Tag: English

Common Mistakes in English (Made by Romanians, Right?)

Time to clear some things up. When do we add that pesky preposition? When do we use “to” after a verb?

Let’s see: to tell

• I told him not to come (correct)
• I told to him not to come (incorrect)

Let’s see: to say

• Here’s what I said to him… (correct)
• Here’s what I said him…. (incorrect)

Golden Rule: to tell someone, no "to". And it's to say something to someone, always a "to" there. That’s important, y’all.

Bonus: To explain something TO someone

            To recommend something TO someone

           To recommend THAT someone do something

          To recommend DOING something

         To advise someone TO do something

English

 

Common Mistakes in English (Made By Romanians, Of Course)

PUNCTUATION!.;,

Our Romanian commas are crazy. Commas everywhere! English commas have certain rules, though, like:

DETAILS

Russia, one of the largest countries on Earth, has a complicated history.

Silvia, the girl I befriended, is a citizen of Puerto Rico.

These two examples should always include commas between the parts in bold.

THE OXFORD COMMA

The final comma in a list of things:

I bought sausages, quesadilla, apples, and vinegar.

They ran, shouted, waved their arms, and fell to the ground.

AMBIGUITY

Make sure the comma is in the right place, or else the meaning might change:

• I dislike salesmen, like you: I think they’re all thieves.
• I dislike salesmen like you: I think they’re all thieves.

Number 1) means we both dislike salesmen, whereas the second sentence means I dislike you for being a salesman. So watch it!