Common Mistakes : Alarm

Alarm – Verb

BAD: Finally we got really worried and alarmed the local police

GOOD: Finally we got really worried and alerted the local police

alarm = make someone feel worried about a possible danger: We don’t wish to alarm people unnecessarily, but it would be wise to avoid drinking the tap water here

alert = inform someone of possible danger so that they can be ready to deal with it: When the pilot realized that one engine had failed, he alerted air traffic control