200 COMMONLY MISUSED ENGLISH EXPRESSIONS

ENGLISH FOR TODAY BY GANIU ABISOYE BAMGBOSE (GAB)

TWO HUNDRED COMMONLY MISUSED ENGLISH EXPRESSIONS

1) He is a go getter (not, goal getter)
2) She wears lovely perfumes (not, sprays).
3) He is a godsend to me (not, godsent).
4) She has a runny nose (not, running nose)
5) I wish I can turn back the clock (not turn back the hand of time)
6) We would have to fight fire with fire (not fire for fire)
7) May our parents reap the fruits of their labour (not fruit)
8) Covenant: This is erroneously pronounced as convenant by some Christians to keep the rhythmic appeal in songs like Covenant-keeping God’.
9) Expatiate: Many think this word is derived from ‘expand’; hence, expantiate.
10) Augment: Because most Nigerian languages are syllable-timed, many Nigerians find it more convenient to say augument.
11) Pronunciation: This is wrongly pronounced by many as pronounciation because of the verb
pronounce.
12) Faithful (noun; not faithfuls): Many say faithfuls given their knowledge of plurality.
13) Uplift: (not, upliftment) People tend to naturally say upliftment just to make this sound like conventional nouns.
14) He is an up and coming artiste (not, upcoming).
15) Separate: Many Nigerians tend to spell this as pronounced and so they spell it as seperate.
16) Birds of a feather flock together (not, bed of the same feather fly together).
17) Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t (not, the devil you know is better than the angel you don’t know).
18) You can’t have your cake and eat it (not, you can’t eat your cake and have it).
19) What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander (not, what is good for the goose is good for the gander).
20) Make hay while the sun shines (not, make haste while the sun shines).
21) You mind we have a chit-chat (not, a gist)? A conversation about things that are not important is a chit-chat while gist means the most important part of something.
22) I like her looks (not, look). A person’s appearance or attractiveness is his or her looks.
23) She tried to smooth her way to get the appointment (not, smoothen). The word smooth is used as both a noun and a verb. Smoothen is only used in informal American English.
24) Sit on her lap (not, laps). The upper legs of a seated person are called lap.
25) She needs a travel bag (not, travelling bag). However, travelling bag is allowed in informal language settings and in other varieties of English, but not in Standard British English.
26) I called you several times (not, severally). Severally means separately or individually; not
many/several times.
27) Don’t fight a losing battle (not, a lost battle). A struggle that seems certain to end in failure is a losing battle.
28) My townsperson (not, town person).
29) My tribesman (not, tribe man).
30) Speak in tongues (not, in tongue).
31) He lacks manners (not, manner).
32) She likes to wear tights (not, tight).
33) Thank your stars (not, star).
34) You take sides on an issue (not, side).
35) The place is out of bounds (not, bound).
36) Couples take marriage vows (not, vow).
37) You pay a dead person respects (not, respect).
38) He has knock knees (not, k-leg). A condition in which the legs curve inwards so that the feet are apart when the knees are touching is called knock knees. This is also called genu valgum. We can also say: He’s knock-kneed.
39) Good afternoon, my fellow students (not, colleagues). A colleague is a fellow member of a profession so students don’t have colleagues since they are not workers.
40) I will see you when I come (not if I come back). To say “if I come” is to doubt your coming.
41) Level playing field (not, ground).
42) To keep up appearances (not, put up).
43) It takes two to tango (not, tangle).
44) I rack my brain always (not, crack).
45) Without mincing words (not, missing).
46) The first ten persons will be rewarded (not, the ten first). When using numerals, ordinals (first, second, third) come before cardinals (one, two, three).
47) He is as unique as she (not, more unique). Just as a person can’t be “more dead” or “more alive” than another, no one can be more unique than another.
48) You know full well that you shouldn’t be here (not, fully well).
49) A word to the wise is enough (not, A word is enough for the wise). The expression is an idiom and it has a fixed form.
50) That was a slip of the tongue (not, slip of tongue). The expression is not complete without the definite article “the”.
51) We told her about the danger yet she went ahead (not, still yet). One can use either of “still” or “yet” but both can’t be used.
52) You should take balanced diet (not, balance diet).
53) The students are not much (wrong). The students are not many (right).
54) We caught a machinery (wrong). We caught a mercenary (right).
55) This boy is lousy (wrong; except if you mean he’s bad). This boy is noisy (right).
56) The times table is out (wrong; except if you mean multiplication table: He’s the fastest at times table). The timetable is out (right).
57) Where is the mate of my pair of shoes (not, the second leg of my pair of shoes). The other member of a matched pair of objects is called a mate.
58) She was my wife’s bridesmaid (not, best lady).
59) The product is now on sale (not, The product is now in the market).
60) Don’t rub salt into my wound (not, Don’t pour salt into my wound).
61) I saw a 20 year old lawyer (not, 20 years old lawyer). A noun that qualifies another is not used in the plural form and year qualifies lawyer in the sentence. However, you can say: The lawyer is 20 years old.
62) He’s a member of staff (not, a staff). All of the employees of an organisation make up the staff so an individual can’t be a staff.
63) I am Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (not, Bamgbose Ganiu Abisoye). When arranging one’s name, the surname comes last. However, if you write the surname first, it has to be separated by a comma: Bamgbose, Ganiu Abisoye.
64) We had guests from all walks of life (not, works of life).
65) He is stocky (not, lanky). Many erroneously think to be broad and sturdily built is to be lanky, whereas to be lanky is to be ungracefully thin.
66) We are lagging behind (not, lacking behind).
67) I will pay your fare (not transport fare). Fare means money paid for a transport ticket so the word “transport” is redundant.
68) He is talkative (not he is a talkative).
69) He was in jeans and polo (not he was on jeans and polo).
70) Shed light on it (not shed more light on it).
71) I’ll pay you at the end of the month (not I’ll pay you by month end).
72) She has a secure job (not, secured). When a person or thing is free from attack, danger or is protected, the adjective is “secure”. The word can however attract the past tense marker when used as a verb: She has secured a job.
73) The boy is not mature (not, matured). To be fully grown up is to be mature. This too can be used as a verb: The boy has matured.
74) He is overage (not, overaged). Having an age that is greater than a stipulated minimum is to be overage.
75) Scarcely… when: Scarcely had I parked my car when it started raining.
76) Hardly… when: Hardly had she woken up when she began to cry for breakfast.
77) No sooner… than: No sooner had we started the meeting than Uche began to argue with the secretary.
78) Prefer… to: She prefers engineering to medicine.
79) One… one: One shouldn’t make a promise if one won’t be able to fulfill it.
80) Don’t take it personally (not, personal).
81) A problem shared is a problem halved (not a problem shared is half solved)
82) She is mediocre (not, a mediocre). The word is an adjective; not a noun.
83) The politician defected (not, decamped).
84) In conclusion, knowing grammar is knowing a language (not conclusively).
85) I got stuck (not, stucked).
86) Between you and me (not, between you and I).
87) Funnily enough I didn’t see him (not, funny enough).
88) Joking apart, every Nigerian needs these lessons (not, jokes apart).
89) I’m planning to do something along the same lines (not, along the same line).
90) Are you sure he’s not two-timing you (not, double dating)? To deceive or be unfaithful to a lover is to two-time.
91) The couples will be double dating tomorrow (not, going out together). When two couples (four persons in all) go out on a romantic or dinner date together, they double date.
92) Happy Independence Day (not, Independent Day). This also applies to the names of centres such as: Distance Learning Centre (not, Distant Learning Centre).
93) He is a lout (not, a tout). When we mean a rude violent person, a hooligan or a thug, we say a lout. A tout is someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way.
94) I saw a one-eyed beggar (not, one eye beggar). To have the sight of only one eye is to be one-eyed.
95) Nigerian politics is in a shambles (not, a shamble).
96) She passed with flying colours (not, in flying colour).
97) He who pays the piper calls the tune (not, dictates the tune).
98) We’ve been friends for donkey’s years (not, donkey years).
99) Her house is a stone’s throw from mine (not, stone throw).
100) He is speeding (not, over speeding). To speed is to drive faster than the legal limit so the use of “over” is redundant.
101) The road is now accessible. It was opened yesterday (not commissioned). You do not comission a completed project; you open it. To commission is to start up a project; not to put it to use. Example: The governor commissioned the project and appealed to the contractors to be fast about it.
102) I will see you if I have the chance (not, I’ll see you if I’m chanced). Chance, as a verb, means to happen by chance; not to have the opportunity. It is chanced that I found a solution the next day.
103) Planning (not, advanced planning)
104) Proximity (not, close proximity)
105) Custom (not, habitual custom)
106) Cooperation (not, mutual cooperation)
107) Adage (not, old adage)
108) History (not, past history)
109) Truth (not, absolute truth)
110) Redo (not, redo again)
111) Teenager (not, young teenager)
112) Result (not, end result)
113) That’s the vice-chancellor (not, vice chancellor).
114) She was in a coma (not, in coma)
115) The Obasanjo regime introduced GSM to Nigeria (not, Obasanjo’s regime). When we refer to an administration led by a person, it is preceded by the definite article ‘the’ and the noun doesn’t attract an apostrophe.
116) She is running a temperature (not, temperature).
117) Continuous (not, continous)
118) Maintenance (not, maintainance)
119) Occasion (not, occassion)
120) Genuine (not, geniune)
121) Handiwork (not, handwork)
122) Auxiliary (not, auxillary)
123) Privilege (not, priviledge)
124) A lot (not, alot)
125) Forty (not, fourty)
126) Onomatopoeia (not, onomatopia)
127) Say: You’re in my line of sight. Not: You’re blocking me.
128) Say: Let’s go back to the drawing board (not, let’s go back to the drawing table).
129) Say: She’s troubling me (not, she’s looking for my trouble).
130) Say: Pardon or Say it again (not, come again).
131) Say: I can’t be in a party at night let alone clubbing (not, I can’t be in a party at night talk less of clubbing).
132) Say: Why should he say that, a governor for that matter? (not: Why should he say that, a whole governor)?
133) Say: I can see you from here (not: I am seeing you from here).
134) Say: He woos every lady around him (not, he toasts every lady around him).
135) We need arms and ammunition (not, ammunitions). The noun “ammunition” does not attract s.
136) The tailor took my measure (not, measurement).
137) She got off scot-free (not, She went scot free). To get away with something without being punished is to get off scot-free.
138) Give my regards to your brother (not, regard). A greeting to pass on to another person is regards
139) I appreciate this everyday lesson (not, every day)
140) She came in a car (not with a car). To say come with a car will suggest that she came in the company of the car.
141) You have to buckle down to pass this exam (not buckle up). To buckle down is to tackle a task with determination while to buckle up is to fasten one’s seat belt.
142) You have to repent of your sins (not, from your sins).
143) Burning the midnight oil (not, the midnight candle).
144) She’s gone for a vigil (not, night vigil)
145) To play to the gallery (not, dance to the gallery).
146) To meet minds with (not, rub minds with).
147) Maybe he was also involved (not may be). Maybe is an adverb while ‘may be’ is a verb phrase, as seen in ‘I may be here tomorrow’.
148) She is troubling me (not, looking for my trouble)
149) In spite (not inspite). This should not be mistaken for despite which is a single word.
150) The awardees were honoured with nice plaques (not plagues)
151) I did not say that (not, I did not said that). The tense of the sentence is shown by the auxiliary verb (does, do, did); not on the main verb that follows.
152) She may speak now (not, She may speaks now). The rule that says a singular subject takes a singular verb is not followed when modals (may, can, could, should, must and so on) precede the main verb.
153) I had come before now (not, I had came). It is important to know the past participle forms of irregular verbs to avoid treating them like regular verbs. Other verbs in this category are:
Come came come
Hit hit hit
Spit spat spat
Split split split
Broadcast broadcast broadcast
154) Slow but steady wins the race (not, slow and steady wins the race). It is a fixed expression.
155) She sells underwear (not, underwears). Clothes worn next to the skin are called underwear.
156) I scent danger (not, smell). To suspect or detect is to scent.
157) Don’t jump to conclusions (not, into conclusions)
158) Two heads are better than one (not, two good heads are better than one).
159) The straw that breaks the camel’s back (not, the last straw that breaks the camel’s back).
160) Action speaks louder than words (not, action speaks louder than voice).
161) Practice makes perfect (not, Practice makes perfection).
162) Don’t bite the hand that feeds you (not finger).
163) You all are in the soup (not, in soup). To be in an unpleasant or difficult situation is to be in the soup.
164) The suspenseful story piqued my interest (not, picked). The word “pique” in this context means to arouse.
165) Be your own man and decide (not, be a man). To not let yourself be influenced or controlled by other people is to be your own man.
166) I ordered pizza (not, ordered for).
167) I must call him today (not, I must to call him today).
168) Every student is expected (not, every students are expected).
169) I look forward to meeting you (not, to meet you)
170) I have a new job (not, a new work).
171) We are all ready (not, already). This means all are involved.
172) I already did it (not, all ready). This means it was done before a specified time.
173) They arrived all together (not, altogether). This means all in a group.
174) I stopped going there altogether (not, all together). This means completely or totally.
175) Everybody is fine (not, are). Indefinite pronouns which include: everybody, everyone, someone, anyone attract a singular verb.
176) I got a job through the good offices of my uncle (not, good office).
177) The director knows the ins and outs (not, in and out)
178) GAB with his friends is here (not, are). When conjunctions such as with, together with, as well as and in association with join two subjects, the first subject controls the verb.
179) The installation of the computers has been done (not, have). The most important word in a noun phrase controls the verb and that’s “installation” in the given sentence.
180) Your glasses are nice (not, is). Items that have two parts such as glasses, trousers, jeans, binoculars and so on take plural verbs. However, when they are used with partitives such as “a pair of”, they take singular verbs: Your pair of glasses is nice.
181) He takes spirits (not, spirit). A strong alcoholic drink or liquor is called spirits.
182) I want beverage, preferably beer. (not, necessarily to say alcohol). Any liquid that can be consumed apart from water is a beverage.
183) He had the gall to disrespect his father (not, the mind).
184) Dele and Mary took the marriage vows (not, vow)
186) I know full well that you would come back to us (not, fully well)
187) The committee comprises all stake holders (not, comprises of, however, consist of is right, as seen in ‘the committee consists of all stake holders ).
188) We told her about the danger yet she went ahead (not, still yet). One can use either of “still” or “yet” but both can’t be used.
189) You should take balanced diet (not, balance diet).
190) The pastor emphasised holiness (not, emphasized on).
191) It is you who are wrong (not, who is wrong). The pronoun “you” controls the verb; not “who” and you can’t say: you is wrong.
192) The grammarian and comedian is here again (not, are). When the second of two subjects joined by “and” doesn’t take an article, it means both subjects refer to a single person, hence the verb will be singular.
193) Rice, beans, dodo and beef is my favourite meal (not, are). Complementary nouns take singular verbs. Another instance is: Two plus two is four (not, are).
194) One of our students is here (not, are). The focus is on one, not students so one controls the verb. This also applies to “each” and “none”. None of them likes rice (not like).
195) Many a grammarian is a polyglot (not, are). When “many a” is used in the subject position of a sentence, it takes a singular noun and a singular verb. Now, I’m sure many a person is surprised at this rule.
196) He is a sweet talker (not, he has sweet mouth). A person who professes a belief that he or she does not hold in order to conceal is or her motive is a sweet talker. You can also give a sweet talk or sweet talk a person (to deceive them).
197) Take off your shoes (not, off your shoes). The preposition “off” can’t be used as a verb. This also applies to switch on the light (not, on the light).
198) She took it to extremes (not, to the extreme). To do something to an extreme degree is to go to extremes.
199) Join with me in welcoming the chairman (not, join me). When we get together with another person or group to do something, it is expressed as joining with them.
200) It’s time we went home (not, it’s time we go home). Other expressions in this category are: it’s high time, it’s about time. They express unreal future and so take the past form of verbs. However, we say: It’s time to go home (not, It’s time to went home).
© 2018 Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (GAB)
Doctoral Candidate, Department of English, University of Ibadan

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