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Common English Mistakes to Avoid

This document provides a list of 28 common mistakes to avoid in English grammar and usage. Some key mistakes highlighted include: using "all the people" instead of "everybody" or "everyone"; lacking a subject except in imperatives; using prepositions incorrectly with verbs, objects, and pronouns; double negatives; treating "news" as singular or plural; misusing the verbs "say", "tell", and "explain"; confusing "feel/felt" with "fall/fell/fallen"; improper use of prepositions like "at", "in", "to" with locations and times; misusing definite and indefinite articles; incorrect word order; mixing up "ago" and "before"; improper

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Catherin Zavaleta
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56 views2 pages

Common English Mistakes to Avoid

This document provides a list of 28 common mistakes to avoid in English grammar and usage. Some key mistakes highlighted include: using "all the people" instead of "everybody" or "everyone"; lacking a subject except in imperatives; using prepositions incorrectly with verbs, objects, and pronouns; double negatives; treating "news" as singular or plural; misusing the verbs "say", "tell", and "explain"; confusing "feel/felt" with "fall/fell/fallen"; improper use of prepositions like "at", "in", "to" with locations and times; misusing definite and indefinite articles; incorrect word order; mixing up "ago" and "before"; improper

Uploaded by

Catherin Zavaleta
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Mistakes to avoid

1. All the people. Better: everybody, everyone (these compounds are always singular)
All the people in the building (a definite group)

2. Lack of subject. Except for the imperative, always include a subject. i.e. It is raining. I
think it is important.

3. Preposition + verb in gerund, the exception is verb after to (exceptions: be used to,
get used to and look forward to + gerund); i.e. I’m keen on reading.

4. Preposition + object pronoun: with her, to him, for me, ... i.e. I was waiting for her.

5. Double negative. She didn’t understand nothing. She didn’t understand anything =
She understood nothing. I don’t have any money = I have no money.

6. People always followed by a plural verb. i.e. People go / like / are / have/ ...

7. News (U) i.e. No news is good news (singular verb), a piece of / some news.

8. say / tell / explain. Explain: give an explanation (Catalan False Friend); tell: tell sb sth
(he told me a story); say sth (he said goodbye; he said goodbye to me)

9. Feel / felt/ felt vs Fall / fell / fallen.

10. Home: be/stay at home BUT go, get, arrive home.

11. Arrive to, arrive in a big place: i.e. arrive in London; arrive at a small place: i.e.
arrive at the airport.

12. I’ll phone you next week (the week after this week), I’ll phone you the next week
(the following week to the week we are referring to, not this week)
The same with last week (one week ago) and next week (the week following this week)

13. The: definite article, we are referring to something definite we have mentioned
before. Students are nice but the students in this class (definite) are very polite.
To generalise use plural subjects without the, i.e. Dogs are very friendly (in general)
but the dogs that live next door aren’t.

14. Word Order: Subject + Verb + Object

15. ago/ before. One week ago (the reference is this week); one week before (we need
a reference, i.e. one week before Christmas)

16. Revise prepositions of Time and Space

17. Before a singular job always: A / An. She’s a dentist. But: he’s retired. Job: empleo.
18. Revise: Comparatives and Superlatives. i.e. happy – happier, comfortable – more
comfortable.

19. Every day, every week, every morning (two words). Everyday is an adjective
(everyday English)

20. Here / there, I’m here now; I was there before.

21. This / that: I understood it in that moment. (past reference)

22. Be / stay: Stay: to continue to be in a place (stay at home) or to stay at a hotel, at a


friend’s house (spend some time)

23. Steal / Rob: Steal things (Somebody has stolen my phone); rob (places or people): I
have been robbed, my wallet has been stolen. Some day I’ll rob a bank.

24. Borrow / Lend: Can I borrow your pencil, please? / Can you lend me your pencil,
please? (different subjects; borrow: tomar prestado; lend: prestar)

25. Different from / The same as.

26. Modals + infinitive without to (*have to / ought to) i.e. She must/has to/ should/
can / could / might/ ought to go

27. Adjectives NEVER take S for plural: a nice house, two nice houses. A different idea,
two different ideas.

28. Can / be able to. Can: present, Could: past; when we need an auxiliary we need: be
able to. i.e: I will / must / have to/ should ... be able to finish this exercise in time.

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