Seven Embarrassing Mistakes in English You Need to Be Mindful About, Starting Today

What is the national language of India? If Hindi was your first thought, you should stop yourself right there. India doesn't have a national language. However, we do have an official language - English. Surprised? Don't be. You can Google it.

English is also one of the most common languages corporates use for communication and marketing. So while being able to fluently speak English is essential, writing correct English is equally critical. Check out the following list of common silly mistakes made while talking and writing. Keep track of how many of these you have been making and correct them immediately. And if you continue to make these mistakes, you may end up not getting the best opportunities due to your weak writing skills.

You're vs Your

Examples:

• Anita, your feelings for him seem genuine.

• Anita, what you're feeling for him seems genuine.

  In the first sentence, the word 'your' indicates that the feelings are Anita's. However, in the second sentence, the word you're(short for 'you are') refers to the emotions Anita is experiencing. The following sentence should help you understand this better, "You're going to get great opportunities if your grammar is good."

There vs Their vs They're

Example:

• Although they're currently living in a small house, there was a time when their palace was the grandest one in the world.

  The above sentence clearly indicates the right way to use there, they're and their. They're is short for they are. The word there indicates a position (in this case, the position of time which is in the past.) The word their indicates ownership of the noun (palace) for a group of people.

Advise vs Advice

Examples:

• I will advise him to run fast.

• His advice for us was, "Run fast".

  To simply put, advise is the act of giving someone a suggestion. Whereas advice is the suggestion (you should run sat) itself. Another way to understand this is that advice is a message that has been given. Advise is a message that can be, should be or will be provided.

All together vs Altogether:

Examples:

• We kept the chairs, all together.

• A patch of wall was overlooked because of which the painting wasn't done altogether.

  Here all together suggests a complete set (chairs) was placed in a certain way (all were kept close to each other at the same place). Whereas altogether means 'completely', indicating that the painting of the said wall was left incomplete due to a patch being overlooked.

Beside vs Besides

Example:

• Besides the old broken chair she was sitting on, the room had no other chair for someone to sit beside her.

  Besides means apart from, while beside indicates position - by the side of a place, thing or a person.

Lose vs Loose

Example:

• Lose weight if you want your pants to feel loose.

  Loose - almost always refers to an item that isn't tight enough. Whereas lose indicates a loss.

Desert vs Dessert

Example:

• We relished cold dessert in the hot desert.

  A desert is a barren landmass with extreme temperatures. Whereas a dessert is a sweet dish eaten after the main course.

  If this article felt challenging to understand, you should learn English by taking online courses from Glow & Lovely Careers (formerly known as Fair & Lovely Career Foundation)