ERRORS NATIVE SPEAKERS MAKE REGULARL ©
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AS A PHILOSOPHER, A SOCIAL SCIENTIST, AND AN ENGLISH PROFESSOR, I FIND SOME OF THE ERRORS IN ENGLISH THAT NATIVE SPEAKERS MAKE APPALLING. Americans are destroying the English language, and with the influence of other languages, we will most certainly end up not understanding one another. I, for example, do not understand young people at all and find their slang, speech speed, abbreviations, contractions and expressions completely bewildering. ©
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:
Meaning: To put something down or place it somewhere.
Requires a Direct Object: You lay something (object) down.
Requires a Direct Object: You lay something (object) down.
- Conjugation:
Past: laid (I laid the book on the table yesterday.)
Past participle: laid (I have laid the book on the table.)
Present participle: laying (I am laying the book on the table.)
Lie:
Meaning: To recline or be in a horizontal position.No Direct Object: You lie (yourself) down; there's no object being placed.Conjugation:
- Present: lie (I lie down on the bed.)
- Past: lay (Yesterday, I lay on the bed.)
- Past participle: lain (I have lain down on the bed.)
- Present participle: lying (I am lying on the bed.)
Examples:
Lay: "Please lay the keys on the counter." (You are placing the keys down.)
Lie: "I need to lie down for a while." (You are reclining or resting.)
Lie: "I need to lie down for a while." (You are reclining or resting.)
A common trick to remember:
Lay requires an object (you lay something down).
Lie involves no object (you lie down yourself).
This writer will never forget how funny it was when Rosanne Bar was interviewed and asked, “What do you do in your free time?” She replied, “I just lay (instead of lie) around.” This has a sexual connotation.
Lie involves no object (you lie down yourself).
This writer will never forget how funny it was when Rosanne Bar was interviewed and asked, “What do you do in your free time?” She replied, “I just lay (instead of lie) around.” This has a sexual connotation.
Understanding “Look forward to
Many native speakers do not know that the “to” in “look forward” is a preposition that must be followed by a gerund (the -ing form of the verb.) They might say, “I look forward to meet you.” while it should be “meeting.”
The Use of Adverbs to Modify Verbs
Modifying verbs seems to be a problem for native speakers. Verbs must be modified by “Adverbs,” not “Adjectives.” For example, A native speaker might say, “I feel good.” “Good” is an adjective; to modify the verb to feel, we must use an adverb: “I feel well.” Remember, adverbs modify verbs.
YOU, ME AND I
It is rather distressing to hear educated people confuse the use of "you" and "I." Some individuals misuse these pronouns in an attempt to sound sophisticated, while others simply display a lack of understanding. The word "you" is straightforward; it serves as the subject in most sentences. However, the misuse of "I" is more problematic, especially in phrases like "between you and I."
To clarify, "I" is also a subject pronoun, meaning it should only be used when referring to the person performing the action. After prepositions, such as "between," we must use an object pronoun. The correct object pronoun in this context is "ME," making the phrase “between you and me.” This is a fundamental rule that is often overlooked, even by native speakers.
Another common error arises when people don't understand the distinction between subject and object pronouns. "ME” is the receiver of the action, while "I" is the doer. Therefore, a sentence like "You and me go to the movies" is incorrect. The proper phrasing is "You and I should go to the movies," because in this case, "I" is the doer of the action.
Remember, whenever you are the one performing the action, use "I." When you are the one receiving the action, use "me." Understanding this basic rule will help you avoid common grammatical mistakes and communicate more clearly.
More to come