A lot of people today are becoming more and more conscious about their grammar in English, whether it is required of them or not. We’ve all taken up English since elementary, but it seems that people don’t really get even some of the most common rules. However, while you won’t really be killed for not being an expert in the English language, it somehow helps when you know some of the most basic rules and are confident enough to use the language without the fear of being targeted by Grammar Nazis. To help those people who are having difficulties with English grammar, here are some of the common errors that people make, finally explained.
1.“only” as a misplaced modifier – the rule is actually simple on this one. The word “only” should always be placed as close as possible to the word it modifies. For a better understanding, take these two examples.
a. The photographer only took pictures of the couple during the wedding.
b. The photographer took pictures of only the couple during the wedding.
In the first sentence, it’s indicated that the photographer took pictures and nothing else. He didn’t take a video or edit the pictures he took.
In the second sentence, it’s indicated that the photographer took pictures of the couple and no one else. He didn’t take pictures of other guests during the wedding.
2.Who vs. whom – who and whom are often confused and interchanged, especially when in question form. Who is always used to introduced a clause, while whom is used as an object—whether object of the preposition, direct object, or indirect object. In short, who is always subjective while whom is always objective.
The easiest way to check which of the two words you should use is to substitute who or whom with a pronoun. If you can substitute it with he, he, we or they and it doesn’t sound awkward, then “who” is the word to use. If you can substitute it with him, her, us, and them, then “whom” is the word to use.
3.Nauseous vs. nauseated – a lot of people are using the two words, thinking that they mean the same thing, as in having the feeling of queasiness or sickness to the stomach. In truth, they actually have very different meanings. People use the word nauseous when they mean nauseated, as in the sentence:
a. riding a boat makes me nauseous
On the one hand, nauseous is used when you are referring to something that makes you sick. Take this sentence as an example.
a. The sight of rotten food is nauseous.
On the other hand, nauseated is used when you are referring to the actual sensation that you are feeling, as in the sample sentence:
a. The sight of rotten food makes me nauseated.
4.Irregardless – generally, the use of the word “irregardless” is incorrect. To understand better why this term is incorrect, let us look at the construction of the word.
The base form “regard” has two affixes, “ir” and “less”. Both “ir” and “less” mean “the absence of”. Having said that, it’s illogical to put two affixes which mean the same thing to the word. “Regardless” is the correct term which means “without regard” or “not regarding”.
5.Lend vs. borrow – “borrow” is used when you are the one who wants to acquire something temporarily, while “lend” is used when you are the one giving it. Take these two sentences as example.
a. Can I borrow your yellow dress for the party tomorrow night?
b. I am going to lend my yellow dress to my sister tonight
6.Compliment vs. complement – at first look, the only difference between these two words is one letter, but in truth, they have very different meanings. Compliment with an “i” means a positive comment or a reinforcement. Complement with an “e” means to complete something. These two sentences will provide a better explanation.
a. He complimented her on the dress that she was wearing to the wedding yesterday.
b. Her pearl earrings complemented her flowing gown perfectly.
English might be a big source of confusion for a lot of people, but it’s really fun to learn about these things and it’s liberating to find out the explanation behind the confusion. While the given examples here are only the tip of the iceberg of errors in the English grammar that we commit, I hope that these were still able to help anyone who needed it.