LET'S LEARN ENGLISH (PART 2)

LET'S LEARN ENGLISH

-in collaboration with Pekula International Language-

LESSON 2: ENGLISH LANGUAGE BLOOPERS

ENGLISH LANGUAGE BLOOPERS are mistakes we make while speaking English Language. At some point in time, we all have been guilty of this English blooper.

“Open the television”, “open the light”’, or “open the fan” – are all examples of inaccurate usage. The dictionary meaning for the word “open” means uncovered or laid out (the parts of something).

"Switch on" is the correct way of saying 

We often heard people asking for a "chop" when they actually mean a stamp. The word "chop" is derived from the Malay language meaning 'to stamp' (for approval)

The next time you need to ask someone to stamp something, do not ask them for a “chop” as that would mean asking for a blow with an axe or a portion of meat! Use “stamp” instead.

“Repeat Again” is another inaccurate usage. “Repeat” is: to say or utter again.
When you put these words together and said “Repeat Again”, you are in effect saying, Say again something you have already said, one more time”.
So you should just say “Repeat”. 

e.g. Could you repeat that? or Could you say that again? 

I want two xeroxes of this article.
The term Xerox is actually the name of a company that supplies photocopiers! The correct thing to say, therefore, would be:
I want two photocopies of this article.

Now look at these sentences:
Please return my book back.
Here, the final word ‘back’ is redundant.
When you return a book, you give it back to the owner by simply saying, Please return my book. 

I, my sister and Alia went to the mall
'I' and 'me' are always placed at the end of a list of names/ pronouns. The correct usage is: 

My sister, Alia and I went to the mall.

The fish aquarium is very large.
The dance ballet was lovely.
In both cases, the descriptive word is unnecessary. An aquarium houses fish and a ballet is always a dance! The correct usage is simply:
The aquarium is very large.
The ballet was lovely.

Other examples:
1. pair of  twins

Marissa gave birth to twins at Metro Hospital late last night. (omit "pair of")

2. "Raise up" or "Lower down". Raise can only go in one direction,"Up" as lower can go in only one direction, "down"
e.g. He raised his hand to wave. (omit “up”)
      The teacher asked the pupils to lower their voice. (omit “down”)

3. expensive price:

The food sold at the canteen is rather expensive. (omit "price")

4. at 12 midnight 

e.g He always sleeps at midnight.(omit “12”) 

5. Final outcome:
e.g The coach said he was pleased with the outcome of the match that ends in a 2-2 draw. (omit "final)

6. “ATM machine” where ATM stands for Automatic Teller Machine, the phrase “ATM machine,” if said aloud would translate to “Automatic Teller Machine machine.” The same applies to HIV virus and RAM memory.

7. "Tuna Fish" is redundant because "Tuna" can only be a fish therefore, "fish" is not necessary to mention. 

8. "Big Giant" The word "Giant" signifies something huge, big or large; therefore the word "Big" is not necessary to mention. 

9. Free gift: A gift is by definition free , so “free” is extraneous. 

10. Invited guests: Guests are intrinsically those who have an invitation, so “invited” is redundant. 

11. Protest against: To protest is to communicate opposition. “Against” is redundant. 

12. Revert back: Something that reverts returns to an earlier state. “Back” is unnecessary.

Other redundant phrases: (the words highlighted in red are not necessary)
blue in colour                     poisonous venom

join together                      unintended mistake

each and every                 absolutely certain

written down                      past experience

reason is because           advanced planning                                 

LET'S LEARN ENGLISH

LET’S LEARN ENGLISH

-in collaboration with Pekula International Language-

The importance of English cannot be denied and ignored. English is important because it is an international language. However, language cannot be learn quickly. You need lots of practice and strong will power to master the language.

LESSON 1: PUNCTUATION
Using the correct punctuation is very important. An error in punctuation can convey a completely different meaning to the one that is intended.

For example:

A comma can change the meaning of a sentence.

     Let's eat Grandpa.

     Let's eat, Grandpa.

Punctuation is important for meaning...

'Woman, without her man, is nothing.'
This has the meaning that if a woman does not have her man, then she is nothing. But now let's add some punctuation.
'Woman! Without her, man is nothing.'
The meaning is now the opposite. The sentence says that men are nothing without women. Punctuation is important for meaning.

Punctuation changes the meaning of a sentence...

May Ling said, "Yusoff is getting married."

May Ling, said Yusoff, is getting married.

More examples:

Your book, Marlissa. 

Your book, Marlissa?
Although the words are same here, the two sentences mean completely different things because of the period (or full stop) and the question mark.
The same goes here:
Don’t stop.
Don’t, stop.
The comma after the don’t has made all the difference in the meaning of the words.
Other examples of how punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence:
He was bitten by a dog which hurt him.
He was bitten by a dog, which hurt him.
The first sentence means the dog hurt him. The second sentence means the bite hurts him. It’s the comma after the dog that has completely changed the meaning of the sentence.

Therefore, we can conclude  that Punctuation is one of the most important aspects of written English and to convey the correct message.
Click here   www.learnenglish.de/grammar/punctuationtext.htm to learn more about the usage of punctuations.