Incorrect

comeback WRONG: I want to comeback to my hometown. RIGHT: I want to go back to my hometown or I went back to my hometown or When will you come back? (two words) Comeback is NOT a verb. The word comeback is a noun. Its used in situations like when a famous singer doesnt make a CD for a long time, and then they suddenly become popular again. It can also be used in sports when a team is very far behind and then plays very well and wins. They made a comeback. In verb form, it is two words, come back. Come back home after class. continue my study WRONG: I want to continue my study. RIGHT: I want to continue my studies. Use the plural when speaking in general about going on for further education. To remember this, consider that you do not learn just one thing in university, but many, thus studies. discuss about WRONG: We like to discuss about literature. RIGHT: We like to discuss literature. The word discuss means to talk about, so you do not need to add the word about a second time. I would like to discuss my final project. OR I would like to talk about my final project. do useful things to other people WRONG: Shes a nice person who does useful things to other people. RIGHT: Shes a nice person who does useful things for other people. If you are discussing a positive action, say do good things for other people. For example, if someone is sick and you take them some food, you have done something nice for them. If you use the words do to a person, its either a very dramatic change or, more often, something negative. If someone is away from home for a long time and comes back with a new look, belief, personality, etc, people may ask, what did they do to you over there? Or, if a child comes home from school with bruises and torn clothes, his mother will ask, what did they do to you? So generally, do to (a person) is negative, and do for (a person) is positive. even some people dont WRONG: Even some Indonesians dont speak Indonesian. RIGHT: Some Indonesians dont even speak Indonesian. OR There are even some Indonesians who dont speak Indonesians. This is a simple problem of word order. It is incorrect to say even some people dont speak Indonesian. You should say some people dont even speak Indonesian or there are even some people who dont speak Indonesian. In the second sentence, you must

use the word who or the sentence will be grammatically incorrect. The word even goes before the word or phrase that you want to emphasize more. In the first sentence, you are emphasizing the people (Indonesians); in the second sentence, you are emphasizing the negative verb (dont speak). give an impact WRONG: Mothers give a big impact to their children. RIGHT: Mothers make a big impact on their children. OR Mothers have a big impact on their children. We say make an impact or have an impact on. Examples: As a teacher, I hope to make an impact on peoples lives. The school has had an impact on the surrounding community. (Impact can be positive or negative. See the note on impact.) Gives negative effects to WRONG: The recession gave negative effects to the country. RIGHT: The recession had negative effects on the country. We say has a negative effect on Effects are not given to people or things. Global warming has had negative effects on the environment. (Effect can be positive of negative, just like impact.) I have got married. WRONG: I have got married. RIGHT: I am married. If you want to state a simple fact, just say, I am married. If you want to talk about the past event of your wedding, say, I got married in 2002. If you want to tell someone how long you have been married, say, I have been married for seven years. I was graduated from WRONG: I was graduated from Unsyiah. RIGHT: I graduated from Usyiah. This is an unnecessary passive construction. The correct sentence is I graduated from university in 2002. You are the one who did the work, so you graduated. Someone else did not graduate you. is also my favorite WRONG: Reading is also my favorite pastime. RIGHT: Reading is one of my favorite pastimes. If something is your favorite, there is only one of them, so you cannot use the word also. If you want to express that there are several things you like, say, reading is one of my favorite pastimes. This indicates that you enjoy reading and that there are other things you enjoy as well. is very easy to be known WRONG: The truth is very easy to be known. RIGHT: The truth is easily known. This phrase doesnt work. Try using adjectives like obvious and apparent or phrases like

easily seen, easily known, or easily understood. It starts from seven to nine. (time) WRONG: It starts from seven to nine. RIGHT: It starts at seven. This is incorrect because things usually start only at one time. You can say it starts at seven and goes until nine or it starts at seven and ends at nine or it will be from seven to nine. makes me difficult WRONG: Writing makes me difficult. RIGHT: Writing is difficult for me. Erase this phrase from your vocabulary! What you mean to say is that something is difficult for you, not that you are difficult! If writing is not easy for you, say writing is difficult for me, NOT writing makes me difficult. YOU are not difficult, writing is. This rule applies to other adjectives as well, so be careful that your adjective are describing the correct word. Master degree WRONG: Master degree RIGHT: Masters degree or masters degree The correct way to write and say this is with an s on the end. Originally it was possessive, masters degree, but is often written masters degree. Either of these is acceptable, but the s is not optional. My relaxed time WRONG: relaxed time RIGHT: free time, spare time, or time for relaxing This just sounds strange. Time cannot be relaxed. We would say free time or spare time. If you are emphasizing that you will be relaxing, you can say time for relaxing, but do not overuse this phrase as its not very common. one of The problem sentence usually looks something like this: I am from one of small villages in Aceh. There are two ways to correct this problem. You may say, I am from one of the small villages in Aceh, which tells the reader that there is more than one small village in Aceh, that there are some villages that are not small, and that you are from one of the small ones. You can also say, I am from a small village in Aceh, which tells the reader that there are small villages in Aceh and that you are from one of them. You CANNOT use one of without an indicator (like the) in the sentence. Other correct options are: I am from one of many small villages in Aceh. I am from one of the few small villages in Aceh. I am from one of hundreds of small villages in Aceh. Recommend you to and Suggest you to WRONG: I recommend you to study for the test. RIGHT: I recommend that you study for the test. Or I recommend studying for the

test. The word recommend does not need the word to. Say, What road do you recommend I take? (Not What road do you recommend me to take?) I recommend (that) you take the long road because it is safer. The word suggest does not need the word to. Say, I suggest (that) you take some medicine. May I suggest the fresh fish? [The word that seen in parentheses is optional in the above sentences.] When using these words, the object is not the person. The object is the thing or action being recommended or suggested. In the sentence I recommend going abroad to study, going abroad to study is the object, not the person being spoken to. Therefore, you cannot say He suggested me to go abroad to study because you have made me the object, and that is not what you intend to say. You may say, He recommended me for the job because in this case, me is the intended object of the sentence, the thing (in this case person) being recommended. share my knowledge This phrase is so general that it means almost nothing. You should be more specific than this. I want to teach others about proper sanitation. I want to help the Acehnese people by improving medical care in the province. Stating both birth date and age WRONG: I was born on 4 March 1980. I am 29 years old. RIGHT: either of the above but not both It is unnecessary to give both your date of birth and your age. If you write that you were born in 1980, you do not need to say that you are now 29 years old. People can count the years for themselves if they want to, so its redundant to give this information both ways. The exception is if you are specifically asked to state both your date of birth and age. Talking about and Speaking of WRONG: talking of and talking about RIGHT: speaking of or since you mentioned it First, we just dont really use the phrase talking about. If you say it, people will understand you, but it just doesnt sound right. Second, you definitely cant use this to introduce a new topic; you cant say talking about in reference to something you havent already been talking about! If you are having a conversation and someone mentions something, you may say speaking of and then transition to talking about that thing. The same is true in writing although in writing your thoughts must follow a more logical order than in conversation. Ex: You are writing a paper about desserts. You have a paragraph about ice cream, and this is the last sentence: The best thing about ice cream is that it comes in so many flavors, like strawberry, chocolate, and coffee, just to name a few. THEN you can start your next paragraph Speaking of chocolate, one of the most popular desserts in the world is chocolate cake. This is only appropriate for informal writing You can also use the phrase since you mentioned it in conversation but not in writing. the only one child

WRONG: the only one child RIGHT: the only child or one child If you mean someone who has no siblings, they are an only child or the only child in the family. If you mean one child from a group, either word or both may be used depending on the context. Ex: One child turned in his homework means that in the class, one child (not two or ten) turned in his homework. Only one child turned in his homework means the same thing, except that you are emphasizing the fact that this is a small number. The same would work with only four children turned in their homework. If you want to give more information about that child, you can say The only child who turned in his homework was late to class or The one child who turned in his homework was late to class. You cannot use the two words together before a noun. If one is the noun in the phrase, you may say the only one, as in, He is the only one who turned in his homework. This rule is sometimes broken in very informal language, and its best to stick with the rule. to take a pray WRONG: take a pray or take prayer RIGHT: pray or say prayers We dont have this phrase in English. You can say, I would like to pray or I would like to say my prayers. Pray is a verb. Prayer is a noun. to abroad WRONG: I want to go to abroad RIGHT: I want to go abroad. Abroad is not a specific place. It is any and every place outside of your own country. Therefore, you may not say to abroad. You should say I would like to go abroad. transfer my knowledge WRONG: I want to transfer my knowledge. RIGHT: Be specific. Dont say this. It sounds weird. Its too general as well. Say what you mean specifically. I would like to teach others about the risks factors of HIV so that the spread of this disease can be prevented. used to for a long time WRONG: I used to go for coffee at B&W for a long time. RIGHT: I used to go for coffee at B&W. Or I went for coffee at B&W for a long time. If something happened over a period of time in the past but is no longer happening, use the simple past verb. He worked for the government for 25 years. Or you can be more general and say He worked for the government for a long time or he used to work for the government. If it has been happening for a long time and has not stopped, say He has been working for the government for 25 years. (or for a long time) Do not use used to and for a long time together

Incorrect use

Ability in/ ability to WRONG: She has ability in music. RIGHT: She has skills in music. Or She has great musical abilities. We say things like you have the ability to succeed and she has the ability to become a great athlete. If you want to talk about someones skills, say he is very good at playing guitar or he is quite skilled at football. For specific things, we use the word skills more than we use the word ability. It sounds strange to say she has ability in music. Instead say, she is skilled at music or more specifically, she plays the piano well. Although but WRONG: Although I studied hard, but I didnt do well on the test. RIGHT: Although I studied hard, I didnt do well on the test. Or I studied hard, but I didnt do well on the test. You MAY NOT use both of these words in the same sentence. Choose one. Both of the words indicate a negative, so you do not need them both. CORRECT: Although I like to cook, I rarely make the time to do it. OR I like to took, but I rarely make the time to do it. INCORRECT: Although I like to cook, but I rarely make the time to do it. Be my guest This is a difficult phrase for a non-native speaker to use correctly. It depends on the context and tone of the speaker. Very often it is used sarcastically. For example, if you are trying to fix something, and someone keeps offering annoying suggestions about how you could do it better, you might say, If you think you can fix it, be my guest. In other cases, the phrase is used along with a tone of voice to express that you do not think something is a good idea but you will not try to stop it. If you want to go ride your bike in the pouring rain, be my guest. The phrase can also be used sincerely, as when you really want someone to go before you or you want to allow someone else a privilege (as when eating), but its rather formal. Ex: Do you want the last piece of cake? No, be my guest. (Meaning you can have the last piece.) Concerned to WRONG: He is concerned to other people. RIGHT: He is concerned about other people. Or He is concerned with his grades. We say concerned with or concerned about. To be concerned with something is to consider it important. (Ex: Im concerned with the level of English education in Aceh.) To be concerned about something is to be worried about it. (Ex: Im concerned about my friend. Hes sick.) Considered/ considered as WRONG: He is considered as the best singer in the country. RIGHT: He is considered the best singer in the country. If two things are thought of as equal, you can use the word considered WITHOUT the word as. He was considered the best businessman in town. In this sentence it is understood that you are saying. he is considered to be the best businessman in town without actually using the words to be or anything else in that place.

If something is being compared, use consider(ed) as. New York is considered as important as Washington, D.C. Once again, the words to be are understood. continue my Masters WRONG: continue my masters RIGHT: earn my masters You should not say that you want to continue your masters. You havent begun it yet! We say continue my studies because you began your studies long ago and you havent finished them yet. You want to continue. You should say, I want to take my masters in Australia. You can also use the phrases get a masters or earn a masters. Different/ differentiate/ to make different Different is an adjective. My sister and I are different. Differentiate is a verb which means to notice something that is not the same between two or more things and is a synonym of distinguish. It is hard to differentiate our voices over the phone. (Meaning that we sound very much alike and it is difficult to know who has answered the phone.) We often use the phrase tell the difference rather than differentiate since this word is longer and harder to say. We dont really say to make different. The only time this would be necessary is if you want to say that two things were the same and something was done to make them not the same anymore. If two things appear to be the same, but the process of making them was not the same, you should say, they were made differently, using the adverb to describe the way the things were made. Especially/ specifically These two words are often confused. They should be used in different contexts. Especially is used to indicate that you are talking about a whole group of things and to draw special attention to one or more items in the group. I like ice cream, especially chocolate ice cream. This means that you like ice cream generally and that chocolate is your favorite. I want to travel in Asia, especially to Japan and Vietnam. This means that you want to travel to many places in Asia, and the places you would most like to visit are Japan and Vietnam. Specifically is used to narrow your focus from a large group to one or more items in the larger group, thus excluding the other items in the group. I want to study in Europe, specifically Germany. This means that you want to study in Germany and not in any other European country. I teach English, specifically writing. This means that you teach the subject of writing and not any other subjects in the English language. So, the difference in use is that specifically eliminates completely other items from the group, while especially only makes some items more special than the others. You can also use these words in negative statements. He doesnt like vegetables, especially broccoli. This means he doesnt like vegetables generally, and broccoli is his least favorite. Explain/ inform WRONG: I would like to explain you the problem. I need to inform the problem.

RIGHT: I would like to explain the problem to you. I need to inform you about the problem. You explain ideas. You inform people. I would like to explain English grammar to you or I would like to explain to you why s doesnt always mean is. I would like to inform you about a new opportunity in our company. So you should NOT say I would like to explain you about English grammar. Free time, spare time, and pastime WRONG: In my pastime, I like to go to the beach. RIGHT: see below Free time- time in which you have no obligations. In my free time, I like to read novels. Spare time- synonym for free time Pastime- something that you do in your free time. My favorite pastime is reading. Have to WRONG: Last year we have to apply for scholarships, RIGHT: see below Have to indicates an obligation and must follow the rules regarding tense. It is also used to indicate something you want very strongly to do (I have to travel more!). Thus, if you are discussing something you were obligated to do last year, you must say, had to. If its something in the future, you may say, have to or will have to. For the distant future, you should use will have to. Ex: Last year I had to take an entrance exam. I have to go to the store today. I have to get my car washed tomorrow. Next year, I will have to apply for a scholarship. When I retire, I will have to spend more time with my family. Health/ healthy WRONG: Its good for your healthy. Vegetables are health. RIGHT: Its good for your health. Vegetables are healthy. Health is a noun. Healthy is an adjective. How is your health? (Are you sick or well?) Im healthy. (Im not sick.) We DONT say Vegetables are good for your healthy. Vegetables are good for your health. Interests WRONG: One of my interests is shopping. RIGHT: One of my interests is preventative medicine. I like shopping. The word interests is best used in an academic sense rather than a casual sense. When talking casually, its best to use the word like. Ex: I am interested in community development. I like going to the beach. Meet, see, know We use the word meet in two cases. 1) The first time you meet someone that you did not know before. Ex: I met my best friend in the first grade. 2) When you make specific plans to meet someone (but not in the case of a doctors appointment or official appointments). Ex: Im going to be in town next week. Would you like to meet me for

coffee? We use the word see in these cases: 1) When you encounter someone without making plans to. You may use see if you speak to the person or if you merely notice that they are in a place but do not talk to them. Ex: I saw Tonya at the coffee shop on my way to work. 2) As a common expression for being someones girlfriend/boyfriend. Ex: She has been seeing Adam for six months. 3) When talking about an appointment, as with a doctor. Ex1: Id like to see a doctor about my ankle. Ex2: Im here to see the governor. A good guideline for meet and see is to consider if both people must go somewhere. If you are meeting a friend for coffee, both of you must go to the coffee shop from your houses, so you say MEET. If only one person must leave (as when you go visit the governor; he is at his office, and you go to the office) you should use SEE. We use the word know not just for knowledge about someone, but in the context of a relationship with them. Knowing someone means that you know more than just their name and where they are from. To know someone, you must know their personality, what they like and dont like, etc. I do not know Barak Obama, but I know about him. We dont usually say that we know someone we have just met. You do not know the teacher after the first day of class. If someone asked, Do you know the professor? you would reply, No, or I just met him. Meet and see are words to express something that happens in an instant. Know is used to express on ongoing relationship, not something that lasts only a few seconds or minutes. So you wouldnt say, I knew my best friend at our office. You would say, I met my best friend at our office, and I have known him for five years. You can use the word knew if you had a relationship with someone at one time but do not any longer. For example, I knew her in elementary school, but I havent seen her in years. Native WRONG: Her English is so good she sounds like a native. RIGHT: She sounds like a native speaker. The word native means someone originally from a place. It is also used to refer to someone who speaks a certain language as their first language. Someone from New Zealand is a native of New Zealand and a native English speaker. If you are in Indonesia, it is incorrect to refer to someone from New Zealand as a native. He/she is not a native of Indonesia. If you want to refer to their language, you must use the phrase native speaker if it is clear you mean English or native English speaker if it is unclear what language you are referring to. Next three months WRONG: Next three months I will go to New York. RIGHT: In three months, I will go to New York. If you would like to indicate that something will happen three months from the present time, say in three months. Ex: I will go abroad in three months to begin my Masters degree. If you would like to indicate that something will begin soon and continue for the following three months, say next three months. Ex: I will practice my writing skills for the next three months to prepare for my studies. This means that you will begin now and continue to practice for a period of three months. (This same rule applies for days,

weeks, years, decades, etc as well.) Nickname A nickname is not just the shortened version of your name, and it is not a direct translation of panggilan. A nickname is something that only few people call you, perhaps your family or close friends, and usually comes from a physical trait or something you are good at. If your name is Cut Syarifa and people call you Cut, that is not a nickname. If you are short and your friends call you Shorty, that is a nickname, or if you are very good at futbol and your friends call you Beckham, that is a nickname. Respond/ respond to/ respond by Respond does not always require an object. She was shocked and didnt know how to respond. However, if the sentence requires an object, you need the word to. He responded to the letter. You may also leave out the object but include the action, which requires the word by. She responded by laughing. If you want to include both, the object comes first. She responded to the teacher by smiling. See/look WRONG: I can look the ocean from my house. RIGHT: I can see the ocean from my house. To look is an intentional action. To see may be intentional or unintentional. Look over there! (command for an intentional action) Can you see that? (question about ability) I saw a shooting star. (statement about unintentional action) There are exceptions: movies, TV shows and concerts. Even though this is intentional, we say I want to see that new movie or I saw Peter Pan when they were here. Also, in formal writing, we use see as a command rather than look at as in see the note below. (see also meet/see/know and visible) Thats why WRONG: I want to be a doctor. Thats why my father and grandfather are doctors. RIGHT: My father and grandfather are doctors. Thats why I want to be a doctor. or I want to be a doctor because my father and grandfather are doctors. The phrase thats why must come in logical order. It is not interchangeable with because. The cause comes before the effect in presenting reasons for something. Ex: I stayed up all night studying. Thats why Im tired today. Think, thought, used to think (as verbs) If you currently have an opinion about something, you think. I think UNC has the best basketball team ever. Also, think is used just to express that an idea is in your mind. Im thinking about what I want to cook for dinner. If you want to express that you had an idea or opinion in the past, use thought. I thought I would go crazy trying to learn English! If you had an opinion about something over a period of time in the past, but do not have the same opinion now, say used to think. I used to think that reading was boring.

Wood/woods Wood is a non-count noun in most cases. This chair is made of wood. They went to the forest to gather wood. Woods can be used if you are referring to multiple types of wood. They had both soft and hard woods. Woods is also a synonym for forest and is treated as singular. They went into the woods to hunt.

Direct translation problems

Beef/meat Heres a problem of direct translation and usage of daging. Beef and meat are NOT synonyms. Meat can come from any kind of animal- chicken, goat, etc., not just cows. Beef comes from cows. So if you say something is cooked with meat, your reader will still not know what kind of meat you mean. could back to my hometown WRONG: I will back to my hometown. RIGHT: Go back to my hometown or return to my hometown (but the second one is a bit formal) We dont have a direct translation for pulang kampung.. If you say go back, you must use both words. Back by itself does not have the same meaning, so dont say I will back to my hometown. in a good way/ with a good method Any time you want to write a phrase like this, STOP! We have adverbs to serve this function. Rather than saying he writes in a good way, say he writes well. Sometimes an adverb will not work for the sentence you are writing, and you need to change the sentence and use an adjective. For example, it isnt correct to say she cooks in a delicious way. You should say she cooks delicious food. Jalan-jalan WRONG: Go around. RIGHT: depends on the situation There is no direct translation for jalan-jalan. DO NOT say go around. What you say depends on the specific situation. Here are some possibilities: I like walking around my neighborhood if you literally mean walking on your feet. We go for a drive around town every Sunday for riding in a car. My husband takes us for a ride on the motorbike. I like traveling if you mean going on a trip somewhere away from where you live. Lack We use the word lack in English, but not as much as you use kurang in Indonesian. If you find that you are using the word lack very often, see if there are other ways to say what you are writing. It could be that you have a direct translation habit that needs to be broken. There is a lack of money in the education fund. This sentence is grammatically correct, but we would usually say there isnt enough money in the education fund. Often the word lack can be used to soften a statement that would be too harsh. For example, it is nicer to say the food lacks flavor than the food is flavorless. Which sentence is appropriate depends on who your audience is and how strong you want the statement to be. It is more powerful to use the word flavorless, but if youre writing to the restaurant owner, you may not want to be so blunt.

make me enjoy WRONG: Going to the beach makes me enjoy. RIGHT: I enjoy going to the beach. Or Going to the beach makes me happy. This phrase is a direct translation from buat saya and it does not work. Make means to force, so you cannot make someone enjoy something. It does work with emotions: make me happy, make me sad. Enjoy is a verb, not an emotion, so you cant use it with the work make. Next time This phrase is often misused because it is incorrectly translated as lain kali or kapankapan. However, it should be translated kali berikutnya. Time in the phrase next time refers to an instance, not a when. The phrase next time may only be used when talking/writing in reference to another instance. Ex: On my last vacation, I went to Australia. Next time, I want to go to Thailand. Time in this sentence refers to going on vacation. It is NOT correct to say, Next time I want to go to England, when you mean that you would like to go sometime. You should say, I would like to go to England sometime because you are not referring to any other instance in which you have traveled. Now You do not need the word now as often as you do in Indonesian. Because English has verb tenses, the reader already knows that you mean the present if you use the verbs correctly. Only use now if you think the reader may be confused, as when you have told a long story or made several statements about different points in time. Now can also be used to contrast something that is currently true with something that was or will be different. Ex: When I was young, I was very shy, but now I love to talk to people. Also, The reform needs to happen now to emphasize that something is urgent. one of WRONG: Lamno is one of villages in Aceh. RIGHT: Lamno is a village in Aceh. Or Lamno is one of the villages in Aceh that was hit by the Tsunami. This is a direct translation of sala satu and is often misused. To make a simple statement about the existence of something, just use indefinite articles (a, an). Lamno is a village in Aceh. If you want to say that something is part of a larger group, use definite articles (the), and say Lamno is one of the villages in Aceh that was hit by the Tsunami. This construction is only necessary if you need to give specific information. Seller We dont normally use the word seller. A person who sells something is a salesman if he works at a store or car dealership or something like that; a salesman is not the owner of the store. A merchant is a person who buys and sells things and is the owner of the business. Trader is used less often and means someone who buys and sells things, owns the business, and usually travels rather than having a store. A more general term to use is businessman/ businesswoman or small business-owner.

Smart/ not smart/ skilled/ not skilled This is a direct translation from pintar, which we do not use in the same cases. Being smart is an inherent characteristic, not something that can be changed with practice or studying. Some people are born very smart, and some people not as much. DO NOT say that someone (especially a child) is not smart, is dumb, or is stupid. This is extremely rude (or sometimes ok as a joke between friends). You shouldnt even say this about yourself. The polite thing to say is that someone is not very good at something or that he has room for improvement. Being skilled is something that one can change with practice, but this word is a bit formal. She is a skilled diplomat. Usually we say that someone is good at something. Hes good at English. Shes good at volleyball. Socialize Socialize is not the same as sosalisasi. To socialize means to spend time in society, usually talking, with friends or coworkers for example. The Indonesian sosalisasi does not have just one direct translation. The most common translation is probably promote in the case of causes, ideas, or political candidates. It can be educate people about a new idea like proper nutrition. In the case of talking about something among a group of people to arrive at a consensus, it would most often be translated discuss. Examples: Were promoting the use of toothpaste among people in poor communities. The students are working to educate people about the risks of smoking. Dina is going to discuss her idea with the group and see if they agree with her. To accompany There are many English phrases that are translated ikut or temani. The correct phrase depends on the situation. To accompany- formal use, or in reference to music; to go or do something with. Ex: The First Lady accompanied the President to the inaugural ball. The pianist accompanied the violinist beautifully. To stay with- to be with someone (not going to another place), to spend the night with someone. Ex: I have to wait on my brother to get home; will you stay with me? My friends parents are out of town, so Im going to stay with her. To go with- to be with someone (going somewhere), outdated slang for being someones boyfriend/girlfriend Ex: Im going to the beach; would you like to go with me? I heard that John is going with Sue (people dont really say this anymore). To keep someone company- to be with someone so that they will not be alone. Ex: My sister goes to Grandmas house to keep her company. To someone who is alone: Mind if I keep you company? (Meaning, Is it ok if I sit with you?) To take care of- to watch, to help someone who cannot do things for themselves, such as a child, elderly person, or sick person. Ex: Ill take care of my niece while my sister is out of town. To escort- formal, to go/walk with someone for the purpose of protecting or ensuring that they reach their destination. Ex: The guards escorted the prisoner to his cell. The Secret Service escorted the President to a secure location.

To ride with- to go with on a motorbike or in a car, etc. Ex: Will you ride with me to the store? together with Direct translation of bersama dengan Do not use the words with and together next to each other, as in I like going to the beach together with my friends. You can say either I like going to the beach with my friends, or My friends and I like going to the beach together. until now This phrase does not exist in the English language. Its a direct translation of sampai sekarang, but it doesnt work. The English word since carries with it the idea of until now, eliminating the need for this phrase. Ex: I have lived in Indonesia since 2007. The word since means beginning (in 2007) and continuing to the present time. DO NOT USE THE PHRASE UNTIL NOW. Visible Visible means able to be seen. This is the word you want to use when you translate nampak. The house was visible through the trees.

Difficult for ESL

Abbreviations and acronyms When writing, it is acceptable to use abbreviations for the names of places or for long technical terms. You must introduce the word or phrase and then in parentheses give its abbreviation. I attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). From this point on, I can use UNC and my reader will know what I mean. If you choose to write out the entire phrase, DO NOT leave out the small words. In this example, the, of, and at. Its not University North Carolina Chapel Hill; its the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Advice Advice is a non-count noun. We say, he gives good advice, NOT he gives good advices. Apply The word apply is often followed by a preposition, and which preposition is appropriate depends on the situation. There are some cases in which the word apply must be followed by the word to, but not always immediately. Examples: Id like to apply to the University of North Carolina. Apply the medicine to your skin three times daily. We should all apply the lessons we have learned to our daily lives. Sometimes apply is followed by for. Id like to apply for a job as a journalist. To apply for the scholarship, you must have completed two years of study. Apply can be followed by in and/or at. Apply in person at 111 Main Street. Apply can be followed by with. Apply the paint with a large brush. Other times, you do not need a preposition after the word apply, but usually its because a prepositional phrase is understood and being left out. How will you apply your experiences? If you were in a job interview, it would be understood that the question really means, how will you apply your experiences to this job? As in many cases, preposition use is confusing, and I suggest that, if you are unsure about the correct way to write the sentence, you do a simple Internet search of the phrase to see how it is used. Avoid/keep from When using these words with verbs, you should make the verb a gerund since avoid and keep are verbs. Try to avoid using the same words over and over again. To keep from sounding uneducated, you should always work on improving your vocabulary. based on my experience When using the phrase based on my experience, you are speaking about your experience generally, not about a specific experience that you had. Based on my experience living in Indonesia, I believe that culture influences language. Im talking about my general experience of living in Indonesia, not about a certain thing that happened while there. If you would like to tell about a specific thing that happened, dont use the phrase based

on my experience. Instead, say something like once when I was living in Indonesia and tell the story directly. Beside/besides Beside = next to. Besides = in addition to, also. Ex: I like to sit beside the river and watch the boats. Besides swimming, soccer is my favorite sport. This seems simple, but MANY people make this mistake in both speaking and writing. Budget/money WRONG: I dont have the budget for a new motorbike. RIGHT: I dont have the money in my budget for a new motorbike or A new motorbike will not fit in my budget. Budget and money are not synonyms. Your budget is your plan or list for how you are going to spend your money. You cannot say I dont have the budget for a new motorbike. You can say I dont have the money in my budget for a new motorbike or A new motorbike will not fit in my budget. Close to/ closed to (in adjective form) Close means near. Closed means shut. If you are near someone or something, you are close to him/her/it. Ex: I live close to the hospital. If further entrance is not allowed, something is closed. Ex: The program is closed to new applicants. (No one else is allowed to apply.) Collective nouns like family English has several collective nouns that represent groups of people. So what verb do you use? It depends on the situation. If the group represented by the collective noun is doing something as a group, then you treat the word as singular and use verbs accordingly. If the people in the group are each doing something as individuals, then the verb should agree with the plural. Ex: You, your parents, and your siblings live in Banda Aceh, so the sentence goes My family lives in Banda Aceh. The word family is treated as singular because you are all doing something together. However, if you want to explain that all the people in your extended family live in Aceh, you would say My family all live in Aceh. The word family is treated as plural because your family is made up of many individuals who are all doing the same thing. Etc Be careful not to use etc too much. It is used to take the place of a long list of words when the writer feels that including a long list is not necessary. If youre writing a list, only use etc when the reader knows what you are talking about. If you are writing a description of Indonesian food for people who are not from Indonesia, do not say There are things like daun ubi, telor asin, rendang, etc. The reader has no idea what the rest of the list would be! However, you could use etc in the following sentence: Elementary students must pass exams in basic subjects like math, reading, history, etc., before they are promoted to the next grade. Impact

Impact can be positive or negative, but you do not always have to state whether the impact is positive or negative. Ex: The conflict had an (negative) impact on Aceh. The teacher made an (positive) impact on his students. If it is unclear from the context whether the impact is positive or negative, you should be specific. In/at school If you want to talk about someones level of school, use in. My sister is in junior high school. If you want to give the specific school, use at. My sister is a student at Banda Aceh Senior High School. Also use at for simple location. Where is your sister? She is at school (right now). Last three years/ three years ago WRONG: I went to England last three years. RIGHT: I went to England three years ago. I have lived in England for the last three years. The last three years is a phrase to introduce something that has been happening continually for the previous three years. Three years ago tells at what point in time something happened, a one-time event, not something that has continued to the present. I have been living in Indonesia for the last two years. I moved to Indonesia two years ago. Listen WRONG: I enjoy listening. RIGHT I enjoy listening to music. The verb listen requires the preposition to. You cannot say, I enjoy listening. This doesnt tell the reader very much. You must include what you like to listen to. I enjoy listening to music. I enjoy listening to the radio. I like listening to the rain falling on the roof. Listen/hear The verb listen expresses an intentional action. Hear may or may not be intentional. Ex: Listen! (command) Do you hear that? (question about a noise) I was listening to some music (intentional action) when I heard a car drive up outside (unintentional). Menu/food Just like budget, menu is a list. It is a list of the foods available. At a restaurant, you are given a menu (list) of the foods there are to choose from. So you cannot say My favorite menu is fried noodles. Fried noodles are food, not a menu. On the other hand This phrase is used to contrast things, often when weighing the positives and negatives of a decision. My mother is an excellent cook. My father, on the other hand, cant even boil water. I really like the location of Sydney University. On the other hand, it would be cheaper to study in Melbourne. one of the

If you use these words, you must follow with a plural. One of the students is going to Germany. You cant use singular; it doesnt make sense. Remember that collective nouns can count as plurals, so its fine to say one of the family in some cases. play a role in RIGHT: The tsunami played a big role in bringing peace to Aceh. This is the correct way to say it. Its idiomatic, so theres no explanation except that its just how it works. Do not say play a role on. I know its just one letter, but it makes a difference. Say play a role in. The economic crisis played a role in the decrease of tourism. Plural in general statements WRONG: I like to read a book. RIGHT: I like to read books. If you want to express something that you do often, use the plural unless you are speaking about something specific. For example, say I like to go to coffee shops to sit and talk with my friends to explain what you like to do in your free time. Dont say I like to go to a coffee shop to sit and talk with my friends UNLESS you always go to the same coffee shop, in which case you should tell/ describe which one: I like to go to a coffee shop, Dhapu Kupi, with my friends every Saturday or I like to go to the coffee shop on Main Street to talk with my friends. The same applies to sentences like I like to read books not I like to read a book because you read different books, not the same one every time. Responsible to/for/about Responsible to- You are responsible to the person who is in authority over you. I am responsible to my boss. Responsible for- You are responsible for something or someone. I am responsible for teaching writing (It is my job to teach writing.). Parents are responsible for their children (If the children break something, the parents must pay for it.). Responsible about- You are responsible (or not responsible) about something that is your duty or job. A professor who doesnt come to class is not being responsible about his duty. A student who always does her work is responsible about her studies. S on the end of words WRONG: Its hurt. RIGHT: It hurts. Its hard for non-native speakers to know when you use s and when not to. One common mistake is assuming that s always means is. Remember that s is used for possessives, plurals, and present tense, not just to mean is. We dont say love is hurt (loves hurt). We do say love hurts. Its hurt does not mean it hurts. to serve interests This is idiomatic. I dont know why we say serve interests, but we do. So, another way to say that you want to do things that will help fulfill the needs of poor people is to say you want to serve the interests of poor people. Basically, serve the interests of

means that you do things that make a certain person or group of people happy/ satisfied. This is often used in negative contexts, in cases such as the politician was serving the interests of rich business owners. The Using the word the can be tricky. It is often put where it does not belong and left out where it does belong. The is a definite article and should be used when talking about specific things, not about general things. Ex: I like listening to music. The songs I like most are fast and fun. Music is general, and the songs are specific. Sports are fun to watch. The best basketball player ever is Michael Jordan. Sports is general, and player is specific. If you say the student at Syiah Kuala, it sounds as if there is only one student at Syiah Kuala. You can say the students [plural] at Syiah Kuala. Used to/ to be used to WRONG: I used to riding a bike for exercise. I am used to go to college. RIGHT: I am used to riding a bike for exercise. I used to go to college. Used to is for discussing something that someone did in the past or something that existed in the past but that is no longer true. Ex: I used to go to school every day (but Im not in school anymore). There used to be a restaurant there (but now its closed). To be used to something is to be accustomed to it. Ex: Im used to eating spicy food. Verb/ adjective forms Relax is a verb. Relaxed is the past tense of the verb or the adjective form. Ex: I like to relax (verb) by reading novels. Reading novels helps me feel relaxed (adjective). This confusion between verb and adjective forms is very common, probably because in Indonesian, the base form of the word is often an adjective (like panas) and things are added to it to make the verb form (memanaskan). In English, the opposite is often true. The base form is a verb (hope) and something is added to make the adjective (hopeful). Watch WRONG: I like watching. RIGHT: I like watching movies. The verb watch requires an object. You watch TV, watch a football game, or watch a movie. You cant say, I like watching without saying what it is you like to watch. Whereas WRONG: Aang is a great student, whereas Andi is also good at school. RIGHT: Aang is a great student, whereas Andi doesnt study very well. Aang is a good student, whereas Andi is a good athlete. The word whereas is only used to contrast things. My mother is an excellent cook, whereas my father cant boil water.

While

While has two uses. First, it is used to show that two or more things occur or exist at the same time. I worked while I was in college. It is also used for comparison. My mother is an excellent cook, while my father cant boil water.