Common errors
Spot and correct frequent mistakes in everyday Indian English.
This final lesson gathers mistakes that appear again and again in Indian English, from extra prepositions to wrong verb forms. Recognising them will quickly polish your emails, interviews and reports.
Common errors are habitual mistakes in word choice, agreement, tense or prepositions that may sound natural to many speakers but are not standard English.
Examples
- Let us discuss the budget tomorrow.
- Priya is junior to me in the office.
- I have worked here for five years.
- Every employee has submitted the form.
- I understand your problem.
How it works
Extra and wrong prepositions
Verbs such as discuss, attend, reach and order take a direct object with no preposition. Senior, junior, superior and prefer take to, not than.
We reached Chennai at noon.
Since and for
Since marks a starting point (since Monday, since 2019); for measures a length of time (for three days). Both usually go with the present perfect.
She has been ill since Tuesday.
Agreement traps
Each, every, either, neither and one of take a singular verb, and one of the needs a plural noun. With either…or and neither…nor, the verb follows the nearer subject.
One of the windows is broken.
State verbs
Verbs of knowing, wanting and owning, such as know, understand, want, belong, contain, normally stay in simple tenses, not the -ing form.
This box contains old photographs.
Quick reference
| Avoid | Use | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| discuss about the issue | discuss the issue | no preposition after discuss |
| return back | return | return already means go back |
| senior than me | senior to me | senior and junior take to |
| my cousin brother | my cousin | cousin needs no extra word |
| I am having two cars | I have two cars | have meaning own is a state verb |
| since five years | for five years | for + a length of time |
| one of my friend | one of my friends | one of + plural noun |
| Each of them have | Each of them has | each is singular |
Common mistakes
✕I have seen that film yesterday.
✓I saw that film yesterday.
A finished past time such as yesterday needs the simple past, not the present perfect.
✕I am wanting a window seat.
✓I want a window seat.
Want is a state verb, so it takes the simple form.
✕Please revert back at the earliest.
✓Please reply as soon as possible.
In standard English revert means 'return to an earlier state', and back repeats the idea anyway.
Worked example
Exercise 1
Tap the extra word.
We discussed about the plan.
✓about
Discuss takes a direct object, so about is not needed.
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