Archive for the ‘Common Mistakes’ Category

Errors in the use of nouns

May 2nd, 2012 in Common Mistakes

Here are some mistakes students often make in the use of nouns.

Incorrect: She likes to feed the poors.

Correct: She likes to feed the poor.

Incorrect: He is working for the blinds.

Correct: He is working for the blind.

Expressions like the poor, the blind, the deaf etc., are always plural. We don’t have to make their plural forms by adding –s to them.

Incorrect: I told these news to my father.

Correct: I told this news to my father.

News is a singular uncountable noun. Therefore it has to be used with a singular determiner.

Incorrect: The teacher gave us many advices.

Correct: The teacher gave us some advice.

Advice is an uncountable noun. It does not have a plural form. The determiner many is only used with plural countable nouns.

Incorrect: I have a five dollars note.

Correct: I have a five dollar note.

Incorrect: She has bought two dozens apples.

Correct: She has bought two dozen apples.

Incorrect: I saw many deers in the jungle.

Correct: I saw many deer in the jungle.

The nouns sheep and deer have identical singular and plural forms.

Incorrect: Bring me some bloating.

Correct: Bring me some bloating paper.

Incorrect: The boy is in the boarding.

Correct: The boy is in the boarding house.

Incorrect: Please put your sign here.

Correct: Please put your signature here.

Incorrect: She is my cousin sister.

Correct: She is my cousin.

Expressions like cousin sister and cousin brother are wrong.