AS A PHILOSOPHER, A SOCIAL SCIENTIST, AND AN ENGLISH PROFESSOR, I FIND SOME OF THE ERRORS IN ENGLISH THAT NATIVE SPEAKERS MAKE APPALLING. ©
Reason and Because
The error that bothers me most is: "The reason is because..."
The speaker does not realize that "reason" and “because" are the same; essentially, he repeats himself. What bothers me most is the speaker's argument that "the reason is because" is correct.
True Story: I once wrote to a television host who constantly says, “The reason is because. " I explained that “reason” and “because” are the same word, and he should say, “The reason is that.” The host replied, “No, it is the reason is because.” I smiled and said to myself that I could not argue with ignorance. I even had trouble writing this piece because the computer continued to correct my writing. If I missed any of the computer corrections, please let me know.
Reported Speech
Another bothersome error is the use of reported speech. For example, a native speaker might say, "He said his name is Sabri." I'm afraid that’s not right. Once we say "he said," the verb must change from present to past and from past to past perfect. It should be: "He said his name WAS Sabri."
Double Negative
One error used unwittingly is using a double negative. One might say, "I do not know nothing." The speaker does not realize that "nothing is negative, and "do not" is negative. This should be "I do not know anything."
The Past Participle
An irritating error made by many native speakers in the United States is using the past participle of the verb. Many speakers do not know that we must use the past participle, not the past tense, after the verb "to have." One might say: "I have ate" instead of "I have eaten." Another might say: "I have drove" instead of "I have driven." This particular error shows a lack of education.
Oxymorons
The use of "oxymoron" is another standard error. A "oxymoron" is a combination of contradictory or incongruous words (such as cruel kindness). Richard Nordquist wrote a great. article on that at https://www.thoughtco.com/awfully-good-examples-of-oxymorons-1691814 He wrote: "The word oxymoron is itself oxymoronic, which is to say, contradictory." Examples: "awful good," "definite maybe," "exact estimate," "found missing," "good grief," "ill health," "living dead," "loyal opposition," "old news,"pretty ugly," "seriously funny," "unbiased opinion," "virtual reality," and "working vacation. Politicians, especially Donald Trump, use oxymorons excessively.
Verbs Wish and Conditional If
Many others do not know the rule of "wish" and say: I wish I was..." Sadly, they do not understand that "wish" is a conditional word and unreal dream. One has to say: "I wish I were...."
The same problem occurs with conditional if. When we use “if” in an unreal situation, we must use the unreal verb forms, typically in the subjunctive mood. For instance, "If I were rich, I would travel the world.” “If I had money, I would buy a car.”
The Verbs Lie And Lay
Another rather comical error is many native speaker’s misunderstanding of the verbs “lay” and “lie." The verbs "lay" and "lie" often confuse people because they sound similar and their meanings overlap somewhat. Here's a straightforward way to explain the difference:
Lay:
Lie:
Meaning: To recline or be in a horizontal position.No Direct Object: You lie (yourself) down; there's no object being placed.Conjugation:
Examples:
A common trick to remember:
More to come