Daily English Practice for Busy Professionals: Fix These 5 Mistakes

Here’s something that happens a lot. A professional with years of experience, strong technical skills, and good general English sends an email or speaks in a meeting — and one small mistake quietly undermines how competent they sound. Not a big dramatic error. A small, habitual one. The kind that comes from learning English mostly on the job, without anyone ever stopping to say: actually, that’s not quite right.

These mistakes are incredibly common, and they’re not a sign of low ability. They’re a sign of busy people who never had time to iron out the details. The good news is that once you see them, they’re easy to fix — and fixing them makes a real difference to how you come across.

Let’s go through five of the most frequent ones.

The Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

1. “I am working here since 2019.”

Correction: “I have been working here since 2019.”

Use the present perfect continuous for actions that started in the past and are still happening now. “Since” is your clue: it almost always needs the present perfect.

2. “Please revert back to me at your earliest.”

Correction: “Please get back to me at your earliest convenience.”

Two issues here. “Revert” means to return to a previous state — it doesn’t mean “reply” in standard business English, though it’s widely used that way in some regions. And “at your earliest” is incomplete. The full phrase is “at your earliest convenience.” Both details matter in formal professional writing.

3. “I look forward to hear from you.”

Correction: “I look forward to hearing from you.”

After “look forward to,” you need a gerund (the -ing form), not an infinitive. “To” here is a preposition, not part of an infinitive structure. This one trips up even advanced learners because “to + verb” usually signals the infinitive. Not here.

This is exactly the kind of fine-grained grammar point that comes up every week in our daily coaching programme. If you want that level of detail in your inbox regularly, here’s how it works.

4. “The meeting was very informative and we discussed about the project.”

Correction: “The meeting was very informative and we discussed the project.”

“Discuss” is a transitive verb — it takes a direct object without a preposition. You discuss something. You don’t discuss about something. The same rule applies to “mention” and “consider.” No preposition needed.

5. “I will revert you the details shortly.”

Correction: “I will send you the details shortly.” (Or: “I’ll follow up with the details shortly.”)

“Revert” appears again — this time as a transitive verb meaning “to send back.” That’s not a standard use in most varieties of professional English. If you mean you’ll send information, say so directly. Simple and clear always wins.

The Pattern Behind These Mistakes

Look at those five mistakes together and you’ll notice something: most of them come from one of three sources.

First, tense confusion — specifically, not knowing when to use the present perfect versus the simple present or past. This is genuinely one of the trickiest areas of English grammar for speakers of many languages, because not all languages have an equivalent structure.

Second, preposition errors — adding one where it doesn’t belong (“discuss about”) or using the wrong one (“look forward to hear”). Prepositions in English are famously irregular. You largely have to learn them in context, as fixed phrases.

Third, false formality — using words like “revert” to sound more professional, when they actually sound off to a native speaker. Real professional English is clear and precise, not flowery. If a simpler word works better, use it.

The fix for all three? Regular, focused practice on the specific language of your professional world. Not just reading English, but actively studying the phrases and structures you use every day.

Quick-Reference Summary

• Use present perfect (have/has + past participle) with “since” and “for” when the action is still ongoing.
• “Look forward to” is followed by a gerund (-ing), not an infinitive.
• “Discuss,” “mention,” and “consider” do not take prepositions — no “about,” “about,” or “about.”
• “Revert” does not mean “reply” in standard international business English. Use “get back to,” “respond,” or “follow up.”
• Clear, direct language sounds more professional than elaborate phrasing. Aim for precision, not decoration.

Vocabulary to Know

• present perfect continuous /ˈprezənt ˈpɜːfɪkt kənˈtɪnjuəs/ – Level: B2 – a verb tense used to describe an action that began in the past and is still ongoing or has recent relevance – Example: She has been preparing the quarterly report since Monday.
• gerund /ˈdʒerənd/ – Level: B2 – a verb form ending in -ing that functions as a noun – Example: Attending conferences is a great way to build your network.
• transitive verb /ˈtrænzɪtɪv vɜːb/ – Level: C1 – a verb that requires a direct object to complete its meaning – Example: “She confirmed the meeting” — “confirmed” is transitive here.
• at your earliest convenience /æt jɔːr ˈɜːliɪst kənˈviːniəns/ – Level: B1 – a polite phrase meaning “as soon as you are able to” – Example: Please review the attached document at your earliest convenience.
• false formality /fɔːls fɔːˈmælɪti/ – Level: C1 – the use of unnecessarily complex or misapplied language in an attempt to sound professional – Example: His email was full of false formality — long words that actually made it harder to understand.
• follow up /ˈfɒləʊ ʌp/ – Level: B1 – to take further action on something, or to make contact again after an initial exchange – Example: I’ll follow up with the client after the proposal is sent.
• precision /prɪˈsɪʒən/ – Level: B2 – the quality of being exact and accurate in language or detail – Example: Precision in written communication reduces the risk of misunderstandings.
• collocation /ˌkɒləˈkeɪʃən/ – Level: C1 – a natural combination of words that native speakers use together habitually – Example: “Make a decision” is a common collocation — you don’t “do” or “take” a decision in standard British English.
• iron out /ˈaɪən aʊt/ – Level: B2 – to resolve small problems or smooth over difficulties – Example: Let’s schedule a call to iron out the final details before we sign.
• undermine /ˌʌndəˈmaɪn/ – Level: C1 – to weaken or damage something gradually, often without it being obvious – Example: Repeated errors in writing can undermine a professional’s credibility over time.

FAQ

How much time do I actually need for daily English practice if I have a busy schedule?

Consistency beats duration. Fifteen focused minutes every day will do more for your professional English than a two-hour session once a week. The key word is focused — reviewing one grammar point, reading one professional article, or writing one short paragraph with intention. That’s it. You don’t need a huge time commitment. You need a reliable habit.

I’ve been speaking English at work for years. Is it too late to fix these habits?

No. Habits are just patterns — and patterns can be replaced with better ones. The professionals who improve fastest at this stage are often the ones who are motivated by a specific goal: a promotion, a presentation to an international audience, a move to a new market. You already have the vocabulary and fluency. What you’re doing now is refining. That’s a much shorter road than starting from scratch.

Are these mistakes really noticed by native English speakers in a professional context?

Honestly, it depends on the native speaker and the context. Most won’t stop a meeting to correct you. But patterns of error do register, even unconsciously. In written communication especially, small consistent mistakes can affect how polished and credible you appear. That’s not a judgment on your ability — it’s just how written language works. A clean, accurate email signals care and professionalism. It’s worth getting right.

The mistakes above, and dozens like them, are the kind of thing we work through in the daily coaching programme at richardg.xyz. Short, practical, and built around the English that actually comes up in professional life. For more details, click here.