Common mistakes in English

This is a selection of errors most commonly made by learners in Cambridge English exams. All the examples are based on real learner errors from the Cambridge Learner Corpus – a large collection of examples of English writing from learners of English all over the world.

Click on a topic to learn more about common mistakes in English.

Collocation Countability Determiners Part of speech Prepositions Spelling Word choice Word order Word patterns

Word of the Day

UK

/ˈkʌm.fət ˌzəʊn/

US

/ˈkʌm.fɚt ˌzoʊn/

a situation in which you feel comfortable and in which your ability and determination are not being tested

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Contents

Adjectives and adverbs Easily confused words Nouns, pronouns and determiners Prepositions and particles Using English Verbs Words, sentences and clauses Common mistakes in English

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Contents

Adjectives and adverbs

Adjectives

Adjectives Adjectives: forms Adjectives: order

Adjective phrases

Adjective phrases: functions Adjective phrases: position Adjectives and adjective phrases: typical errors

Comparative and superlative adjectives

Comparison: adjectives (bigger, biggest, more interesting) Comparison: clauses (bigger than we had imagined) Comparison: comparisons of equality (as tall as his father) As … as

Adverbs

Adverbs Adverb phrases Adverbs and adverb phrases: position Adverbs and adverb phrases: typical errors Adverbs: forms Adverbs: functions Adverbs: types Comparison: adverbs (worse, more easily)

Degree adverbs

Fairly Intensifiers (very, at all) Largely Much, a lot, lots, a good deal: adverbs Pretty Quite Rather Really Scarcely Very

Time adverbs

About Ago Already Always Early Ever Hardly ever, rarely, scarcely, seldom Next No longer, not any longer No more, not any more Now Often Once Soon Still Then Usually Eventually

Adverbs as discourse markers (anyway, finally) Adverbs as short responses (definitely, certainly)

Using adjectives and adverbs

Afraid Alike Hard Long Only Same, similar, identical Likely and unlikely As well (as) Even Hardly Hopefully Surely Too Ultimately

Easily confused words

Above or over? Across, over or through? Advice or advise? Affect or effect? All or every? All or whole? Allow, permit or let? Almost or nearly? Alone, lonely, or lonesome? Along or alongside? Already, still or yet? Also, as well or too? Alternate(ly), alternative(ly) Although or though? Altogether or all together? Amount of, number of or quantity of? Any more or anymore? Anyone, anybody or anything? Apart from or except for? Arise or rise? Around or round? Arouse or rouse? As or like? As, because or since? As, when or while? Been or gone? Begin or start? Beside or besides? Between or among? Born or borne? Bring, take and fetch Can, could or may? Classic or classical? Come or go? Consider or regard? Consist, comprise or compose? Content or contents? Different from, different to or different than? Do or make? Down, downwards or downward? During or for? Each or every? East or eastern; north or northern? Economic or economical? Efficient or effective? Elder, eldest or older, oldest? End or finish? Especially or specially? Except or except for? Expect, hope or wait? Experience or experiment? Fall or fall down? Far or a long way? Farther, farthest or further, furthest? Fast, quick or quickly? Fell or felt? Female or feminine; male or masculine? Finally, at last, lastly or in the end? First, firstly or at first? Fit or suit? Following or the following? For or since? Forget or leave? Full or filled? Fun or funny? Get or go? Grateful or thankful? Hear or listen (to)? High or tall? Historic or historical? House or home? How is …? or What is … like? If or when? If or whether? Ill or sick? Imply or infer? In the way or on the way? It’s or its? Late or lately? Lay or lie? Lend or borrow? Less or fewer? Look at, see or watch? Low or short? Man, mankind or people? Maybe or may be? Maybe or perhaps? Nearest or next? Never or not … ever? Nice or sympathetic? No doubt or without doubt? No or not? Nowadays, these days or today? Open or opened? Opportunity or possibility? Opposite or in front of? Other, others, the other or another? Out or out of? Permit or permission? Person, persons or people? Pick or pick up? Play or game? Politics, political, politician or policy? Price or prize? Principal or principle? Quiet or quite? Raise or rise? Remember or remind? Right or rightly? Rob or steal? Say or tell? So that or in order that? Sometimes or sometime? Sound or noise? Speak or talk? Such or so? There, their or they’re? Towards or toward? Wait or wait for? Wake, wake up or awaken? Worth or worthwhile?

Nouns, pronouns and determiners

Determiners

A/an and the Determiners (the, my, some, this) Determiners and types of noun Determiners: position and order Determiners: typical errors Determiners used as pronouns Every Possession (John’s car, a friend of mine) Such This, that, these, those Whole

Nouns

Nouns Nouns: form Nouns and prepositions Nouns: compound nouns Nouns: countable and uncountable Nouns: forming nouns from other words Nouns: singular and plural

Uncountable nouns

Accommodation Equipment Furniture Information Luck and lucky News Progress Weather

Noun phrases

Noun phrases: dependent words Noun phrases: order Noun phrases: uses Noun phrases: noun phrases and verbs Noun phrases: two noun phrases together

Pronouns

Pronouns Each other, one another Everyone, everybody, everything, everywhere It Gender No one, nobody, nothing, nowhere One One and one’s Pronouns: personal (I, me, you, him, it, they, etc.) Pronouns: possessive (my, mine, your, yours, etc.) Pronouns: reflexive (myself, themselves, etc.) Pronouns: indefinite (-body, -one, -thing, -where) Pronouns: one, you, we, they Relative pronouns Questions: interrogative pronouns (what, who) Someone, somebody, something, somewhere That

Quantifiers

A bit All Any Both Either Enough Least, the least, at least Less Little, a little, few, a few Lots, a lot, plenty Many More Most, the most, mostly Much, many, a lot of, lots of: quantifiers No, none and none of Plenty Some Some and any

Question words

How What When Where Which Who, whom Whose Why

Using nouns

Piece words and group words Comparison: nouns (more money, the most points) Nouns and gender Reported speech: reporting nouns Age Half Holiday and holidays Mind Opinion Promise Reason Sort, type and kind Thing and stuff View Way Work (noun)

Prepositions and particles

Using English

Functions

Commands and instructions Commentaries Invitations Offers Requests Greetings and farewells: hello, goodbye, Happy New Year Suggestions Telephoning Warnings

Numbers

Dates Measurements Number Time

People and places

Geographical places Names and titles: addressing people Nationalities, languages, countries and regions Place names

Place and movement

Abroad Away and away from Back Inside Nearby Outside Up

Politeness

Reported speech

Reported speech Reported speech: direct speech Reported speech: indirect speech

Sexist language

Spoken English

Types of English

British and American English Dialect Double negatives and usage Formal and informal language Newspaper headlines Register Slang Standard and non-standard language Swearing and taboo expressions

Useful phrases

According to Actual and actually Approximations (around four o’clock) At all Else Hear that, see that However, whatever, whichever, whenever, wherever, whoever It’s time May as well and might as well More or less Of course Point of view

Writing

Apostrophe (’) Apposition Contractions Contrasts Detached impersonal style Internet discourse and text messages It, this and that in paragraphs Paragraphs Punctuation Speech into writing Spelling Such as

Verbs

Tenses and time

Past

Past simple (I worked) Past continuous (I was working) Past continuous or past simple? Past simple or present perfect? Used to Past perfect simple (I had worked) Past perfect continuous (I had been working) Past perfect simple or past perfect continuous? Past perfect simple or past simple? Past verb forms referring to the present Past: typical errors

Present

Present continuous (I am working) Present perfect continuous (I have been working) Present perfect simple (I have worked) Present perfect simple or present perfect continuous? Present perfect: typical errors Present simple (I work) Present simple or present continuous? Present: typical errors Present verb forms referring to the past

Future

Future: will and shall Future: be going to (I am going to work) Future: other expressions to talk about the future Future continuous (I will be working) Future in the past Future perfect continuous (I will have been working here ten years) Future perfect simple (I will have worked eight hours) Future: present continuous to talk about the future (I’m working tomorrow) Future: present simple to talk about the future (I work tomorrow) Future: typical errors Going to

Verb forms

Finite and non-finite verbs Imperative clauses (Be quiet!) Infinitives with and without to Infinitive: active or passive? Perfect infinitive with to (to have worked) Verbs: basic forms Verbs: formation

Verb patterns

Hate, like, love and prefer Hear, see, etc. + object + infinitive or -ing Help somebody (to) do Look forward to Stop + -ing form or to-infinitive Verb patterns: verb + infinitive or verb + -ing? Verb patterns: verb + that-clause Verb patterns: with and without objects Would like Would rather, would sooner

Phrasal verbs and multi-word verbs

Passive voice

Get passive Have something done Passive: forms Passives with and without an agent Passive: uses Passive: other forms Passive: typical errors

Modal verbs and modality

Can Could Could, may and might Dare Had better May Might Modality: forms Modality: meanings and uses Modality: tense Modality: other verbs Modality: other modal words and expressions Must Need Ought to Shall Should Will Would

Conditionals and wishes

Conditionals Conditionals: if Conditionals: other expressions (unless, should, as long as) Conditionals: typical errors If only In case (of) Suppose, supposing and what if Wish

Using verbs

Table of irregular verbs

Words, sentences and clauses

Word classes and phrase classes

Word formation

Word formation Prefixes Suffixes Compounds Abbreviations, initials and acronyms -ish and -y Diminutives (-let, -y and mini-) Hyphens

Word order and focus

Word order and focus Word order: structures Cleft sentences (It was in June we got married.) Fronting Inversion No sooner Not only … but also

Conjunctions and linking words

Clauses and sentences

Adjuncts Clauses Clauses: finite and non-finite Clause types Complements Dummy subjects Exclamations Heads Objects Sentences Subjects Subject complements Subject–verb agreement

Relative clauses

Relative clauses Relative clauses referring to a whole sentence Relative clauses: defining and non-defining Relative clauses: typical errors

Negation

Negation

Neither, neither … nor and not … either Not

Neither, neither … nor and not … either Not Forming negative statements, questions and imperatives Negation: two negatives Negative clauses with any, anybody, anyone, anything, anywhere Negation in non-finite clauses Negative prefixes and suffixes Negative adverbs: hardly, seldom, etc. Negation: emphasising Negation of think, believe, suppose, hope

Questions

Questions: alternative questions (Is it black or grey?) Questions: statement questions (you’re over 18?) Questions: two-step questions Questions: typical errors Questions: wh-questions Questions: yes-no questions (Are you feeling cold?) Questions: follow-up questions Questions: echo and checking questions Questions: short forms

Common mistakes in English

Collocation

Collocation: ask a question Collocation: big or great? Collocation: business Collocation: change Collocation: contribution Collocation: difficulty Collocation: do or make? Collocation: effort Collocation: experience Collocation: friend Collocation: improvement Collocation: make/give a speech Collocation: mistake Collocation: number Collocation: party Collocation: profit Collocation: research Collocation: say or tell? Collocation: speak or talk? Collocation: step Collocation: success Collocation: suggestion Collocation: survey Collocation: take/sit an exam Collocation: watch television Collocation: work

Countability

Determiners

Determiners: all + period of time Determiners: a long time Determiners: a lot of and lots of Determiners: billions (of sth) or billion? Determiners: countryside Determiners: government Determiners: hundreds or hundred? Determiners: in future or in the future? Determiners: internet Determiners: life Determiners: many, much, or a lot of? Determiners: millions or million? Determiners: most of or most? Determiners: nature Determiners: next or the next? Determiners: other Determiners: same Determiners: society Determiners: such Determiners: technology Determiners: this/that or these/those? Determiners: this/these or that/those? Determiners: thousands or thousand?

Part of speech

Part of speech: advice or advise? Part of speech: affect or effect? Part of speech: apologize or apology? Part of speech: breath or breathe? Part of speech: choice or choose? Part of speech: complaint or complain? Part of speech: completely Part of speech: concern or concerned? Part of speech: died or dead? Part of speech: different or difference? Part of speech: easy or easily? Part of speech: good or well? Part of speech: healthy or health? Part of speech: important Part of speech: inconvenient or inconvenience? Part of speech: life or live? Part of speech: lost or loss? Part of speech: open and close Part of speech: others, other, or another? Part of speech: please or pleased? Part of speech: relax or relaxed? Part of speech: remember or memory? Part of speech: safe or save? Part of speech: sale or sell? Part of speech: slightly or slight? Part of speech: truth or true? Part of speech: you or your? Part of speech: your or yours?

Prepositions

Prepositions: afternoon Prepositions: a lot Prepositions: attention Prepositions: back to Prepositions: beach Prepositions: course Prepositions: day Prepositions: decrease Prepositions: difference Prepositions: experience Prepositions: floor Prepositions: home Prepositions: increase in or increase of? Prepositions: interest Prepositions: island Prepositions: knowledge Prepositions: last but not least Prepositions: leave Prepositions: need Prepositions: newspaper Prepositions: occasion Prepositions: on the one hand ... on the other hand Prepositions: opinion Prepositions: pleased Prepositions: point of view Prepositions: reason Prepositions: responsible Prepositions: rise Prepositions: row Prepositions: solution Prepositions: take into consideration Prepositions: television Prepositions: train Prepositions: world Prepositions: worry

Spelling

Spelling: Common verb ending mistakes Spelling: Common word-building mistakes Spelling: Top 50 spelling mistakes in English

Word choice

Word choice: accept or agree? Word choice: according to Word choice: actual or current? Word choice: advertisement or advertising? Word choice: all or everything? Word choice: alone or lonely? Word choice: amount of or number of? Word choice: ancient, former, or old? Word choice: announce or advertise? Word choice: another or other? Word choice: as or like? Word choice: at last or finally? Word choice: avoid or prevent? Word choice: besides or also? Word choice: bored or boring? Word choice: bring or take? Word choice: camping or campsite? Word choice: class or classroom? Word choice: closed or close? Word choice: cloth, clothes, or clothing? Word choice: come Word choice: common or ordinary? Word choice: contain or include? Word choice: correct or right? Word choice: country, land, nation, or state? Word choice: drive or ride? Word choice: during or for? Word choice: economical or economic? Word choice: education or upbringing? Word choice: elder or elderly? Word choice: employer or employee? Word choice: excited or exciting? Word choice: far or away? Word choice: fault or mistake? Word choice: few or a few? Word choice: find out or find? Word choice: fit or suit? Word choice: forget or leave? Word choice: funny or fun? Word choice: further or farther? Word choice: go, gone, and been Word choice: go or come? Word choice: go or get? Word choice: hardly or hard? Word choice: history or story? Word choice: hour or time? Word choice: how or what? Word choice: improve or increase? Word choice: interesting Word choice: interesting or interested? Word choice: its or it's? Word choice: join or attend? Word choice: know or find out? Word choice: know or get to know? Word choice: last or latest? Word choice: lay and lie Word choice: learn, teach, or study? Word choice: leave or live? Word choice: lend and borrow Word choice: let or leave? Word choice: listen, listen to, or hear? Word choice: look, look at, see, or watch? Word choice: lose or miss? Word choice: may or can? Word choice: meet, get to know, and know Word choice: meet or visit? Word choice: miss or lack? Word choice: move or travel? Word choice: needed or necessary? Word choice: nervous, agitated, or irritable? Word choice: not ... either Word choice: notice or news? Word choice: number or figure? Word choice: offer or give? Word choice: on the contrary or by/in contrast? Word choice: parents or relations/relatives? Word choice: parking or car park? Word choice: place or room/space? Word choice: point of view or opinion? Word choice: point or point out? Word choice: possibility, occasion, or opportunity? Word choice: propose or offer? Word choice: protect or prevent? Word choice: reach or achieve? Word choice: relation or relationship? Word choice: relevant Word choice: remind or remember? Word choice: require or request? Word choice: rest, stay, or remain? Word choice: right or true? Word choice: rise or raise? Word choice: say or tell? Word choice: security or safety? Word choice: sensitive or sensible? Word choice: since, from, or for? Word choice: some or any? Word choice: something or anything? Word choice: sometime or sometimes? Word choice: station or stop? Word choice: staying or stay? Word choice: strange or foreign? Word choice: stuff or staff? Word choice: sympathetic Word choice: take part or take place? Word choice: tell or say? Word choice: that or than? Word choice: think about, think of, or think? Word choice: tired of or tired from? Word choice: travel, trip, or journey? Word choice: trouble or problem? Word choice: unique or only? Word choice: until now or so far? Word choice: used to and be used to Word choice: various or varied? Word choice: view or sight? Word choice: wait or expect? Word choice: what or which? Word choice: when or if? Word choice: where or when? Word choice: which or what? Word choice: which or who? Word choice: win or beat? Word choice: wish or hope? Word choice: work, job, or occupation? Word choice: would or should?

Word order

Word patterns

Word patterns: ability Word patterns: able Word patterns: affect someone or something Word patterns: afford Word patterns: apologize to someone Word patterns: approach Word patterns: arrive somewhere Word patterns: ask for Word patterns: attend Word patterns: avoid doing something Word patterns: be/get dressed Word patterns: because or because of? Word patterns: be worth doing something Word patterns: build up or build? Word patterns: call Word patterns: can Word patterns: capable Word patterns: come Word patterns: compensate Word patterns: complain Word patterns: concerning Word patterns: consider Word patterns: consider doing something Word patterns: contact Word patterns: could Word patterns: depend on something Word patterns: despite Word patterns: didn't Word patterns: die Word patterns: discuss Word patterns: dream Word patterns: drop Word patterns: enjoy doing something Word patterns: enjoy yourself Word patterns: enter a place Word patterns: explain something Word patterns: fall down or fall? Word patterns: find Word patterns: give Word patterns: go Word patterns: have a relationship with someone Word patterns: have difficulty doing something Word patterns: hear from sb Word patterns: help Word patterns: hope Word patterns: increase Word patterns: inform Word patterns: interested Word patterns: invite someone to something Word patterns: join Word patterns: knock Word patterns: lack Word patterns: let Word patterns: listen Word patterns: look Word patterns: look forward to Word patterns: make sb do sth Word patterns: may Word patterns: mean Word patterns: mention Word patterns: might Word patterns: mind Word patterns: must Word patterns: need Word patterns: participate Word patterns: pay Word patterns: phone Word patterns: possibility Word patterns: prefer Word patterns: prevent Word patterns: problem Word patterns: promise Word patterns: provide Word patterns: reach Word patterns: recommend Word patterns: regarding Word patterns: relationship Word patterns: rise up or rise? Word patterns: search or search for? Word patterns: seek Word patterns: should Word patterns: smile at someone/something Word patterns: spend Word patterns: stay Word patterns: stop doing something or stop to do something? Word patterns: succeed Word patterns: suggest Word patterns: suit Word patterns: take care Word patterns: take part Word patterns: talk about or talk of? Word patterns: think Word patterns: think of doing something Word patterns: visit Word patterns: wait Word patterns: want Word patterns: want something/someone to do something Word patterns: way to do something Word patterns: way to do something Word patterns: will Word patterns: would Word patterns: would appreciate Word patterns: would like

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