Dear Reader,
In my last post I promised to provide you with some of the mistakes we make when speaking or writing, so here are just some of them together with the explanation.
1) "I don't know nothing" - Made frequently and unknowingly when speaking. In fact, the use of double negatives has a positive effect meaning "I know everything". The correct construction is "I don't know anything" or "I know nothing" as Manuel used to say in the classic comedy FAWLTY TOWERS.
2) "I ain't bought nothing for my wife" - The negative 'ain't' is used here to replace all other correct auxiliaries such as 'haven't' (in this case). Again, notice the incorrect use of 'nothing' instead of 'anything' as in (1) above.
3) "You should of told me...." - A case of understanding the sloppy contraction "Should've" being interpreted as "of". This is a common mistake in speaking (and even sometimes in writing). 'Have' is the correct word to use in fact.
4) "The bank don't want to borrow me no money". - The bank in its subjective form is 'it' so the auxiliary third person singular is "doesn't". 'Borrow' is used instead of 'lend' (you are the borrower in the eyes of the bank, unless you lend them some money) and there is yet another mistake in the use of 'no' instead of 'any'.
5) "I goes to the pub every Friday" - This construction is used in some parts of England. Again, it's a case of misusing the form in the subject (I, you, we, they GO; he, she, it GOES).
By the way, if you find a mistake in the above, let me know.
John
