Transcript Example - mrs

Everything You Wanted to
Know About English
But Were Afraid to Ask
List of Common ErrorsPart One
1. a, an
• a: goes before a consonant sound
• an: goes before a vowel sound
• Example:
–a boat
–an hour
2. accept, except
• accept: “to receive”
• except: “to leave out”
• Example:
– He accepted the award.
– Everyone got an A except Kate.
3. affect, effect
• affect: (verb) “to influence”
• effect: (noun) “the result of an action”
(verb) “to bring about”
• Example:
– The loss of McNabb did not affect the
Eagles.
– The movie had great special effects.
4. ain’t
• Not formal-avoid it when writing.
5. already, all ready
• already=previously
• all ready=ready to go
• Example:
– I already saw that movie.
– The family was all ready to leave for
vacation.
6. all right
• all right is always two words
• alright is not a word
7. a lot
• a lot is always two words
8. anyways, anywheres,
everywheres, nowheres,
somewheres
• Not words!
• No –s at the end!
9. at
• Don’t use after where.
• Example:
– Where is your pen at?
10. bad, badly
• bad is an adjective.
• badly is an adverb.
• Example:
– Those socks smell bad.
(noun)
(adj)
– I did badly on the test.
(verb) (adv)
11. between, among
• Use between when referring to two
things at a time. (Between has two
ee’s.)
• Use among when referring to a group.
• Note: among and amongst have the
same meaning.
• Example:
– Steve sits between Lorin and Amanda.
– We shared the twenty-five dollars among
the three of us.
12. bring, take
• bring=“to come carrying something”
• take=“to go carrying something”
• Example:
– I will bring home takeout Chinese food.
13. bust, busted
• Don’t use them as verbs. Use burst or
break or catch or arrest.
• Example:
– The bubbles burst. (Not busted.)
– The teacher caught the lying student. (Not
busted.)
14. could of, should of, would
of, might of, must of, ought to
of
• All are incorrect!
• Use have instead.
• Example:
– I should have studied.
15. desert, dessert
• desert-think sand
• dessert-think yummy!
• There are two S’s in dessert because
you go back for seconds.)
16. doesn’t, don’t
• doesn’t=does not
• don’t=do not
• Make sure each one stays in
agreement with the subject!
• Example:
– He doesn’t know how to swim. (Not
don’t.)
17. et cetera
• Latin for “and so on”.
• etc. Not ect!
• Do not use it! It’s vague!
18. farther, further
• farther=extent of physical distance.
• further=extent of time or degree.
• Example:
– How much farther to Miami?
– How much further until the plane lands?
An hour? Two?
19. fewer, less
• Use fewer with plural words.
• Use less with singular words.
• Example:
– Fewer plants grow in the desert than in
the tundra.
– She needs less help than he does.
20. good, well
•
•
•
good-adjective
well-adverb
Example:
–
I did well on the quiz.
(V)
•
•
(adv)
(Note: Well can be an adjective meaning
“healthy.”)
Example:
I don’t feel well.
21. had ought, hadn’t ought
• Don’t use had with ought.
• Example:
– He ought to help us.
22. hardly, scarcely
• They both have negative meaning.
• Don’t use them with another negative
word (like not).
• Example:
– I can hardly read this. (Not I can’t hardly
read this.)
List of Common ErrorsPart Two
23. he, she, it, they
• Don’t use them after the subject.
• Example:
– Scott he went to Six Flags.
24. hisself
• Not a word.
• Use himself.
25. how come, why
• How come is informal.
• Why is formal.
• Example:
– How come I got a C? (Informal)
– Why did I get a C? (Formal)
26. its, it’s
• An apostrophe with a pronoun is
always a contraction!
• its=belonging to it
• it’s=it is
• Example:
– It’s time for the dog to run on its own
without a leash.
27. kind, sort, type
• This, that, these, and those should
agree in number with kind, sort, and
type.
• Example:
– He likes this kind of music.
– She dislikes those kinds of math
problems.
28. kind of, sort of
• They’re informal.
• Use somewhat or rather.
• Example:
– I’m kind of hungry. (Informal)
– He was somewhat embarrassed.
(Formal)
29. learn, teach
• learn=to acquire knowledge
• teach=to instruct (give knowledge)
• Example:
– I’m learning my times tables.
– Ms. Hoover is teaching me to not eat
paste.
30. leave, let
• leave=to go away
• let=to allow
• Example:
– Let her go to the corner.
(Not leave)
31. lie, lay
• lie=to rest (does not take an object)
• lay=to put something in a place (takes
an object)
Base
lie
lay
Present
Participle
is lying
is laying
Past
lay
laid
Past
Participle
have lain
have laid
lie, lay (continued)
• Example:
– I need to lie down. (No object.)
– She laid the gloves on the desk. (Gloves
is an object.)
– When I got home, I lay down to sleep.
32. imply, infer
• imply=to give a hint or suggestion
• infer=to take a hint or suggestion
• Example:
– He implied that I had the wrong answer.
– I inferred that I had the wrong answer.
33. like, as if, though
• Like is often used where as if or though
should be used.
• Example:
– She behaved as if she hadn’t heard her
name. (Not like.)
34. may, can
• can=able to
• may=permission
• Example:
– May I go to the bathroom? (Not can.)
35. of
• Don’t use of after inside, off, and
outside.
• Example:
– Get off of the stage.
36. real
• Don’t use real the same way you’d use
very or extremely.
• Example:
– That test is extremely hard. (Not real.)
37. reason…because
• Use reason…that instead.
• Example:
– The reason I did well on the test was that I
studied. (Not because.)
38. rise, raise
• rise=to go up (doesn’t take an object)
• raise=to lift up (takes an object)
Base
rise
raise
Present
Participle
is rising
is raising
Past
Past
Participle
rose have risen
raised have raised
rise, raise (continued)
• Example:
– The sun rises every morning.
– My boss raised my salary ten percent.
(Salary is the direct object of raised. That
is, it is what is raised.)
39. set, sit
• set=“to put something in a place”
(usually takes an object)
• sit=“to rest in a chair” or “to be in a
place” (usually doesn’t take an object)
Base
set
sit
Present
Participle
is setting
is sitting
Past
set
sat
Past
Participle
have set
have sat
set, sit (continued)
• Example:
– Sit under that tree.
– Set your backpack under the tree.
40. some, somewhat
• Don’t use some for somewhat.
• Example:
– My fever’s gone down somewhat.
(Not some.)
41. than, then
• Than is used for comparison.
• Then is used with time. (When? Then.)
• Example:
– The Eagles are better than the Falcons.
– I read my book then did my homework.
42. their, there, they’re
•
•
•
•
their=belonging to them
there=a place (Where? There.)
they’re=they are
Example:
– Their books are over there.
43. theirself, theirselves
• Not words!
• Use themselves.
44. them
• Don’t use them as an adjective.
• Example:
– Put those cans in the trash. (Not them.)
45. this here, that there
• Don’t use them together.
• Example:
– Should I get that there shirt?
46. try and
• Use try to instead.
• Example:
– I’ll try to be on time. (Not and.)
47. use to, used to, suppose
to, supposed to
• Don’t leave off the –d when writing
these.
• Example:
– I used to live in Philadelphia. (Not use to.)
48. way, ways
• Use way (no –s) when referring to
distance.
• Example:
– We have a long way to go. (Not ways.)
49. when, where
• Don’t use these words when writing a
definition.
• Example:
– An infomercial is where a TV show that is
a long advertisement.
50. where
• Don’t use where for that.
• Example:
– I read that the Phillies lost. (Not where.)
51. who, which, that
• They are all pronouns, but they are
used to refer to different kinds of
nouns.
• Who refers to people.
• Which refers to things.
• That refers to either people or things.
• If you’re not sure, use that.
• Example:
– This is the ring that I want.
52. who, whom
• who=subject
• whom=object (usually goes with or to)
• Example:
– Who is that guy with the hook for the
hand?
– To whom should I give this money?
53. who’s, whose
• who’s=who is or who has
• whose=ownership
• Example:
– Whose pants are these?
– Who’s there?
54. without, unless
• Don’t use without for unless.
• Example:
– I can’t go to the game unless I do my
homework. (Not without doing.)
55. your, you’re
• your=ownership
• you’re=you are
• Example:
– You’re missing your homework.