Here are some grammar mistakes often committed by ESL students.
- Incorrect: ‘How do you do?’ ‘Quite well, thank you.’
The correct reply to this question is to repeat ‘How do you do?’ only.
- Incorrect: She is running seventeen.
- Correct: She is in her seventeenth year. OR She is sixteen.
- Incorrect: He is sixteen complete.
- Correct: He is over sixteen.
- Incorrect: According to me, it is wrong.
- Correct: In my opinion it is wrong.
- Incorrect: In my opinion I think it is wrong.
- Correct: In my opinion it is wrong. OR I think it is wrong.
- Incorrect: Your sincerely …
- Correct: Yours sincerely.
- Incorrect: Excuse for the troubles.
- Correct: Forgive my troubling you.
- Incorrect: I am fond of outdoor games; for instance, cricket, football, tennis and others and so on.
- Correct: I am fond of outdoor games; for instance cricket and football.
After ‘for instance’ and ‘for example’, only one or at the most two examples are required. Also note that additions like ‘and so on’, ‘and others’ etc should be avoided.
- Incorrect: ‘Will you have some juice?’ ‘No, please.’
- Correct: ‘Will you have some juice?’ ‘No, thank you.’ OR ‘Yes, please.’
‘No please’ is always wrong. ‘Yes, please’ is the polite reply when accepting an offer. ‘No, thank you’ is the polite reply when declining an offer.
