In the modern world, English is well known for being the language of international communication. Learning English will be invaluable for personal and professional reasons, regardless of where you originate from and what your native tongue is. Furthermore, if English is not your first language and you are trying to learn it, you are supposed to make spoken or written errors.
Of course, English frequently frustrates new learners with various grammatical hurdles and stumbling blocks. However, you need to make mistakes to learn better! So here are the most common mistakes people make when they speak in English and let’s learn together and ensure that we’ll never repeat these again.
1. Zyada Khatin vakyon ka upayog na kare
A common mistake beginners make is framing complicated sentences. It is essential to gain a complete understanding of the basics first and then progress onto higher levels. Most learners believe that using big words is impressive, often changing the meaning of what they want to say. To avoid confusion, begin forming simple sentences and move on to the next level once you are clear with the basics. Sometimes, you may feel that you cannot express yourself and take too long to learn. Do not worry about that; you will be able to do it once you learn the language.
2. Informal or Formal
Know your audience! Informal English is excellent when talking to your friends, not your boss. It is important to differentiate the two spectrums of speaking English, especially when it comes to your workplace.
For example:
Mistake: (At a job interview) “Hey, what’s up?”
Correction: “Hello, how is everything going?”
The ‘mistake’ sentence you spoke isn’t formal; it’s a slang. It can even be considered rude or inappropriate at times. To speak formally in English, you should try saying something similar to the statement in “correction.’
3. Present and Past Tense
In English, the present tense is used to describe the present, e.g., summarising a book you are reading, a film you might be watching, etc. Past tense is used to describe events or situations that have already ended. You may also use past tense in English to talk about long-standing events and situations that have already happened.
For example, I lived in Mumbai when I was a child.
4. Using “the” when making general statements
This is an age-old one, but still a tricky one! Remember that in English, when we are speaking in general, we do not use ‘the.’ Moreover, it is used when we are being specific and referring to one thing. For example:
1) I’m reading about ‘The life of Shahrukh Khan’
2) I would love to travel to The United States Of America
3)He is the tallest boy.
However, many advanced learners still use the definite article when discussing plurals or uncountable nouns.
5. Does v/s do
This is another common mistake we can avoid with practice. When talking about the singular form of the subject, “does” is used. Whereas “do” is used for the plural form.
We say – “Why does they upset you a lot.”
Correct – “Why do they upset you a lot.”
6. Confusing: Revert back/ reply back and revert/reply.
All mostly make this mistake of us. Although both words have the same meaning, we always use ‘revert back.’
We say- “Kindly reply back or reply back to the email.”
Correct- “Kindly revert or reply to the email.”
7. Phone par baat kijiye
Rectifying your mistake is excellent, but that doesn’t mean you do not practice speaking it often because you’re scared to make those mistakes. Additionally, most people find it particularly difficult to have a phone conversation. What’s the reason? We cannot observe the other person’s body language or watch them talk, which are tools that facilitate better communication.
So take help from your friends, call them, and practice speaking English in everyday conversation. Once that becomes comfortable, move on to something more challenging, like making dinner reservations, scheduling appointments, etc.
Vi App par Angrezi Seekhe
Download the Vi app and learn to speak English like an expert. It is also imperative to remember that nobody speaks English correctly 100% of the time. But going through such lists of common errors and checking how you can improve while practicing is the way to increase your fluency and confidence in speaking the English language.
