Common Errors in English Usage with Explanations - Part 23

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1.  
• The dog is still live.  (wrong)
• The dog is still alive.  (correct)
• Explanation : Alive means 'having life' and live as an adjective means 'not dead, living'. In the predicative use, alive is used as a qualifier. 
2.  
• He works hard than his brother.  (wrong)
• He works harder than his brother.  (correct)
• Explanation : When two situations are compared, we use the comparative form of the adverb, i.e., harder. 
3.  
• He has much money than all of us. (wrong)
• He has more money than all of us.  (correct)
• Explanation : The comparative form of much is more. We need a comparative form here. 
4.  
• I have looked all places. (wrong)
• I have looked everywhere.  (correct)
• Explanation : Everywhere means 'in all places'. The first sentence needs an 'in' before 'all places'. 
5.  
• She is angry with him still. (wrong)
  
• She is still angry with him.  (correct)
• Explanation : Still modifies angry and must precede it. 
6.  
• The hospital is not open. (wrong)
• The hospital is not yet open.  (correct)
• Explanation : Yet (meaning still) modifies open and must be adjacent to it. 
7.  
• Never before I had seen such a show.  (wrong)
• Never before had I seen such a show. (correct)
• Explanation : Where a sentence begins with never (before) the auxiliary verb precedes its subject.  
8.  
• When I called Harry, he said that he was not feeling finely.  (wrong)
• When I called Harry, he said that he was not feeling fine.  (correct)
• Explanation : Finely does not exist as an adverb, fine is both an adjective and an adverb. 
9.  
• I need a large piece of a course cloth.  (wrong)
• I need a large piece of a coarse cloth.  (correct)
• Explanation : Course means 'direction' and is a noun. Coarse means 'rough' and is the correct word in this context. 
10.  
• He threw a party on his birthday as usually.  (wrong)
• He threw a party on his birthday as udual.  (correct)
• Explanation : Usually, an adverb, means 'habitually', Usual is an adjective. We can say 'as usual' but not 'as usually'. 
11.  
• I dislike cleverly children. (wrong)
• I dislike clever children.  (correct)
• Explanation : Cleverly, an adverb, cannot qualify a non.

Shared by Bhargav Gupta Yechuri

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