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COMMON ERRORS IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR

If I would have known about the party, I would have gone to it."

This is INCORRECT, although commonly used, especially in American English.

The correct form is:

If + had + past participle, would + have + past participle

* "If I had known about the party, I would have gone."  

This is CORRECT.

2.  Don't vs Doesn’t

"He don’t care about me anymore."

This is INCORRECT.
Doesn't, does not, or does are used with the third person singular - words like he, she, and it.
Don't, do not, or do are used for other subjects.
* "He doesn’t care about me anymore."  
This is CORRECT.

3.  Bring vs Take

"When we go to the party on Saturday, let’s bring a bottle of wine."

This is INCORRECT.

When you are viewing the movement of something from the point of arrival, use “bring”:
* "When you come to the party, please bring a bottle of wine."
This is CORRECT.
When you are viewing the movement of something from the point of departure, use “take”:
* "When we go to the party, let’s take a bottle of wine."
This is CORRECT.

4.  Fewer vs Less 

Sign at the checkout of a supermarket: “Ten items or less”.

This is INCORRECT.

You can count the items, so you need to use the number word “fewer”.  These nouns are countable.

* "Ten items or fewer."

This is CORRECT.

If you can’t count the substance, then you should use “less”.  These nouns are uncountable.

* "You should eat less meat."

This is CORRECT.

5.  However

"We were supposed to go to the dance last night, however, it was cancelled because of lack of interest."

This is INCORRECT.

A semicolon, rather than a comma, should be used to link these two complete sentences:

* "We were supposed to go to the dance last night; however, it was cancelled because of lack of interest." 

This is CORRECT.

It should be noted that there ARE situations in which you can use a comma instead of a semi-colon:

* "The match at Wimbledon, however, continued despite the bad weather."

This is CORRECT. 

There is only one complete sentence in this example.  It is not a compound sentence.

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6.  Have vs Of

"I never would of thought that he’d behave like that."

This is INCORRECT.

It should be would have:

* "I never would have/would’ve thought that he’d behave like that."

This is CORRECT.

It’s the same for should and could:

"He should of come with me."

This is INCORRECT.

* "He should have/should’ve come with me."

This is CORRECT.

"She could of had anything she wanted." 

This is INCORRECT.

* "She could have had anything she wanted."

This is CORRECT.

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7.  Double negative 

"I'm not speaking to nobody in this class."

This is INCORRECT.

Since 'not' is a negative, you cannot use 'nobody' in this sentence:

* "I'm not speaking to anybody in this class."
This is CORRECT.

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8.  Present perfect

"He has took the train."

This is INCORRECT.

The correct form for the present perfect is:

would + have + past participle

* "He has taken the train."

This is CORRECT.

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9.  Went vs Gone 

"I should have went to school yesterday."

This is INCORRECT.
The correct form is:
should + have + past participle
* "I should have gone to school yesterday."
This is CORRECT.

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10.   Its vs It's

"Its going to be sunny tomorrow."

This is INCORRECT.

It’s is the contraction of It is:

* "It’s going to be sunny tomorrow."

This is CORRECT.

"What’s that?  I can’t remember it’s name."

This is INCORRECT.

Its is a possessive pronoun that modifies a noun:

* "What’s that?  I can’t remember its name."

This is CORRECT.

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1.  

Wrong	I have visited Niagara Falls last weekend.
Right	I visited Niagara Falls last weekend.

2.  
3.  

Wrong	The woman which works here is from Japan.
Right	The woman who works here is from Japan.

4.  
5.  

Wrong	She’s married with a dentist.
Right	She’s married to a dentist.

6.  
7.  

Wrong	She was boring in the class.
Right	She was bored in the class.

8.  
9.  

Wrong	I must to call him immediately.
Right	I must call him immediately.

10.  
11.  

Wrong	Every students like the teacher.
Right	Every student likes the teacher.

12.  
13.  

Wrong	Although it was raining, but we had the picnic.
Right	Although it was raining, we had the picnic.

14.  
15.  

Wrong	I enjoyed from the movie.
Right	I enjoyed the movie.

16.  
17.  

Wrong	I look forward to meet you.
Right	I look forward to meeting you.

18.  
19.  

Wrong	I like very much ice cream.
Right	I like ice cream very much.

20.  
21.  

Wrong	She can to drive.
Right	She can drive.

22.  
23.  

Wrong	Where I can find a bank?
Right	Where can I find a bank?

24.  
25.  

Wrong	I live in United States.
Right	I live in theUnited States.

26.  
27.  

Wrong	When I will arrive, I will call you.
Right	When I arrive, I will call you.

28.  
29.  

Wrong	I’ve been here since three months.
Right	I’ve been here for three months.

30.  
31.  

Wrong	My boyfriend has got a new work.
Right	My boyfriend has got a new job. (or just "has a new job")

32.  
33.  

Wrong	She doesn’t listen me.
Right	She doesn’t listen to me.

34.  
35.  

Wrong	You speak English good.
Right	You speak English well.

36.  
37.  

Wrong	The police is coming.
Right	The police are coming.

38.  
39.  

Wrong	The house isn’t enough big.
Right	The house isn’t big enough.

40.  
41.  

Wrong	You should not to smoke.
Right	You should not smoke.

42.  
43.  

Wrong	Do you like a glass of wine?
Right	Would you like a glass of wine?

44.  
45.  

Wrong	There is seven girls in the class.
Right	There are seven girls in the class.

46.  
47.  

Wrong	I didn’t meet nobody.
Right	I didn’t meet anybody.

48.  
49.  

Wrong	My flight departs in 5:00 am.
Right	My flight departs at 5:00 am.

 

 

 

Which of these grammar mistakes annoys you the most? 

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