Most Common English Writing Mistakes

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pudding321
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Most Common English Writing Mistakes

Post by pudding321 »

It's definitely normal for anyone, even experienced and skillful translators, to make mistakes. So here comes the problem: what mistakes do you want to point out that many translators or editors make regarding English usage? Here are some of my suggestions (The books I refer to are The Element of Styles and Common English Errors in Hong Kong, so please do correct me for any contemporary styles in writing). There are many issues, but I will first address those significant to the reader.

[ Grammar]

1. Wrong Subject (Dangling Participles)
This is by far the easiest mistake made by translators who don't keep a close eye on their translations.
A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject.

For example: Walking slowly down the road, he saw a woman accompanied by two children.

The word walking refers to the subject of the sentence, not to the woman. To make it refer to the woman, the writer must recast the sentence.

He saw a woman, accompanied by two children, walking slowly down the road.
2. Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause.
In case you have forgotten, independent clauses are basically clauses that can form sentences on their own. They have all the elements of a sentence—a subject, a predicate, and other constituents that make up a complete sentence. Only connect them with commas and conjunctions when they have a relationship that could be connected with conjunctions; otherwise, use a semicolon. Or if they don't really have a special relationship, use the full stop (period).
The early records of the city have disappeared, and the story of its first years can no longer be reconstructed.
The situation is perilous, but there is still one chance of escape.


Two-part sentences of which the second member is introduced by as (in the sense of "because"), for, or, nor, or while (in the sense of "and at the same time") likewise require a comma before the conjunction. If a dependent clause, or an introductory phrase requiring to be set off by a comma, precedes the second independent clause, no comma is needed after the conjunction.

The situation is perilous, but if we are prepared to act promptly, there is still one chance of escape.

When the subject is the same for both clauses and is expressed only once, a comma is useful if the connective is but. When the connective is and, the comma should be omitted if the relation between the two statements is close or immediate.

I have heard the arguments, but am still unconvinced.
He has had several years' experience and is thoroughly competent.
Further Reading about using conjunctions: http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/coordin ... nction.htm

[ Expressions ]

1. All right is always spelt all right instead of alright. The same goes for never mind and any more.[By Kira: The word anyway shouldn't be spelt anyways.)



2. A is different from B. (the preposition from is used here instead of than)
Different from is usually followed by a noun/pronoun, while different than is more often followed by a clause.


3. The word finally means the end of a sequence of events and should not be mixed with at last, which means something happening after a long wait or expectation.

For example: After we waited for an hour, the bus came at last.
Another example: We first played games. After that, we ate pizza. Finally, we left his house.



4. The word also should not replace too.

For example: He likes swimming. I like swimming too.
Another example: They sell chocolates. They also sell cakes. (Of course, the better way to say these two sentences is They sell chocolates as well as cakes. Nevertheless, when the verb is different, breaking the sentence into two is recommended.)



5. The words who and which are often superfluous.
Out of all the common occurrences of who and which in a sentence, most of them could be replaced by appositive phrases or participial phrases.

Appositive phrases (non-restrictive):
For example:
Kira, who is a translator, hasn't translated for ages.

...should be shortened to...

Kira, a translator, hasn't translated for ages.


Participle phrases (non-restrictive):
For example (active) : Kira, who had been crying all day long, yearned for the subtitles for an anime.

...should be shortened to...

Crying all day long, Kira yearned for the subtitles for an anime.

Another example (passive) : Arczyx, who is paid to produce pdfs, produce pdfs by using his ultimate pdf maker he wrote himself.

...should be shortened to...

Arczyx, paid to produce pdfs, produce pdfs by using his ultimate pdf maker he wrote himself.


Participle phrases (restrictive):
For example (active) : Editors who argue with translators often waste a lot of space in the Baka-Tsuki index page. should be shortened to Editors arguing with translators often waste a lot of space in the Baka-Tsuki index page.

Another example (passive) : Translations that are done by non-native translators often have less grammatical mistakes. should be shortened to Translations done by non-native translators often have less grammatical mistakes.


Here are some conditions when you should use who or which, especially when the clause is of a non-restrictive sense.

(1) Junnynam, who translates every day, has stopped translating yesterday because of school work.

(2) I like to troll nanodesu, who is always slacking off.


6. Rather than vs Instead of
Im most cases, it is better using instead of. Reserve rather than when it is followed by a bare infinitive.
The phrase rather than consists of an adverb and a conjunction and often means “and not,” as in I decided to skip lunch rather than eat in the cafeteria again. It is grammatically similar to sooner than in that it is used with a “bare” infinitive—an infinitive minus to: I would stay here and eat flies sooner than go with them.

Rather than can also be used with nouns as a compound preposition meaning “instead of”: I bought a mountain bike rather than a ten-speed. But some people object to this use, insisting that than should be used only as a conjunction. They therefore object to constructions in which rather than is followed by a gerund, as in Rather than buying a new car, I kept my old one.

In some cases, however, rather than can only be followed by a gerund and not by a bare infinitive. If the main verb of the sentence has a form that does not allow parallel treatment of the verb following rather than, you cannot use a bare infinitive, and you must use a gerund. This is often the case when the main verb is in a past tense or has a participle. Thus, you must say The results of the study, rather than ending (not end or ended) the controversy, only added to it. If the main verb was in the present tense (add), you could use the bare infinitive end.

Curiously, when the rather than construction follows the main verb, it can use other verb forms besides the bare infinitive. Thus you can say The results of the study added to the controversy rather than ended it.

The overriding concern in all of this should be to avoid faulty parallels, as in sentences like Rather than buy a new car, I have kept my old one and Rather than take a cab, she is going on foot.

Clearly, it is grammatically defensible to follow rather than with a gerund, but if you prefer to avoid the controversy, use instead of with gerunds.


7. As if and like are non-interchangeable.
In everyday speech, like may be used as a conjunction, but in writing, it is better to keep the usage standard and formal; thus, refrain from using it as a conjunction but only as a preposition.

First, unlike the word like, a preposition, as if is a subordinating conjunction (refer to the aforementioned for more about conjunctions), which connects a subordinating clause to a main clause. Therefore, a subordinating clause follows as if; whereas a noun follows the word like.

For example: The sun looks like a big, fiery ball.

Another example: The sun looks as if it will explode.

(Reminder: You don't need a comma before as if since it's a subordinating conjunction instead of a coordinating conjunction)

Incorrect example: The sun looks like it will explode.

Note: as though and as if are, however, interchangeable.



8. You had better...

The word had in this line is necessary in any tense since it acts as the verb in the sentence. Some may argue that it may be dismissed in dialogue situations, but due to consistency, it is still advised to make dialogues as grammatically correct as possible.

Incorrect: You better follow this rule.

Correct: You had better follow this rule.




9. What is wrong with you?

The word wrong in this line is necessary since this adjective functions as a compliment that receives the predicate in the sentence structure [S+V+C]. And to repeat myself, it is advised to add the word wrong in the sentence as to make dialogues as grammatically correct as possible.

Incorrect: What is with you?

Correct: What is wrong with you?


10. Differentiate between Wish and Hope

What you wish is something impossible to happen. In this case, the subjunctive mood is used.

[PRESENT] I wish I were a girl.

[PAST] I wished I were a girl.


Further reading about wish and the subjunctive mood: http://www.englishcafe.jp/englishcolleg ... 8-2-1.html

What you hope is something that can be achieved. You don't need to change the tense in this case.

[PRESENT] I hope you will pass your exams.

[PAST] I hoped you would pass your exams.


The only exception for wish is when you are blessing someone, which usually precedes a noun.

We wish you a safe journey.

I wish you a happy new year.


11. Differentiate between Push and Knock

When you push, you're doing it intentionally; when you knock something over or down, it is usually accidental.

I accidentally knocked the girl down.

I pushed her down (intentionally).
Spoiler! :
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[Style]

1. Keep your honorifics simple, and let the writing sound fluent.
Honourifics are safe and sound in a translation, but don't abuse them. Adding a bunch of translator's notes won't help either. Just make sure that you proofread these sentences, so it will sound natural to any English reader.


2.Use commas where necessary. Take notice of the effect the comma does, especially in dialogues.

Notice so in the two following constructions.

"Kira made a lot of mistakes in his test, so I want him to stay after school and have a talk with me," said the teacher.

"So, do you have any questions?" said the teacher.

Notice then in the two following constructions.

"See you, then," said the teacher. (then meaning in that case/therefore/consequently)

"See you then," said the teacher. (then meaning at that time)


3. Refrain from lashing your audience with too many technical or complicated words.
You don't need to prove you have a dictionary. Easy words will do the job. You have to remember that the first language of most readers isn't English.

Instead of saying...

We will discuss matters pertaining to the imminent, outdoor pedagogy.

...it is better just saying:

We will discuss matters regarding the coming outdoor education activity.

Should you have any doubts and questions, feel free to ask me. A lot of the aforementioned rules are debatable, some of which I wrote myself, which have a high risk of violating grammatical rules.
Last edited by pudding321 on Thu May 09, 2013 10:40 pm, edited 73 times in total.
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Re: Most Common English Writing Mistakes

Post by Misogi »

Corrected your sentence about Junnynam, you put "have" instead of "has".

To be honest, even though this subject has a lot of examples to mention, it is still a good initiative.
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Re: Most Common English Writing Mistakes

Post by Lery »

You may want to add to your 3rd point : "eventually" which means "finally" and doesn't mean "probably"... But I must confess I'm not sure if it's an issue only for french people or for english ones as well. :wink:

By the way, shouldn'it be : "Kira, a translator, hasn't translated for ages." ???
If not may you tell me why, I'm curious.
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Re: Most Common English Writing Mistakes

Post by EusthEnoptEron »

Lery wrote:You may want to add to your 3rd point : "eventually" which means "finally" and doesn't mean "probably"... But I must confess I'm not sure if it's an issue only for french people or for english ones as well. :wink:
For the record: This might also be a tricky one for German speakers. Another word that Frenchmen and Germans tend to get wrong: actual for current. (Well, it can supposedly be used like "current" according to the dictionary, but I seriously doubt anyone would do that.)


By the way, nice thread — actually, I have fallen for some of those expressions myself in my earlier translations. I might contribute with a few common mistakes, too, if I come across any.
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Re: Most Common English Writing Mistakes

Post by Lery »

Yeah, I confirm : "actual" may actually be a problem, given it's related to the word "actuality". :|
Currently, I actually had to be careful writing this sentence. :mrgreen:

It's funny, I never remarked it may be a problem for german people.

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Re: Most Common English Writing Mistakes

Post by pudding321 »

Lery wrote:You may want to add to your 3rd point : "eventually" which means "finally" and doesn't mean "probably"... But I must confess I'm not sure if it's an issue only for french people or for english ones as well. :wink:

By the way, shouldn'it be : "Kira, a translator, hasn't translated for ages." ???
If not may you tell me why, I'm curious.
Thanks. It was past midnight when I typed this, and I wasn't paying much attention.

BTW, I've never seen the "eventually" problem.
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Re: Most Common English Writing Mistakes

Post by Lery »

Okay, so it may be that it's only a problem for non native speaker. :wink: Not really relevant since they don't translate much, do they?
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Re: Most Common English Writing Mistakes

Post by Mystes »

The damn commas for restrictive and non-restrictive clauses have been frequent.

Comma splices are also common mistakes to make.
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Re: Most Common English Writing Mistakes

Post by pudding321 »

Kira0802 wrote:The damn commas for restrictive and non-restrictive clauses have been frequent.

Comma splices are also common mistakes to make.
It would require some chunk of text to explain this.

Comma splices seem to work differently in AE nowadays. I heard that commas can be added liberally if the author thinks the sentence needs a comma here or there in AE.
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Re: Most Common English Writing Mistakes

Post by NanoDesu »

pudding321 wrote:
Kira0802 wrote:The damn commas for restrictive and non-restrictive clauses have been frequent.

Comma splices are also common mistakes to make.
It would require some chunk of text to explain this.

Comma splices seem to work differently in AE nowadays. I heard that commas can be added liberally if the author thinks the sentence needs a comma here or there in AE.
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Re: Most Common English Writing Mistakes

Post by pudding321 »

If the two independent clauses are short and closely related, you may use a comma or omit it, depending on whether or not you want to indicate a pause.

It was an admirable scheme and it would work.
or It was an admirable scheme, and it would work.
The night was cold and the sky was clear.
not The night was cold, and the sky was clear.
When you insert a comma between independent clauses, it must be accompanied by one of the coordinating conjunctions. If it isn't, you create a comma splice.

It had been a tumultuous year that had taken everybody by surprise, and it left the revolutionaries worse off than they had been before.
not It had been a tumultuous year that had taken everybody by surprise, it left the revolutionaries worse off than they had been before.
It seems I didn't get the meaning of a "comma splice". Anyway, I was talking about the first problem: whether commas could be omitted between short independent clauses. In The Element of Styles, it is said that independent clauses should always be separated by a comma. Therefore, I do not agree with what being said in the quotes (from cliff's notes), though, I will let this pass if I see them in translations.
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Re: Most Common English Writing Mistakes

Post by Lery »

It's true that I'm often wondering if there must or not be a comma there when I'm translating a text from english to french : in french it's clear for me that it doesn't need one and that it would be an error to put one there, but the english texts often have comma "out of the blue" for me. :|

Anyway, it can't be worse than in german : there was so much rules' changes about comma placement lately that nobody knows anymore what's right and what's wrong... :x
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Re: Most Common English Writing Mistakes

Post by Mystes »

I'm pretty sure the English's and French's comma rules are quite similar. If you see a comma that would feel weird in French, I'd say that it is likely an error in English.
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Re: Most Common English Writing Mistakes

Post by pudding321 »

I have included the issue on independent clauses now. Please tell me anything to add in there in case I have missed anything.
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Re: Most Common English Writing Mistakes

Post by Lery »

Kira0802 wrote:I'm pretty sure the English's and French's comma rules are quite similar. If you see a comma that would feel weird in French, I'd say that it is likely an error in English.
Okay... I wasn't sure because of the German and of the Japanese, where the comma are always so strangely used.
But then it means I already missed a lot of occasions to edit English translation ^^' I guess there are even some text where almost none of the comas are rightly placed... (At least in some SAO side-stories ^^')
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