Common Errors in English Usage with Explanations - Part 69

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• Horse is use fuller than car. (wrong)
• A horse is more useful than a car. (correct)
• Explanation : When an adjective is a compound word (e.g. use full), we use more in the comparative and most in the superlative degree.
• From the two he is clever. (wrong)
• He is the more clever of the two. (wrong)
• He is the cleverer of the two. (correct)

• Explanation : When we compare two persons, the adjective cannot be in the positive form, it must be comparative.
• From the three he is more clever. (wrong)
• He is the cleverest of the three. (correct)
• Explanation : When more than two persons are compared, the relevant adjective is in the superlative form.
• He had leave of four days. (wrong)
• He had four days' leave. (correct)
• He had leave for four days. (correct)
• Explanation : Four days' leave restricts the nature of leave, and must be either in the genitive form or a prepositional complement.
• I am hopeless to pass. (wrong)
• I have no hope of passing. (correct)
• Explanation : I am hopeless means I feel despair which is a complete sentence and does not need a complement.
• He was a so big man that he could not sit in this chair. (wrong)
• He was so big a man that he could not sit in this chair. (correct)
• Explanation : The sentence requires the article.
• Yours affectionate friend. (wrong)
• Your affectionate friend. (correct)
• Yours affectionately. (correct)
• Explanation : If affectionate qualifies friend, to form a noun phrase, we will use your (and not yours). If affectionately is used, yours (rather than your) is used. Yours affectionately is a formal ending of a letter.
• The country is plain. (wrong)
• The country is flat (or level). (correct)
• Explanation : Plain means 'simple' or 'base' where as flat means 'having a level surface'
• Your lovely friend. (wrong)
• Your loving friend. (correct)
• Explanation : 'Lovely' means attractive and 'loving' means affectionate; in this context, lovely is absolutely inappropriate. However, if the reference is to a friend who is lovely one can say, 'I met your lovely friend'.
• I mean London in USA. (wrong)
• I mean the London in the USA. (correct)
• Explanation : London, a proper name will not need an article. However, if we have to specify one lace out of many bearing the same name, it is preceded by THE.
• I live in the Bengal. (wrong)
• I live in Bengal. (correct)
• Explanation : Bengal a proper name, needs no article.

You can check the Old Posts of this Series from here

Shared by Bhargav Gupta Yechuri

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