The alphabet is a collection of letters, e.g. The English/Roman/Latin alphabet contains 26 letters.
Incorrect: “Marathi uses the Devanagari script and contains 52 alphabets.”
Correct: “The Marathi alphabet uses the Devanagari script and contains 52 letters.”
Here is a typical error, in this case made by one Aditi Phadnis in the Business Standard.
To revert back or to reply?
Indians are again the only people who “revert back” when they intend to “reply”. Why, oh why?
To revert means to return to its previous state. Try as I might, I cannot revert back to being a baby, or a 21-year-old. 😀
Correct: I will reply to you next week.
Incorrect: I will revert next week.
Is absconding
Only in India are criminals still absconding; everywhere else, they have absconded or are at large. Confused?
Google this phrase “is absconding” (in quotes). The writers are nearly always from India or in India. Here is a recent article that is guilty of using this phrase.
http://www.moneylife.in/article/stockguruindia-allegedly-dupes-2-lakh-investors-of-over-rs1000-crore/15461.html
The sentence is, “According to these investors, the company’s managing director is absconding.”
They should have written, “According to these investors, the company’s managing director has absconded.”
Or, “According to these investors, the company’s managing director is in hiding.”