“I was thirsty so I drunk water.” If you ask me about the most common mistakes I have met in my 24 years of teaching English, drunk is definitely one of them. The sentence above is taken from a writing piece by an intermediate level student of mine. It might look OK and even soundContinue reading “DRUNK”
Category Archives: Grammar
Spot the mistake #6
Use the language There are 2 improvements we can make to this text. Your suggestions noggers! Related posts: Spot the mistake #5 Spot the mistake #4 Spot the mistake #3
PEOPLES
A few weeks ago the topic was about OVERHEAR/EAVESDROP and in it I had written: “… you hear what other people are saying …”. A nogger messaged me asking why I used the word “people” and not “PEOPLES“. As it is a question which also comes up regularly in the classroom, I think that todayContinue reading “PEOPLES”
Spot the mistake #5
The intention is good but the grammar and spelling are weak! Your task today is to correct this painted message – one grammar problem, one spelling error.
We’ll meet us for Christmas lunch
“WE’LL MEET US FOR CHRISTMAS LUNCH“. I often hear students saying something like this when making plans, not just for Christmas of course but even for after school or the weekend. I’m sorry to tell you that the example sentence above is incorrect. True, there cannot be any misunderstanding and maybe it’s also the wayContinue reading “We’ll meet us for Christmas lunch”
Spot the mistake #4
The message “NO ENTER” is clear (although the paint is peeling) but not the grammar. Correct the mistake!
ONE OF …
“ONE OF my friend woke up at 8.50am… “ That is taken from an essay written by one of my students and it contains a very common error. Look carefully at what is written after “one of“, then see what I wrote with the same phrase. It is just one of many examples I canContinue reading “ONE OF …”
Spot the mistake #2
Read the notice (click on photo to enlarge) Note new words which you find useful Use the language Can you spot the mistake? One tip – there’s an extra word. Related articles Spot the mistake #1
Once, twice, …
I bet you said “three times” just as most people, including native speakers, say. Surprise, surprise, there is another word you can use. True, some think that it’s old fashioned and yet it still appears in books and articles. Therefore there’s no harm in learning “THRICE”, which follows on nicely from “once” and “twice”. ProbablyContinue reading “Once, twice, …”
