Common English Mistakes

English, like many languages, has many words which mean more than one thing. This fact, combined with the reality that many words sound similar, causes additional confusion.

That new couple just got married. To afford their new house, they had to borrow $150,000 | foto: Profimedia.cz

Angličtina na iDNES.cz
VŠECHNY LEKCE ZDE

---

---

Here are a few examples:

Lay down vs. lie down
One definition of to lay down is to set something in order, or to try and make it firm. Examples:

"Mom really laid down the law last night and made us go to bed at 10:00PM" or "The new owners have laid down some new policies concerning the parking of vehicles out in the back. They won’t allow it anymore."

When you are not laying something down in a metaphorical sense, you can also of course do it physically. Examples:

"They laid down their arms and surrendered" or "I know I laid it down here somewhere, maybe some archaeologist will find it someday."

When you go to bed at night, you lie down on your bed.

Lend vs. Borrow
In the Czech language, the words lend and borrow mean essentially the same thing. In English, they never do, to loan something to someone is very different from borrowing something. Examples:

"She loaned him five dollars until tomorrow," or "She gave him a loan of fifty dollars until next week."

"That new couple just got married. To afford their new house, they had to borrow $150,000" or "Many countries borrow from foreign banks to pay for their social programs."

Notice that when one loans something to someone, they are giving it to them. They are the source, it is coming from them.

In just the opposite way, the person who is doing the borrowing is receiving the item, from the loaner or what is called lender. If you borrow you receive, if you loan, you give.

                              Jokes

The great Czech philosopher Leonardo Da CzEnglish says:

1. "The world’s first Soviet-style elections were held in paradise, in the Garden of Eden.

"This was when God first created Eve, the world’s first woman, and then told Adam, ‘Here, choose your wife!’"

2. "For some politicians, the three hardest years of their life was the second grade."

3. "Anything is possible if you do not really know what you are talking about."

4. "If you got married by a judge and your marriage didn’t work out, next time ask for a jury!"

Angličtina vychází od pondělí do pátku.

Najdete ji také v bezplatném deníku Metropolitní expres.

Kalovi pište na adresu: [e-mail]