Practical English
Common Mistakes
Fix the ones that stop people understanding you. Fix the rest later, or never.
Not every mistake is urgent
Errors fall into two groups: those that break communication and those that merely mark you as a learner. Correct the first group deliberately. Let the second group go for now — they will improve on their own with use, and worrying about them is what stops people speaking.
Mistakes that cause real confusion
| Wrong | Right | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| You are going where? | Where are you going? | Question word order. The listener often has to ask again. |
| Yesterday I am going to town. | Yesterday I went to town. | The time is contradicted by the verb, so the listener is confused. |
| I am here since two hours. | I have been here for two hours. | Since needs a starting point; for needs a length of time. |
| Tomorrow I went to Colombo. | Tomorrow I am going to Colombo. | Past verb with a future time word. The listener cannot tell when. |
| He no come today. | He is not coming today. / He did not come today. | Without a helping verb the time is lost entirely. |
| I want two ticket. | I want two tickets. | Where the number matters, the plural matters. |
| Open the light. | Switch on the light. | Open is understood in Sri Lanka but not everywhere; switch on always is. |
| I am having a headache since morning. | I have had a headache since morning. | Have meaning possession or condition is not used in the continuous. |
Mistakes worth correcting, but not urgent
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| He don't like it. | He doesn't like it. | Third person negative. |
| She is more taller. | She is taller. | More is not used with an -er comparative. |
| I discussed about it. | I discussed it. | Discuss takes no preposition. |
| Give me some informations. | Give me some information. | Information has no plural. |
| I am agree with you. | I agree with you. | Agree is already the verb. |
| Please revert back. | Please reply. | Revert means to return to a previous state. |
| He is my cousin brother. | He is my cousin. | Cousin brother is not used in standard English. |
| Do the needful. | Please do what is necessary. | Understood regionally, but unclear to many readers. |
| I am staying in Colombo since 2020. | I have been living in Colombo since 2020. | Since with a continuing situation. |
| Myself Kamal. | My name is Kamal. / I am Kamal. | Myself cannot introduce you. |
Three habits that fix more than any rule
- Say the time word. Yesterday, tomorrow, last week, already, since Monday. Even if the tense is wrong, the listener knows when you mean.
- Finish your consonants. Asked, not ask. Wanted, not want. Dropping the ending often removes the tense entirely, and this is a very common cause of misunderstanding.
- Ask when you do not understand. Sorry, could you say that again more slowly? is perfect English, and using it is a sign of competence, not of weakness.
Practise correcting
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