Crimes against English

Here are twelve suspect sentences. Eight have indeed committed crimes against English. Can you pick them out – and explain why?

1. ‘At last,’ he said, ‘this shocking business can be brought to a conclusion.’

2. All the students entered their personal details accurately.

3. You will be delighted to learn that there is a free gift in every packet.

4. In my opinion, I think you should take the French course, not the Spanish.

5. It was a glorious day. Half way through the morning, the sun broke through the clouds above us and we were able to sunbathe while the others were playing volleyball.

6. It’s time the government revealed its real intentions.

7. No one in the room could pronounce the word ‘scholastic’ correctly.

8. The Apple Watch is a great new innovation – if only you can afford one.

9. The room price includes breakfast and as an added bonus there is free wifi in all rooms.

10. To begin the A level course, a good pass at GCSE is a necessary requirement.

11. When you have completed the task, please return back here.

12. Your first priority should be to improve your punctuation and spelling.

Should you be unsure, here are the innocent ones:

‘At last,’ he said, ‘this shocking business can be brought to a conclusion.’

All the students entered their personal details accurately.

It’s time the government revealed its real intentions.

No one in the room could pronounce the word ‘scholastic’ correctly.

Explanations of guilt:

3. All gifts are free.
4. ‘In my opinion’ means the same as ‘I think’.
5. ‘Above us’ – where else would the clouds be?
6. Innovations are new by definition.
7. A bonus is something that is added. An added bonus surely means two bonuses?
8. A requirement is already something that is necessary.
9. To return means to come back, so ‘back’ is redundant.
10. Something that is a priority will be the first thing to be done. You might also argue that you cannot have two priorities, both spelling and punctuation!