CHAPTER - V
COMMON ERRORS IN COMPOSITION WRITING IN ENGLISH
WRITING IN ENGLISH
V. 1 INTRODUCTION V. 2 ERROR ANALYSIS
V. 3 COMMON ERRORS-INDIANISMS V. h THE INCORRECT USE OF WORDS V. 5 THE WRONG WORD-ORDER
V. 6 SPELLING ERRORS V. 7 PUNCTUATION ERRORS V. 8 ERRORS OF ARTICLES V. 9 ERRORS OF TENSES
V.10 ERRORS OF PREPOSITIONS V.11 ERRORS OF NOUNS
V.12 ERRORS OF PRONOUNS V.13 ERRORS OF ADJECTIVES V.14 CONCLUDING REMARKS
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V.1 INTRODUCTION
Common Errors in English are very common indeed.
Even the top writers also make mistakes. 'Man is the statue of mistakes,' it is a well-known proverb.
School pupils are not the exception to this proverb.
They commit many mistakes. Vagaries of English language are so many and so no one can fail to sympathise with the student who has to face so many difficulties.
"The Indian student of English is in a more unfortunate position than the French or the German or the Italian
student because English is a language foreign to him in every sense of the word, foreign in script, in origin,
in tradition and in genius."1 said G.K.Chettur aptly.
Because of above difficulties in learning English, they fall into frequent errors in their valiant attempts to write good English. But the English teacher has not to neglect these errors. While correcting the writing of the students the teacher has to make a note of the common errors committed by most of the students. Then teacher has to analyse these errors. This error analysis helps him/her to provide the remedial work to the class.
The understanding of common errors in English is
important to the extent, these help us to think and to express our ideas concisely and precisely.
But prevention is better than cure. Diagnosis of
the errors and contempletion over it, enable the teacher to prevent the errors. The areas of common mistakes
should be carefully selected on the basis of the diagnosis.
After the diagnosis, it is essential to analyse the errors in order to give the practice and avoid them.
V.2 ERROR ANALYSIS
The errors if classified skillwise fall into three catagories.
i) Errors in speaking ii) Errors in reading iii) Errors in writing
The intension of this dissertation was to locate the common errors in composition writing. So it was not necessary to deal with errors in speaking and reading.
So the investigator had taken into consideration only the written errors in composition.
In writing, pupils generally commit the following mistakes. Mistakes in spelling, omission of words, bad English, wrong construction, irrelevant points to the topics, grammatical mistakes, mistakes in content, bad hand-writing etc. Broadly speaking these errors fall
into three classes.
A) Errors of Language -
i) The use of Indianism
ii) The incorrect use of words
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iii) The wrong construction of sentences iv) Faulty division into paragraphs
v) Bad style vi) Wrong idicm
vii) The use of slang viii) Incorrect spelling
ix) Bad punctuation x) Wrong answers
xi) Incomplete answers
xii) Variety lacking in sentence pattern Errors of Thought
i) Repetition of ideas ii) Irrelevance
iii) Omission of facts
iv) Introduction of wrong facts v) Failure to grasp ideas
vi) The misunderstanding of ideas Errors of Grammar
i) The misuse of articles
ii) Wrong Tense-sequences, and other difficulties with the verb
iii) Misuse of prepositions, adverbs, adjectives, nouns, pronouns, conjunctions etc.
The errors of language offences against the very spirit and genius of the language. The writing of good
English requires something more than correct English.
Incorrect English is the effect of the lack of the knowledge of grammatical rules. Bad English is the effect of incomplete understanding of the peculiarities of the language. C.K.Chettur properly expressed,
"Good English is something more than correct English. Correct English is grammatical English, Good English is idiomatic
English."2
Michael Braganza also pointed out wrightly,
"The right principle in correct English is to'watch your words' you have to be conscious and careful about the kind of words you are using."3
Idiomatic English is not necessarily grammatical.
The living language occasionally outruns the rules of grammar and one cannot therefore, rely entirely upon these rules in the matter of idiom.
The errors of thought are those which are the outcome of carelessness, ignorance and lack of thought.
The teacher should ever be on the watch against such errors to avoid them and pupils to detect them. Most of the errors due to carelessness or thoughtlessness could be avoided by the student if a few minutes were devoted by him at the end to a revision of his work.
It is the duty of the teacher to insist upon such revision.
Ignorance and the inability to think clearly are more serious drawbacks. The only remedy for ignorance is the
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slow and patient acquisition of information on a variety of subjects by careful and extensive reading of good
novels, magazines, newspapers etc. The power of thinking of our pupils is slow. But diligent practice in
different types of compositions can improve the pupils greately in this respect.
Grammatical errors such as come under class
consider that the pupils should possess a working knowledge of the rules of English grammar. Grammar is now
occupying less and less important position in the thinking of the modern writers and nobody bothers about grammatical rules. So long as one can convey his meaning correctly and forcefully.
But elementary knowledge of grammatical rules does not confuse the thinking and writing. There are
complicated rules of grammar which can be ignored and glossed over, but there are some primary and fundamental
rules which have to be carefully looked after. After breaking fundamental rules of grammar the ideas become wrong and
so the sentences become erroneous. Michael Braganza remarked rightly,
••Grammar is not merely the science of right writing but it is also the essence of right thinking. Grammar is the logic of language as logic is the grammar of thinking."4
In composition writing generally the following eommon errors may be committed by Indian students, especially by VII Standard students.
V.3 INDIANISMS
Many Indianisms are coming into use now a days.
These are idioms and phrases peculiar to the uses of English in India. Although they are technically and
grammatically wrong, they should not be taken as mistakes.
Now a days Indians often acquire this formal of English, not from the "native speakers of the language,” but
from the countrymen, If this process goes on, there will develop in course of time a real Indian-English language which will have so many expressions and peculiarities
of Indian people that it will be unintelligible to an Englishman.
English is now almost an Indian English, e.g. >
i) The right idiom is "Not to speak of one rupee, I do not have even a paisa in my pocket? But most of the common users of English in India say - "What to
speak of a rupee, I do not have even a paisa in my pocket,"
ii) "You are going to Madras, is it not ?" The
expression *is it not ?* often used with questions of this kind is incorrect in English except where the first part of the sentence begins ’It is ...*
This is a mistake which even highly educated Indians make.
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iii) "My husband forgot his money-purse." Purses are only used for carrying money, so it is not necessary to qualify this word.
iv) "Have you taken your meals?" In this sentence plural of meal is unnecessarily used. One rarely takes more than one meal at a time. An Englishman asking this question would specify the meal, e.g. "Have you had your dinner/breakfast/lunch" etc. Indians have to
distinguish between the meals e.g. night meal, midday meal morning meal etc.
v) Indian people very commonly use ’on the other hand' when the context require 'on the contrary'.
When two statements or ideas are directly opposed to
each other, and attention is to be drawn to this opposition the second of these statements needs to be introduced by
'on the contrary', not 'on the other hand', which merely implies contrast.
V.4 THE INCORRECT USE OP WORDS
No one can learn any art by studying the rules and regulations. One cannot learn to swim by reading the rules of swimming. To learn to swim one has to fall into the water and get the actual experiences in the water.
Like swimming, painting, dancing, cycling, language is also an art. It cannot be achieved only by studying the rules of grammar. After the careful study of the
grammar also pupils cannot apply these rules in their expression. The rules only form the part of our mental equipment. After the achievement of rules the writer strives to reach to expression. His aim is to present his thoughts in most striking, original and attractive manner. He tries in other words to invest his writing with a sense of style. French said, '‘The Style is the man and man is the style.” Different writers employ different styles.
For the beginners the immediate necessity is to acquire a good style, i.e. a way of writing that shall be clear, simple, direct and concise. Afterwords in the senior classes he may give it the individual note and make it the expression of his personality. A good style requires the knowledge of something more than the rules of grammar. It requires -
1) a good vocabulary and
2) a knowledge of the correct use of words.
The only means of acquiring a good vocabulary is constant and careful reading. The hurried,casual,
unthinking reading leaves little or no impression on the mind. To improve vocabulary reading good books, standard authors, reading with concentration, care, understanding is necessary. This kind of reading requires the constant use of a good dictionary. Mere looking of the meaning is not sufficient. Study of the
use of words, how and in what context they are used, is essential. Keeping a note-book in which to set down the information for future reference is also necessary.
It is only by this necessarily slow and laborious process that one can build up a good vocabulary.
A good vocabulary alone is not enough. Knowing all the words in the dictionary also one may write a bad style. What one need to know is their correct use, when how and where they should be used. English is a rich language, a language capable of expressing the finest shades of thought and feeling. The writer is often in difficulty to select just the right word to express his ideas. The dictionary may give several meanings to a word. How these words should be selected for writing purpose?
Careful reading and practice in writing only enables to distinguish the nice shades of meaning and picks out just words that the context demands.
The beginners may not grasp the distinction
between such terms as look, see, watch, observe; branch, bough; pitieous, pitiable, pitiful etc. Pupils may tempted to think that there is no difference between them. Such terms really speaking fall into four groups.
i)
Words similar in form and meaning e.g.Lay, lie, laid, laid is transitive and takes an object. nThe hen laid two eggs." nI lay the book down.”
But lie, lay lain is intransitive. ’’You lay in the water.”
’’They should have lain down to protect themselves.” Lie lied, lied means something entirely different and is used transitively as well as intransitively. "He lied to me.” ”He lied my good name away,"
ii) Words similar in form only e.g.
Deprecate, Depreciate -
Deprecate means express one's disapproval, usually of some action. Depreciate means disparage lower in
value.
iii) Words similar in meaning only - e.g.
Since, for
The preposition ’since’ is placed before words and phrases denoting a point of time: as since Monday, since eight O’clock, since 1950 etc. But the preposition
’for' is placed before words or phrases denoting a period of time: as for three days, fbr six months, for a week etc.
iv) Words, similar neither in form nor in meaning :- e.g:<
Mutual, Common.
Mutual implies reciprocity. Common implies
something shared by or offecting all those concerned alike
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’Mutual admiration', 'mutual love' are correct phrases but 'mutual enemy' is incorrect. It should be written as 'common enemy.'
V.5 THE WRONG WORD-ORDER (CONSTRUCTION) -
A sentence may be defined as a group of words so arranged as to make sense. A well constructed sentence shows not merely a command of the language, but precision, method and clearness in thinking.
The word-order of Indian languages is difficult from that of English languages. Subject + object + verb is the general order of Indian languages but the order of English language is subject + verb + object. So our pupils commit the mistakes regarding the word order. To put the words in a right order is very essential because the change in word order changes the meaning completiy.
e.g. You are my sister. Are you my sister ? The
assertive sentence transforms in the question. The next sentence shows the change in word order changes the sheds of meaning e.g. Only I went there. I only went there.
I went only there.
The following examples illustrate such type of mistakes.
i) Incorrect - He threw to a very great distance the stone.
Correct - He threw the stone to a very great distance.
ii) I last night went to the cinema.
Correct - I went to the cinema last night, iii) They come always late to school.
Correct - They always come late to school, iv) Last week visited our school a man.
Correct - A man visited our school last week, v) Why you were absent last Friday ?
Correct - Why were you absent last Friday ? V.6 SPELLING ERRORS
Until the sixteenth century English spelling was mainly phonetic, i.e. The spelling was the sum total of pronunciation. The spelling corresponded to the
pronunciation. In modern English, pronunciation in many cases has drifted from the spelling. So English spelling now is full of absurid and confusing anomalies. Causes of pupils wrong spellings have been discussed in the previous chapter, Ashok Tiwari aptly expressed,
‘•Some of the spelling errors are similar to those made by native learners of English. Those errors arise from some complexity in the words themselves or involve some kind of over-generalization."5
To support his view he has given one example k
i.e. In words with ie where the sound is long 'ee*
use 'i• before 'e' except 'c' but pupils tend to use ie in both the cases e.g. achieve, piece, believe,
concieve(conceive) reciept (receipt) etc.
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"Bad spelling like bad punctuation spoils a good style.H6
remarked G.K.Chettur aptly.
So it is essential to find out the common spelling errors and then try to minimise them.
The following spelling mistakes are very common among the pupils in our schools.
i) A common mistake is in respect of final *1*
in many words. This mistake occurs in three ways.
a) Pupils write *1* at the end of one syllable words, e.g. kill, tall, bell, tell, ball etc.
b) Pupils write double *1* at the end of one syllable words in which the last consonant is preceded by a long vowel or a double vowel as in peel, reel, rail, bail, mail.
c) Pupils write double '1* at the end of such words as beautiful, colourful, helpful, until.
ii) Pupils often confuse ’ei1 and *ie' in such words receive, deceive, conceive, receipt.
iii) Pupils confuse ’ee’, *ea’ or some other spelling which gives long vowel sound /i:/. The spelling of the
following words are often confused, leave, wheat, weak, cheat, speed, cheese, meat, meet, sea, see etc.
iv) The final 'el' and ’le’ are often confused, e.g.
hotel, camel, travel, novel and in "el* idle, table, double, bottle etc.
v) The final ’tion' and 'sion* are confused e.g.
migration, organization, compassion, aggression, aggregation etc.
vi) The final *ze’ and 'se* are also confused e.g.
surprise, minimize, compromise, utilize etc.
viii The final *ent’ and *ant' are confused, e.g.
absent, innocent, present, elephant, servant, pleasant, viii) The final 'cal' and ‘cle’ are confused, e.g.
practical, mechanical, political, vocal, circle, cycle, tackle, spectacle etc.
ix) The final *er* & *re* are confused, e.g.
metre, centre, painter, speaker.
x) The final ’er1 and *or’ are confused e.g.
jailor, tailor, seller, prisoner.
xi) The 'gh* in rough, high, plough, although etc.
is confused.
xii) Many English words contain silent letters. Pupils omit the silent letter in such words, e.g. castle, debt, often, listen, judge, Wednesday etc.
xiii) Pupils confuse words with similar sound but different spelling as in 3ight~cite, right - write,
hair - hare, whole - hole, fair - fare, their- there etc.
xiv) Pupils confuse final le and al eg. Principle, principal, disciple, simple etc.
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xv) Pupils confused final ’ing* and 1 ied' while adding suffix in some cases, e.g. crying, cried, trying tried, playing - played etc.
xvi) Pupils confuse the doubling of letters as in beginning, committed patted, swimming etc.
V.7 PUNCTUATION ERRORS -
Punctuation is a great aid to clearness.
N.X.Aggrawala and F.T.Wood pointed out,
’’Bad punctuation indicates either carelessness or ignorance on the part of the writer."7
Careless punctuation spoils a good style. So it is necessary to pay attention to punctuation marks.
The proper uses of the punctuation marks help the readers to understand the meaning more easily by
indicating the relation between words, phrases, clauses and sentences. Usually the pupils commit the following punctuation mistakes.
i) (a) They put the sign of apostrophe below the
letter instead of above the letter, e.g. Gopal,s mother, Isn,t etc.
(b) They sometimes put the sign after the suffix
•s’ e.g. Gopals' mother, Meenas* notebook,
ii) (a) While using quotation marks they make the mistake of using capital letter e.g.
Incorrect - Geeta’s mother said, ’'bring me a pen".
Correct - Geeta's mother said, "Bring me a pen."
b) Some pupils put the full stop or question mark outside the inverted comma which is wrong e.g.
Incorrect - "Where is the thief"? asked the king.
Correct - "Where is the thief?" asked the king.
c) Pupils begin the reported verb with capital letter e.g. Incorrect - "Leela is crying," Said Seeta.
Correct - "Leela is crying," said Seeta.
iii) Most of the pupils don't use full stop at the end of the sentence, e.g.. My mother cooks food She washes the clothes etc.
iv) In translation writing most of the pupils omit the punctuation marks.
v) In letter writing pupils commit the mistake of omitting thecomma after the salutation and
subscription.
V.8 ERROBS OF ARTICLES
The use of the Article presents more difficulties to our students than the use of any other part of speech.
There are so many rules and exceptions to each rule.
So the beginners frequently confuse. Careful reading practice is only the remedy that can be suggested. The mistakes commonly made in the use of the articles are as illustrated under.
i) Inserting the definite article 'the* where it is not necessary - e.g., He received many presents on the
Monday, He became the Emperor. His mother*s name is the Kamal. People cannot grow the rice in the rainy season.
ii) Omitting the definite article 'the* where it is required • e.g., I have been ill for______ last two days. I live in one of____ village in India. _____
Rich are happy. It Is only____ University of ________
East Coast.
iii) Inserting the indefinite article where it is not necessary - e.g., It looks like a silver. I am going on a business. He gave me an advice. His friend is in a trouble.
iv) Omitting the indefinite article where it is necessary e.g., The Ganga is _____ great river.(a). I have been waiting for ______ hour.(an). He shouted from _______ distance.(a). The magistrate passed___ order.(an) A black and _____ white cow were grazing.(a).
v) Use of the definite article where the indefinite article is necessary, e.g., I have been ill for the week (a). Krabi is the province of Thiland.(a). One day I found my sister in the reverie.(a)
vi) Use of indefinite articles where the definite article is required - e.g. I am not in a wrong (the) He is not a right man for that job.(the). He is an order man of the two.(the).
V.9 ERRORS OF TENSE
The errors of tense include the errors of number, sequence, tense and verbs etc. The following errors are the errors of tenses.
i) Using the third person singular after 'does' e.g. The farmer does not waters the plants. My mother does not comes.
ii) Using the third person singular after 'can*, 'must', e.g. He can speaks English. Your friend must helps her mother.
iii) Using the past tense after 'did', e.g. I did not went to school. They did not brought their bags.
iv) Wrong sequence of tense * e.g., He asked me what I am doing.(was). Otar school peon comes at 11 O'clock.
He cleaned the garden.(cleans). He tried to klteked.the ball away.(to kick).
v) Using the past tense after an auxiliary verb,
'have* instead of the past participle, e.g. - I have came to school, (come). She has sang a song.(sung).
vi) Misusing the continuous form of the tense e.g.
I am understanding the lesson.(understand).
vii) Using the simple present instead of the present continuous, e.g., Look
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Two boys fight. (are fighting)viii) Using the present continuous for a habitual action, e.g., Every morning I am going for a walk.(go).
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lx) Using the past tense instead of the past perfect. e.g., The train left before I arrived.
(had left).
x) Using the past perfect instead of the past tense, e.g., I had finished the book yesterday.(finished).
xi) Misuse of shall and will e.g. I will come home.(shall). He shall go to school.(will)
V.1° ERRORS OF PREPOSITIONS
Prepositions are little words placed before nouns or pronouns in order to show in what relation one thing or person stand to another person or thing.
"Nothing is perkier in English language than the use of prepositions. The
word may be the same but it requires a different preposition for every different purpose. And sometimes the use of any preposition makes the sentence wrong !"8
remarked Michael Braganza appropriately.
The following mistakes can be found regarding the use of prepositions.
i) Using one preposition instead of the other, e.g. The girl is afraid from the dog.(of)
The king believed on ghosts.(in) He came with the train.(by)
He covered his head by his shawl.(with)
ii) Unnecessary insertion of prepositions, e.g., He did not obey to my orders.
He entered into the room.
I will inform to your mother.
He meditated on a murder.
iii) Unnecessary omission of prepositions, e.g.
You cannot depend _____ his word (on).
Have you disposed ______ the application? (of) Do not boast _____ your success.(of).
V.11 ERRORS OF NOUNS
Names of persons, places, things, actions, feelings, qualities etc., are called ’nouns*. Nouns are important words and occur in the subject and in the object of sentences. Pupils commit the following noun errors.
i) Using the indirect object before direct object, e.g., He gave to the man a rupee.
Correct - He gave a rupee to the man.
Leela begs to Seeta a pen.
Correct - Leela begs a pen to Seeta.
ii) Using one noun instead of the other e.g., The roads of the town are narrow, (streets).
Our travel to England was pleasant.(journey)
iii) Confusion of number, e.g. - The sceneries here are not good.
Correct - The scenery here is not good.
I have lost ray furnitures.
Correct - I have lost my furniture
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Xv) Using articles before proper nouns, e.g.
I went to the New Delhi.
I lived in a Bombay.
v) Omission of articles before the names of mountains, rivers, oceans, seas etc. e.g.,
X took my bath in Jumna.
Correct - I took my bath in the Jumna.
Himalaya is the biggest mountain.
Correct - The Himalaya is the biggest mountain.
V.12 ERRORS OF PRONOUNS
A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun or noun equivalent. Use of pronouns make the writing less cumbersome. Pupils may make the following errors of pronouns.
i) Confusion of possessive, pronouns - e.g.
This house is my. Correct - This house is mine.
This is hers pen. Correct - This is her pen.
ii) Confusion of reflexive pronouns and possessive pronouns, e.g. The children sat themselves.
Correct - The children sat.
We hid ours. Correct - We hid ourselves.
iii) Omission of pronouns, e.g., Rich men are not happier than the poor. Correct - Rich men are not happier than the poor ones.
This is the same man came yesterday.
Correct - This is the same man that came yesterday.
iv) Misuse of verb e.g. It is you who has done this thing. Correct - It is you who have done this , thing.
v) Insersion of pronoun, e.g.,
Your need is greater than that of mine.
Correct - Your need is greater than mine.
The man who was killed, he was my brother.
Correct - The man who was killed, was my brother.
vi) Misuse of interrogative pronouns, e.g., I killed a man who I hated.
Correct - I killed a man whom I hated.
A clever fellow can do anything what he likes.
Correct - A clever fellow can do anything that he likes.
V.13 ERRORS
OF
ADJECTIVESAdjectives are words used to qualify nouns. They do so by describing or indicating or enumerating
what is denoted by the noun. Errors of adjectives can be located as -
i) Insertion of adjective e.g., I have no any friend.
ii) Misuse of quantitative adjectives e.g.
My brother hasn't much books, (many).
He slept little and felt better, (a little) I haven't some pens.(any)
Every one of the two boys was wrong, (each)
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iii) Misuse of indicative adjectives, e.g., John visits her aunt. (his).
Ann visits his uncle, (her)
The children came with his dogs, (their) None of the boys learnt their lesson, (his)
iv) Misuse of descriptive adjectives, e.g.
He is my older brother.(elder) Please read farther.(further)
I am two years smaller than you.(younger) He is three years bigger than I. (older) She is two metres high, (tall)
Keep your hands clear, (clean)
v) Misuse of verb before adjective, e.g.
Many a man are poor, (is)
1 had many loaf of breads.(loaves) vi) Misuse of degree form. e.g., This chair is bad than that, (worse)
This book is the smaller of all.(smallest) He is more better than I (insertion of more)
Shakespeare is greater than any other dramatists, (dramatist).
Rajapur is hot than Simla.(hdter) V.14 CONCLUDING REMARKS
Unless the diagnosis the common errors made
by the pupils, correction work, remedial work is futile.
Mr.Morgan suggested,
"It is essential to diagnose the faults that are most serious and widespread."
In teaching composition writing error analysis is a hall-mark. So the investigator in this chapter has illustrated the types of errors committed especially by the VII Standard pupils. She has explained them with their examples.
In the second point she has noted down the three types of errors i.e. errors of language, errors of
thought and errors of grammar. But in this chapter she had not discussed the errors of thought because particularly they relate to free composition. Free composition suited to the higher classes. So taking into consideration the written work of VII Standard pupils, she has noted down indetail the remaining two types of errors.
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REFERENCES
1) G.K.Chettur, College Composition (Bombay-Calcutta Madras - New Delhi : Orient Longmans, 1969),p.X 2) Ibid, p.1
3) Michael Bragnza, Common Errors in English (New Delhi) New Light Publishers, 1853), p.X
lO Ib'ic*, P• 12.
5 -4) Ashok Tiwari, Spelling Errors Arising from In Correct Pronunciation” Journel of Indian Education Vol.11 No.4 (November 1985), p.36.
6
3 )
Chettur, op.cit.t p.88.7-8) N.K.Aggrawala and F.T.Wood, English Grammar.
Composition and Usage (Madras Bombay Calcutta Delhi:
The Macmillan Company of India, 1976), p.457.
8 7*) Bragnza, op.cit. ,p. 125.
