Common Mistakes : Control

verb

.BAD: I was surprised that nobody wanted to control my luggage .GOOD: I was surprised that nobody wanted to inspect my luggage

.BAD: After controlling his fingerprints, the police arrested him .GOOD: After inspecting his fingerprints, the police arrested him

.BAD: At this stage in the process, every mould is controlled again .GOOD: At this stage in the process, every mould is inspected again

: control = make people or machines do what you want them to do ?Who will control the aircraft if the pilot has a heart attack .The police were unable to control the crowd

: inspect = carefully check or examine something .The building is regularly inspected by fire-safety officers .I got out of the car to inspect the damage

.BAD: These people want to control over our lives .GOOD: These people want to control our lives .GOOD: These people want control over our lives

: control sth (verb) WITHOUT of/over .It’s usually the editor who controls what goes into a newspaper .The security forces are no longer able to control the situation

: (control of/over sth (noun .It’s usually the editor who has control over what goes into a newspaper .The security forces have lost control of the situation

noun

.BAD: My boat had lost control .GOOD: My boat had gone out of control

.BAD: There was a loud bang and my car became out of control .GOOD: There was a loud bang and my car went out of control

.BAD: The ferry was not under control and collided with a sampan .GOOD: The ferry was out of control and collided with a sampan

: People lose control of vehicles, machines etc .The pilot lost control of the aircraft and it plummeted to the ground

: Vehicles and machines are/go out of control .The aircraft went out of control and plummeted to the ground

.BAD: I had lost my control and crashed into a tree .GOOD: I had lost control and crashed into a tree

.BAD: He lost the control of the car and hit a wall .GOOD: He lost control of the car and hit a wall

: lose control (of sth ), WITHOUT the, his, my, etc .In 1993 Roseberg lost control of the company after a surprise takeover bid