Odisha BSE Madhyama English common mistakes
Odisha BSE Madhyama English · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Writing a full answer to a comprehension passage without first reading the questions, so the response misses the specific point each question asks for.
Candidates treat the passage as a translation or summary task and rush to reproduce its content, because in earlier classes they were often asked only to read aloud or copy the text.
What to do instead
Read the questions first and underline the key word in each (who, when, why, how many). Then read the passage once with those words in mind and answer each question with its own short sentence, using the question's wording in the answer.
Answering comprehension questions in one or two words, e.g. writing only 'Yes' or 'In the morning' where a complete sentence is expected.
In ordinary conversation short answers are natural, and candidates do not realise that the mark scheme rewards a full sentence that restates the question.
What to do instead
Practise the frame 'Question word + subject + verb + rest' so that 'When did he leave?' becomes 'He left in the morning.' Before writing, check that the answer contains a subject and a finite verb.
Choosing the wrong option in grammar items on articles, prepositions and tense because the choice is made by how the sentence sounds in Odia rather than by the English rule.
The mother tongue has no articles and uses postpositions instead of prepositions, so direct transfer produces forms like 'He is teacher' or 'I am living here since 2010'.
What to do instead
Keep a personal error list of the ten rules tested most often (a/an/the, in/on/at, since/for, present perfect vs past simple) and for each write one correct and one incorrect example. In the exam, identify the rule being tested before selecting the option.
Losing marks in the transformation items (active to passive, direct to indirect speech, simple to complex) by changing only part of the sentence and leaving the rest untouched.
Candidates memorise a few model sentences but do not track every element that must change: pronoun, tense, reporting verb, word order and punctuation.
What to do instead
Use a fixed checklist for each transformation type. For reported speech: reporting verb, conjunction, pronoun shift, tense backshift, time and place words. Apply it item by item and rewrite the whole sentence rather than patching it.
Producing a composition or letter with no paragraphing, no opening and closing, and with the points copied from the question in the same order.
Under time pressure candidates write everything as one block and treat the given hints as the complete content, so the piece reads as a list rather than a piece of writing.
What to do instead
Spend two minutes on a skeleton: three or four paragraph headings and two ideas under each. Write one topic sentence per paragraph, then add a linking word (first, moreover, however, finally). Leave two minutes to check spelling, capitals and full stops.
Writing a letter or application with the wrong format: missing sender's address, date placed after the subject, 'Yours faithfully' used with a named recipient, or a salutation that does not match the close.
Formats are learned by copying a single model, and candidates do not distinguish formal from informal conventions or the difference between 'Yours faithfully' and 'Yours sincerely'.
What to do instead
Memorise one formal and one informal layout as a diagram: address, date, salutation, subject (formal only), body paragraphs, closing, signature. Match 'Dear Sir/Madam' with 'Yours faithfully' and 'Dear Mr X' with 'Yours sincerely'.
Misreading poetry and figure-of-speech questions by giving the literal meaning of a metaphor or by naming a simile when the line has personification.
Figures of speech are often learned as definitions without practice in spotting them in unfamiliar lines, and candidates answer from the general mood of the poem rather than from the exact words quoted.
What to do instead
For each figure, learn the test question: does it compare with 'like/as' (simile), give human qualities to a thing (personification), repeat initial sounds (alliteration), or exaggerate (hyperbole)? Apply the test to the quoted words only, not to the whole stanza.
Leaving vocabulary items blank or guessing wildly in antonym, synonym and one-word-substitution questions, and misspelling the word that is chosen.
Vocabulary is revised as a list read passively, so recognition is weak and production (spelling) is untested; candidates also confuse similar-looking words.
What to do instead
Revise in pairs (word with its antonym, word with its substitution) and write each word from memory, not just read it. For unknown items, use the sentence context and word parts (prefix, root, suffix) to eliminate options before guessing.
Running out of time because the essay or letter is attempted first and the grammar and comprehension sections are left half done.
Candidates start with the section they find hardest or longest, and they do not practise under a time limit, so they cannot judge how long each section should take.
What to do instead
In practice, time a full paper and fix a section order: quick grammar and vocabulary first, comprehension next, writing last with a set budget (for example 30 minutes). Keep five minutes at the end for checking, and never leave a question blank.
Losing easy marks on handwriting, numbering and presentation: answers written out of order, no question numbers, struck-out words left visible, or answers to two questions merged into one paragraph.
Candidates write in whatever space is left and do not plan the answer sheet, and they assume the examiner will find the answer regardless of how it is laid out.
What to do instead
Before writing, number every answer clearly and leave a blank line between answers. Write the question number in the margin, keep margins clean, and cross out mistakes with a single line instead of overwriting.