“Excuse me, is there any expresso?” – If sentences like these hurt your ears, we have good news for you, but if you can’t see a problem with this sentence… Well, everyone has the right to make mistakes. Unfortunately, in the modern world, illiterate speech rarely evokes surprise or a desire to correct anyone, and adherents of the latter are more likely to be called stifling than to be thanked for their advice. Meanwhile, examples of illiteracy are already becoming the norm, and even “coffee” at the official level can be used in both masculine and neuter gender (the relevant order was published in 2016). What other mistakes reveal our illiteracy?
Incorrect: “Today is my birthday.”
Correct: “It’s my birthday”
In principle, the expression “birthday” does not exist in the Russian language, but there are two nouns: “day” and “birth”. And when we talk about the holiday, the structure is built like this: “(what?) Birthday.” “Day” is the main word in this phrase, so the possessive pronoun conjugation was chosen – “my” not “my”.
Incorrect: “There is nothing to wear”
The truth is: “There is nothing to wear”
“Dress” and “wear” are paronyms, meaning they are words that sound similar but have different meanings. But it is important to remember: you can “put something on” someone or something (for example, “put a dress on yourself”), but you can only “dress” someone (for example, “put on a child”). There is even a special mnemonic technique for better memorization: “Put on Nadezhda, put on clothes.”
Incorrect: “I’m sorry”
Correct: “I’m sorry” or “Excuse me.”
One of the meanings of the suffix -sya (-s) is reflexive, meaning that the person is excusing himself when he says “I’m sorry.” It is better to replace this vernacular with the classic “sorry” or “I’m sorry.”
Incorrect: “Until when”
Correct: “Until how long”
“Until how long?” Unfortunately, the correct pronunciation and spelling of the question has become the exception rather than the rule. Yes, the word “how much” is inflected, and therefore the form “up to how many/up to how many” does not exist in Russian in principle; instead you need to use: “to how many” (and with emphasis O!), “to how many” and “to how many”.
Incorrect: “In general”
Correct: “In general”
In the Russian language there is an introductory construction “in general” (the same as “in general”) and an adverb “in general” (the same as “actually speaking”), but the word “in general” does not exist. Therefore its use is a major grammatical error.
Incorrect: “I miss you”
Correct: “I miss you”
DE Rosenthal’s reference book states that the verb “to miss” should be used with nouns and third-person pronouns as follows: “to miss one/what”. But you will not get bored “after” someone or something – this is the norm of the Ukrainian language and will be considered a big mistake when used in Russian written or oral speech.
Incorrect: “Lie down.”
Correct: “Put”
You can download it, you can leave it, but you can’t leave it. This verb is used only with prefixes (for example, “put”, “report”, “lay”), in contrast to the same “put”, which, by the way, is used without a prefix.
Incorrect: “Within an hour”
Correct: “Within an hour”
The whole difficulty of using the phrase “during” or “during” correctly lies in the ability to choose the right questions. For example, “where?” If you can ask the question, then the ending will be -i (for example, “during the river”), and if we are talking about a period of time (“when?”), then the ending will be -e.
Wrong: “Let us call you”
Correct: “Let’s call you”
The mother of the author of this material taught me throughout her childhood: “There should not be ‘bad smell’ in the word ‘tinnitus’. However, the incorrect form of the word with stress “o” is still used, but it is enough to remember the test word “call”.
Incorrect: “Their” is their “evon”
Correct: “They” or “his”
It is correct to use the pronouns “their”, “his” and “her” to indicate belonging to a third person, both singular and plural, but “their”, “evon” or “eyn” are incorrect colloquial forms.
Incorrect: “Food”
Correct: “There is”
This debate seems to go on forever. In fact, both acts have the right to live, but in the right context. So, according to the modern literary norm, “eat” is used when inviting guests to the table and addressing children, although the verb “eat”, regardless of the context, is still considered a more normative and standard option. At least he doesn’t bother everyone around him.
Incorrect: “Wave”
Correct: “Wave”
The correct form of the verb “to shake” in the third person present tense is “to shake” and “to shake,” while the past tense is “to shake” and “to shake.” Apparently, the word “waves”, which, although recognized in modern colloquial speech, is still not considered a literary norm, was born at the crossroads of times and word forms.
Wrong: “Send”
Correct: “Let’s go”
In the mood of encouragement, the verb “go” has three correct variants at once: “let’s go,” “let’s go,” or “let’s go.” But “let’s go” is a colloquial form in which only spoken use is allowed. One way or another, it would be a big mistake to use the imperative form of the verb “send” in both oral and written speech.
Incorrect: “Express”
Correct: “Espresso”
Many people still spell “espresso” with a “k” at the beginning, which is perhaps almost worse than using the neuter gender instead of the masculine gender in reference to coffee. It’s time to dig into history: the name “Espresso” comes from the Latin verb “exprimo” (translated into Russian as “to squeeze”), and then the Italians began to use it in the version already familiar to us.
Incorrect: “On Arrival”, “On Arrival”, “On Arrival”
Correct: “On Arrival”, “On Arrival”, “On Arrival”
Even if the incorrect version seems much less offensive, the correct version is still the one in which nouns with the preposition “by” end in -e. The fact is that the preposition “by” in the meaning “after” requires a noun in the form of the prepositional case after itself; It answers the questions “about whom?”, “about what?”, “in whom?”, “”. In what?”. It turns out like this: “on arrival”, “on arrival”, “on return”, “on completion” and further down the list.
Source: People Talk
Errol Villanueva is an author and lifestyle journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a passion for exploring the latest trends in fashion, food, travel, and wellness, Errol’s articles are a must-read for anyone interested in living a stylish and fulfilling life.
