Common Error: "How do you call…?"
Anyhow, today’s error is very common among my students and even my coworkers. I often don’t even notice it anymore, but I still told my students I’d talk about it on the blog. It’s when someone says, “How do you call…?” to ask for an unknown vocabulary word. Confused? Let’s take a closer look:
| Common Error: “How do you call…?” |
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| DON’T say this: | ||
| WHY? | -When people say this, they’re probably just translating “Cómo se llama” in Spanish, “Wie heisst es” in German, or a similar equivalent in another language. In English, though, you should say “What do you call…” if you’re asking for the name of an unknown object or person.
-Technically, you could say “How do you call…” but then you’d be asking for a method of calling. If my students ask a question with “How do you call…” I usually respond, “With a telephone!” (Because I’m a mean teacher!) |
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| INSTEAD, SAY THIS: | -“What do you call a person who collects trash?” -“I don’t know what to call my amazing new invention.” -“Can you help me? I don’t know how to call the telephone operator to ask for a telephone number.” |
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Sitzman
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I don’t know what to call this mistake but if I had problems with it, I know how to call you for help.
Haha, perfect, Diego! 🙂