In Nigeria, we proudly blend English with Pidgin, Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, and other languages to express ourselves. This creativity makes our communication rich, but it also leads to common English errors that can reduce professionalism in job applications, reports, social media content, proposals, and public speaking.
One classic example is “Myself John” — a phrase you hear often but should retire immediately. Here’s why, plus other frequent mistakes Nigerians make and how to correct them for clearer, more confident communication.
1. “Myself John” / “Myself” as Subject
– Wrong: “Myself John, I want to apply for the job.”
– Correct: “I am John” or “My name is John.”
“John and I want to apply for the job.”
Why it happens: Influence from local language structures where reflexives are used differently. “Myself” should only be used for emphasis or when the subject and object are the same (e.g., “I taught myself”).
2. “I and My Friend” Instead of “My Friend and I”
– Wrong: “I and my colleague attended the IMILI event.”
– Correct: “My colleague and I attended the IMILI event.”
Always put the other person first as a sign of courtesy. This error appears in emails, CVs, and everyday speech.
3. “Despite of”
– Wrong: “Despite of the challenges, we succeeded.”
– Correct: “Despite the challenges…” or “In spite of the challenges…”
“Despite” does not take “of.”
4. “Infact” and “Inspite”
– Wrong: “Infact, we are ready.”
– Correct: “In fact, we are ready.”
“In spite of the rain…”
These are two separate words.
5. Borrow vs Lend
– Wrong: “Please borrow me your pen.”
– Correct: “Please lend me your pen.” (You give to someone.)
“Can I borrow your pen?” (You receive from someone.)
6. “He is coming tomorrow” (Wrong Tense)
– Wrong: “The director is coming yesterday.”
“I have seen him yesterday.”
– Correct: Use proper tenses — “The director came yesterday.”
“I saw him yesterday.”
Nigerians sometimes use present continuous for future or past actions. Be mindful of time indicators.
7. Article Confusion (a/an/the)
– Wrong: “He is one of the best player in Nigeria.”
– Correct: “He is one of the best players…” (plural)
“I attended an IMILI workshop.”
Pay attention to singular/plural and vowel sounds (a before consonant sound, an before vowel sound).
8. Advise vs Advice
– Wrong: “Let me give you an advise.”
– Correct: “Let me give you some advice.” (Noun)
“I advise you to proofread your work.” (Verb)
9. “Me and Him” as Subject
– Wrong: “Me and him went to Abuja.”
– Correct: “He and I went to Abuja.”
Test by removing the other person: “Me went” sounds wrong, so “I” is correct.
10. Overusing “That” or Wrong Prepositions
– Wrong: “I am happy that I am here.”
– Better: Sometimes just “I am happy to be here.”
Common preposition issues: “discuss about” → “discuss”; “congratulate for” → “congratulate on.”
