Do you really want to learn English the proper way? Are you considering English as a second language? Are you always caught in the middle of a conversation not knowing what to answer the person you are speaking with because you are embarrassed you might say the wrong thing? Are you looking at a great promotion at work and it requires for you to pass an English test? There are countless reasons for somebody to want to learn English, not just to merely speak it but to do it correctly on paper and even orally.
I know that most people fail to practice speaking English because of their fear of making a mistake and being made fun of.
This should not be, one must practice and should remember what words or phrases they commonly misuse so that they can correct it.
It's okay to make a mistake, that is how you learn.
Here are a few words and phrases that are commonly misused or exchanged.
Accept and Except Even people who uses English as their first language, still makes this mistake.
The word "accept" is a verb or an action word, which means to agree or to take in/receive.
"Except" means to exclude or to leave out.
"I would gladly accept the clothes you donated, except that one because it's all tattered and broken.
" Fill up vs.
Fill out Commonly used on phrases such as "fill up an application" but the correct one is to "fill out an application".
You "fill up the gas tank", "fill up the glass" but never an application or a form.
You always "fill out".
Could not care less vs.
Could care less The most common used term is "could not care less" or "couldn't care less".
This conveys that you really do not care for something or someone.
If you say "I could care less", it usually signifies that you still care! So get this fact straight, do you care or not? Well, I could not care less what you care about.
Equipment vs.
Equipments The term "equipment" is used both as a singular term and a plural word.
It is improper to say "equipments", because "equipment" is already plural.
This is also the same for "Jewelry", there is no word "jewelries".
It also takes the singular and plural of the noun.
Lose vs.
Loose This is commonly misused especially when someone is writing it, and this is probably because they sound the same.
Although they are pronounced exactly alike, their meanings are quite far from each other.
"Lose" can mean failing, misplacing something or to cease ownership or possession.
"Loose" is actually the term used to convey the opposite of "tight".
There are still a lot of words that are incorrectly used not just by the people who are learning it, but also by those who uses English as their first language.
So don't be embarrassed by your mistakes, everyone commits one or more.
That is why we continuously study by reading novels, essays, short stories, poems, articles and different types of lectures such as this, so that we learn the correct way of saying things.