Common mistakes 2.0

Common mistakes (Sorted by Parts of Speech)

Causes of Common mistakes- Unsound knowledge base about the composition of a sentence.- Inadequate vocabulary- Wrong conception as a consequence of informal perception- Failing to think logically- For more details, see ‘Common Mistakes (Basic Conception)’ - For self-tests, see ‘Common Mistakes (Exercises)’

Adjectives Using a noun instead of an adjectiveo A lot of students were absence from school on Monday. (Absent)o The driver was middle age. (Aged)

Using an adjective instead of a nouno Our society focuses too much on youth and beautiful. (Beauty)o I think sports can help develop their self-confident. (Self-confidence)

Using the wrong form of adjectiveo For these children, video games are addicted. (Addictive)o This sort of problem can make students feel very annoying. (Annoyed)

Using a verb instead of an adjectiveo I think many parents feel depress about their children’s addicted to video

games. (Depressed)o I think it is a good idea to encourage disable people to play sports. (Disabled)

Missing linking verbo This building (?) worth 7 million dollars. (Is)

Using a non-linking verb to link a subject to a predicate adjectiveo I didn ’ t frightened at all by the lightning. (Wasn’t)o Luckily the plane didn ’ t full, so we had plenty of space to sleep. (Wasn’t)

Adverbs Using an adjective instead of an adverbo Of course, this is absolute wrong. (Absolutely)o If you regular read the newspaper, you know how much they focus on the

private lives of these stars. (Regularly)

Using an adverb instead of an adjectiveo It is arguably that expanding HK to include Shenzhen would lead to greater

prosperity. (Arguable)o I’m worried about our student’s badly behaviour in the classroom. (Bad)

Using ‘even’ as a conjunctiono Even (?) he’s hungry, he won’t take time for lunch. (Though)o Even (?) they agree to pay in advance, we won’t do business with them

again. (If)

Reference:Common errors – Paul Paskewitz, SKH Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School, Oct 2007

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Position. Placing adverbs after a verb and before a direct object.o I entered carefully the data. (The data carefully)

Position. Placing time adverbs before place adverbs.o I’m going now outside. (Outside now)

Using the wrong intensifying degree adverbs with verbso I very wish you would stay. (Really)o I extremely reject this idea. (Totally)

Using the wrong adverb form when adverbs have the same form as adjectives

o My staff worked hardly. (Hard)o You will be easy to find the hotel. (You will find the hotel easily. / It is easy

to find …)

Subject-verb agreement Plural subject next to singular verbo Many Hong Kong people prefers to spend their holidays overseas. (Prefer)o Those children tends to be more violent and depressed. (Tend)

Singular subject next to plural verbo I don’t know which color suits me. (Suit)o In fact, this situation also apply to Hong Kong. (Applies)

Demonstrative pronounso This look nice. (Looks)o These seems to be good for some people, but others may be bothered. (Seem)

Misguided by a plural non-subjecto The study environment at tutorial schools are worse than at regular schools.

(Is)o It is true that the quality of those goods are really better. (Is)o Their interest in their girlfriends are primarily sexual. (Is)

Misguided by a singular non-subjecto Many people who bought shares for speculation has lost all their money.

(Have)o So I think the above four hints for study is quite useful. (Are)

Gerunds + Plural verbo Also, reading comics are not healthy behaviour. (Is)o They think that learning technical subjects are more useful. (Is)

Relative pronounso They can do other operations which is more simple. (Are)o They are spending money that belong to their parents. (Belongs)


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o They don’t eat at regular hours, which make them feel unfit. (Makes)

Uncountable noun with singular idea + plural verbo This information are easily available on the Internet. (Is)o Tourism do help in increasing international understanding. (Does)

Indefinite pronoun + plural verbo Everyone admire him, but I am a bit jealous of him. (Admires)o People always complain that no one care about them. (Cares)

Inversiono We find that there are a lot of rubbish around the countryside. (Is)o There is no Art Therapy courses in Hong Kong. (Are)o First is the letters to the editor. (Are)o And so does Asian people. (Do)o Why is the standards of discipline falling? (Are)o What are the secret of this? (Is)

Proportiono Fifty percent of the pie have disappeared. (Has)o Fifty percent of the pies has disappeared. (Have)o None of the garbage were picked up. (Was)o None of the sentences was punctuated correctly. (Were)

Either, or / Neither, noro Either Kiana or Casey are helping today with stage decorations. (Is)o Neither Juan or Camen are available. (Is)

Particularo Each of the girl sing well. (Sings)o Everyone are working hard to pass the exam. (Is)

‘The number’ vs ‘A number’o The number of people we need to hire are thirteen. (Is)o A number of people has written in about the subject. (Have)

Singular nouns with multiplicityo Ten dollars are a high price to pay. (Is)o Five years are the maximum sentence for that offense. (Is)

Collective nouns dependent on contexto The staff are in a meeting. (Is)o The staff is in disagreement about the findings. (Are)

Auxiliary verbsWh-questions

Missing auxiliary


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o Why (?) most schools in Hong Kong ignore sex education? (Do)

o Where (?) this pollution come from? (Does)

Using ‘to be’ instead of ‘to do’ with verbs in the active voiceo Where am I come from? (Do)o Who are you want to see? (Do you want) Using ‘to do’ instead of ‘to be’ with adjectiveso Why do you so sure? (Are)o Why did I dressed like that? (Was)

Yes-no questions Using ‘to be’ instead of ‘to do’ in the active voiceo Are your worries come from schoolwork? (Do)o Are you have enough money to buy this? (Do)

Using ‘to do’ or ‘to have’ instead of ‘to be’ with verbs in the continuous tense

o Do you still playing basketball? (Are)

Negated sentences Missing auxiliaryo There are several points that I (?) not quite agree with. (Do)o Examinations in Hong Kong (?) not require students to think, only memorize.

(Do)

Using ‘to be’ instead of ‘to do’ in the active voice.o We are not accept one-thousand-dollar bills. (Do)o I am not usually have dinner at home. (Do)

Using ‘to do’ instead of ‘to be’o These tourists do not willing to visit Hong Kong again. (Are)

Using ‘to have’ instead of ‘to do’o In the end I hadn’t buy the shoes. (Didn’t)o Luckily the baby had not get hurt. (Did)

Present tenses Using ‘to be’ instead of to have’ in the present and past perfecto Recently films in Hong Kong are improved. (Have)o When I woke up, all my hair were disappeared. (Had)

Continuous tenses Using ‘to do’ or ‘to have’ with verbs in the present continuous tenseo Vince Carter has averaging 15.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. (Is)

Missing auxiliary in the continuous tenseso We (?) giving a presentation in Morning Assembly. (Are)


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Passive voice Missing auxiliaryo Sex education (?) forbidden in most schools. (Is)o All these problems are the result of ignorance which (?) caused by

insufficient sex education. (Is)

Using ‘to do’ or ‘to have’ instead of ‘to be’ with verbs in the passive voiceo However, the situation that has mentioned above only occurs in North

America. (Was)o Our first shock was that the flight had delayed about 12 hours. (Was)

Redundant auxiliaryo Working mothers are tend to spend less with their family. o Some of these illegal DVDs are come from China.

Missing auxiliaryo She (?) always chatting with her friends at recess. (Is)o This was unfair to the people who (?) waiting at the bus stop for over 15

minutes. (Were / Had been)

Comparisons Improper use of ‘like’ and ‘as’o It looked like very cute and lovely.o When I left the old man started to walk fast, as an old panther. (Like)

Using a comparison word where no comparison is madeo If you travel alone in China, you have to be more careful about your

belongings.o They don’t get accepted in Form 6 because they fail to get better results in

their exams. (Good)

Double comparisono I think a long and dull life is more preferable to a short exciting one. o They may find working is far more harder than studying.

Illogical comparisono Her job is even harsher than (?) her husband. (That of)o Humans have more rights and freedoms than animals (?). (Do / Have)

Missing comparison word(s)o Today people in Hong Kong are (?) overweight and unfit than ever before.

(More)o Most parents think that teenagers are (?) immature to choose friends wisely.

(More)

Awkward comparisonso People who die in wars today are fewer than in the past. (There are fewer

people dying in wars today than in the past.)o Hong Kong is one of the most well-known cities in the world. (Best known)


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Phrases used in comparisonso It is very risky for film producers to invest a lot as they did in the past. (As

much as)o Hong Kong is a safe city in the world. (One of the safest)o The sound seemed to be coming near and near. (Nearer and nearer)o Brand-name clothes are longer lasting compare with non-brand-name

clothes. (Than) More vs –ero Parents are more close to their children so they can talk naturally about sex.

(Closer)o Knowledge of different languages makes it more easy to communicate with

foreigners. (Easier)

ConjunctionsCoordinating conjunctions

Ando It costs only five thousand and five hundred dollars. o He has a nice smile and a loud, deep and clear voice.o He could not see anything and he lit a match. (So)

Buto Although we wanted to stay one more night in Shanghai, but the package did

not allow it.o If there is something wrong, the teacher should inform them individually, but

not in front of the class. o We use the same packaging in all of our markets, but without any problems.o A lot of people think being thin is healthy, (?) I don’t agree. (But)

Oro This may turn off tourists and they may not visit Hong Kong anymore, or

they may also tell their friends not to visit Hong Kong. (And)o I looked for my father, mother or sister, but I couldn’t find them. (And)o He really knows how to pass or shoot the ball. (And)

Subordinating conjunctions Aso So as North America can, why can’t Hong Kong? (If)o Indeed, blaming each other is no good for their marriage as well as the

family. (Or)o As we arrived at the hotel, I found that it was very old. (When)

Eveno Then we won’t worry, even our results are bad. (Even if)o He is still appreciated today even a few generations have passed. (Even

though)

That


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o It has become a fashion that both students and adults do this. (For both students and adults to do this)

o I want to know that why he did that.o Which part of the book that did you like the best?o I would tell him that not to trust the king.

Theno I asked the old woman if she was all right, then she said she was not hurt but

that I should be more careful.o She said she had no money to buy food, then I took her to McDonald’s. (So)o Then , how can we overcome depression? (So / So then)

Correlative conjunctionso This will benefit neither the government and the people. (Nor)o Not only women and also men are buying cosmetics. (But)

Missing conjunctions Whato I’d like to tell you something about (?) I learned in biology. (What)

Whethero If you want to check (?) the meal is healthy or not, use the food pyramid.

(Whether)

Redundant conjunctions Although … buto Although the manager apologized to us, but I am still unhappy.

As / because / since … soo As we live in a polluted environment, so we breathe in a lot of toxic fumes

every day.o Because I needed to go to the toilet so much, so I rushed out of the room.o Since people complain that Hong Kong is dirty, so clean-up competitions

could be organized.

Thato But what I can control is that how I live my life.o The most important thing is that to improve the safety of the rides.o As we all know that, tourism is one of Hong Kong’s biggest industries.o The first thing is that to provide more people to clean this park.

Time relationships Aftero After we went into the room, we were shocked at how dirty it was. (When)

Wheno When I was listening to the music I noticed a foul smell. (As / While)


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o When I was walking to the end of the line, I could see many people jostling for a better position. (As)

Whileo She likes quarrelling with me while we are doing things together. (When)

Confusing conjunctions and prepositions Despite / Althougho Despite we’re small, we offer a full range of services. (Although)o Although our small size, we offer a full range of services. (Despite)

Because of / Becauseo Because of my first flight was delayed, I missed my connecting flight.

(Because)o Because the delay, I missed my connecting flight. (Because of) In spite of / Althougho In spite of there have been fewer tourists, our business is up. (Although)o Although fewer tourists this year, our business is up. (In spite of)

Due to / Becauseo Our business has increased due to we have worked hard. (Because)o Our business has increased because our hard work. (Because of / Due to)

Conjunctive adverbs Wrong wordso In other side , he is quite helpful. (On the other hand)o On another hand , there are drawbacks. (On the other hand)

Redundanto But however, they fight all the time.

Using a comma with a conjunctive adverbo Computers are expensive, however they are worth it. (But)

Verbal errors Using a to-infinitive or –ing word after a modal verbo Maybe we could to have the party in our classroom.o Should we asking the principal first? (Ask)o We can’t leaving before everyone is here. (Leave)

Adding ‘be’ between as modal verb and the bare infinitive, especially after ‘must’ and ‘should’

o I must be practice every day because I have a competition coming up.o I will be get a visa first.

Using an ‘-ing’ word or bare infinitive instead of the to-infinitive to show purpose

o You’re going to have to work harder if you want passing the exam. (To pass)


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o My main aim is (?) get a C in Economics. (To)

Omitting a linking verb / Using a predicate adjective as a verbo I would (?) willing to do the Internet research. (Be)

Using the wrong past participle in the passive voice, especially with irregular verbs

o He was afraid he would be saw by the camera. (Seen)o All sorts of things can be buy / find in the Mongkok Ladies’ Market. (Bought

/ Found)

Using the wrong verbal after specific verbso I am not able (?) go with you today. (To)o I plan going on a trip this summer. (To go)o We would appreciate to receive your answer by the end of the month.

(Receiving)

Using the to-infinitive instead of preposition + objecto To prevent people to buy fake products the penalties must be higher. (From

buying)

Relative Clauses Missing subject for the verbo The story was about a boy studied at your school. (Who studied)

Two subjects for a verbo Timothy who was my best friend, but now we don’t even talk to each other.

Relative clause modifying the wrong nouno There was a monster in the forest which attacked them, but they were lucky. o (A monster attacked them in the forest, but they were lucky.)

Too many relative clauses in a sentenceo The movie is about two people, who are Tong, who is a HK realtor, and

April, who is a businesswoman.o (The movie is about two people: Tong, a HK realtor, and April, a

businesswoman.)

Double sentenceo When he woke up he found he was lying on a beach, the beach stretched for

miles.o (When he woke up he found he was lying on a beach which stretched for

miles.)

Using ‘that’ or ‘which’ instead of ‘who’ to refer to a person o Do you see the woman which is standing in front of the clock tower. (Who)

Using a conjunction instead of a relative pronouno Many of them take diet pills but are harmful to their health. (Which / That)


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Missing conjunction or relative pronouno His father (?) was living in Thailand sent them money every month. (Who)

Using ‘that’ instead of ‘where’o I would like to complain about The Thai Noodle Shop, that I took my mother

to for her birthday. (Where)

Using ‘who’ as an object of a verbo I have a friend from Singapore who I met online two years ago. (Whom)

Using ‘which’ in a participle phraseo Thank you for your letter which asking for my advice.


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Common mistakes 2.0

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