Common Mistakes : Contrary

noun

BAD: It is impossible to tell whether a man is married or NOT. On the contrary, women usually have ‘Mrs’ or ‘Miss’ before their name GOOD: It is impossible to tell whether a man is married or not. On the other hand, women usually have ‘Mrs’ or ‘Miss’ before their name

BAD: I’ve never been able to cook. My sister on the contrary can bake wonderful biscuits and cakes GOOD: I’ve never been able to cook. My sister on the other hand can bake wonderful biscuits and cakes

Use on the contrary to show that you strongly disagree with a previous statement and believe that the opposite is true ?Your parents didn’t want you to go abroad, did they .On the contrary, they were all for it

To introduce a statement that is in sharp contrast with a previous statement, use on the other hand These new XJ100 computers are amazingly fast. On the other hand, they’re very expensive