Common Errors in Use of English

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Note

13/12/2024: "advise" updated.

1/1/2022: "compensation" and "reimbursement" added to common errors.

12/11/2020: "claim" and "rock-socket" added to common errors. "request" in common errors corrected (reversed). "hardware", "ironmongery", "knowledge", and "software" added to uncountable nouns.

25/12/2014: Converted from wiki.

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 (somebody) on something (without verb) advise (somebody) whether something is (or other verb) so and so advise (somebody) that something is (or other verb) so and so	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

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

Brand Names

They should be capitalized:

Corian
Durasteel
Promat

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

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")

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

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

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

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

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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