The entries in Paul Brians' "Common Errors in English Usage" are organized alphabetically and provide hours of amusement for anyone who loves language. This book brought back memories of childhood, in those moments where the use of "borrowed" and "lend" were taught at school. Then there is the every present annoyance of "its/it's." Who has not made a mistake while spelling lightening and The concept of language errors is a fuzzy one. I'll leave to linguists the technical definitions | Paul Brians Common Errors in English Usage Common Errors in English by Paul Brians brians@ http brians errors Brownie points to anyone who catches inconsistencies between the main site and this version. Note that italics are deliberately omitted on this page. What is an error in English The concept of language errors is a fuzzy one. I ll leave to linguists the technical definitions. Here we re concerned only with deviations from the standard use of English as judged by sophisticated users such as professional writers editors teachers and literate executives and personnel officers. The aim of this site is to help you avoid low grades lost employment opportunities lost business and titters of amusement at the way you write or speak. But isn t one person s mistake another s standard usage Often enough but if your standard usage causes other people to consider you stupid or ignorant you may want to consider changing it. You have the right to express yourself in any manner you please but if you wish to communicate effectively you should use nonstandard English only when you intend to rather than fall into it because you don t know any better. I m learning English as a second language. Will this site help me improve my English Very likely though it s really aimed at the most common errors of native speakers. The errors others make in English differ according to the characteristics of their first languages. Speakers of other languages tend to make some specific errors that are uncommon among native speakers so you may also want to consult sites dealing specifically with English as a second language see http subjects and http education adulted esl . There is also a Help Desk for ESL students at Washington State University at http gordonl ESL . An outstanding book you may want to order is Ann Raimes Keys for Writers. This is not a question-and-answer site for ESL. Aren t some of these points awfully picky
