11/08/2026
YOU’VE BEEN SAYING SOME OF THESE ENGLISH EXPRESSIONS WRONG…
And you probably had no idea.
You hear people say them every day.
Your friends say them.
Your colleagues say them.
You may have said them yourself for years.
But just because an expression is commonly used does not automatically make it Standard English.
Let’s test you.
Which one is correct?
❌ “Shine your eyes.”
✅ “Keep your eyes peeled.”
❌ “Pique my brain.”
✅ “Pick my brain.”
❌ “Back the wrong tree.”
✅ “Bark up the wrong tree.”
❌ “Sell like hot cake.”
✅ “Sell like hot cakes.”
❌ “Make haste while the sun shines.”
✅ “Make hay while the sun shines.”
If any of these surprised you…
you need this book.
---
MEET THE BOOK THAT WILL MAKE YOU QUESTION THE ENGLISH EXPRESSIONS YOU USE EVERY DAY
CORRECT YOUR ENGLISH IDIOMS
160 Common Idiomatic Expressions Nigerians Use Incorrectly — And Their Standard English Forms
Volume One
By Bernard Ashiwel Ashiwel
This isn't just another English book filled with complicated grammar rules.
It is a practical guide that helps you identify common idiomatic-expression errors, understand why they are errors, and learn the correct Standard English forms.
And the best part?
You don't have to read hundreds of pages of complicated explanations before you understand the correction.
Each entry takes you from:
❌ The expression commonly used
↓
Why it is wrong
↓
✅ The correct Standard English expression
↓
What it means
↓
How to use it in a sentence
---
BUT WHY DO WE KEEP SAYING THEM WRONG?
Because sometimes…
Everybody around you says it.
So you assume it must be correct.
You hear it at home.
You hear it at school.
You hear it at work.
You see it on social media.
You hear public figures use it.
And after hearing it repeatedly, the expression begins to sound completely normal.
That is one of the reasons idiomatic expressions can be difficult.
They are fixed expressions. You cannot simply replace one word with another and expect the expression to remain standard.
For example:
❌ “Pique someone's brain”
may sound perfectly reasonable.
But the standard expression is:
✅ “Pick someone's brain.”
Meaning: to ask someone knowledgeable for information or ideas.
---
HOW MANY OF THESE DO YOU SAY?
Be honest.
Have you ever said:
❌ “Talkless of…”
❌ “From the onset…”
❌ “Voice out…”
❌ “Round up my speech…”
❌ “Half bread is better than none.”
❌ “I look forward to hear from you.”
❌ “To make friend with someone.”
❌ “To stick to one's gun.”
If you've used some of these, don't feel bad.
That is exactly why this book was created.
The goal isn't to embarrass you.
The goal is to help you recognize the error, understand the correction and use the expression correctly.
---
160 EXPRESSIONS.
6 MAJOR ERROR CATEGORIES.
ONE PRACTICAL BOOK.
Correct Your English Idioms — Volume One contains 160 idiomatic-expression errors, carefully organized into six categories:
01 — Modification & Distortion of Standard Idioms
Entries 1–45
Learn how changing or distorting a fixed idiomatic expression can produce a non-standard form.
02 — Wrong Noun Substitution
Entries 46–57
Discover expressions where the wrong noun has replaced the established word.
03 — Similar-Sounding Substitution
Entries 58–79
These are the expressions that can easily fool you because the incorrect word may sound very similar to the correct one.
04 — Omission of the Plural Marker “S”
Entries 80–101
Learn why that little “s” can make a difference.
05 — Omission of Articles “A” / “THE”
Entries 102–120
Discover common expressions where articles are wrongly omitted.
06 — Wrong Preposition
Entries 121–160
Learn the correct prepositions used in standard idiomatic expressions.
---
HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL ACTUALLY SEE INSIDE
This isn't:
“Memorize this list and good luck.”
Every entry is broken down to make the correction understandable.
For example:
❌ NON-STANDARD
To sell like hot cake
✅ STANDARD ENGLISH
To sell like hot cakes
MEANING
To sell very quickly and in large quantities.
WHY?
The standard idiom uses the plural noun “cakes”, not the singular “cake.”
EXAMPLE
The tickets are selling like hot cakes.
Simple.
Clear.
Practical.
And easy to remember.
---
ANOTHER ONE…
❌ NON-STANDARD
Make haste while the sun shines
✅ STANDARD ENGLISH
Make hay while the sun shines
MEANING
Take advantage of an opportunity while it lasts.
Now you don't just know that the first version is wrong.
You understand why.
That's the difference.
---
THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU IF…
🎓 YOU'RE A STUDENT
Improve your awareness of standard idiomatic expressions in your everyday English.
💼 YOU'RE A PROFESSIONAL
Communicate more accurately and confidently in workplace situations.
📝 YOU'RE A WRITER
Avoid common idiomatic-expression errors in your writing.
🎤 YOU'RE A PUBLIC SPEAKER OR CONTENT CREATOR
Become more conscious of the expressions you use when communicating with your audience.
👩🏽🏫 YOU'RE A TEACHER
Use a practical resource for identifying and explaining common idiomatic errors.
🇳🇬 YOU'RE SIMPLY A NIGERIAN WHO WANTS TO IMPROVE
You don't need to be studying English professionally.
If you simply want to know:
“Am I actually saying this correctly?”
This book was made for you.
---
IMAGINE THE CONFIDENCE OF KNOWING…
When you hear someone say:
“Pique my brain…”
You immediately know:
“It's PICK my brain.”
When someone says:
“Back the wrong tree…”
You know:
“It's BARK up the wrong tree.”
When you see:
“Selling like hot cake…”
You know:
“HOT CAKES.”
Not because someone told you to memorize random corrections…
But because you understand the expression.
---
THIS IS MORE THAN CORRECTION.
It is about becoming more aware, accurate and confident in the way you use English.
The book was created to help learners identify common idiomatic-expression errors and understand their correct Standard English forms, with explanations, meanings and sentence examples.
And because idioms are an important part of natural communication, understanding them goes beyond simply knowing grammar rules.
---
MEET THE AUTHOR
BERNARD ASHIWEL ASHIWEL
Educator. Researcher. Author. Editor. Teacher Trainer.
Bernard Ashiwel Ashiwel is an English Language and Literature educator, researcher, author, editor and teacher trainer.
He holds an NCE in English Double Major, a B.A.Ed. in English language Education from the University of Calabar, Masters in English and literary studies from the University of Calabar and a TEFL Certificate, and is registered with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).
He is also a Ph.D. student whose research interests include Language Arts Education, Applied Linguistics, Nigerian English, Idiomatic Expressions, Language Errors and English as a Second Language studies.
Through English With Mr. Bernard, he teaches practical English, corrects common language errors and promotes effective use of Standard English among Nigerians and other English-language learners.
This book is part of that mission.
---
WHAT YOU GET
📖 CORRECT YOUR ENGLISH IDIOMS — VOLUME ONE
Inside you'll get:
✅ 160 idiomatic-expression errors
✅ 6 major categories of errors
✅ The commonly used/non-standard expression
✅ Explanation of the error
✅ The correct Standard English expression
✅ Meaning of the correct expression
✅ Sentence examples showing correct usage
ALL FOR JUST:
₦3,000
One payment. One practical English resource.
---
“BUT I ALREADY SPEAK ENGLISH…”
Of course you do.
This book isn't saying you don't.
The question is:
Are all the expressions you use actually standard?
You can speak English every day and still have certain expressions you've never stopped to question.
That's exactly what makes this book useful.
---
“I'VE HEARD THESE EXPRESSIONS ALL MY LIFE.”
And that's the point.
Familiarity can make an expression feel correct.
This book gives you the opportunity to stop and examine those expressions instead of simply repeating them because you've heard them many times.
---
“CAN'T I JUST GOOGLE THEM?”
You can search for individual expressions.
But this book brings 160 common idiomatic-expression errors into one structured resource, organized by error type, with explanations, meanings and examples.
Instead of waiting until someone corrects you…
learn them systematically.
---
“IS THIS ONLY FOR ENGLISH STUDENTS?”
No.
It is designed for Nigerian learners and other users of English as a second language, and it can be useful to students, teachers, professionals and anyone interested in improving their English usage.
---
DON'T WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE CORRECTS YOU.
You may have said some of these expressions for years.
You may have heard them from people you respect.
You may have even corrected someone else using the same expression.
It happens.
The important thing is knowing the correct form when you discover the error.
Learn it.
Understand it.
Correct it.
Use it.
---
GET YOUR COPY TODAY
CORRECT YOUR ENGLISH IDIOMS
Volume One
160 common idiomatic-expression errors
₦3,000
👇 YES, I WANT TO CORRECT MY ENGLISH
GET MY COPY FOR ₦3,000
Start discovering the expressions you may have been saying incorrectly.
ONE LAST QUESTION…
How many of these expressions have you been saying without ever questioning them?
You can keep guessing.
Or you can find out.
Correct Your English Idioms — Volume One
₦3,000
GET YOUR COPY NOW HERE 👇👇
CORRECT YOUR ENGLISH IDIOMS500+ Common English Idiomatic Errors Nigerians Make and Their Correct Standard FormsHave you ever said:❌ A green snake in the green grass❌ From the onset❌ Buckle up ❌ Talkless of/ talk more of❌ Half break is better than none❌ A beggar has no choice❌ The devil...
