Common mistakes in the English language include: Words which sound the same but have different spellings and meanings Words which are very similar in how they are spelt and pronounced but with different meanings Words which have similar but slightly different meanings If you have any other examples which you have struggled with in your learning of English let us know and we will add it to the list! Its or its? Its = belonging to or relating to something that has already been mentioned The house has its own swimming pool Its = short form of it is or ‘it has Its your Dad on the phone It’s been a wonderful day. To / too / two? To = used before a verb to show that it is in the infinitive I want to learn Spanish Do you know how to make a cake? Too = more than is needed or wanted; more than is suitable or enough There are too many cars on the roads these days. = in addition, also (used especially at the end of a sentence) Do you know Jason too? Two = the number 2 Your or youre? Your = belonging or relating to the person or group of people being spoken or written to Can I borrow your pen? = belonging or relating to people generally You never stop loving your children Youre = short form of you are Youre my best friend There / theyre / their? There = used to introduce the subject of a sentence, especially before the verbs be, seem and appear There are three pubs in the village There is not much room in the back of the car There have been a lot of accidents on this road There appeared/seemed to be some difficulty in fixing a date for the meeting. Theyre = short form of they are Theyre both from Washington Their = of or belonging to them It was their problem, not mine. = used to refer to one person in order to avoid saying his or her Did this person give their name? That / which / who? That = used to refer to something which has been mentioned or was involved earlier, or to something with which the listener will be familiar Did you know that woman in the post office? Which = used as the subject or object of a verb to show what thing or things you are referring to, or to add information about the thing just mentioned. It is usually used for things, not people These are principles which we all believe in Who = used as the subject or object of a verb to show which person you are referring to, or to add information about a person just mentioned. It is used for people, not things Thats the man who I saw in the bank My brother, who is only just seventeen, has already passed his driving test Who or whom? Who = used especially in questions as the subject or object of a verb, when asking which person or people, or when asking what someones name is Who told you that? Whom = used instead of who as the object or a verb or preposition I met a man with whom I used to work Bought or brought? Bought = past simple and past participle of buy I went to the shop and bought a dress Brought = past simple and past participle of bring I brought my cat to the vets Accept or except? Accept = to agree to take something Do you accept credit cards? = to say yes to an offer or invitation Ive just accepted an invitation to the opening-night party. = to believe that something is true He refuses to accept that hes made a mistake = to consider something or someone as satisfactory The manuscript was acceptedfor publication last week. Except = not including; but not The boat sails from Oban every day except Sunday Affect or effect? Affect = to have an influence on someone or something, or to cause them to change It is a disease which affects many older people I was deeply affected by the film Effect = the result of a particular influence The accident had a huge effect on her life = use e.g. New food safety rules come into effect on Monday in effect = in fact, or in practice This means, in effect, that the plan has been scrapped take effect = to produce or achieve the results you want The anaesthetic takes effect in about ten minutes to that effect = used to express that what you are reporting is only a short and general form of what was really said He said he was bored with school or something to that effect. As or like? as = used in comparisons to refer to the degree of something Shell soon be as tall as her mother I cant run as fast as you Its not as good as it used to be like = similar to; in the same way or manner as He looks like his brother Is Japanese food like Chinese? Her hair was so soft it was like silk
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 23:37:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015