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Messages - Gregorsoph

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Use and Misuse / Re: Some common mistakes in English writing
« on: November 06, 2010, 10:45:36 PM »
Hi Joe,

To add to Fr. Coyle's list of common Filipino mistakes in English, may I point out the following common mistakes which I often encounter in my students' papers, in newspapers, in street signs, and in some uniforms of traffic officers:

1. "cope up with" instead of cope with

2. "avail of" instead of avail oneself of

3. "request for something" instead of request something

4. "bound to Antipolo" instead of bound for Antipolo

5. "Filipino-Chinese" to refer to Filipinos with Chinese genes instead of the correct term, Chinese- Filipino. A "Filipino-Chinese" is a Filipino immigrant in China just like a "Filipino-American" is a Filipino    immigrant in the US.

6. "for a while", used in answering a telephone caller, instead of the correct "just a minute"

7. "result to" instead of result in

8. "traffic enforcer" instead of traffic regulator or traffic officer. One can enforce traffic rules but one cannot enforce traffic.

I can cite many more common Filipino mistakes, particularly in English pronunciation, but this list is getting too long. I'm certain that you have already addressed most, if not all, of these mistakes in your previous postings and columns.

Best regrads


Roger Posadas   

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Use and Misuse / "Owner-Type Jeep" and "Bureau of Fire Protection"
« on: October 26, 2010, 08:35:30 PM »
Hi Joe,

I'm Roger Posadas, a Professor at the Technology Management Center in U.P. Diliman, who has just registered in your English Forum. There are two questionable Filipino uses of English that have been vexing me for a long time:

1. The prevalent use of the term "owner-type jeep" when the simple term "jeep" will suffice. Besides, I don't know of any jeep that has no owner.

2. The use of "Bureau of Fire Protection" by the formerly named Fire Department. The units of this Bureau are supposed to protect us from fire and not to protect the fire as its name implies. This Bureau should change its name to "Bureau of Fire Control."

May I know your comments on these two Filipino English oddities?

Roger Posadas  

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