Common English Mistakes (Beginner)

The phrases that feel correct but sound off

Some of the trickiest English mistakes aren’t grammar errors at all — they’re perfectly formed sentences that simply aren’t how native speakers say things. Indian English is a rich, full variety of English with its own history, and there’s nothing wrong with it at home. But when you’re writing to an international client, sitting an exam, or working with speakers from Britain or America, a few pet phrases can mark you out. The good news: these are easy fixes once you know which ones to watch.

Take “do the needful”. It’s grammatically neat and everyone in an Indian office understands it instantly. But a colleague in London or New York will pause — it sounds either very old-fashioned or slightly vague. What exactly is “the needful”? Native speakers prefer to name the action: “please process this”, “please follow up”, or the general “please do whatever is needed”. The same goes for “revert back”. Here “revert” already contains the idea of going back, so “revert back” repeats itself — and worse, native speakers don’t use “revert” to mean “reply” at all. They say “get back to me”.

Then there’s the “having” trap. In English, have for possession is a stative verb — it describes a state, not an action — so it doesn’t normally take the -ing form. You have two brothers; you aren’t having them. “Having” only turns active when it means experiencing something: having lunch, having a shower, having fun. Two more to retire: introducing yourself with “Myself, Priya” (just say “I’m Priya”) and slipping “for” after “order” (“order for two coffees” instead of “order two coffees”). None of these are moral failings — they’re habits, often copied from word-for-word translation. Swap them out one at a time and your English will sound instantly more natural to an international ear, without losing any of who you are.

The answers, explained

1. “Please do whatever is needed” is the natural choice. “Kindly do the needful” is grammatical, but it’s pure Indian office English — outsiders find it vague or archaic. The clearest fix is to say what you actually want done, or use “do whatever is needed”. The two options that keep “do the needful” carry the same problem; rearranging the words doesn’t solve it.

2. “I have two brothers” is correct. Possession uses the simple have, not the continuous “am having”. “I am having two brothers” treats a permanent state like an ongoing action, which English doesn’t allow. “Am having” is only right when “having” means experiencing — “I’m having dinner.” The options with “brother” (singular) are also wrong because two brothers is plural.

3. “I am Priya” is the natural introduction. “Myself, Priya” is extremely common as an opener across India, but it sounds strange to native speakers because “myself” is a reflexive pronoun, not a way to announce your name. Just say “I’m Priya” or “My name is Priya”. “My name’s myself Priya” and “Priya is myself” are both broken.

4. “Please get back to me” is the one to use. “Please revert back to me” has two problems: “revert” already means to go back, so “revert back” is redundant, and native English doesn’t use “revert” to mean “reply” in the first place. “Get back to me” is the natural phrase. “Come back to me” suggests physically returning, and “revert back at me” is doubly wrong.

5. “Order two coffees, please” is correct. The verb “order” links straight to whatever you’re ordering, with no preposition sitting in between — the thing follows the verb directly. The stray “for” usually sneaks in from translating literally from another language. “Order of” and “order with” are wrong in the same way. Keep it simple: order two coffees.

Quick rules to remember

Here’s your quick swap list. Replace “do the needful” with the specific action you want, or “do whatever is needed”. Use “have” (not “am having”) for things you own or relationships you hold; save “having” for experiences like meals and showers. Introduce yourself with “I’m…” or “My name is…”, never “Myself…”. Say “get back to me” instead of “revert back to me”. And drop the extra “for” — you order two coffees, you don’t order for them. None of these are about being “correct” versus “wrong” as a person; they’re just the versions that sound natural to an international audience. Fix one a week and they’ll stick.

One kind reminder before you go: don’t feel self-conscious about these habits. Every single one of them comes from somewhere sensible — a direct translation, an office convention, a phrase your teachers used with the best intentions. Millions of capable, fluent people say “revert back” and “do the needful” every day, and they communicate perfectly well within India. The point of learning the alternatives isn’t to erase your English or feel ashamed of it. It’s to add a second gear — a more international register you can shift into when the audience calls for it. Keep the version that works at home, and build the one that travels. That flexibility, being able to choose your English for your listener, is what strong speakers actually do.