I talk.. I walk.. I puke.. English (Common Errors in English Usage)

[NOV]

What do you call the only sikh left behind by the bus........... Jeswant Singh

What do you call the sikh who doesn't like soft drinks...........Jasbir Singh

[KV]

sometime back, during some issue, my lead wrote to the clients...
please bare with us, we're looking into it :oops: :hammer:
I shudder to think what their reaction would've been to it.

[raajarasigan]

:rotfl:

[Kalyasi]

North Indies at my work place reply with a "Don't Tell Me" after I have conveyed them the news...

[GSV]

"Come on in" or "come in" ??

[Bala (Karthik)]

Usage of "adhu en personal." Personal what?? Sentence-a mudikkanum'la...

Usage of "jealous" instead of jealousy. And a VERY common one is to use "Swiss" and "German" instead of "Switzerland" and "Germany" (noun form) - indha rendu country ku dhaan ippadi misuse. Nobody says "Naan Australian poganum"

[SoftSword]

Btb??

[littlemaster1982]

Hate the usage of these words - Upgradation, updation :argh: Also, prepone :hammer:

[SoftSword]

"Come on in" or "come in" ??

come on in - spoken usage'nu nenakkiren...
periyavanga sollattum..

wats wrong with prepone lm... use panna koodaadhaa?


already keten...
By The By'na enna?

[littlemaster1982]

wats wrong with prepone lm... use panna koodaadhaa?

I think prepone is not a right word. Sollumbodhey oru maadhiri irukkum.



already keten...
By The By'na enna?

By the way-dhan appadi solraanga-nu ninaikkiren. Have heard this a lot in old films.

[raajarasigan]

yes.. Prepone is wrong (college'la enga english master sonnadha nyabagam)... 'advance' use pannalam'nu solluvar..

[Nerd]

Indha Btw-a sila pEr "between" apdeenu ninaichikkuvaanga. :twisted:

[littlemaster1982]

Indha Btw-a sila pEr "between" apdeenu ninaichikkuvaanga. :twisted:

You have company :)


overused illa, wrongly used ... i hate btw being referred to as between :twisted:

[Nerd]

Avarum innaikku dhaan sollirukkaar pOlaiyE, strange coincidence..

[SoftSword]

how about this:

cud*nt see it

* - use a backspace here

[directhit]

Nerd :D

another pet peeve is this 'I could not able to do it' :twisted: initially i kept hearing this a lot from telugu guys in our company, and then from the north indies gumbal... sari normal nu vittuten .. then inga heard it a couple of times from indonesians as well ... enakku mild a doubt vara vachitinga if the usage was correct nu :oops: :x

[groucho070]

Those in Singapore got a lot to share, I believe. Come on, Bala and Joe!

[directhit]

Can means Can, Cannot means Cannot :poke:

[Bala (Karthik)]

Can also can, canno also can - Singai ku pudhusa varravanga idha eppadi purinjukka mudiyum? :lol:

[venkkiram]

But ஆனா - It really irritates to see this phrase becoming very common among Tamil people.

[sathya_1979]

Major Sunderrajan's Effect :lol:

[groucho070]

Have we mentioned "nadu centre"?

[19thmay]

Any one felt that all English speaking young South Indian ladies has same accent? North Indian ladies too have their own.

[app_engine]

Nerd :D

another pet peeve is this 'I could not able to do it' :twisted: initially i kept hearing this a lot from telugu guys in our company, and then from the north indies gumbal... sari normal nu vittuten .. then inga heard it a couple of times from indonesians as well ... enakku mild a doubt vara vachitinga if the usage was correct nu :oops: :x

I hear it more from Chennai makkaL only... "I could able to do that"nu innaikku kooda oru Pandian e-mail anuppi irundhAru...my "padhi-filipino-meedhi-amerikkan" teammate made fun of it :-(

These are seasoned IT guys (all of them had a few past assignments at U.S. too)...not just in e-mail, they do the same "I could able" on conference calls also, erichchalA irukkum....

[groucho070]

Any one felt that all English speaking young South Indian ladies has same accent? North Indian ladies too have their own.You would find spoken English here very curious. Malay/Chinese/Indian have their own accent when speaking English. But athuleyum got break. A more anglicised (not Peter, they grew up speaking English at home) ones have different accent than their fellow mother-tongue speaking brethren. But in Singapore younger generations are more likely to sound like each other.


Or am I stating the obvious. Duh.

[directhit]

oru latest doubt, inga off late hearing the 'i will go to the movies with u', 'ur going?', 'i will go to ur seat'.. i am more used to the 'i will come to the movie', 'ur coming with us?', 'i will come to ur seat'


indha come laam ippo go va mathitangala?! or is it jus our area phenomenon?

[SoftSword]

"it adhu but aanaal that adhu what enna" apdinu oru pazhamozhiye irukku...

[SoftSword]

direct me thinks, adhu aarambathula irundhae go dhaan...
naama dhaan nemba naala thappa use pannittu irundhom... especially in india.

[VinodKumar's]

Inga thappa sutti kaaturappa athukaana seriyaana versionaiyum potingana enna maari allungaluku help ah irrukum. Athae maari konjam thiturathayum korachitinga konjam santhosa paduvaen.

Naanum 'between' ku 'btw' nu use pannikitu irunthaen namma hubber Bingle Guy thaan oru naal correct panni uttar. Use pannapalam eppdi thitirupinga :|

[sathya_1979]

oru latest doubt, inga off late hearing the 'i will go to the movies with u', 'ur going?', 'i will go to ur seat'.. i am more used to the 'i will come to the movie', 'ur coming with us?', 'i will come to ur seat'


indha come laam ippo go va mathitangala?! or is it jus our area phenomenon?
Come is now-a-days being used for Cum. So, ppl started using the word go. When one of my colleagues said "Are you going with me tomorrow?", I was confused. Then he explained this.
Caveat: I am not 100% sure if this is the real reason. Just posted what I heard.

[GSV]

Enaku theriyapaduthunga nradha.. Kindly let me know or kindly revert to me nu sollalaam..

but some people are using kindly send me or kindly send to me or kindly update me or kindly update to me.. are these correct?

[SoftSword]

Enaku theriyapaduthunga nradha.. Kindly let me know or kindly revert to me nu sollalaam..

but some people are using kindly send me or kindly send to me or kindly update me or kindly update to me.. are these correct?

RFC: enakku therinju 'kindly update(v) me', 'kindly send to me the update(n)' thappillai.... 'kindly do update me' ????



PS: when someone is posting the right format, pls do write in red or highlight it in someother way(like in technical forums to highlight that to be an accepted answer)

[littlemaster1982]

Kindly-e use panna koodathunnu sila peru solraanga :confused2:

[sathya_1979]

ok, suggest some good grammar books pls (Wren and Martin School time la padichadhu, need to brush up)

[ukigtiraga]

Interesting thread! How about "Myself so-and-so." ? This is something I have been encountering in the recent years from quite a few educated twenty somethings in India. This is when they are introducing themselves in front of a group. When did "I am so-and-so" become "Myself so-and-so" ?

[littlemaster1982]

^^^ Never heard this :? Idhu pudhusa irukke.

[Bala (Karthik)]

Interesting thread! How about "Myself so-and-so." ? This is something I have been encountering in the recent years from quite a few educated twenty somethings in India. This is when they are introducing themselves in front of a group. When did "I am so-and-so" become "Myself so-and-so" ?
Common in N.India (NCR/Punjaap)

[Plum]

While emphasizing correct usage, I'd also like to stress the importance of personalization of language - language reaches its pinnacle with thought out stylised used. I am struggling for examples, but can vaguels point in the direction of Groucho's blog. To me, that is the differentiator - not sticking to rules obsessively. Ofcourse, peer-pressure misuse of language rankles but equally to me, standard English also irritates many times. The sentence formation should have your stamp while staying within the rules. Ofcourse, this is for evaluating at the highest level. For normal communication, standards are fine. Even there - think the feller in Pickwick papers, I don't remember his name - Wren and Martyn might turn in their graves but the feller has his own style and while breaking every possible rule, he communicates quite effectively. Now, that sort of envelope pushing is the pinnacle.(Amitav Ghosh's lascar-derived Sea of Poppies is another recommendation). Ofcourse, this is for the literarily inclined.

[P_R]

Common in N.India (NCR/Punjaap) :lol:

standard English also irritates many times. Unsurprising :lol2:

[RehmanFan]

Fixed - It's widely pronounced as 'fix-ad' by Indians whereas the correct pronunciation is 'fikst'. I recently saw an advertisement in which Actor Sathyaraj mispronounces this word.

[venkkiram]

Treasure should be pronounced as Trezure or Treshar? Almost all SIs sound "Treshar".
And also the word "Version". SI : Vershan ; NI : Verjan

[venkkiram]

One word surprising me from childhood is "godown". Whether items are kept on ground floor or first floor, its still called as "godown"

[SoftSword]

godown -> erakki vai not necessarily erakki keel floor'la vai...
god-own'nu yosicheengana vera edhachum meaning varum...

[venkkiram]

godown -> erakki vai not necessarily erakki keel floor'la vai...
god-own'nu yosicheengana vera edhachum meaning varum... Its a place not an action.

[SoftSword]

adhula irundhu vandhirukkalaamnu sonen venki...
have u not seen many places are named after the actions which take place there?
eg: bus terminus'la terminus enbadhu terminate'la irundhu dhane varudhu...

sila word origins thuruvi paattha engerundho noolapudichi vandhirukkum...

over to others.

[rajraj]

sila word origins thuruvi paattha engerundho noolapudichi vandhirukkum...


Godown comes from the Tamil word 'kidangu' ! :)

[SoftSword]

Godown comes from the Tamil word 'kidangu' ! :)

welcome rajraj sir...
kidangu'm 'kidattha padudhal'(poatttu vekkiradhu)la irundhu dhaan vandhirukkum'nu en nambikkai.

[groucho070]

I'd also like to stress the importance of personalization of language - language reaches its pinnacle with thought out stylised used. I am struggling for examples, but can vaguels point in the direction of Groucho's blog. .Wow, very honoured Plum. When I read back some of them (yes, I do, I am that vain sometimes), the editor side of me sees shitload of mistakes, very annoying. But they were written fast, at almost same speed of my thoughts (I learned typewriting back in early 90s), and are there. I don't go back and correct them. They are merely blog posts. Plus I don't get paid.

[SoftSword]

Plus I don't get paid.

you do, in credits.

[HonestRaj]

indha edathula adhu "no"

Indhi: "I told you na?"
Tamil: "I told you no?"

how to sentence it correctly.. "didn't I tell you?" ippadi edhuvum varuma?

I told you, right?

"right" add pannalama.. i remember Rajini using this in "Priya" .. i think Sujatha is the writer for "Priya"

[Saai]

how to sentence it correctly.. "didn't I tell you?" ippadi edhuvum varuma?

I told you, right?

"right" add pannalama.. i remember Rajini using this in "Priya" .. i think Sujatha is the writer for "Priya"

I told you, didn't I?

[19thmay]

மன்மோகன் சிங்க் இந்தியாவின் எத்தனையாவது பிரதம மந்திரி? - How will you tell this in English?

[venkkiram]

How manyth prime minister of India was Manmohan Singh?
What number of prime minister is Manmohan Singh?
What place is Manmohan Singh on the list of Indian Prime Ministers?
How many prime ministers in India came before Manmohan Singh?

[NOV]

what is manmohan singh's order number as the prime minister of india?

[19thmay]

Nov & Venki - Thanks.

[Bala (Karthik)]

Using 'medias' (thamizh la mIdiAkkaL) - media ve plural dhaan, adhuve podhumaanadhu

[SoftSword]

adha kotthagiri bendla vechudhan sollanumaa? :)

got it.

[NOV]

mediumgal may make ppl think of spirits? :devil:

[Saai]

Is there any word that is used to call IT Bookkeeping. Lets say, I identify a solution to a problem. I have to document it so that it can be used for further reference. Saving important information related to a particular software etc... is there any word?

[selvakumar]

Vikki - People generally write a "white paper" on that

[Bala (Karthik)]

The urban Tamilian's (must have started from Brahmins) usage of the following has caused me untold pain, frustration and suffering:
"orE the....." - :huh: Have you ever seen anybody using it in the real world before the blog/twitter age?
"Gaptun", "Damil" - What???? When did Puratchi Kalaignar utter these words??
These are worse than N.Indies' "Rascala" and "Mind it"

[P_R]

orE the - college tayathu lingo :oops:
Other things like: "give it" appadingradhukku "be the giver" 'mbOm. adhellAm innum avuththu vidalai.

Rest are all unselected

[SoftSword]

orE the - pudsaa keedhae... never heard...
paattaave padinga paappOm...

[P_R]

orE the work in office today
Hub-la irundhappO manager vandhuttAr, orE the samaalificationA pOchchu.

[SoftSword]

like that-A? awrite...

[groucho070]

Something similar happening here.

....very the great.
....very the busy.
....very the confused.

Mostly, I noticed, by Chinese colleagues. Bala, Joe, something similar in Singgapooore?

[Bala (Karthik)]

Mostly, I noticed, by Chinese colleagues. Bala, Joe, something similar in Singgapooore?
Indha usage notice pannadhillaye.

PR
Quite surprised that you used "ore the" in your cirkuzh. Never heard it used in life (except after the blohers and twitters, especially Brahmins, adhuvum ladies)

[P_R]

sennai collej-la tayathula fickup paNNa lingo. predominantly sennai elite group - with its attendant sociocultural composition.First enna uLarraanunga-nu dhanirunch. appuram mella mella jodhila aikkiyam aayaach :oops:

[Plum]

Where did this "X of India" usage come from? Like, "samaalps of India". Combine with ore the it goes "ore the work of India today". sila samayam, indha creaturesai restroomla pAkkaRachE "enna innikku orE the moocha of IndiavA?"-nu kEkkaNumnu thOnum :evil:

[littlemaster1982]

Where did this "X of India" usage come from? Like, "samaalps of India".

Vadivelu - Kaadhal Desam.

[groucho070]

Watching Chennai Samayal Champion. The gap-toothed chef English. Croutons batillukku "Croot". And worst, all of them pronounce "Dessert", as "Desert".

[NOV]

I think this is peculiarly Indian... I was taken aback when they pronounce "fixed" as :fick-surd"

like how we pronounce "flour" as "fla" :lol:

[groucho070]

Guilty yuvar honour, and "ur" part varavE mAttEngguthu. It ends up sounding like "Flower".

[inazerowmo]

'Have you had your lunch?' becomes 'Have you taken your lunch?'

[19thmay]

I think this is peculiarly Indian... I was taken aback when they pronounce "fixed" as :fick-surd"

like how we pronounce "flour" as "fla" :lol:

adhellam nariya iruku, like we say circuit [surkit] as cercute. Baffey, Bokkey etc...

[Senareb]

Indian english aatchu parava illa...

China, Japan'laam paarunga... ange irukkira english board paartha, namakku english maranthu poidum.. :rotfl:

[19thmay]

English-a correct accent-oda pEsanum-nu avasiyam illa, mudinja alavukku pEsina podhum.

Talking about eastern countries, my last two projects clients are from Indonesia and Thailand. Payapullainga phone-la ella detail-sum kEppanga, purinja maadhriye.."ahhha..hmmmmhumm"-nu sollitu kadasiya "Can u send all speak by you through mail?"-nu solluvaanga. :lol2:

[Senareb]

Payapullainga phone-la ella detail-sum kEppanga, purinja maadhriye.."ahhha..hmmmmhumm"-nu sollitu kadasiya "Can u send all speak by you through mail?"-nu solluvaanga. :lol2:

same blood here also.. :rotfl:

[groucho070]

English-a correct accent-oda pEsanum-nu avasiyam illa, mudinja alavukku pEsina podhum.Correct pronunciation is important. Just like how we are very particular about Tamizh.

[19thmay]

Ok which English pronunciation is correct - UK, US, Australian or other European, Eastern, Caribbean, Middle East or Asian?

[groucho070]

Rightfully UK, athAn queen's English-nggiranggalE...The others vary in accent, but pronunciation should be correct.

[19thmay]

If a Hindi or Japanese or Korean speaking guy is trying to speak in Tamil I will encourage him and I dont mind his pronunciation, why that this kind of rule when it is English? Its not my mother tongue!

[groucho070]

Wrong pronunciation = wrong meaning = misunderstanding. AthukkuthAn. It's up to the individuals. As I said, I too make lots of mistake which I am still trying to correct.

[19thmay]

Wrong pronunciation = wrong meaning = misunderstanding. AthukkuthAn. It's up to the individuals. As I said, I too make lots of mistake which I am still trying to correct.

Oh appdi solreengala? Correct thaan.

[groucho070]

Another mistake I am slowly correcting is the pronounciation of "Th", as in Thing. Tend to say "Ting", or "Thought" that sounds like "tort"

[Senareb]

Each country has own English pronunciation...

IMO, India people have much better English pronunciation than other countries (except English speaking countries)...

[groucho070]

German speak good English, albeit the accent. Also some Scandinavian countries. Trouble with Asian is we tend to create new pronounciation, like those words mentioned. What I notice is Indians tend to write well, sometimes too well, and are articulate and have strong vocabulary power and good grasp on grammar. InggeyE pArkalAmE.

[Senareb]

What I notice is Indians tend to write well, sometimes too well, and are articulate and have strong vocabulary power and good grasp on grammar. InggeyE pArkalAmE.

+1...Ex. P_R...ivarkitte English tuition padikkalam... Avlo nalla English words handle pannuvaaru...


Trouble with Asian is we tend to create new pronounciation, like those words mentioned.

Bt the way the Indians pronouncing is well understood than others..

Understanding important ilaiya..

[SoftSword]

what u guys think abt pronouncing Th as z, like this - zis...
i first noticed this in a guy who came from israel to bangalore for giving knowledge transition... back then i thot it was something to do with the israelis... but in uk, wales, i am seeing it used by some of the fellas...

[groucho070]

"zis" usually associated with French attempting to speak English, at least the movie stereotypes.

[SoftSword]

grouse, i see a 58 year englishman using it often...

[selvakumar]

German speak good English, albeit the accent. Also some Scandinavian countries. Trouble with Asian is we tend to create new pronounciation, like those words mentioned. What I notice is Indians tend to write well, sometimes too well, and are articulate and have strong vocabulary power and good grasp on grammar. InggeyE pArkalAmE.
German accent negates that. At times, it would be too difficult to understand people with a strong german acccent quite due to the strong 'whistle like' sound present in most of their vocabulary. East Asians especially with a strong mandarin background tend to make grammar mistakes since Chinese doesn't have tense (is what I heard). But majority of the Indians (WE) can't write and speak english well. Our written communication skills are poor if we consider the overall %.

[groucho070]

I suppose its the type of people I meet (most during my journalism days, they are usually people who deal with press).