Month: November 2007

“Come” vs. “Go”

Common English Blunders, Verbs, Versus

I frequently hear “come” when the speaker means “go” instead.

Problem:
The verbs “come” and “go” are not interchangeable.

Explanation:
Use “go” when you (or another speaker) are telling the listener to travel to a location other than where you (or another speaker) currently reside.

“Go” Examples:
1. Please go to my friend in London.
2. Jim, who today is in Houston on business, asked Mary to go to his friend in London.

Use “come” when you (or another speaker) are telling the listener to travel to a location where you (or another speaker) currently reside.

“Come” Examples:
1. Please come to me.
2. Jim, who lives in Denver, asked Mary to come to him at his temporary office in Houston.

Solution:
Use “come” when the person making the request is at the destination.
Use “go” when the person making the request is NOT at the destination.

“400 Pair of Copper Wiring”

Common English Blunders, Devolution toward Simpler, Number

I saw this in a company presentation.

Problem:
“Pair” is a singular noun being used incorrectly as a plural noun.

Explanation:
Two of anything together is a single pair. Multiples of this means multiple pairs. Note, however, that if you were talking about the size of a cable, then it would be correct to say, “a 400-pair cable“; note the hyphen, which joins “400” and “pair” to form a modifier of “cable”. Similarly, “a twenty-foot ladder” would be correct, and “twenty foot of ladder” would be incorrect.

I also believe that use of “pair” instead of “pairs” helps to prove my “Devolution toward Simpler” linguistic hypothesis. It is simpler to say “pair” than to say “pairs”.

Solution:
“400 Pairs of Copper Wiring“

“The cases display below the search criteria.”

Common English Blunders, Verbs

I saw this in a training manual.

Problem:
“Display” and “Appear” are not interchangeable.

Explanation:
Use “display” when something is displaying something else.

“Display” Examples:
Incorrect: “The faces display on the screen.”
Correct: “The faces display anger on the screen.”

Use “appear” when something is not displaying something else.

“Appear” Examples:
Incorrect: “The faces appear anger on the screen.”
Correct: “The faces appear on the screen.”

Solution:
“The cases appear below the search criteria.”