This is NOT exactly the kind of post I\u2019d like to write, but I guess I MUST. Despite being passionate about the English language, I\u2019m still far from being perfect with my English writing skills. However, I cringe whenever I find people mispronounce or misuse some very common words in English vocabulary, which actually brings me to write this post. In this post, I will only talk about the words that people use wrongly both in writing and day-to-day speech.<\/p>\n
So here are some words I have heard people abuse with gay abandon.<\/p>\n
Wrong: I want to improvise my communication skills.<\/p>\n
Right: I want to improve my communication skills.<\/p>\n
Explanation:<\/strong> The meaning of the verb \u201cimprovise\u201d is performing a task without any prior preparation. The noun is \u201cimprovisation\u201d. Both Improve and improvise may sound acoustically similar, but they are in no way related to each other. Grammatically speaking, improvement is the noun form of the verb \u201cimprove\u201d while improvisation is the noun form of the verb \u201cimprovise\u201d. Look at the following examples:<\/p>\n Example#1: Sachin Tendulkar has a great deal of improvisation skills. (This means that he has the ability to accelerate the run rate without taking much time to settle down.)<\/p>\n Example#2: Sonu Nigam\u2019s ability to improvise onstage is second to none. (This means Sonu Nigam has the ability to sing any song without prior practice or rehearsal)<\/p>\n Read More<\/strong>: Yahoo Answers<\/a><\/p>\n Wrong: This is a historical victory for the Indian cricket team.<\/p>\n Right: This is a historic victory for the Indian cricket team. Read More<\/strong>: About.com<\/a><\/p>\n Wrong: TCS is a reputed software company in India. Explanation:<\/strong> Both reputable and reputed are used to define the reputation of an organization. However, when you say TCS is a reputed organization, it essentially means you\u2019re not very sure of its reputation. On the other hand, when you say TCS is a reputable organization, it means there\u2019s not an iota of doubt that TCS is a company of national repute.<\/p>\n However, the following example is acceptable:<\/p>\n Example<\/strong>: The company hired her because of her reputed skills as a content writer. (The company is fairly sure of her skills in content writing)<\/p>\n Read More<\/strong>: The Hindu<\/a><\/p>\n Wrong: I will revert to your email later.<\/p>\n Right: I will reply to your email later.<\/p>\n Explanation:<\/strong> The most commonplace where the abuse of \u201crevert\u201d is rampant is workplace. In professional communications, especially in India, professionals have a penchant for \u201crevert\u201d when all they want to mean is \u201creply\u201d. Why do they do so? To show off their vocabulary skills, maybe. Ironically, they end up hurting their own image in the process.<\/p>\n Grammatically speaking, \u201crevert\u201d means restoring something to its original state. So when you say \u201cI\u2019ll revert\u201d, you mean you will go back your previous state. I have no clue what you mean when you say that, but for sure, you don\u2019t mean to go back to your original state. So what\u2019s the correct usage of the word \u201crevert\u201d? In this context, it is highly pointless to say \u201cI\u2019ll revert to your email later\u201d. Technically, nobody can actually revert to an email.<\/p>\n NB: Some people often go overboard and say \u201cI\u2019ll revert \u201cback\u201d to your email later\u201d. OMG, for the love of God, please read this post<\/a><\/p>\n Wrong: Stop pressurizing me!<\/p>\n Right: Stop pressuring me! (A line from the popular track Scream by Michael Jackson)<\/p>\n Explanation:<\/strong> According to freedictionary.com, the word \u201cpressurize\u201d means \u201cto increase the pressure in (an enclosure, such as an aircraft cabin) in order to maintain approximately atmospheric pressure when the external pressure is low\u201d.<\/p>\n For example: The captain will pressurize the cabin for the passengers’ comfort. (The captain will increase the pressure in the cabin to maintain the atmospheric pressure).<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve ever travelled in an airplane or are a frequent flyer, you know what I mean.<\/p>\n However, pressurize can also be used to define the stress or strain although such use is quite informal, figurative and rare.<\/p>\n For example: He\u2019s an executive who was pressurized by a heavy workload. (he\u2019s subject to excessive stress, strain, or vexation)<\/p>\n Read More<\/strong>: Yahoo Answers<\/a><\/p>\n Wrong: You\u2019re the best staff in our company.<\/p>\n Right: You\u2019re the best employee on our company staff. Therefore, you can\u2019t afford to use the word \u201cstaff\u201d to mean a single person when it effectively means a group.<\/p>\n For example: He is a reliable staff member. (NOT reliable staff)<\/p>\n Another Example: I would like to thank the staff of the Department of Technology for their help. (NOT staffs)<\/p>\n NB: As far as \u201cstaffs\u201d is concerned, it can be used to mean a group of different departments in a company. However, such usage is quite rare. To know more about staffs, please take your time to read this<\/a>. Also, you might also like to read this<\/a> to understand the comprehensive usage of \u201cstaff\u201d.<\/p>\n Disagree with any of my ideas? Feel free to reply (not revert) to me with your thoughts in the comment section.<\/p>\n For more examples of Indian English Errors, please visit: Common English Errors<\/a><\/p>\nHistoric vs. Historical<\/h2>\n
\nExplanation:<\/strong> \u00a0Grammatically speaking, both historic and historical are adjectives; however, they are not related to each other. Historical means something pertaining to the history and past. Historic means remarkable or extraordinary.<\/p>\nReputed vs. Reputable<\/h2>\n
\nRight: TCS is a reputable software company in India.<\/p>\nReply vs. Revert<\/h2>\n
\nCorrect Usage:<\/strong> After spending three months in the alcohol rehab, my brother reverted to his drinking habits again. (This means my brother returned to his old habits of drinking)<\/p>\nPressure vs. Pressurize<\/h2>\n
\u00a0Staff vs. Staffs<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nExplanation:<\/strong> I have absolutely lost count of how often I hear this word being abused, both in writing and speech, on a daily basis. Blame it on the cultural orientation, and poor English skills of many teachers at elementary schools in India, many people have acquired a wrong impression about the word \u201cstaff\u201d. Grammatically speaking, staff is collective noun, meaning a group of professional in a particular organization. Like the word \u201cdepartment\u201d, staff also refers to two or more things or people as a group.<\/p>\n