English Depot

I'm writing this because I'm annoyed to see several common mistakes. Some Indonesians do that, not realizing the grave errors of the words they write or utter. Some believe that writing or talking in English is cool. So they like to mix things--a bit of Indonesian and English at the same time. There's nothing wrong with that, actually. As long as they check the spelling, grammar, and pronunciation.

Two common mistakes that I often see:

1. Loose and lose.
I notice that some people write this: He is a looser. It should be: He is a loser. Some also write: I don't want to loose you. In fact it has to be: I don't want to lose you.

Correct usages of the word loose: loose clothes, all hells will break loose, hang loose.

You don't believe me? Check any grammar books or even, dictionaries.

2. I agree
Some people write I'm agree instead of I agree. Something is definitely wrong with I'm agree. It has to be I'm agreeing (to something) or I'm in agreement. I'm not too sure about I'm agreeing, so you'd better check other sources who are more reliable. Suffice to say, if you want to say that you agree, just say or write, I agree.

One most common mistake Indonesian people make in pronunciation:

Happy birthday. Some pronounce it as "birzdei". Please kindly consult a dictionary with phonetic symbols to see how wrong the pronunciation is.

I'm sure there are many more. I have to admit that it saddens me...