Improve Your English

I am not saying i am perfect in speaking English..
We all are learning We all Know English is not our mother tongue and we too can make mistakes.

There are many books in the market that details the grammar and the ways of English being spoken and written but they do not precisely address the problem of day-to-day mistakes done in communicating in English.

Hope my attempt would not go in vain. shall we start?Please Dont Spam and please feel free to contribute...

This thread will be updated daily , ...U can post anything...U can start With Alphabet A.

Please do add reps and member who share his knowledge with us...will be added reps.

We should always be proud of our MotherTongue!

Hardik ,job doing good.Well its always good to be practising at language..Lookin forward to more tuts on ENGLISh !

Here is one very common mistake people do..

Affect vs Effect
These two words are very commonly confused and used interchangeably. However, both have very different meanings. In fact, both the words can be used in two ways, Noun and Verb. I don't think I'll be able to explain the differences effectively , instead I'll give examples for their correct usage...


Affect: (as a Verb) meaning "have an influence on"
His provoking statements did not affect my decision in any way.
Alcohol affects your body and mind.

Affect: (as a Noun) meaning "emotion" --- Its used this way very very rarely..
He displayed a distressing lack of affect.


Effect: (as a Noun) meaning "the result, something produced by a cause"
The rain had no effect on the girl's make-up.
The sound effects were mindblowing.

Effect: (as a Verb) meaning "to bring about (a change)"
The people's revolt effected a change in government.
I hope my advice will effect certain changes in your language.


One last example...
This drug affects my health..
This drug has a bad effect on my health...

English bloopers: 'Is this your's?'
Are you ready for a few good laughs at yet another installment of English bloopers? Today, we'll be looking at how apostrophes often result in grammatical catastrophes!

When it comes to written English, apostrophes are commonly used, but often misunderstood. The apostrophe looks like an elevated comma, and can be found directly to the left of the 'Enter' key on your computer keyboard.

Even in informal writing and friendly emails, it's important to use apostrophes properly. Out of place punctuation makes your written work seem sloppy and unprofessional.

Get Ahead reader Praveen Madhukar Naik, a 26-year-old software engineer, often comes across these annoying mistakes at work, and even when reading the newspaper! He's provided some helpful points to remember about apostrophes:

Apostrophes are used:

1. To indicate a missing letter or letters:

CORRECT: I can't go to school.
Which is the same as: I cannot go to school.

CORRECT: I don't smoke.
Which is the same as: I do not smoke.

CORRECT: It's so cold in here.
Which is the same as: It is so cold in here.

2. To indicate a noun's possession:

WRONG: The cars windshield was broken.
CORRECT: The car's windshield was broken.

WRONG: A dogs tail cannot be straightened.
CORRECT: A dog's tail cannot be straightened.

WRONG: Shreyas's collection of stamps is awesome.
CORRECT: Shreyas' collection of stamps is awesome.

3. When the noun is a plural, or ends with the letter 's', the apostrophe comes after the word:

WRONG: The two students's belonging were confiscated.
CORRECT: The two students' belongings were confiscated.

WRONG: The Mehta's house is across the street.
CORRECT: The Mehtas' house is across the street.

Apostrophes must never be used:

1.To indicate plural.

WRONG: The girl's were late.
CORRECT: The girls were late

WRONG: There were no chair's in the room.
CORRECT: There were no chairs in the room.

2. To indicate a pronoun's possession.

WRONG: This land is our's.
CORRECT: This land is ours.

WRONG: This dog is her's.
CORRECT: This dog is hers.

WRONG: Is this your's?
CORRECT: Is this yours?

WRONG: The company maintains it's standards. [This is a very common mistake!]
CORRECT: The company maintains its standards.

Source: rediff

Mind your language: 'That person is very kiddish'

V D Manigandan, Anand Karve, A Matin, Vijay Jangam

If English has you down, don't get discouraged!

The important thing is to practise every day. With time and effort, you'll soon become an English pro.

Our blooper series, observed and submitted by readers, highlights common mistakes that can easily trip you.

So, keep reading these articles, and keep an eye out for your own bloopers and the bloopers of others.

Remember, a firm grasp of English is a valued skill for youngsters hoping to study abroad and to follow the most sought after careers.

V D Manigandan, 27, a software engineer in London, remembers a blooper he heard his entire childhood.

1. That person is very kiddish; he doesn't know how to behave in the office.

Kiddish is not a word in the English dictionary. The correct word is 'childish.'

~ That person is very childish; he doesn't know how to behave in the office.



Anand Karve, 33 years, a government servant based in Pune, says that direct translations of Hindi sound funny in English.

2. What is your good name?

3. May I know your good name?



This is a literal translation of the Hindi version, 'Aapka shub naam kya hai?' In English, we do not have any 'bad names'.

~ What is your name?

~ May I know your name?

4. She is my real sister.

This is also the result of direct mother tongue to English translations. In English, you only call your biological sister, 'sister'. Therefore, it's not necessary to add 'real'.

~ She is my sister.

Two words often confused with one another:

5. 'stationary' (not in motion)

~ 'stationery' (writing material)


A Matin, a 50 year old businessman in Mumbai, has decades of bloopers under his belt. Here are some of his best:

6. Have you catched a cold?

The past tense of the verb 'to catch' is 'caught'. English has many irregular verbs in the past tense.

~ Have you caught a cold?



7. Yes, he come yesterday.

8. He did not came yesterday.

This can be confusing. In the first example, it is necessary to use the past tense of the verb 'to come'; it is 'came'. In the second example, the 'did not' shifts the sentence to the past, and therefore, 'came' is no longer needed. It should be:

~ Yes, he came yesterday.

~ He did not come yesterday.

Another common mistake is the inappropriate use of colour to describe people:

9. He was a black man.

The description is a direct translation of the word kaala. It should be:

~ He was dark-complexioned.

Vijay Jangam, working with Deloitte Consulting, sent this reminder: 'Making mistakes is pardonable. Trying to sound 'hip' by deliberately talking rubbish has become a trend.'

Incorrect:

10. 'Any which ways you look at it, it's the same'.

Proper:

'Any way you look at it, it's the same' OR

'Whichever way you look at it, it's the same'."

Source: rediff

inshaALLAH i will post basics and articles on english...

good work hardik and saira

veRy goOd effort ... keep doing

great effort ... keep doing da great work

I ll also try to post sum basics soon

very informative thread ...i will also try to post some good stuff

hmmmmmmm i liked it now i think tht my english classes have been started i really badly need them so who is my teacher
No1's perfect & so m i...