Mistakes we make while speaking English Part-5

Most of us are fairly comfortable speaking English informally, even if it is our second language. However, when we have to put down something in writing, we panic!

Continuing our English-bloopers series, let's look at a few more reader submissions. This time, they all deal with English as a written language.

Mohammed Irfan, from Brook Software Systems, sent these spelling mistakes he comes across in written documents:

Wrong spelling	Correct spelling
Pronounciation	Pronunciation
Ballon	Balloon
Grammer	Grammar
Truly	Truly
Recieved	Received
Occassion	Occasion

Rajiv Raghunath, with Conversant Info Solutions in New Delhi, finds other common errors while editing business letters and other forms of writing.

~ I am quiet certain that I paid the fee.

~ I could hear quite music in the distance.

While you may be certain that you paid the fee, no one will know if you remain 'quiet'. Likewise, 'quite' music makes no sense. The authors mixed up the spellings of 'quite' (very) and 'quiet' (a soft sound).

The correct version would be:

~ I am quite certain that I paid the fee.

~ I could hear quiet music in the distance.

Here's another common error

~ Did you go their as well?

~ I gave you they're contact details in my last e-mail.

~ There going to the office tomorrow.

There/ they're/ their are used mistakenly all the time. Their is a possessive pronoun; while they're is a contraction of 'they are.'

So, if you were using the correct words, you would write:

~ Did you go there as well?

~ I gave you their contact details in my last e-mail.

~ They're going to the office tomorrow.

Here are some more common mistakes people make:

~ There are meetings at 2 pm and at 5 pm, with a brake in between.

~ Will changing jobs hurt my carrier?

Again, here, the wrong spelling has been used for similar sounding words. A 'brake' is a restraint used to stop a vehicle. A carrier is someone or something that carries objects, like a carrier ship.

The correct words to use here would be:

~ There are meetings at 2 pm and at 5 pm , with a break in between.

~ Will changing jobs hurt my career ?