opposite for a quotation within a quotation. I checked today's Irish Independent online and found double quotation marks in one article and single in another. I've moved towards placing the period or full stop at the end of quotation where logic dictates it should be. I'm not always consistent. I still think that the convention in American English of using the period at the end of an abbreviation such as 'Mr." is curiously old-fashioned, though correct. It is strange that the country that gave us 'plow' as an alternative to 'plough' and 'labor' instead of 'labour' still sticks to the period where British English has largely, though not totally, discarded it. However, this is not a question of correct or incorrect. For me it's also a question of aesthetics. To me 'Mr Carillo' looks better than 'Mr. Carillo'. The Dominican Province of the Philippines have a family magazine - I can't remember the title - that doesn't use the period at the end of abbreviations, so I'm not a lone voice. However, I stress that this is not a matter of correct and incorrect.

Language is living and would never change or grow if writers and editors didn't make choices. The closing paragraph of former Chief Justice Panganiban's column, With Due Respect, in today's PDI reads: As a footnote, may I add that the inquisitorial system is still regularly used in many countries. On the other hand, the adversarial system was introduced to the Philippines by the Americans at the dawn of the 20th century and had been used regularly since the Supreme Court was founded in 1901. As an exception, contempt cases initiated by the judges themselves had always been decided via the inquisitorial method. Surely 'has' should have been used instead of 'had' since Artemio V. Panganiban was explaining the difference between the adversarial system and the inquisitorial system and when the Supreme Court uses each. 'Had' seems to imply that the Court no longer uses either system.

1.
Wrong Right I have visited Niagara Falls last weekend. I visited Niagara Falls last weekend.

3.
Wrong Right The woman which works here is from Japan. The woman who works here is from Japan.

5.
Wrong Right Shes married with a dentist. Shes married to a dentist.

7.
Wrong Right She was boring in the class. She was bored in the class.

9.
Wrong Right I must to call him immediately. I must call him immediately.

11.
Wrong Right Every students like the teacher. Every student likes the teacher.

13.
Wrong Right Although it was raining, but we had the picnic. Although it was raining, we had the picnic.

15.
Wrong Right I enjoyed from the movie. I enjoyed the movie.

17.
Wrong Right I look forward to meet you. I look forward to meeting you.

19.
Wrong I like very much ice cream.

Right

I like ice cream very much.

21.
Wrong Right She can to drive. She can drive.

23.
Wrong Right Where I can find a bank? Where can I find a bank?

25.
Wrong Right I live in United States. I live in theUnited States.

27.
Wrong Right When I will arrive, I will call you. When I arrive, I will call you.

29.
Wrong Right Ive been here since three months. Ive been here for three months.

31.
Wrong Right My boyfriend has got a new work. My boyfriend has got a new job. (or just "has a new job")

33.

Wrong Right

She doesnt listen me. She doesnt listen to me.

35.
Wrong Right You speak English good. You speak English well.

37.
Wrong Right The police is coming. The police are coming.

39.
Wrong Right The house isnt enough big. The house isnt big enough.

41.
Wrong Right You should not to smoke. You should not smoke.

43.
Wrong Right Do you like a glass of wine? Would you like a glass of wine?

45.
Wrong Right There is seven girls in the class. There are seven girls in the class.

47.
Wrong Right I didnt meet nobody. I didnt meet anybody.

49.
Wrong Right My flight departs in 5:00 am. My flight departs at 5:00 am.

26.
Wrong Right I promise I call you next week. I promise Ill call you next week.

28.
Wrong Right Where is post office? Where is the post office?

30.
Wrong Right Please explain me how improve my English. Please explain to me how to improve my English.

32.
Wrong Right We studied during four hours. We studied for four hours.

34.
Wrong Is ready my passport?

Right

Is my passport ready?

36.
Wrong Right You cannot buy all what you like! You cannot buy all that you like!

38.
Wrong Right She is success. She is successful.

40.
Wrong Right My mother wanted that I be doctor. My mother wanted me to be a doctor.

42.
Wrong Right The life is hard! Life is hard.

44.
Wrong Right How many childrens you have? How many children do you have?

46.
Wrong Right My brother has 10 years. My brother is 10 (years old).

48.

Wrong Right

I want eat now. I want to eat now.

50.
Wrong Right You are very nice, as your mother. You are very nice, like your mother.

52.
Wrong Right She said me that she liked you. She told me that she liked you.

54.
Wrong Right My husband engineer. My husband is an engineer.

56.
Wrong Right I came Australia to study English. I came to Australia to study English.

58.
Wrong Right It is more hot now. Its hotter now.

60.
Wrong Right You can give me an information? Can you give me some information?

62.

Wrong Right

They cooked the dinner themself. They cooked the dinner themselves.

64.
Wrong Right Me and Johnny live here. Johnny and I live here.

66.
Wrong Right I closed very quietly the door. I closed the door very quietly.

68.
Wrong Right You like dance with me? Would you like to dance with me?

70.
Wrong Right I go always to school by subway. I always go to school by subway.

72.
Wrong Right If I will be in London, I will contact to you. If I am in London, I will contact you.

74.
Wrong Right We drive usually to home. We usually drive home.

Test:
If it will rain tomorrow, we will not go to Niagara Falls. You is hungry? I enjoyed at party. Ive been to Japan four times. You like this shoes? You marry? Although she is young, shes very smart. Can you to pass me the pepper, please? Where I can buy milk? She is an English teacher.

GOOD SITE: http://www.engvid.com/

Let me explain why this is awkward English (for native English speakers). For a while is a prepositional phrase. Here how an American would use the phrase: Im going to the mall for a while. Ive been here for a while. I waited for quite a while (implying a longer time). Hell be here in just a little while (implying a shorter time). Correct Alternatives Im guessing that my beloved Filipinos think that for a while is the English equivalent of sandali lang. It isnt. Sandali lang is best translated, just a moment. Here are some bettersounding alternatives for formally asking someone to wait:

One moment, please Hold, please. (for telephone situations) For informal situations, you could also use these: Hang on Just a minute/second

Another error I most often see is the overuse of apostrophes. Examples I've seen: boy's and girl's accountant's wanted construction works' in progress parking for car's etc... You don't have to look very far to spot this misuse of the apostrophe.

Most common Filipino grammatical errors, 1

(Note: some items are not really grammatical errors but word choice issues, to be exact.)
1. Please fill up the form. --> fill out the form, fill in the blanks

2. That's already taken cared of. --> taken care of; the past tense is already taken care of by "taken" 3. 4. 5. I Your Is don't the best. that know what --> You're (You name? thinking. --> are); --> they're; not possessive your in usage

you're their

(possessive) use

homonym/homophone

6. I don't know what there thinking. It's they're choice anyway. --> they're, their; again, homonym use 7. Take last Sept 7, 2005, when you got this latest cell phone from this promo. --> There will never be Sept. 7, 2005 again. 8. Take last Sept 7, when you got this pinaka-latest cell phone from this promo. --> latest or pinakabago; double superlatives 9. Yun ang pinaka-da-best! It really felt like you were a masuwerteng lucky winner, di ba? --> again, double superlatives; redundancy

10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

You Rejoice, Its It's Guess tail

are it's a

most/more free a gift.

unique! --> A "gift" gift.

--> is

"Unique" assumed --> mistaking what.) to

means be It's; possessives declarative free

there or it

is is a

no paid

other. good.

free -->

missing for non-possessive not a

contraction pronouns question.

is

wagging. --> an

Homophone (You

use;

what?

imperative

guess

statement,

15. I prefer books rather than movies. --> Strictly speaking (or in old-fashioned English), should be "over" or "to." 16. I'm more interested in books rather than watching movies. --> "rather" unnecessary

17. Watch out for this new show on TV. --> "Watch" is enough. "Watch out" is altogether another idiom, meaning "take caution." 18. Majority of Filipinos say... --> My American editors in the past said there should be a preceding "a" or "the," depending on usage. 19. Thanks God, nakapasa ako sa bar! --> Please see lengthy explanation provided in the post linked. 20. His name is Mac and she is fond of singing. He has a sister who is fond of her. --> inconsistent gender out of carelessness 21. She have... We has... --> agreement error out of carelessness 22. The birthday celebrant (?) had lots of foods, cakes, coffees, apples, rices, ulams... --> double plurals 23. Anyone can have their own rule. --> disagreement/lack of agreement 24. Lets do this again. --> homonym use 25. He let's you know when his mad. --> homonym use and improper use of contraction 26. Inspite of the fact that... --> "in spite" (two words) 27. Despite of the fact that... --> "despite" doesn't need "of" 28. I live at Sampaloc, Manila. --> "in" is used to indicate that something is placed inside another or to refer to places in general 29. I live in #22, Sampaloc St., Manila. --> "at" is used to indicate specific places or directions 30. I live on Sampaloc, Manila. --> "on" indicates something is placed over another thing 31. Dispose the trash. --> "Dispose" needs an "of." 32. When I was born in 1970, there is a guy named... --> inconsistent tenses/tense shift out of carelessness 33. He is closed to meeting the deadline. The street was close to traffic. --> "closed" means "not open"; "close" means "near"

Most common Filipino grammatical errors, 2

(Gleaned from here and there. Note to self: Be sure never to commit these errors.) 1. You maybe right. --> homonym use; "May be" is not the adverb "maybe" 2. You can't do that anymore than you can't do this. --> "Any more" is different from the adverb "anymore." 3. I can't say anything with regards to that. --> should be "with regard"; otherwise, use "as regards" or "Give him my regard" or "Regards to your ____!" 4. This will result to the formation of --> should be "result in" 5. The newly graduates wore "new graduates"; an adverb can't be used to describe a noun

The Preposition AT We begin our series of lessons with the preposition AT. 1. It is used to refer to a position at a point or place. Meet me at the airport. 2. It is used to locate an object in space. The paper was lying at my feet. 3. It is used to refer to a time point. Church bells used to toll at six o'clock. The fire started at dawn.

4. It is used to indicate a state or condition. I'm never at ease when taking a test. Don't disturb somebody at work. 5. It is used to indicate a cause or a source of an action. She wept at the bad news. 6. It is used to express skill (or lack of it) in relation to a particular activity. She is good at guessing. I am poor at math. 7. It is used to describe manner. He was driving at full speed. 8. It is used to indicate direction toward a goal. Someone across the street is pointing at us. 9. It is used to indicate age or degree. She got married at eighteen. Water freezes at 0 degree Celsius.

dont english me im panic.

The Preposition IN

We can be IN a country, a town, a room, a forest, a field, or any place which has boundaries or is enclosed.

We can be IN or AT a building. IN means "inside only"; AT could mean "inside or in the grounds or just outside".

We can be IN or AT the sea, river, lake, or swimming pool. IN here means actually "in the water".

For example: The children are swimming in the pool.

AT the sea (river, lake, etc) means "near or beside the sea".

But AT SEA means "on a ship"

The Preposition ON

1. It denotes position where there is contact.

The book is on the desk.

Snow fell on the hills.

2. It is used to refer to communication.

I watched the news on TV.

I heard it on the radio.

3. It can mean "concerning".

He gave a lecture on business strategies.

This is a book on magic.

4. It is used to denote day and date.

I will see you on Saturday.

He left the country on September 10.

Take note of the use of AT, IN, and ON for expressions of time:

You say:

IN March, IN 2010, IN the next century

ON Friday, ON December 25, ON June 24, 1948

AT six tomorrow, AT night

The stars can be seen AT night. (But why is the song called "Strangers in the Night"?)

There are instances when NOT UNLESS is correct:

Question: Are you going to the party?

Answer: Not unless my crush is there.

Question: Is recording a TV program illegal?

Answer: No, not unless you make a business out of it.

(In such a case as a Yes or No question and the answer is NO, followed by an exception, you can use NOT UNLESS)

HYPHENATING SPELLED-OUT NUMBERS

Please hyphenate numbers between twenty-one and ninety-nine.

And by the way, 40 is spelled FORTY, not fourty. And that goes with FORTY-ONE and so on.

And hyphenate this one too:

A twenty-year-old girl is marrying an eighty-year-old man.

Spell out whole numbers from zero to ten. Use numerals for numbers greater than ten. (This rule, though, is arbitrary.)

Make our hearts one heart.

There are ten little indians.

The company employs 3,000 workers.

But spell it out when located at the beginning of a sentence.

Three thousand workers reported yesterday.

tuck in/tuck out - it should be tuck and untuck

ref - fridge/refridgerator

aircon- airconditioning unit or a/c

bottomless - refillable (in english they might think it literally )

malling - window shopping

cr - its not comfort room it should be - toilet, bathroom, the john, the lieu

rubber shoes - it should be sneakers rubber shoes are "bota"

reapeat it again - (too redudant) we can say can you please repeat

senatoriables - there is no such english word as senatoriables

filipino writers just made this word to save space, it should be senatorial candidates or

senatorial

But please do not expect me to be correct all the time. I must admit I'm also confused sometimes as to what preposition to use. Like, for instance, until now, it still bothers me why a TV show is called "Concert AT the Park" while a Robert Redford movie is called "Barefoot IN the Park".

because( just a conclusion )

probably that show concert at the park;

the concert might was held AT the park

while robert redford's movie its because

he was barefooted IN the park....

the concert at park

answer the question

where was the concert was held?

the answer is at the park pointing to

a place or the ___location,

which is the park as a whole

while robert redford's movie

barefooted in the park also

answers the question

where he was barefooted?

the answer is in the park,

meaning inside the park

where his foot is in the surface

of the park,and

not the park as a whole like

where the concert was held..

what do you think?

just a conclusion....

i hope you get my point...

DRUNK vs DRUNKEN
This is a common error committed mostly by news reporters.

He was charged with ( drunk, drunken ) driving.

"Drunk" is used after a form of the verb to be: He was drunk.

Meanwhile, "drunken" is used as an adjective before a noun:

drunken driver drunken driving

CONTINUAL vs CONTINUOUS
When do we use CONTINUAL and when do we use CONTINUOUS?

Continual means "repeated again and again."

Continuous means "uninterrupted."

You say: I was continually interrupted by the text messages.

But: It rained continuously for forty days.

Times have changed, and so has the English language

Today's lesson may appear shocking to the language purists, but some expressions such as AGENDAS ARE and DATA IS are now accepted as correct but only on the informal level. You may check any updated, modern dictionary.

The agendas for tomorrow's meeting are already prepared.

The data that you submitted is incomplete.

Remember, formal English still sticks to AGENDUM and DATUM as singular.

Lesson 2 on Filipinoism: Salvaged - for us filipinos when we heard salvaged, its either assassinated or murdered but in english language salvaged means to save. soft drinks - carbonated drink ex coke, rc and the likes... but in english language soft drinks are those non alcoholic drinks like juices, mock tails etc. it should be soda or soda pop. slippers (a rubber sandal loosely fastened to the foot by a thong) - should be flip flops xerox - we all know this, but it should be photocopy take home/take out - when you ordered to a restaurant or fast food and you want to take it home, instead using that use to go. and i used to see in some malls saying free gift.. hehehe.. when we say gift, it supposed to be free because we're giving it away, birthday celebrant, instead of celebrator office mate, instead of colleague masteral, instead of master's degree (but doctoral is correct) fill up a form, instead of fill it out fall in line, instead of stand or wait in line you're very much welcome, instead of you're very welcome the meeting will push through, instead of the meeting is still on (push through is used in other contexts) I don't like it also, instead of I don't like it either in fairness, instead of to be fair

GUARANTEE vs WARRANTY

GUARANTEE is the more general term - it implies a sense of assurance.

WARRANTY is the written document for a product that supports the assurance, and usually carries a definite time (as in, one-year warranty).

GUARANTEE may also imply that you get your money back if a product is defective (as in moneyback guarantee).

WARRANTY, on the other hand, may just agree to repair the defect.

PROPOSAL vs PROPOSITION PROPOSAL is something offered for acceptance or rejection.

Absolutely no one in his normal state of mind will offer Daddy John an indecent proposal.

PROPOSITION is something offered for discussion or assertion.

The proposition that all men are created equal will be the subject of the debate.

COMPRISE vs COMPOSE

Comprise means "is made up of" or "consists of." The whole comprises the parts.

Compose means "make up" or "make." The parts compose the whole.

Incorrect: The rock is comprised of three minerals.

Correct: The rock is composed of three minerals.

Correct: The rock comprises three minerals.

Correct: Three minerals compose the rock.

If you are confused, just say, "The rock is made up of three minerals," or "Three minerals make up the rock."

HAM AND EGGS......IS or ARE?

When the subject stands for a definable unit, such as money, measurement, time, and food combinations, the verb should be singular.

Where IS my fifty pesos?

Five hundred meters IS not a long distance to walk.

Six months IS not enough to finish my thesis.

Ham and eggs IS America's favorite breakfast.

Six months IS not enough to finish my thesis

HEAR vs LISTEN
You can hear something without wanting to, but you can only listen to something intentionally.

Yesterday I heard the rain, whispering your name, asking where you'd gone.

Do you hear what I hear - said the little lamb to the shepherd boy.

Stop, look, and listen!

Listen, do you want to know a secret?

Wife: Did you hear what I said?

Husband: No, I wasn't listening.

Wife: If you don't listen, you will never hear what I am telling you!

Door Signs

OPEN and CLOSED

Forget the verbs. Forget the tenses.

Both OPEN and CLOSED are adjectives.

When you close the door, it is CLOSED.

When you open the door, it is OPEN.

The forms of the adjectives are different. That's where the confusion lies.

But you say: close friends, close supervision, a close election, a close fight

Request or Request For?

REQUEST should NEVER be followed by FOR if used as a verb, because to request is to ask for.

DONT SAY: May I request for one personal assistant?

BUT: May I request one personal assistant?

Now, when do we use REQUEST FOR?

If REQUEST is used as a noun, it should be followed by FOR.

RIGHT: My boss immediately granted my request for one personal assistant.

If I may answer this:

You can surf a website. When you are doing so, you are looking at a website. (This is similar to the use of at in "Concert at the Park," since at can mean in, beside, or just outside.) You are not actually on or inside the website nor in virtual reality; you are simply in front of your computer looking at a website.

You can chat on YM or other chat applications. When you are doing so, you are in chat. (Ex. "Are you in chat?" "Yes, I'm on AIM right now.")

You are on a website only if that website has an actual page or video of you. (Ex. A person is on YouTube if he or she has a video of himself or herself posted there.)

You can post a blog on a website.

You can post a comment to a blog, which goes into the discussion thread. Your comment is then said to be in the thread, while you yourself are on the thread.

It should also be noted that the use of prepositions varies somewhat among the different dialects of English. For instance, as illustrated in the following example, there are some differences between British and American English in the use of prepositions.

e.g. British Usage: There is a hedge about the house. American Usage: There is a hedge around the house.

EVENTUALLY vs CONSEQUENTLY
Usually, eventually means "after waiting a period of time"

Tom tried many times to unlock the door, and eventually he was able to open it.

Consequently means "as a result"

Tom had opened that door before; consequently, he knew which key to use.

ON TIME vs IN TIME
ON TIME means at the time arranged, not before, not after.

The plane scheduled to depart at 2 PM took off on time. (It departed at 2 PM)

IN TIME means not late, with a comfortable margin.

Passengers should be in time for their plane.

I wonder WHETHER I forgot to switch off the lights before leaving the office. [correct]

We have to leave this burning house at once WHETHER you've taken anthing OR NOT. [correct]

Use WHETHER OR NOT when you mean "regardless of whether"

IN BEHALF OF means for the benefit of

Manny Pacquiao donated some of his money IN BEHALF OF the flood victims.

ON BEHALF OF means as the agent of or on the part of

ON BEHALF OF everyone associated with the Miss Universe pageant, I'd like to thank all our sponsors for the generous support they have given us all these years.

Here is a lesson for everyone: the difference between "Few" and "A few."

"A few" is used for simple declarative statements. In DJ's statement, he was simply saying that a few people were asking why he was no longer adding new lessons to the old thread. In this case, "a few" is correct. We can translate that roughly as "May mangilan-ilang taong nagtanong kung bakit..."

"Few" is used for statements expressing a negative idea when the opposite is expected. So if DJ had said, "Few people kept asking me why...," that would indicate that he had been expecting more people to ask him what happened to the old thread. We can translate this sentence roughly as "Kaunti lang ang mga taong nagtanong kung bakit..."

Since DJ was NOT expecting more people to ask why -- indeed he was even surprised that people had been expecting new lessons -- then in his sentence it was correct to say, "A few people...," and it would have been wrong to say, "Few people...," so therefore, the "A" should not be removed from DJ's sentence.

Here are more examples of declarative statements using, "a few." All of them are simple statements of facts.

- A few people went to the concert.

- Jigman gave a few examples.

- There were a few peanuts on the plate.

Using "few" instead of "a few" expresses a negative or surprising idea.

- Few people went to the concert. (The speaker expected more people to attend.)

- Jigman gave few examples. (The speaker expected more examples to be given.)

- There were few peanuts on the plate. (The speaker expected or hoped for more peanuts to be on the plate.)

?????
THE is not used before certain nouns (church, court, prison, school) when these places are visited or used for their primary purpose.

We go TO CHURCH to pray.

Litigants go TO COURT.

Criminals go TO PRISON.

We go TO SCHOOL to study.

However, when these places are visited or used for other reasons, THE becomes necessary.

I went TO THE CHURCH to see the newly-installed stained glass.

The priest went TO THE PRISON to give spiritual advice to the prisoners.

Tom went TO THE SCHOOL for their final rehearsal.

IN
The concert will be held in December.

The concert will be held in 2011.

The concert will be held in December 2011.

I live in Sesame Street. (chiefly British)

ON
The concert will be held on December 24.

The concert will be held on December 24, 2011.

The concert will be held on Saturday.

I live on Sesame Street. (chiefly American)

AT

The concert will be held at nine o'clock.

I live at 555 Sesame Street.

Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct: A. It was during my childhood that I was taken to Cebu. B. It was during my childhood when I was taken to Cebu. C. Both are correct.

IT WAS......THAT
After IT WAS in a case like this, always use THAT.

Another example:

It was in Manila THAT (not "where") I met her.

Where ( is, are ) Jack and Jill?

Answer: are

There ( is, are ) a book and a pen on the table. With THERE as the subject of the sentence, the verb is singular or plural depending on whether the noun phrase following the verb is singular or plural.

So we say: There are a book and a pen on the table.

Using "one of the"

Rule: When using this phrase, always make sure that the noun after it is in plural form.

Example:

WRONG: One of the best playwright I have read is William Shakespeare.

RIGHT: One of the best playwrights I have read is William Shakespeare.

Reason: The speaker has read the works of several playwrights. Shakespeare is one of those playwrights.

FURNISH / FURNISHED

I saw a sign yesterday for a condo unit that is "semi furnish / fully furnish."

This is similar to the door/store/bank/office/road "close" mistakes.

The problem lies in using a verb instead of an adjective.

When you close (verb / pandiwa) a door, store, bank, office, road, etc., then it is closed (adjective / pang-uri), not close (adjective / pang-uri).

Close (adjective) means malapit. Closed (adjective) means sarado.

In the same way, when you furnish (verb) a condo, apartment, or house with furniture &/or appliances, then the place is considered as semi or fully furnished (adjective). Why? Because the furniture &/or appliances have been placed (past perfect tense) inside the unit. Nailagay na (pangnagdaan) yung mga kagamitan.

Dictation tests: http://www.dictationsonline.com/

He took ( a few, few ) candies, with the result that ( a few, few ) were left for the rest of us. Either they or I ( am, are ) liable for damages. Which statement is grammatically correct: A. Nothing was said, was it? B. Nothing was said, wasn't it?

While it is correct to say: John doesn't smoke, does he? Paul didn't want to go, did he? Mary helped you, didn't she? There wasn't enough time, was there?

Statements containing words such as neither, none, nobody, nothing, etc, ARE TREATED AS NEGATIVE STATEMENTS.

So we say: Nothing was said, was it?

WRONG: I'll show you how it looks like.

RIGHT: I'll show you HOW IT LOOKS.

ALSO RIGHT: I'll show you WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.

BETWEEN normally relates a person or thing to two other people or things.

But it can be used of more when WE HAVE A DEFINITE NUMBER IN MIND.

Luxembourg lies BETWEEN Belgium, Germany, and France.

AMONG relates a person or thing to more than two others; and normally we have no definite number in mind.

He was happy to be among his friends again.

There's a small village among the hills.

Using 'ONLY'
The placement of the word ONLY is very important. Misplacing it can change the meaning of a sentence.

For example, I hear this on TV a lot:

"This is the news that she ONLY told us!" (WRONG)

This sentence says that she only told it to them. She didn't scream, shout, text, tweet, publish, post, blog, broadcast, or podcast the news. She only told it.

What they are really trying to boast about is that they got the news scoop. To say that properly, the sentence should be:

"This is the news that she told ONLY us!" (RIGHT)

Now the emphasis is on them. She told only them, not any of the other news groups, broadcast stations, media groups, etc.

Rule of thumb: When using the word ONLY, try to place it just before the word that you want to emphasize, and see how it sounds. Most of the time (if not always) it will be correct.

For practice, compare these two pairs of sentences and see what each one says compared to its partner. How does the meaning of the sentence change when the word ONLY changes its place?

1st pair

Hey, I only work here.

Hey, I work only here.

2nd pair

I texted him only last week.

I only texted him last week.

English is a Crazy Language There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England nor French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweet-breads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? Park on driveways and drive on parkways? English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of course, isn't a race at all). That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it.
by Hamed Hosseini

Tucson (too-saan) Arizona

Yosemite (yow'se-mi-tee) Falls

http://www.sulit.com.ph/index.php/view+topic/id/66679/Common+Errors+in+English+Usage+and+G rammar?next=381

http://www.engvid.com/english-lessons/

FIND THE ERRORS. My brother has 15 years. I want drink something. Susan enjoyed from the movie. I like very much ice cream. Me and my wife live here.

Test your understanding:

1. ________________ are planning a surprise party for my parents. My brother and I I and my brother

2. You speak __________________________. 3. We _______________________. enjoyed the concert enjoyed from the concert very well English English very well.

4. I really _________________ something. I'm starving! 5. Our daughter _________________. is five is five years want eat want to eat

6. _____________________________ work in the same department. Sharon, George, and I I, Sharon, and George

7. My father watches ________________________. every day the news the news every day

8. My grandmother ___________________. is 85 years old is 85 years

9. Hurry up! She _______________ to the bathroom. wants go wants to go

10. I enjoy __________________ late at night. playing my guitar from playing my guitar

636 635

THE EASY WAY TO ASK QUESTIONS: STATEMENTS AS QUESTIONS: SURPRISE: John was arrested? Sheilas left her job? You won $400? DOUBT: Your mom gave you her credit card? You mailed my letter? CLARIFICATION: Shes getting married in May? The spa is on the second floor? Were meeting on six oclock?

TEST
1. Which of these is correct? 2. Which of these questions is wrong? She sent the email? She did sent the email? You did to water the plants? You watered the plants?

 3. Which of these is correct? 4. Which of these questions is correct?

Was she sent the email?

You looked in your purse? Did you looking in your purse? Did you looked in your purse?

The room is on the 10th floor? The room to be on the 10th floor? The room is 10th floor?

5. Which of these is not a proper question? 6. "You won the game?" She was late for the meeting? Was she late for the meeting? She late for the meeting?

Is this a question? yes no

7. When speaking English, by changing your intonation, you can turn a statement into a question. true false

8. Which of the following is not a grammatically correct question? You've already been to the supermarket? You've already to the supermarket? You've been to the supermarket?

9. Which question is wrong? 10. Which of the following is wrong? You did do the test? You doed the test? You did the test? You returned my library books yesterday? You bought some milk yesterday? You take the subway yesterday?