Top 10 Commonly Used English Words

I examined Oxford English Dictionary’s list of top 30 words commonly used in the English language. I then put their statistics and findings to the test. I randomly chose 2 monologues and 2 newspaper articles with excerpts of 100 words each. I looked at how frequently each article used the top 30 words identified by Oxford English Dictionary. Here is my list of Top 10 Commonly Used English Words.

1. And:

Almost all sentences have ‘and’. Sometimes the word is overused, making sentences large and run-on. If you want to combine two or more nouns, ‘and’ is the word to used. If you would like to add two or more interrelated ideas, you need to use this word as well. It sometimes is silenced with a comma and semi-colon, but still is essential in the sentence.

2. The:

You need this preposition in just about every sentence. You cannot use the word ‘the’ without a noun. ‘The’ is also used and replaced with this, these, that and those to stipulate a reflection. It is thus not surprising that it is one of the most commonly used word

3. Of:

This very commonly used word as well. It is commonly used to express emotion and sometimes possessions. For example: I would like to have a piece of the piece.

4. It:

This is quite commonly used word as well to describe a thing or an object. Many sentences in the monologue used the word subsequently after mentioning the object once.

5. To:

Anytime you would like to do something or say something in future and conditional tenses, you need this word. All verbs that are used in these tenses will have to in the front. For example, I would like to go to the movies. How many of us have used the root of this sentence before? Just about everybody.

6. A/An:

A was used as much as the. It is needed everywhere in a sentence before a noun. Usually it is used as reference to something in general or not familiar to a specific person. However, it is not as often used as the word ‘the’.

7. Was:

This word is used in both written and oral languages. People use the word to reflect on past experiences, especially in newspapers and monologues.

8. In:

This word is alternatively used with on to describe where things or people are. It was used frequently in monologues to stipulate the position things/people occupied.

9. Is:

This word was used not as frequently as the other 8. It is used alternatively with ‘be’ and is to discuss people’s actions in the present term. Between the two (be/is) ‘is’ was used more in their excerpts as it was more flexible.

10. I:

This word, everyone uses just about every time they try say or write a sentence. Most essays do not allow writers to utilize first person unless they can back up their thoughts. It is on the bottom of the list because it is common in verbal communications but not in written.