Mind Your English:me,great,specially
>> Friday, October 15, 2010 –
MYE
Hello everyone!
Welcome to ‘Mind Your English’
This week, let us look at the common mistakes in our communications.
LET START THE CLASS!
1. Please be informed that Hakim and me will be attending the course below.
The sentence above is commonly used in our communications. However, the correct sentence is:
Please be informed that Hakim and I will be attending the course below.
These two personal pronouns I and me are often used wrongly, usually in sentences in which I is being used with another noun. Here are some tips to help you get it right:
o Use the pronoun I, along with other pronouns such as we, he, she, you, and they, when the pronoun is the subject of a verb:
Example: Clare and I are going for a drink.
o Use the pronoun me, along with other pronouns such as us, him, her, you, and them, when the pronoun is the object of a verb:
Example: The dog followed John and me to the door.
2. We would be greatful if you could provide the briefs and speaking notes for Y.B Menteri.
The word ‘great’ may sound similar to the word ‘grate’, but there is a big difference in what it means. The word ‘greatful’ given in the example above does not exist, and the correct word to use is grateful. It means warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received.
We would be grateful if you could provide the briefs and speaking notes for Y.B. Menteri.
Other examples are:
i. I am grateful to you for your help.
ii. The college sent us a grateful acknowledgment of our donation.
3. Appreciate if you could provide any comment/feedback, specially on the issues highlighted in the seminar.
The word ‘specially’ is often used in spoken English, which means ‘in a particular way or for a particular purpose’.
For example: The coats are specially treated to be water repellent.
The correct word to use in the sentence given, however, is ‘especially’ which is used to show that what is said applies to one person or thing more than others.
Appreciate if you could provide any comment/feedback, especially on the issues highlighted in the seminar.
Other examples include:
i. He did not want to upset his father, especially he is sick.
ii. India, especially the southern part, has an immense potential to attract tourists.
Well, that’s all for this week.
Till next time… Read more...
