Common Errors in Use of English

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Note

9 Jan 2022: "compensation" and "reimbursement" added to common errors.

12 Nov 2020: "claim" and "rock-socket" added to common errors. "request" in common errors corrected (reversed). "hardware", "ironmongery", "knowledge", and "software" added to uncountable nouns.

25 Dec 2014: Converted from wiki.

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Common Errors

Key word

Correct

Incorrect

about

about to leave

about to leaving

above-mentioned

above-mentioned clause

clause mentioned above

clause above-mentioned

absent

absent from the meeting

absent at the meeting absent in the meeting

accept

accept something 

agree to do something

accept to do something

accord

of his own accord

on his own accord

accuse

accuse somebody of something

accuse somebody for something

accustom

accustom myself to something

am accustomed myself to something

accustomed

accustomed to something

accustomed with something

accustomed

accustomed to doing

accustomed to do

address

at [address]

in [address]

advise

advise on something

advise somebody on something

advise whether advise that the cost is

advise something

afford

afford to pay

afford paying

apply

apply paint

apply technique 應用

 

apply

apply for payment 申請

apply of payment

apply payment

appendix

appendix to

appendix of

appendix

in the Appendix

in Appendix

appendix

in Appendix A

in the Appendix A

assessment

assessment of

assessment on

attached

attached, as adjective 附貼的(形容詞)

 

attached

the attached, as noun 附貼的東西(名詞)

 

attached

in the attached Appendix A

in attached Appendix A

below

as below

as belows

bill

in Bill No. 1

in the Bill No. 1

build

unit rate build-up, as noun

unit rate built-up

built

is built up as the attached

is build up as the attached

cast

cast in-situ

casted in-situ

comment

comments, usually in plural

 

complete

complete with, as adjective

completed with

compensation

compensation for loss

compensation of loss

comprising

comprising x and y

comprising of x and y

condition

the condition of the Contract

the condition of Contract

Conditions

the Conditions of Contract

the Condition of Contract

claim (as verb)

claim time and costs

(but make or submit a claim for time and costs)

claim for time and costs

Clause

in Clause 10

in the Clause 10

Clause

Conditions of Contract Clause 10

the Conditions of Contract Clause 10

Clause

Clause 10 of the Conditions of Contract

the Clause 10 of the Conditions of Contract

concur

concur with your opinion

concur your opinion

confirm

confirm the validity

confirm on the validity

consider

consider using

consider to use

consisted

subject consisted of

subject was consisted of

correspondence

correspondence

correspondences

cost

cost of

cost for

damage

physical damage

physical damages

damages

liquidated damages

liquidated damage

demand, as verb

demand money

demand for money

demand, as noun

the demand for money

 

desire, as verb

desire money

desire for money

desire, as noun

the desire for money

 

description

description of someone or something

description on someone or something

despite

despite his being late

despite he was late despite [followed by a clause]

despite

despite something in spite of something

despite of something

detail

describe in detail

describe in details

details

give further details

give further detail

deter

deter somebody from using

deter somebody to use

dining

dining

dinning

Documents

the Contract Documents

the Contract Document

Documents

the Tender Documents

the Tender Document

duly

duly

duely

enter

enter the Site

enter into the Site

enter

enter into a contract

enter a contract

experience

experience of something

 

experienced

experienced in something

 

file

file of tender report, file of [document] for [purpose]

file for tender report

floor

on the 2/F

at the 2/F

following

the following

the followings

follows

as follows

as follow

implication

implication of A on B

implication to

inclement

inclement weather

increment weather

including

including making good

including make good

including

including taking down and clearing away

including take down and clear away

information

information on or about

 

interest

interested audience

listening to interesting stories

interesting audience listening to interested story

interest

are interested to tender

are interesting to tender

ironmongery

ironmongery

ironmongeries

knowledge

knowledge of something

 

let

let me go

let me to go

let

let us sing

let me to sing

lighting

lighting fittings

light fittings

look forward

looking forward to seeing

looking forward to see

Lot

on Lot …

in / at Lot …

mark

marked up copies

mark-up copies

over

over 100 m3

above 100 m3

panel

panel, as wood panel

pannel

portable

portable computer 可移動

potable computer

potable

potable water for drinking 可飲用

portable water for drinking

precast

precast concrete

precasted concrete

price

price for [constructing one house]

price of [constructing one house]

price

price of [one house]

 

proceed

proceed with the work

proceed the work

provide

provide something to somebody

 

provide

provide somebody with something

 

possibility

possibility of doing

possibility to do

quantity

quantity of concrete

quantity for concrete

school

absent from school

absent from the school

rate

unit rate for concrete

unit rate of

rate

rate of liquidated damages

rate for liquidated damages

reason

reason for doing something

reason of doing something

regard

in regard to

in regards to

reimbursement

reimbursement for costs

reimbursement of costs

reply

reply to the question

reply the question

request (as verb)

request quotation

request extension of time

(but make a request for quotation, or submit a request for extension of time)

request for quotation

request for extension of time

respond (verb)

respond to the question

respond the question

response (noun)

in response to the question

in respond to the question

rivet

riveted, riveting

rivetted, rivetting

rock-socket

rock-socketed pile

rock-socketted pile

take

take down and clear away

take down and clearing away

taking

taking down and clearing away

taking down and clear away

time

all the time

all the times

work

work, an item of work 工作項目

 

Works

the Works, the whole of the Works 整個工程

the Work

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British and American English

British

American

aluminium

aluminum

autumn

fall

cheque

check

dialled

dialed

homogeneous

homogenous

practise, as verb

practice, as verb

practice, as noun

practice, as noun

programme

program

consult his adviser

consult with his adviser

construction programme

construction schedule

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Brand Names

They should be capitalized:

  • Corian
  • Durasteel
  • Promat
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Screed?

  • Tiling and screed (usually without "ing") - as in "ceramic tiling" and "cement and sand screed"
  • Plaster and paint - as in "internal plaster" and "emulsion paint"
  • Rendering and paint - as in "cement and sand rendering" and "cement paint"
  • Don't say "screed and paint"
  • Paving (to floor) or rendering (to floor, wall or ceiling) if not to receive tiling
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Article "a" or "an"?

  • a university ("u" pronounced as "you")
  • a uniform ("u" pronounced as "you")
  • an honest ("h" not pronounced)
  • an hour ("h" not pronounced)
  • an MPF scheme ("M" pronounced as "am")
  • an MSc degree ("M" pronounced as "am")
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Time

  • in the morning / afternoon / evening / week / month / year
  • on the morning / afternoon / evening of 1st May
  • in a day, in one day, in two days
  • on the same day
  • on the date to be instructed
  • within a day or two, within a week or so
  • for a long time
  • at this moment
  • at present
  • in the past
  • in future
  • on time, punctual, right on time
  • in time, early enough, just in time
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Uncountable nouns

used as singulars, i.e. not preceded by "a" or "an"; followed by verb "is" not "are"; can use forms like "some", "a piece of", "several pieces of"

  • advice
  • cladding
  • compensation
  • damage, when referring to breakage, loss and harm and not compensation
  • duration
  • equipment
  • furniture
  • hardware
  • information (about)
  • ironmongery
  • knowledge (of)
  • plant, when referring to construction plant and not vegetation or factories
  • scaffolding ("scaffold" is countable)
  • software
  • work
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Words with silent b

  • aplomb 沉著
  • bdellium 沒藥樹脂
  • bomb 炸彈
  • catacomb 地下墓穴
  • climb 爬
  • crumb 麵包屑
  • comb 梳子
  • debt 債務
  • doubt 疑問
  • dumb 啞
  • lamb 羊肉
  • limb 肢
  • numb 麻木
  • plumb 垂直, plumber 管道工, plumbing 水管工程
  • subtle 微妙
  • succumb 屈服於
  • thumb 拇指
  • tomb 墓
  • womb 子宮
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Words with silent h

  • aghast 駭然
  • chameleon 變色龍, chaotic 亂, chorus 合唱團, chrome 鍍鉻
  • exhaust 排氣
  • heir 繼承人, honest 誠實, hour 小時, honour 榮譽
  • ghastly 可怕的, ghoul 食屍鬼, ghost 幽靈, gherkin 小黃瓜, ghetto 貧民窟
  • khaki 卡其色
  • piranha 食人魚
  • pharaoh (after "o") 法老
  • rhinoceros 犀牛, rhizome 根莖, rhodium 銠, rhododendron 杜鵑花, rhubarb 大黃
  • vehement 激烈, vehicle 汽車(but not vehicular)
  • whale 鯨, what 什麼, why 為什麼
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Words with silent gh

  • daughter 女兒
  • dough 麵團
  • freight 貨運
  • night 晚上
  • ought 應
  • right 權
  • thought 思想
  • through 通過
  • weight 重量

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