It is never easy speaking another man's language let alone writing it. However, a listening ear and constant practice will make you write any language effectively, even more than its speakers.
One major problem with
some second learners of English is that they learn the language with laxity,
paying less or no attention to the rules of the language, regardless of the
fact that it is an official language in their countries. Some who are aware
that they are deficient in writing and speaking the language cover up their deficiency with this fallacious question,
"who English epp?" If you are in this category, I advise you learn
how to effectively write and speak the language as soon as possible because of
its mutual intelligibility in the international community.
This article reveals some words learners of English have used and spelt wrongly. Graduates, undergraduates and even some native speakers
are also culprits of this rampant crime. The wrong spelling is not as a result
of an omission of a letter in these words but due to a breach of the rule
governing the orthography of these words. Let’s look at the word "in
fact". This is a word that is made up of two words ("in" and
"fact"), and according to the orthography of the word, it is expected that you give a space after writing the first word
"in" before the second word "fact". This word is a
typical example of open compounding. However, English learners
write this word without observing its orthographical rule, and consequently,
you have “infact". This word does not exist in any English dictionary. Other words that fall
under this category are "a lot", "for instance", "at
least" etc., which are now written as
"alot", "forinstance", and "atleast" respectively by most English users.
The misuse of
certain English words is also a common problem among learners of English due to
their inadequate knowledge of the workings of the language. Some of these words
are:
1. Mop vs Mob
It is no news that most
English learners will tell you to "mob the floor" rather than telling
you to "mop the floor". This is a common error among Nigerian users of the English language. Please, do yourself a
favour by checking out the meanings of these words. For the smart guys in the
house, you can ascertain their meanings from the hint below.
Hint: Your living room is not
clean because you mob it. Until you decide to mop it,
it will remain dirty.
2. Lose vs Loose
These words are not only pronounced wrongly but are also used interchangeably. Their difference in terms of pronunciation is in their last sounds. The former is pronounced /lu:z/ while the latter is pronounced /lu:s/. English learners tend to use these words interchangeably because they think these words have the same pronunciation. You can use the hint below to get their correct usage.
These words are not only pronounced wrongly but are also used interchangeably. Their difference in terms of pronunciation is in their last sounds. The former is pronounced /lu:z/ while the latter is pronounced /lu:s/. English learners tend to use these words interchangeably because they think these words have the same pronunciation. You can use the hint below to get their correct usage.
Hint: Lose a
game and loose a knot.
3. Seize vs Cease
These words have also
slapped so many English learners on the face. Although they almost have
similar sound, their meanings are different. To seize means to deliberately take hold of; to grab or capture (something) whereas to cease means to stop doing something.
Hint: Pray without ceasing.
Tammy's pen was seized yesterday
by his boss.
4. Waive vs Wave
These
words are pronounced alike but have different meanings and spellings. They are
typical examples of homophones.Their phonetic sameness has posed a lot of
usage problems among undergraduates and graduates. Some are not even aware of
the existence of the former. The consequence of this is that they always use
the latter (wave) in place of the former (waive). That is why you see students
write, "Senate has refused to wave the course"
instead of "Senate has refused to waive the
course".
Hint: You wave at
someone whereas you waive a course.