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THE 10MOST COMMONMISTAKES IN ENGLISH

STOP MAKING

Contents

I N T R O D U C T I O N

C O M M O N M I S T A K E S 1

1 ) S U B J E C T + V E R B A G R E E M E N T 2

2 ) T A L K I N G A B O U T A G E 5

3 ) U S I N G N E G A T I V E S I N R E P O R T E D S P E E C H 6

4 ) N O T U S I N G A G E R U N D A S T H E S U B J E C T O F A S E N T E N C E 7

5 ) U S E D T O ’ V E R S U S ‘ T O B E U S E D T O ’ 8

6 ) P R E P O S I T I O N S 1 0

7 ) M A K I N G C O M P A R A T I V E A N D S U P E R L A T I V E A D J E C T I V E S 1 4

8 ) L E N D V E R S U S B O R R O W V E R B S 1 6

9 ) U S I N G “ W A N T ” W I T H A “ T H A T ” C L A U S E 1 8

1 0 ) I R R E G U L A R P L U R A L N O U N S 1 9

S T O P M A K I N G T H E 1 0 M O S T C O M M O N M I S T A K E S I N E N G L I S H - C O P Y R I G H T @ A B S O L U T E - E N G L I S H . C O M 2 0 1 8 1

Hello English Learners,Have you been learning English for a long time but still make the same mistakes again and again?

Even after learning English for a long time there are some mistakes that learners just can’t stop making!

We have taught thousands of students and we hear learners making the same mistakes again and again. Most of the mistakes are simple to fix but often the problem is that students don’t even know they are making a mistake.

We created our website Absolute-English.com to help you learn English. We also created this Free e-Book to share with you the 10 of the Most Common Mistakes English learners make.

By studying the contents of this e-Book you will become aware of the common mistakes students make in English and also understand why they are mistakes. You will then be able to avoid these mistakes and sound more fluent when you are speaking English with Native Speakers.

We hope you find the contents of the e-Book helpful and we wish you the best with your English learning journey!

The Absolute English Team


M I S T A K E 1 - S U B J E C T + V E R B A G R E E M E N T

One of the most common mistakes that English learners continue to make, even at higher levels, is getting the SUBJECT + VERB Agreement wrong.

What is Subject + Verb Agreement?

The ‘Subject’ is a person or thing that we are talking about in a sentence. The Subject comes before the verb.

Examples of subject - I, you, he, she, we, they, John, the president, the dog, the car... etc.

What is the most common mistake English learners make?

As teachers, the most common mistake we hear learners make is not adding the ‘s’ to the verb for the Third Person Singular subject.

SUBJECT SINGULAR PLURAL

First Person I We

Second Person You You

Third Person (3rd) He/She/It They


Note: Third person singular includes any singular nouns:

Things (common nouns) - a boy / a girl / a dog / a city / a river

Names (proper nouns) - John / Maria / London / the Nile

*The Third Person Singular (He, She, It) is different from all the rest.

The general rule is that the third person present tense in regular verbs end in -s.

In each sentence the subject must agree with the verb. If the subject of the sentence is singular then the verb used with it must be singular, and if the subject is plural, then the verb must be plural.

*Although this rule may seem simple even students at high levels in English make these mistakes.

Mistake Correction Explanation

Maria like sports. Maria likes sports.The subject Maria is third person singular, so the verb must be likes

I R R E G U L A R V E R B S - T H I R D ( 3 R D ) P E R S O N S I N G U L A R

The 3rd Person Singular is also different in Irregular verbs.

The most common irregular verbs that students make mistakes with are the verbs: do and have.

Common Mistakes Correction Explanation

He have two sistersHe do his homework everyday.

He has two sistersHe does his homework everyday.

The 3rd person subject is different.

Note: Students also make a lot of mistakes with the verb ‘to be’ which is the most irregular verb in English. (I am/I was, you are/you were, he is/he was).

The mistake that they make a lot is when they are using the past simple of “you” with the verb to be.


O T H E R M I S T A K E S - Q U E S T I O N F O R M S A N D N E G A T I V E F O R M S

Learners also get confused when an auxiliary verb is used for question forms and negative forms.

They forget that it’s the auxiliary verb which changes and that the main verb shouldn’t change.

Common Mistakes Corrections Explanation

Does Maria likes pizza?Do Maria like pizza?

Does Maria like pizza? The subject is Maria, so the auxiliary verb ‘do’ takes the 3rd Person form ‘does’ The main verb ‘like’ takes no ‘s’.

Maria doesn’t likes pizza.Maria don’t likes pizza.

Maria doesn’t like pizza. The subject is Maria, so the negative auxiliary verb is doesn’t and the main verb shouldn’t change.*Remember: don’t is for plural subjects

E V E R Y B O D Y, S O M E B O D Y A N D N O B O D Y


Everybody like ice cream. Everybody likes ice cream.

These words are 3rd Person singular, so the regular verbs verbs should take an ‘s’ and the verb ‘to be’ should be ‘is’.

Somebody keep breaking the windows.

Somebody keeps breaking the windows

These words are 3rd Person singular, so the regular verbs verbs should take an ‘s’ and the verb ‘to be’ should be ‘is’.

Nobody are here. Nobody is here. These words are 3rd Person singular, so the regular verbs verbs should take an ‘s’ and the verb ‘to be’ should be ‘is’.

Learners get confused with the subjects “Everybody/Everyone, Somebody/Someone and Nobody” which are (3rd) Third Person Subjects.

Learners often don’t use these subjects in the third person. *Even if you know lots of fancy expressions in English, if you make these mistakes it will sound very wrong for a native speaker.


M I S T A K E 2 - T A L K I N G A B O U T A G E

In English when you are talking about your age you say that you ‘ARE X years old’.

So when talking about age remember to use the verb ‘be’.


I have 23 and Jane has 22 I am 23 and Jane is 22. The verb ‘be’ should be used

I am 22 years I am 22 years old In English we say ‘X years old’

NOTE: You don’t need to say ‘years old’. You can say ‘I am 22 years old’ or only ‘I am 22’. Both sentences are correct!

*This common mistake may seem like a ‘beginner’ mistake to make in English but it’s a common mistake at every level and students even make these mistakes in the IELTS exam.

One reason for mistakes with age is often because students translate directly from their own language.

In some languages you ‘HAVE 22 years’ or ‘ARE WITH 22 years’!

In English it is always ‘ TO BE 22 (years old)


M I S T A K E 3 - U S I N G N E G A T I V E S I N R E P O R T E D S P E E C H

We use Reported Speech (indirect speech) to say or report what other people have said to you.

Usually we use reported speech to report orders, requests, advice, teachings etc that you have ‘received’ from someone else.

A very common mistake that English learners make is when they are reporting negative orders, requests, advice, teachings in sentences.

The common mistake is that many students use ‘to don’t’ to make the reported part negative instead of ‘not to’. So they are using a negative Auxiliary verb instead of a negative Infinitive!

For example: INCORRECT: The doctor told me to don’t eat a lot of chocolate. (Reporting a Positive Order/Request)

Let’s look at more common types of mistakes students make and their corrections.


The doctor told me to don’t eat a lot of chocolate.

The doctor told me not to eat a lot of chocolate.

Use ‘not to’ to make the reported part negative

My parents advised me to don’t leave school

My parents advised me not to leave school


My father taught me to don’t make promises I cannot keep

My father taught me not to make promises I cannot keep


The policeman warned the man to don’t touch the gun.

The policeman warned the man not to touch the gun.



M I S T A K E 4 - N O T U S I N G A G E R U N D A S T H E S U B J E C T O F A S E N T E N C E

Sometimes in English we need to use a verb as the subject of a sentence. Students often use the wrong form of the verb as the subject i.e - they use the Infinitive or the Infinitive without ‘to’ form of the verb instead of the Gerund form!

*The Gerund is formed by adding ‘ing’ and it acts as a noun in a sentence.

*The General rule is that when we want to use a verb as the subject of a sentence we use the Gerund (Verb+ing)

Note: It is Grammatically Correct to use the infinitive as the subject of the sentence but is is very unusual and it will sound strange to Native Speakers.

Example: ‘To play football is fun’ is not incorrect but is sounds very strange. It is very abstract and would not be used in conversation!


To play football is fun Playing football is fun.Here the activity ‘playing football’ is the subject of the sentence so it

is usually a gerund.

Smoke is bad for your health.

Smoking is bad for your health

The subject is an activity, a habit, so we use the gerund.

Learn new skills helps you get a better job.

Learning new skills helps you get a better job.

Same


M I S T A K E 5 - ‘ U S E D T O ’ V E R S U S ‘ T O B E U S E D T O ’

Another very common mistake that English learners make is confusing the phrases ‘used to’ and ‘to be used to’. Learners often have difficulty remembering the difference between the the two phrases and they often use them incorrectly.

Firstly, let’s look at the meaning of each phrase, then we will look at some of the common mistakes students make!

Used to

‘Used to’ is a type of past tense which is used to talk about habits or things you did in the past but that you don’t do anymore.

FORM: used to / didn’t use to + infinitive

Examples:

1. Do you smoke?2. No, I used to smoke, but I don’t smoke anymore.

Negative - didn’t use to

Examples

1. My brother has long hair now but he didn’t use to. (He didn’t have long hair in the past)2. A: I didn’t know you smoked? B: I didn’t use to smoke but I started last month.

Note: used to / didn’t use to can only be used in the past tense.

There is no present or future form!


Be Used to FORM: to be used to + noun/gerund

(+) to be used to sth - to talk about something which is a familiar thing or activity for you

Examples

1. I have been living in Ireland for 3 years so I am used to speaking English2. I drive in the city every day so I am used to the traffic.

(-) to not be used to sth - to talk about something which is not a familiar habit, thing or activity for you

Examples

1. I have only been living in Ireland for 2 weeks so I am not used to speaking English.2. I drive in the city once per year so I am not used to the traffic.


I used to speaking English. I am used to speaking English The student wants to say that speaking English is a familiar habit for them - so they need the phrase

‘ to be used to sth’

I am use to speak English I am used to speaking English This phrase must be followed by a noun/Gerund - To be used to +

verb+ing

I was used to smoke but I stopped

I used to smoke but I stopped ‘Used to’ is already a past tense - we it does not need to be put into

the past!


M I S T A K E 6 - P R E P O S I T I O N SMistakes with prepositions is one of the most common types of mistakes English learners make.

Prepositions can be very difficult to use and can be confusing. There are many different prepositions in English so it can be hard to remember which preposition to use.

*Another common problem is that learners use a different preposition in their own language and they try to translate directly and therefore make mistakes.

The common type of mistakes that learners make are that they;

• don’t use a preposition when one is needed

• use a preposition when no preposition is needed

• use the wrong preposition.

*The bad news is that for most verb/noun/adjective/adverb + preposition collocations you just need to learn them because there is no easy set of rules to follow.

*The good news is that the more you read and listen to English, the easier it becomes to know which preposition you need to use - because you start to hear them so often it becomes quite natural!

The are many different mistakes that students can make with prepositions in English that I cannot talk about all of them in this book. However, I am going to look at 5 of the most common mistakes students make with prepositions!

1) For and since

Students often make mistakes with the prepositions for and since when they are talking about TIME.

Students must remember that ‘for’ is used with a period of time (for six months, for three days, for two weeks, for 5 minutes etc), and ‘since’ is used with a specific point in time (since ten o’clock last night, since 2011, since Tuesday).



I have been a photographer since three years.

I have been a photographer for three years.

‘Three years’ is a period of time so we use ‘for’.

I have not seen you since a long time.

I have not seen you for a long time.

‘A long time’ is a period of time so we use ‘for’.

Bob has been on holiday from January.

Bob has been on holiday since January.

‘Since’ should be used because ‘January’ is a specific point in time.

Let’s look at some of the most common types of mistakes:

2) Going places + ‘to’

Another common mistake with preposition is using the preposition ‘to’ with the verb ‘go’!

Although this is one of the first things you learn in English, we still see this mistake in writing and speaking exams at all levels.


I am going back my country. I am going back to my country. ‘To’ preposition is needed after verb ‘go’ - it indicates movement

in a direction.

Frank goes in work at 8.00am Frank goes to work at 8.00am The preposition ‘to’ is used to show movement.

I go to my home after class. I go home after class.*Exception

We say ‘to go home’We do not say ‘to go to home’


3) to marry, to get married, to be married

With the verb ‘to marry sb’ students often make the mistake of using a preposition when no proposition is necessary!

*However, if the verb ‘marry’ is used in the passive form: to get married, to be married - we used the preposition ‘to’

To get married to someone

To be married to someone


Mary married to Frank.

Mary married with Frank.

Mary married Frank. Using the verb marry we don’t use a preposition.

Mary got married with Frank. Mary got married to Frank. Passive form: to get married to someone.

Mary is married with Frank. Mary is married to Frank. Passive form: to be married to someone.

4) Mistakes with prepositions of Time and Location

Mistakes with Prepositions of time and location are also very common. Below are some of the common mistakes we hear as English teachers and their corrections.

Preposition of time


Frank was born in Friday on 5 o’clock at June.

Frank was born on Friday at 5 o’clock in June.

Things happen in a month, on a day and at a time.

I woke up at the morning, had lunch on noon and went for

dinner on night.

I woke up in the morning, had lunch at noon and went for

dinner at night.

Things happen in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening but

at night.

Noon is a time so it’s at noon.


Preposition of location


Sarah lives on number 12 at Main Street at London.

Sarah lives at number 12 on Main Street in London.

You live at an address on a street in a city.

5) Other common Verb and Adjective Preposition Collocation mistakes!

Below in the tables are some of the other most common mistakes students make with verb + prep collocations or with adjective + preposition collocations.

There are no rules for these collocations so you just need to learn them!

Other Common Verb + Preposition Collocations


Bob is interested on politics. Bob is interested in politics. ‘Interested in something’ not ‘on’.

Whether I go to the party or not depends of how I feel.

Whether I go to the party or not depends on how I feel.

‘depends on sth’ not ‘of’

Mary is very similar as her sis-ter/Mary is very similar like her

sister.

Mary is very similar to her sis-ter.

Someone is similar to someone else.

I dream with money I dream about moneyDream about sth

Frank accused Sarah for steal-ing his bicycle.

Frank accused Sarah of stealing his bicycle.

You accuse someone of doing something.

Bob needs a babysitter to take care with his baby.

Bob needs a babysitter to take care of his baby.

You take care of someone.


M I S T A K E 7 - F O R M I N G C O M P A R A T I V E A N D S U P E R L A T I V E A D J E C T I V E S

Mistakes with comparative and superlative adjectives are very common!

Some typical errors students make is that they;

• confuse the comparative and superlative adjectives!

• They use ‘more’ or ‘er’ with the wrong adjective

How to form Comparative and Superlative adjectives

*We form comparative adjectives by adding ‘-er’, ‘-ier’ to the adjective or using ‘more’ before the adjective.

*We form the superlative by adding ‘-est’, ‘-iest’ to the adjective or using ‘the most’ before the adjective.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

Long Longer the longest

big (when there is a vowel i,a,e,o,u before the last letter - double the last letter and add

‘er’)

bigger the biggest

happy (y becomes ‘ier’ / iest) happier the happiest

Intelligent (3 or more syllables - use ‘more for comparative and

‘the most’ for superlative)

more intelligent the most intelligent

Irregular

good better the best

bad worse the worst

big bigger the biggest


Common mistakes


Mary is tallest than John but John is the most intelligent

Mary is taller than John but John is more intelligent than

When comparing two people, use the comparative, not the superlative!

John is best at maths than Frank.

John is better at maths than Frank.

Again, when comparing two people, use the comparative.

Frank is worser at maths than John.

Frank is worse at maths than John.

Be careful of the irregular comparatives.

Frank is the happier of his three friends.

Frank is the happiest of his three friends.

When comparing more than two people, use the superlative.

Jane is beautifuler than Mary. Jane is more beautiful than Mary.

Adjectives that take ‘more’ before them have 3 or more syllables and don’t change. (e.g. beau-ti-ful, ex-pen-sive)

Mary is more taller than John. Mary is taller than John. Don’t use ‘more for adjectives with one syllable.

Between London and Berlin, London is the biggest city.

Between London and Berlin, London is the bigger city.

When comparing two things, use the com-parative.You can think of it like this - London is the bigger (of the two).

London is more big than Berlin. London is bigger than Berlin. Make sure to use the correct form of com-parative adjective.(Big= 1 Syllable)

That is the most tall building in the city.

That is the tallest building in the city.

Don’t use ‘most’ for superlative adjectives with one syllable.


M I S T A K E 8 - L E N D V E R S U S B O R R O W

Students tend to confuse the verbs ‘to Lend’ and ‘to Borrow’ in English.

*In some languages there is only one verb which means the same as ‘to Lend’ and ‘to Borrow’, so that is why a lot of students make mistakes.

Let’s learn the difference between these two common verbs and also an easy way to remember what each verb means.

*To Lend someone something

- this means to give someone something for a period of time

- you expect to get it back from the person.

Forms

To Lend someone something

To Lend something to someone

Example:

The bank lent (gave) me money.

To Borrow something from someone

- this means to receive something from someone for a period of time - you are expected to give it back.

Example:

I borrowed (received) money from the bank


How can English Learners remember the difference?

An easy way to remember the difference between these two confusing verbs is to focus on the syllables.

Lend means give

Both verbs Lend* and Give* have one syllable

Borrow means receive

Bor*-row* has two syllables and re*-ceive* has two syllables.

Common mistakes


Can you borrow me a pen? Can you lend me a pen? The person is asking ‘you’ to give them something

My mother borrowed me her car.

My mother lent me her car. My mother ‘gave’ her car to me’ - so we use lend

(lent = past simple of lend)

My brother asked to borrow me 10 euros.

My brother asked to borrow 10 euros from me.

Borrow is the correct verb to use but the structure is “borrow something”

NOT “borrow someone something”


M I S T A K E 9 - U S I N G “ W A N T ” W I T H A “ T H A T ” C L A U S E

Common Mistake Number 9 is that students use the verb ‘Want’ with a ‘that’ clause!

This is a common mistake we see when correcting a writing exam or giving a speaking exam. Again, the reason for this mistake often is because the student is translating directly from the their own language.

Let’s look at an example of the mistake;

Often students say something like

“He wants that + CLAUSE ……..”

For example: “My parents want that I continue to study”

*This is incorrect and sounds very wrong to a native English speaker.

*Students who speak a ‘Latin’ based language like, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian very often make this mistake!

So let’s look at some common errors and corrections


My parents want that I continue to study

My parents want me to continue to study

The structure after want is;“Want someone to do something”

I want that Brazil wins the football match

I want Brazil to win the football match


The teacher wanted that I read the article in class.

The teacher wanted me to read the article in class.


Note: Verbs that take a ‘that’ clause are usually Reporting verbs + Mental process verbs

Reporting verbs: (Say, tell, admit)

*He said that he enjoyed the movie.

Mental process (think, feel, hope)

I hope that you pass the exam!


M I S T A K E 1 0 - I R R E G U L A R P L U R A L N O U N S

It might seem basic, but making mistakes with irregular plurals happens very often and it sounds very wrong to native speakers.

Learners get confused because the usual way to make a word plural is to add ‘-s’.

Unfortunately, the irregular plurals don’t follow that rule so you just need to learn them.

Man => Men | Woman => Women | Child => Children


Mens and womens should get equal pay.

Men and women should get equal pay.

The words ‘men’ and ‘women’ are already plural, so they don’t need an

Mary has four childrens. Mary has four children. The word ‘children’ is already plural, so it doesn’t need an ‘-s’ added to

make it plural.

Mary has four childs. Mary has four children. Similarly, the plural of child is irregular and is children.


Note: There is a situation where we add an ‘s’ sound to the ends of these words. It is when we make them possessive.

For example;

Men don’t like reading women’s magazines. (men = plural of man) (women’s = possessive)

Women are not allowed in the men’s toilet. (women = plural of woman) (men’s = possessive)

Persons or people?

*Confusing ‘persons’ and ‘people’ is another error that students make with irregular plurals.

A person is an individual. When talking about more than one individual we usually use the word ‘people’ rather than ‘persons’. Using the word ‘persons’ is not very common and is usually only used in formal or legal situations.


There are 5 persons in my family. There are 5 people in my family It is more common to use ‘people’ as the plural of ‘person’.

People is interested in celebrity gossip.

People are interested in celebrity gossip.

Remember, the word ‘people’ is a plural word so must be used with plural verbs.

Peoples should respect each other.

People should respect each other. We are talking about individuals, not ethnic groups.

Other Irregular Plurals

In the table below are some of the other irregular plurals which students often make mistakes with!


Frank bought a toothbrush to brush his tooths.

Frank bought a toothbrush to brush his teeth.

Singular: toothPlural: teeth

John walked in the snow and his foots got cold.John walked in the snow and his feets got cold.

John walked in the snow and his feet got cold.

Singular: footPlural: feet

Scientists often do experiments on mouses.

Scientists often do experiments on mice.

Singular: mousePlural: mice

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