3 quick fixes

I hear and read these slips of the tongue all the time.

Are you making them too?

It’s not one of my friend, but one of my friends.

We mean one of our many friends, so we need to add an S at the end of the noun to make the plural.

It’s not a high tree, but a tall tree.

People, trees and buildings are tall as we mean they’re above what we consider average height. But bridges, mountains and walls are high as we’re focusing on their long distance from the ground, like high heels.

It’s not to read loudly, but to read aloud or to read out loud.

When we talk and speak loudly, we’re commenting on the volume level. But when we mean that everyone else can hear the words, so we’re not just saying them in our head, then it’s aloud or out loud.

Ready, steady, all 3 fixed.

And some more common confusions are fixed here, here and here.

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