‘Around’ & ‘About’ can be used to talk about…?

Common mistakes with pronouns

Explanation
We use the simple present tense to talk about routines and habits. Note that the present continuous tense is used to talk about actions and situations that are going on at the moment of speaking.
Incorrect: I said him to go.
Correct: I told him to go.
Incorrect: She told that she would be coming.
Correct: She said that she would be coming.
Explanation
We use tell with a personal object. We use said when there is no personal object.
Incorrect: They discussed about the whole matter.
Correct: They discussed the whole matter.
Explanation
Discuss is one of those verbs that are not followed by a preposition.
Mistakes with conjunctions
Each sentence given below contains a mistake. The mistake is in the use of the conjunction. Find the mistake and rewrite the sentence correctly.
An example is given below.
Incorrect: As soon as he got the telegram, at once he started.
Correct: As soon as he got the telegram, he started.
Correct: He got the telegram and started at once.

Exercise
1. Neither Jack is intelligent nor hardworking.
2. Though he is fat but he runs fast.
3. As he is fat so he runs slowly.
4. Unless you do not apologize, you will not be admitted to class.
5. Hardly the sun had risen when we set out.
6. Not only she speaks English but also Chinese.
7. This is my house, I live here.

Answers
1. Jack is neither intelligent nor hardworking.
2. Though he is fat, he runs fast. OR He is fat, but he runs fast.
3. As he is fat he runs slowly. OR He is fast so he runs slowly.
4. Unless you apologize, you will not be admitted to class. OR If you do not apologize you will not be admitted to class.
5. Hardly had the sun risen when we set out. OR The sun had hardly risen when we set out.
6. She speaks not only English but also Chinese.
7. This is my house where I live. OR This is my house. I live here.
Some common errors in English are listed below.
Incorrect: Have you received any informations?
Correct: Have you received any information?

The word information is uncountable in English. It does not have a plural form.
Incorrect: We have bought new furnitures.
Correct: We have bought new furniture.

The word furniture does not have a plural form in English. To denote the singular aspect of the noun, you can use ‘an article of furniture’ or a ‘piece of furniture’.
Incorrect: The machineries were expensive.
Correct: The machinery was expensive.

The word machinery does not have a plural form. It is uncountable and takes a singular verb.
Incorrect: The sceneries here are beautiful.
Correct: The scenery here is beautiful.
Incorrect: Do not carry heavy luggages during travel.
Correct: Do not carry heavy luggage during travel.
Incorrect: He conveyed these news to his relatives.
Correct: He conveyed this news to his relatives.

The words scenery, luggage and news are uncountable in English. They do not have a plural form.
Incorrect: There is no place in this compartment.
Correct: There is no room in this compartment.
Incorrect: Have you read this poetry?
Correct: Have you read this poem?
Incorrect: I went to watch a drama.
Correct: I went to watch a play.
Incorrect: He has gone to foreign.
Correct: He has gone abroad.
Correct: He has gone to foreign countries.
Incorrect: She is my cousin sister.
Correct: She is my cousin.

The pronoun she itself indicates the gender, and hence there is no need to mention the noun sister.
Incorrect: All he said is true.
Incorrect: What all he said is true.
Correct: All that he said is true.
Correct: What he said is true.

All can mean ‘everything’ in the structure ‘all that’.
Incorrect: Suppose, if you arrive late, you will miss the show.
Correct: Suppose you arrive late, you will miss the show.
Correct: If you arrive late, you will miss the show.

1. Good vs. well
These words are not
interchangeable.
Incorrect: He did good.
Correct: He did well.
Incorrect: She sings good.
Correct: She sings well.
Incorrect: She speaks English good.
Correct: She speaks good English.
Correct: She speaks English well.

Good is an adjective. It goes before a noun. An adjective cannot be used to modify an adverb. Well is an adverb. It usually goes after the verb or verb + object.
2. Extract revenge vs. Exact revenge
The correct phrase is ‘exact revenge’. To extract something is to take it out of something else.
They extracted juice from the mangoes.
3. Leadway vs. Leeway
There is no such word as ‘leadway’. Leeway means extra space or freedom. To give somebody leeway is to give them the extra space they need.
4. Expresso vs. Espresso
Have you ever walked into a coffee shop and ordered an expresso? Well, there is no such drink. You were trying to order an espresso but ended up saying ‘expresso’.
5. Irregardless vs. Regardless
The word ‘regardless’ itself means ‘without regard’. There is no need to add the prefix ‘ir’. The word ‘irregardless’ seems like a double negative. It doesn’t make any sense.
6. Conversating vs. Conversing
To converse is to engage in conversation.
She was preoccupied with her own thoughts and didn’t converse with him.
Conversating is not a word, although many people use it in place of the correct term, conversing.
7. Scotch free and Scott free vs. Scot free
The correct expression is scot-free. Scot-free means ‘without suffering any punishment or injury’. It is an adverb.
The people who kidnapped the child will not go scot-free.
8. 360 degree change vs. 180 degree change
You have probably heard people saying that they have made a complete 360 degree change in their life. Well, if they have made a 360 degree change, then they haven’t changed at all. When you go 360 degrees you return to the exact same place where you used to be. To imply that you have completely changed your life, you have to use the expression ‘a 180 degree change’.

Commonly confused prepositions Among / between
The words among and between are often confused. They have very similar meanings, but they are not usually interchangeable.
Between is used to show position between two or more well-defined objects.
Mary sat between Peter and Alice.
The boy sat between his dad and mom.
Among shows position among an indefinite number of objects. It is not exactly clear how many people or things are there in the group.
I found an envelope among the papers on the table.
Beside / besides
Beside and besides have very different meanings. Beside shows position. It means next to.
She sat beside her husband. (= She sat next to her husband.)
Besides means ‘in addition’.
Besides the violin, she can play the piano.
Besides eggs, we need some sugar.
I didn’t talk to anybody else besides Jane.

Note…..
It is wrong to use also in the clause following besides.
Besides algebra, we learn physics and chemistry. (NOT Besides algebra, we also learn physics and chemistry.)
Around / About
Both ‘around’ and ‘about’ can be used to talk about position or movements that are not very clear or definite.
We wandered around / about the old town.
He hates doing odd jobs about / around the house.
Both around and about can mean approximately.
Around / about fifty people participated in the competition.
To show position or movement in a circle, we use around or round. About is not used with this meaning.
We sat around the dining table.

From / of
From indicates the origin of someone or something. Of indicates possession.
Susie hails from Belgium.
She is the daughter of a famous social activist.
Difference between amount of and number of The phrases amount of and number of have slightly different meanings.
Amount of is used with uncountable singular nouns. Uncountable nouns are those nouns that refer to things you cannot measure or count. Examples are: hate, beauty, respect, information etc.
A computer can store a vast amount of information.

B.Vivekananda
Sr. Faculty
Hyderabad, 9912343401