Using incorrect tense with “conditional if clause” is one of the many common English errors that are prevalent in India. The prevalence of such errors is understandable since English is a second language in India and the occurrence of conditional if clauses is so rare that people don’t usually stand corrected or learn from the erroneous English usage. [Read more…] about How to Use the Correct Tense with Conditional If Clause
How to Use Sit and Seat in Sentences
Oftentimes, people tend to commit errors with regard to the use of Sit and Seat. Many people, especially in a non-English speaking country, tend to use Seat as a noun. However, there are situations where using Seat as a verb is necessary to convey the message appropriately. This is exactly what this post aims to do.
So, let’s take a look at how we could use Sit and Seat as verbs under a number of circumstances.
Example #1: I’d like to sit next to you, please!
Explanation: The speaker himself wants to sit next to the person she is speaking with.
Example #2: I’d like you to sit next to my father, please!
Explanation: The speaker is requesting a person to sit next to her father.
SEAT (verb)
Meaning #1: Arrange for (someone) to sit somewhere.
Meaning #2: To have or provide seats for
Example #1: Don’t worry; I’ll seat you next to your father.
Explanation: A lady is assuring her kid that she will help him sit next to his father. The kid can’t choose the seat himself and needs to help from his mom.
In the day-to-day speech, however, people tend to use sit more often.
For example: Don’t worry; I’ll make sure you sit next to your father.
Example #2: The stadium seats about 7,000 people.
Explanation: The stadium has the capacity to accommodate 7,000 spectators.
I hope this helps!
How about Some Housekeeping and Home Renovation Jargons!
Do home renovation words confuse you? Here’s a list of words and phrases commonly used in the home designing industry.
There are some English words and phrases used predominately for renovating, decorating, and cleaning houses. Learning those words can be useful not only in understanding blogs and articles related to home decoration and home furnishing, but also in communicating with a niche audience well while writing and speaking.
For example, when a person in the UK says they want to renovate or do up their houses, they essentially mean to say they want to make changes in their house to keep up with the current trend.
Let’s take a look some other frequently used words and phrases used most in the interior designing industry.
Home Decoration
I want to give my bedroom a lick (paint walls) and put up some wall papers (attach new papers to the walls) thereafter.
Besides, I also want to put up blinds/curtains (cover the windows with blinds or curtains) and throw out old light fittings (change the lights).
I’m essentially going for a contemporary effect (recreate a contemporary look). Everything is nearly done but I just need to put the finishing touches to the bedroom (complete the bedroom decoration with the final details).
Home Renovation
Jon says he is going to have an extension (build on the existing house to provide more rooms). He is thinking about converting the loft (convert the attic into a livable room) and turning the dining room into a spare bedroom.
If necessary, he will knock down a wall (demolish the wall) or knock through from the kitchen (demolish the wall from the kitchen into another room).
He is also thinking of about rewiring the house (put in new electrical wires) and re-plastering the ceiling and re-tiling the bathroom.
If possible, he will also put in a fitted kitchen (install a kitchen where units are connected and not single pieces).
Home Cleaning
Every weekend, I make it a point to tidy up my room. I hoover the floors, rugs and carpets (clean with a vacuum cleaner) using different hoover attachments.
However, I make sure to give it a thorough clean during the spring cleaning (clean the house thoroughly when the winter is over).
For example, I polish the sliver, de-clutter the bedroom, wash soft-furnishings (curtains or furniture covers) and touch up the paintwork (repaint areas where the pain has come off). Moreover, I get into all corners of my house (behind heavy furniture) and give it a thorough clean.
Most importantly, I clean high up (remove cobwebs) to make sure they look clean.
Learn More Housekeeping Vocabulary here.
Tips to Use Personal Pronoun – Singular They
Some authors tend to use “her” when they want to speak about a third person in their sentences.
For ex:
The truth is that when the title of the top result doesn’t immediately grab the searcher as a sure thing to fulfill her search need, she will begin looking for other clues in the other results.
Source: Moz.com (My favorite SEO blog)
I Googled it to know how people around the world look at this usage and, discovered the following discussion at Stack Exchange.
Although they are talking about using alternative to Singular They, which I am familiar with, nobody mentioned the aforementioned scenario.
Neither Wikipedia or Oxford seems to have categorically mentioned the above scenario where authors tend to use “she”.
Does that mean they writer is being sexist in the above example because he is not complying with the prevalent practices with regards to Singular They?
I personally would prefer “her/him” but when I have to use only one, then it shall be “her” – in instances when the person is doing something normal or good, and “him” when the person is supposedly at an evil act. For example, I would write in the following manner –
1. Drobo is a decent backup plan for an IT administrator when she has to ensure data safety for her clients.
2. War is a vicious solution devised by man to meet his unending greed.
That is how you challenge sexism.
Increasingly people are using “hir” in place of his/her because gender is more than just two. That is fine by me as well. There are a few other similar terms as well. But for the time being until the usage of alternative/invented pronouns are understood in context, I would prefer to use she/he when its a universal normative, just she, when its a normal act or good thing one does, and just he, when a person is doing something wrong.
As far as singular they is concerned that works on certain occasions only. Other than that, it would be an attempt to deny sexism. A similar example would be in case of married couples (anywhere in the world) where the liberal husband allows his wife to retain her surname by hyphenating it with his own…For example, a sexist man would expect his wife to use his surname after marriage, but a liberal husband would want his wife to use both their surnames.
But under no circumstances would any man change his surname to that of his wife’s. You get the logic? We should not cry sexism when we see women or their gender being duly recognized. We should cry sexism only rest of the time, because it’s still “a man’s world”.
6 Common English Vocabulary Errors and How to Avoid Them
If you are not a native English speaker, chances are that you might be learning the language the wrong way. If you think your boss or best buddy is someone you can look up to for vocabulary inspiration, just don’t! Always follow definitive sources to improve your English grammar and vocabulary. So let’s see if you are aware of these common English vocabulary errors.
Improve vs. Improvise
Wrong: I want to improvise my communication skills.
Right: I want to improve my communication skills.
Explanation: The meaning of the verb “improvise” is performing a task without any prior preparation. The noun is “improvisation”. Both Improve and improvise may sound acoustically similar, but they are in no way related to each other. Grammatically speaking, improvement is the noun form of the verb “improve” while improvisation is the noun form of the verb “improvise”. Look at the following examples:
Example#1: Sachin Tendulkar has a great deal of improvisation skills. (This means that he has the ability to accelerate the run rate without taking much time to settle down.)
Example#2: Sonu Nigam’s ability to improvise onstage is second to none. (This means Sonu Nigam has the ability to sing any song without prior practice or rehearsal)
Reference: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060811193647AAHqAHT
Historic vs. Historical
Wrong: This is a historical victory for the Indian cricket team.
Right: This is a historic victory for the Indian cricket team.
Explanation: Grammatically speaking, both historic and historical are adjectives; however, they are not related to each other. Historical means something pertaining to the history and past. Historic means remarkable or extraordinary.
Reference: http://grammar.about.com/od/alightersideofwriting/a/historicgloss.htm
Reputed vs. Reputable
Wrong: TCS is a reputed software company in India.
Right: TCS is a reputable software company in India.
Explanation: Both reputable and reputed are used to define the reputation of an organization. However, when you say TCS is a reputed organization, it essentially means you’re not very sure of its reputation. On the other hand, when you say TCS is a reputable organization, it means there’s not an iota of doubt that TCS is a company of national repute.
However, the following example is acceptable:
Example: The company hired her because of her reputed skills as a content writer. (The company is fairly sure of her skills in content writing)
Reference: http://www.hindu.com/edu/2008/09/23/stories/2008092350141503.htm
Reply vs. Revert
Wrong: I will revert to your email later.
Right: I will reply to your email later.
Explanation: The most commonplace where the abuse of “revert” is rampant is workplace. In professional communications, especially in India, professionals have a penchant for “revert” when all they want to mean is “reply”. Why do they do so? To show off their vocabulary skills, maybe. Ironically, they end up hurting their own image in the process.
Grammatically speaking, “revert” means restoring something to its original state. So when you say “I’ll revert”, you mean you will go back your previous state. I have no clue what you mean when you say that, but for sure, you don’t mean to go back to your original state. So what’s the correct usage of the word “revert”?
Correct Usage: After spending three months in the alcohol rehab, my brother reverted to his drinking habits again. (This means my brother returned to his old habits of drinking)
In this context, it is highly pointless to say “I’ll revert to your email later”. Technically, nobody can actually revert to an email. 😛
NB: Some people often go overboard and say “I’ll revert “back” to your email later”. OMG, for the love of God, please read this post!
Reference: http://another.pieceofsky.org/2008/02/revert-vs-reply/
Pressure vs. Pressurize
Wrong: Stop pressurizing me!
Right: Stop pressuring me! (A line from the popular track Scream by Michael Jackson)
Explanation: According to freedictionary.com, the word “pressurize” means “to increase the pressure in (an enclosure, such as an aircraft cabin) in order to maintain approximately atmospheric pressure when the external pressure is low”.
For example: The captain will pressurize the cabin for the passengers’ comfort. (The captain will increase the pressure in the cabin to maintain the atmospheric pressure).
If you’ve ever travelled in an airplane or are a frequent flyer, you know what I mean.
However, pressurize can also be used to define the stress or strain although such use is quite informal, figurative and rare.
For example: He’s an executive who was pressurized by a heavy workload. (he’s subject to excessive stress, strain, or vexation)
Reference: http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090915145022AAXwdpG
Staff vs. Staffs
Wrong: You’re the best staff in our company.
Right: You’re the best employee on our company staff.
Grammatically speaking, staff is collective noun, meaning a group of professional in a particular organization. Like the word “department”, staff also refers to two or more things or people as a group.
Explanation: I have absolutely lost count of how often I hear this word being abused, both in writing and speech, on a daily basis. Blame it on the cultural orientation, and poor English skills of many teachers at elementary schools in India, many people have acquired a wrong impression about the word “staff”. Grammatically speaking, staff is collective noun, meaning a group of professionals in a particular organization. Like the word “department”, staff also refers to two or more things or people as a group.
Therefore, you can’t afford to use the word “staff” to mean a single person when it effectively means a group.
For example: He is a reliable staff member. (NOT reliable staff)
Another Example: I would like to thank the staff of the Department of Technology for their help. (NOT staffs)
NB: As far as “staffs” is concerned, it can be used to mean a group of different departments in a company. However, such usage is quite rare. To know more about staffs, please take your time to read this. Also, you might also like to read this to understand the comprehensive usage of “staff”.
Reference: http://blog.editage.com/?q=Pluralizing-a-collective-noun-staff-vs-staffs
Please Find Attached: How to Mention Email Attachments
Please find attached or Please find the attached? Many people want to know the correct way of mentioning email attachments. So, let’s find out the correct way to mention email attachments.Here are different ways people write to mention email attachments.
Example #1: Please, find attached the report you asked for yesterday.
Example #2: Please, see the attached report for the budget estimate.
Example #3: Please, find the report attached.
In the examples above, there are two key components:
#1 – Position of the adjective “attached”
#2 – Use of the article “the”
Generally, an adjective is used before the noun in order to denote its attributes. For example, when you say “he’s a talented writer”, talented denotes the attribute of the noun (writer). However, in some cases, they use adjectives after nouns, e.g. “I want someone special”. When adjectives are used after nouns, they are known as “postpositive adjectives”. In modern business communications, the use of postpositive adjectives is rare. In fact, they are used to invoke a particular emotion. For example, “there are places unexplored”.
Therefore, some grammar purists wouldn’t approve of the following usage:
Please, find the report attached. (attached is a postpositive adjective here)
The other important point is the use of the article “the” in the examples above. As you already know, the article “the” is usually used to specify an object. Look at the two examples below:
#1 – I saw a cool bike yesterday.
#2 – I saw the cool bike again earlier today. (use of “the” denotes a specific object)
Based on this grammar rule, Example #1 looks perfectly fine since the email sender is mentioning “the report” which the receiver has asked for.
In other words, the usage “find attached the report…” sounds acceptable in such a context.
Therefore, if you want to use “find attached the report”, make sure you add something that makes sense, e.g. “you asked for yesterday”.
Find the Attached vs See the Attached
Some people believe it should be “see the attached…” instead of “find the attached…” as using “find” might mean “to search for” in email communications. The notion is actually debatable since the word “Find” has several meanings. However, if you want to be safer, you can go with Example #2: “Please, see the attached report for budget estimate”. In this example, the use of article “the” is appropriate and the attached is used as an attributive adjective. In other words, it’s the most acceptable format of mentioning email attachments.
Variations of Example #2:
✅ Please, find the attached file for a better understanding.
✅ Please, find the attached file as per your request.
✅ Please, find the attached file you asked for.
✅ Please, find the attached file relevant to the case.
Some more examples:
Please find the attached file for your review
Please find the attached file for your request
Please find the attached file you requested
Please find attached the file you have requested
Please find the attached file for your reference
Please find attached file for your kind reference
Please find the attached file for your approval
Please find the attached file and let me know
Please find the attached file for my resume
Please see the attached file for my resume (informal)
Please see the attached file for details (informal)
Please see the attached file for your perusal (informal)
Please refer to the attached file for your perusal
Please refer to the attached file for your kind perusal
Please find the attached quotation for your perusal
Please find the attached invoice for your payment
Please find the attached file in this email
Please find the attached file herewith
Please find the attached document for your review
Please find the attached document for your records
Please find the attached documents for your signature
Please Find Attached vs Please Find Enclosed
Many people wonder if using the word “enclosed instead of “attached” would denote a more formal tone. But there’s nothing like that. “Enclosed” is used for physical mails whereas “attached” is appropriate for emails.
Alternatives to “Please Find Attached”
- The attached diagram shows . . .
- The attached spreadsheet contains . . .
- When you review the attached proposal, you will notice . . .
- As promised, I have attached a revised . . .
- Please let me know if the attached draft . . .
- Here is . . .
- Enclosed are . . .
- Attached is . . .
- We have enclosed . . .
- I have attached . . .
- The attached proposal includes . . .
- The enclosed document shows . . .
- Please see attached…
- Please review the attached diagram . . .
- The attached spreadsheet covers . . .
- Please use the enclosed envelope to . . .
So, remember the following rules for email attachments:
✅ “Please, find the attached file,” is more common in modern business communications. However, it’s NOT the only acceptable format.
✅ Always add context to the above format. For example, say “Please, find the attached file you requested yesterday.”
✅ When you don’t want to specify any particular file, avoid using “the”. You can simply write, “Please, find attached.” or its abbreviated form: PFA.
✅ “Attached” is the correct word for electronic communications. Enclosed is used for physical mails where envelopes are used. Don’t get confused.
✅ “Find” has more than one meaning. It doesn’t really mean you’re asking the recipient to search for something that is lost.
The rules of the English language are so complex that we often find many common errors in uncommon places. The problem is often compounded for the non-native English speakers who usually learn the language by assuming many things to be correct. Therefore, we see many people resorting to wrong usages in their everyday interactions.
Hopefully, you’ll find this guide useful.