The English That Has Embarrassed So Many. Part 6

The English Language is never tired of embarrassing anyone who fails to learn it. If you see it as an enemy, it will beat you black and blue. Therefore, always visit www.tammysenglishblog.com for updates on English tutorial. On Tammy’s English blog, the right expressions are not just stated but also justified.

As usual, I will be showing you some wrong grammatical expressions used by learners of the English Language and the right way to say them. These grammatical blunders include:

• First come, first serve
• The textbook comprises of seven chapters.
• The man is cunny.
• I can be able to do it.

Now let's see why they are ungrammatical.

Sentence one: First come; first serve.

90% of learners of English are victims of this grammatical blunder. The sentence is wrong because the intended meaning of the speaker is different from that of the sentence. The sentence simply means if you are the first to attend an event, you should also be the first (among the people serving) to serve the food whereas the speaker means, those that came first, should be served first. Therefore, the correct expression is, First come, first served.

Sentence two: The textbook comprises of seven chapters.

The correct expression is, 'The textbook comprises seven chapters' because the word 'comprise' means 'consist of' or 'made up of' so saying 'comprises of' is like saying 'consist of of.' If you don't want to say 'The textbook comprises seven chapters', you can either say, 'The textbook consist of seven chapters' or 'The textbook is made up of seven chapters.'

However, there is an exception to this rule. 'Comprise' can collocate with 'of' when it is in its past participle form (comprised), but in the case, you need the auxiliary verb 'be'. For instance, you can say, 'The book is comprised of seven chapters'.

Sentence three: The man is cunny.

The use 'cunny' instead of 'cunning' is a common mistake among learners of English.

'Cunny' means cunt; that is, a female's private, especially the vulva. If you are fond of writing or saying 'cunny', please, stop it after reading this tutorial. The right expression is, 'The man is cunning'.

Sentence four: I can be able to do it.

Fortunately, most learners of English have realized that this expression is ungrammatical. For those still committing this linguistic crime, It is either you say, 'I can do it' or 'I will be able to do it'. The reason is, 'can' and 'able' in that sentence mean 'ability', so placing them together is tautological.