Which is correct? `Deter to do’ or `deter from doing’ something?

First, let’s deal with the pronunciation of `deter’. The first `e’ is like the `i’ in `bid’, `bit’ and `sit’, and the second is like the `ir’ in `shirt’, `bird’ and `dirt’. The stress is on the second syllable `ter’. The word `deter’ is usually followed by `from’ and not `to’.

When you deter someone from doing something, you discourage him from doing it. You achieve this by making the individual realise how difficult the task may be, or by highlighting the unpleasant consequences of performing the task. You do everything to ensure that the person no longer wishes to continue to do what he was doing.
Example: Nothing you say will deter the students from joining the protestors.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) –November 06, 2006.

Is it OK to say, `I am crazy after English’?

No, it is not. You are usually `crazy about’ something, and not `crazy after’ something. When you are crazy about something, you like it very much. You go after it because you are very interested in it. It is also possible to say, `mad about’ something.

Example: Most students in my class are mad about cricket.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – July 10, 2006

“How are you?” and “How do you do?” ( and ‘hi’)

In British English, `How do you do?’ is normally used when you are introduced to someone for the first time. It is a way of greeting someone, and the standard response to this expression is, `How do you do?’ You normally use this expression only once with a person. The next time you meet him, you can say, `How are you?’ This expression is used with people you already know. Unlike `How do you do’, `How are you’ is intended to find out how the individual is doing — both emotionally and physically. `How do you do?’ does not carry this meaning.

Did you know that the word `hi’ is actually from `how are you’? When `how are you’ is said very fast, it sounds like `hiya’. So instead of saying, `how are you’, people started saying, `hiya’. Later on, `hiya’ was reduced to `hi’. Therefore when you meet someone and say, `Hi, how are you?’, what you are actually saying is, `How are you? How are you?’.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – June 26, 2006

You cannot ‘return back’.

”I’ve been busy watching the World Cup matches. Since I stay up all night and watch the games, I have a long nap after I return back from school.”
The usage ‘return back’ in the above sentence is wrong. You don’t have to say `return back’. Just `return’ will do.

Example: The Vice Chancellor will return from Nagpur on Thursday.\

Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – June 19, 2006

Is it OK to use `ranker’ to mean `top rank in an examination’?

This is a word one frequently encounters in the months of May and June in India. A student who does well in an entrance exam and gets a decent rank is immediately labelled a `ranker’. Proud parents distribute sweets claiming that their child is a `ranker’, and tutorial institutions take out ads claiming that they had X number of `rankers’ in this year’s exam. This use of the word `ranker’ to mean `top in the examination’ is Indian. Native speakers of English do not use the word in this manner. Dictionaries define the word “ranker” as a commissioned officer who has been promoted from the enlisted status. It has nothing to do with performing well in an exam.
Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – June 12, 2006

‘according to me’ is wrong usage

You cannot say, `according to me’. It’s always according to someone else.

Example: ”According to my uncle I am brilliant.”

Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – June 5, 2006

Which is correct? `Waiting in the wings’ or `waiting on the wings’?

The correct expression is `waiting in the wings’.

The `wings’ in this idiom has nothing to do with the wings of a bird. The idiom comes from the world of theatre. The word `wings’ refers to the sides of the stage, which are usually hidden from the audience by the curtain. Actors normally wait here before they walk onto the stage. When you say that someone is waiting in the wings, what you mean is that the person is ready to perform; all he needs is an opportunity.

*We must give him an opportunity. He’s been waiting in the wings for too long.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – May 08, 2006

Which is correct “My house is opposite to the railway station” or “………opposite the railway station”?

You normally say that the house is opposite the railway station, and not `opposite to’. When you use the word `opposite’ in this manner, you are suggesting that there is something separating the two objects. In this case, it could be that the railway station and your house are separated by a road or a street. Opposite implies that the two buildings are on different sides of the road/street. Similarly, when you say, “Divya’s room is opposite Puja’s”, what you are suggesting is that the two rooms are facing each other; there is a corridor between them.

*The nearest supermarket is opposite the hospital. *The people who live opposite Anand’s house are slightly crazy.

Source: S. Upendran, The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, March 13, 2006

Which is correct? `The majority of the applicants is not qualified’ or `The majority of the applicants are’?

The second sentence is grammatically correct. `Majority of’ is invariably followed by a plural noun. For example, we say, `majority of students’, `majority of young mothers’ and `majority of cases’. Since the noun in all the examples is plural, the verb that follows must also be plural.

*The majority of students are unwilling to take part in the strike.

When `the majority’ is not followed by `of’, then the verb that follows can be either singular or plural. For example,
*The majority is of the opinion that we must go on strike. *The majority feel threatened by the possible changes.
Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – April 3, 2006

Which is correct? `How are the team?’ or `How is the team?’

I understand that in British English both are acceptable. If you wish to think of the team as a single unit, then you use the singular `is’. On the other hand, if you think of the team as consisting of distinct individuals, then you use the plural verb `are’. There are many nouns in English which can be followed by either the singular verb or the plural verb: government, family, team, firm, and people. These are just a few.

*The family is/are of the opinion that you should stop teaching. *The Government wants/want to sell off some of the public sector units.

Source: The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, March 27, 2006

Which is correct? `Once for all’ or `once and for all’?

The dictionaries list only `once and for all’. The expression is used to mean `now and for the last time’. When you do something once and for all, you finish doing it so that you don’t have to worry about it again.

*After she completes the project, Seetha plans to return to France once and for all.

Source: S. Upendran, The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, March 27, 2006

Is it okay to say, “Every day they have wada and dosa during the midday?”

We know when we say `midday’, we mean 12 o’clock in the afternoon. Since we are referring to a specific time in the afternoon, we should use `at’ and not `during’.


We should say, “They have wada and dosai” at midday. If you would like to use `during’, then use `middle’ rather than `midday’.


*The clerk told us that the forms would be distributed at midday. *You’d better take a cap. It gets really hot during the middle of the day.


Source: S. Upendran, The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, February 27, 2006

When an individual has no vision in one eye, you say that he is blind in one eye. A person can be ‘blind to something’, but not ‘blind to one eye’.

‘blind to something’
When you say that someone is ‘blind to something’ what you mean is that he is unable or unwilling to accept the truth. The person does not see what is obvious to most other people.

*For some reason, Thiru is completely blind to his Principal’s faults.

Source: The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, January 23, 2006

Is it OK to say, `He was given an yellow card’?

No, it is not. Players are shown `a’ yellow card, and not `an’ yellow one. Many words beginning with the letter `y’ are preceded by ‘a’. For example, you say, `a young man’, `a yard’, and `a year’.

Source: The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, January 23, 2006

The usage ‘discuss about something’ is wrong.

You `discuss something’. You do not `discuss about something’.  But you can `talk about something’.

Examples: “Can we discuss this matter tomorrow?” * “I am afraid you are all too tired to discuss the matter now”.

Source: The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, January 9, 2006.

Is it OK to say, `Yesterday night’?

We find a lot of Indians saying, `I met him yesterday night.’ Native speakers of English would probably frown upon this. It’s okay to say, `yesterday morning/afternoon’, but not `yesterday night’. You normally say, `last night’. For example, I met Dravid at the party last night.

Source: The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, January 2, 2006

Is it OK to say, `The President Abdul Kalam visited Chennai last week’?

If you want to include an individual’s name with titles like `Queen’, `King’, `Prime Minister’ and `President’, then you normally don’t use the definite article `the’.

For example, we do not say, `The Queen Elizabeth drank coffee’. We can either say, `The Queen drank coffee’ or `Queen Elizabeth drank coffee’. Your sentence is therefore wrong. You can either say, `The President visited Chennai last week’ or `President Abdul Kalam visited Chennai last week.’

Source: The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, December 19, 2005

Is it OK to say, `On the lights, please!’

This is an expression which is commonly heard in India. We ask people to `on the lights’, `on the TV’, `on the tap’ and `on the heater’. Native speakers of English will not ask you to `on’ any of these things. Instead they will ask you to `switch’ or `turn something on’.

For example: *Could you turn on the TV, please! *Would you like me to turn on/switch on the fan?

By the way, you do not say, `switch on/turn on the tap’. It’s always `open/close the tap’.

Source: The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, November 28, 2005.

Which is correct? `He’s a teacher of English’ or `He’s an English teacher’?

Grammatically both are correct, but their meanings are somewhat different.
When you say that someone is a teacher of English what you mean is that the subject the individual teaches is English.
The sentence, `He is an English teacher’ is rather ambiguous. It could mean that the man teaches English. It could also mean that the teacher is English — in other words, the teacher is an Englishman.
Source: The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, November 21, 2005.

Which is correct `Petrol station’ or `petrol bunk’?

The term `petrol bunk’ is sometimes used by Indians. Native speakers of English do not use it. An Englishman would take his car to the `petrol pump’ or the `petrol station’ to get it filled. An American, on the other hand, would take his vehicle to the `gas station’ in order to `fill her up’.

 Source: The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, November 7, 2005.