100 common errors
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 11:15 am
100 COMMON ERRORS
Hi Guys,
Want to know what kinds of errors you make while writing and speaking? Well, read them here.
1) Nowadays people are working hard with a view to earn more money (Wrong)
Nowadays people are working hard with a view to earning more money. (Right) Most of the students look forward to explore new opportunities (Wrong)
Most of the students look forward to exploring new opportunities (Right)
EXPLANATION
Phrases like 'with a view to' or 'look forward to' take the verb in the -ing form.
With a view to + V1 (-ing) A Gerund or a Noun.
Look forward to + V1 (-ing) A Gerund or a Noun.
2) One of the advantages are mentioned here .(Wrong).
One of the advantages is mentioned here.(Right)
Explanation: The phrase ‘ one of the ‘ always takes a singular verb.
Ex: One of my friends is a good singer.
3) I availed of the opportunity (wrong).
I availed myself of the opportunity (Right)
Explanation: Verbs like avail, enjoy, absent, pride, and resign take reflexive pronouns as object. When the subject of the verb is also the receiver of the action, the action is reflected and we require to use Reflexive Pronouns ( myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself , oneself, ourselves, yourselves and themselves ).
4) I and he went to the market last night. ( wrong ).
He and I went to the market last night. ( right )
You, they and we should be careful. ( wrong )
We, you and they should be careful. (right)
When the pronouns of first , second and third person are to be used in a row, they should be used in the following order.
Singular pronouns 2 3 1 ( Second , third and first ).
Plural Pronouns 1 2 3 (First, second and third ).
5) The climate of villages is better than cities. ( wrong)
The climate of villages is better than that of ( or the climate) cities. (right )
The advantages of playing sports are better than physical exercises. (wrong)
The advantages of playing sports are better than those of physical exercises (right)
Explanation: In the above sentences the comparison is between (1) the climate and (2) the advantages but not between the (1) villages and cities or (2) sports and physical exercises. So to avoid repetition of the same noun (1) the climate (2) the advantages you should use ‘that’ for singular nouns and ‘those ‘ for plural nouns.
6) One has to take care of his/her health (wrong)
One has to take care of one’s health. (right)
Explanation: ‘One’ is an indefinite pronoun which means ‘anyone’. The possessive case of ‘one’ is ‘one’s’, so we have to use one’s in place of ‘his’.
7) One of them has given up one’s smoking habit. (wrong)
One of them has given up his smoking habit. (right)
EXPLANATION : ‘One’ means one of the many in number and the corresponding pronoun for it is the third person singular, he or she or it. The possessive case for it is his or her or its. In the above sentence ‘one of them means one out of many , so, we have to use possessive pronoun, ‘his’.
8) It has been one and half hour since we started working. (wrong).
It has been one and a half hours since we started working (right)
EXPLANATION : Plural nouns should be used with fractions and decimal over 1.
It is ‘ two and a half liters, three and a half dollars, 6.5 meters of cloth……………..
9) It is a worth seeing sight (wrong).
It is a sight worth seeing (right).
Soccer is a worth watching game (wrong).
Soccer is a game worth watching. (right).
EXPLANATION : The adjective ‘worth’ combined with participle like ‘seeing’ should be placed after the noun it qualifies.
10) The flower smells sweetly (wrong).
The flower smells sweet (right)
EXPLANATION : The smell of the flower is described in the sentence. Hence the adjective ‘sweet’ should be used in stead of adverb ’sweetly’.
She sang beautiful (wrong)
She sang beautifully (right)
EXPLANATION : The action done by the subject is modified by an adverb (beautifully) but not by an adjective (beautiful).
TO KNOW ABOUT MORE ERRORS JOIN MY SKYPE CLASSES .
PRABHAKAR REDDY
PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH & IELTS TRAINER
Email : preddy2407@gmail.com
Hi Guys,
Want to know what kinds of errors you make while writing and speaking? Well, read them here.
1) Nowadays people are working hard with a view to earn more money (Wrong)
Nowadays people are working hard with a view to earning more money. (Right) Most of the students look forward to explore new opportunities (Wrong)
Most of the students look forward to exploring new opportunities (Right)
EXPLANATION
Phrases like 'with a view to' or 'look forward to' take the verb in the -ing form.
With a view to + V1 (-ing) A Gerund or a Noun.
Look forward to + V1 (-ing) A Gerund or a Noun.
2) One of the advantages are mentioned here .(Wrong).
One of the advantages is mentioned here.(Right)
Explanation: The phrase ‘ one of the ‘ always takes a singular verb.
Ex: One of my friends is a good singer.
3) I availed of the opportunity (wrong).
I availed myself of the opportunity (Right)
Explanation: Verbs like avail, enjoy, absent, pride, and resign take reflexive pronouns as object. When the subject of the verb is also the receiver of the action, the action is reflected and we require to use Reflexive Pronouns ( myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself , oneself, ourselves, yourselves and themselves ).
4) I and he went to the market last night. ( wrong ).
He and I went to the market last night. ( right )
You, they and we should be careful. ( wrong )
We, you and they should be careful. (right)
When the pronouns of first , second and third person are to be used in a row, they should be used in the following order.
Singular pronouns 2 3 1 ( Second , third and first ).
Plural Pronouns 1 2 3 (First, second and third ).
5) The climate of villages is better than cities. ( wrong)
The climate of villages is better than that of ( or the climate) cities. (right )
The advantages of playing sports are better than physical exercises. (wrong)
The advantages of playing sports are better than those of physical exercises (right)
Explanation: In the above sentences the comparison is between (1) the climate and (2) the advantages but not between the (1) villages and cities or (2) sports and physical exercises. So to avoid repetition of the same noun (1) the climate (2) the advantages you should use ‘that’ for singular nouns and ‘those ‘ for plural nouns.
6) One has to take care of his/her health (wrong)
One has to take care of one’s health. (right)
Explanation: ‘One’ is an indefinite pronoun which means ‘anyone’. The possessive case of ‘one’ is ‘one’s’, so we have to use one’s in place of ‘his’.
7) One of them has given up one’s smoking habit. (wrong)
One of them has given up his smoking habit. (right)
EXPLANATION : ‘One’ means one of the many in number and the corresponding pronoun for it is the third person singular, he or she or it. The possessive case for it is his or her or its. In the above sentence ‘one of them means one out of many , so, we have to use possessive pronoun, ‘his’.
8) It has been one and half hour since we started working. (wrong).
It has been one and a half hours since we started working (right)
EXPLANATION : Plural nouns should be used with fractions and decimal over 1.
It is ‘ two and a half liters, three and a half dollars, 6.5 meters of cloth……………..
9) It is a worth seeing sight (wrong).
It is a sight worth seeing (right).
Soccer is a worth watching game (wrong).
Soccer is a game worth watching. (right).
EXPLANATION : The adjective ‘worth’ combined with participle like ‘seeing’ should be placed after the noun it qualifies.
10) The flower smells sweetly (wrong).
The flower smells sweet (right)
EXPLANATION : The smell of the flower is described in the sentence. Hence the adjective ‘sweet’ should be used in stead of adverb ’sweetly’.
She sang beautiful (wrong)
She sang beautifully (right)
EXPLANATION : The action done by the subject is modified by an adverb (beautifully) but not by an adjective (beautiful).
TO KNOW ABOUT MORE ERRORS JOIN MY SKYPE CLASSES .
PRABHAKAR REDDY
PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH & IELTS TRAINER
Email : preddy2407@gmail.com