Journalism of Courage
15 English phrases you might be mispronouncing or using incorrectly
1 / 15There is no denying that English is a beautiful language, but it is also extremely funny. A lot of us make some common mistakes. While hearing a phrase over and over again, we tend to include them in our conversation. In doing that, sometimes we end up mispronouncing them or using them incorrectly. As a result their meaning also change. But there is no need to worry. We bring to you a list of those everyday phrases. Read along.
(Designed by Rajan Sharma/Indian Express)
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2 / 15This is a common mistake. But one must remember that words like reply contains the essence of 'back', so repeating it becomes redundant. (Designed by Rajan Sharma/Indian Express)
3 / 15This is a simple grammatical error we all end up making, using 'good' instead of 'well'. (Designed by Rajan Sharma/Indian Express)
4 / 15The word 'I' itself suggests that it is your personal opinion, thus using 'personally' again does not make sense. (Designed by Rajan Sharma/Indian Express)
5 / 15You always take an exam, you never give one. (Designed by Rajan Sharma/Indian Express)
6 / 15This is a common mistake that many of us make. Reign means 'rule of monarch' or 'royal leader'. However, reins are the straps attached to the horse to control it. That is why free rein, meaning freedom, is the correct usage. (Designed by Rajan Sharma/Indian Express)
7 / 15For all intents and purposes implies in every practical sense.(Designed by Rajan Sharma/Indian Express)
8 / 15Saying that you could care less implies it does matter to you, while you mean the opposite of it. It is tricky, we agree. (Designed by Rajan Sharma/Indian Express)
9 / 15Again a common grammatical error, plural of a person will be 'Runners Up' and not 'Runner Ups'. (Designed by Rajan Sharma/Indian Express)
10 / 15This is actually a common pronunciation error. 'Getting away scot free' actually means getting away without being punished, and we all know the meaning of scotch! (Designed by Rajan Sharma/Indian Express)
11 / 15'Adieu' means goodbye, whereas 'without further ado' means to do something immediately. (Designed by Rajan Sharma/Indian Express)
12 / 15You don't 'try and do something', you always 'try to do something.' (Designed by Rajan Sharma/Indian Express)
13 / 15The word wreak means ‘to cause or inflict'. On the other hand, the verb form of the word wreck means to ‘destroy or severely damage'. (Designed by Rajan Sharma/Indian Express)
14 / 15A tenterhook is a hook that is used to fasten cloth to a tenter. On the other hand tenderhooks is not even a word. (Designed by Rajan Sharma/Indian Express)
15 / 15The phrase 'case in point' is used when one needs to point a specific example. (Designed by Rajan Sharma/Indian Express)
