Some Common Mistakes that French-Speaking People Make in English
| Mistake | Explanation of English Usage | Example of Correct Usage |
| Putting an "s" on "information" or "software" | "Information" and "software" are never plural. They never have an "s" and they never take a plural verb. | All the information is relevant. The new software detects all the latest viruses and corrects many system problems. |
| Putting a space before a colon (:) | Use a space after a colon, but not before it. [Either one space or two is acceptable. Just be consistent throughout the entire document.] |
Bring these items: pencil, paper, eraser |
| Putting a space before a question mark (?), or an exclamation point (!) | Use a space after a question mark or an exclamation
point, but not before it. [Either one space or two is acceptable. Just be consistent throughout the entire document. Use the same number of spaces after each question mark (?), exclamation point (!), and period (.).] |
This cake is wonderful! Did you make it yourself? |
| Using "plan" instead of "map" | A "plan" is the ideas that you have in advance about how to do something.
A "map" shows which way the streets go. |
Bill built the model airplane very quickly, because he had a good plan.
I forgot how to get to the restaurant, so I had to use a map. |
Do you want to increase turnover?
There are also differences between British usage and American usage. For example, the word "turnover." The British use "turnover" to refer to the amount of money that a company makes. (Turnover last year was 10 million Euros.)
The Americans use "turnover" to refer to the number of employees who left the company. (Turnover last year was 40%.)
As you can see, for the British, increasing the turnover is a good thing. For the Americans, increasing the turnover is a bad thing.
Americans use the word "revenue" to refer to the amount of money that a company makes. (Revenue last year was 10 million Euros.)
These are just a few examples. If you are targeting an American audience with your web site or other written materials, I can edit them to conform to American usage in all aspects of grammar, reasoning, and choice of words. By making the text “sound natural,” your American audience can focus on your message, rather than being distracted by trying to decipher:
"What is your message?"
To find out more about how I can help you reach your American audience, please contact me at:
info@redactrice.com