The Most Common Mistakes In English Grammar That Non-Native Speakers Make
Reference & Education → Language
- Author Olivia Baum
- Published June 21, 2019
- Word count 322
Studying English might be not an easy task if you weren't born in an English speaking country. Especially, if your native tongue doesn't belong to the West Germanic language group. In this article, we have gathered a list of the most tricky grammar issues that often cause troubles and confusion.
You/You're/Your
It's very common to confuse these three words that are so much alike at first sight. "You" is a personal pronoun. How do you do? I'm worried about you. "You're" is a contraction of "you" and "are". You're so smart. "Your" is a possessive pronoun, it answers the question "whose". I like your house very much (whose house). Your brother called me yesterday (whose brother).
"To" after a modal verb
It's important to avoid using "to" after modal verbs. Can you help me, please? But not "can you to help". You shouldn't go there alone. Not "you shouldn't to go".
Since and for
Another common mistake is the wrong choice between "since" and "for". She has been working here for two months/for eight weeks/for three years. I have been waiting for two hours/forty minutes. As you can see, "for" is followed by a time measurement unit. She has been working here since April. I haven't had anything since lunch. He's been on vacation since Monday. "Since" indicates a time point in the past.
Prepositions of time
Sometimes it might be complicated to pick up the right preposition. The train leaves in 15 minutes. That means: it will leave after 15 minutes are gone. The train leaves at 12:32. We use "at" to speak about time on a clock.
Of course, there are many more classical mistakes that learners commit. But we know a good way to get rid of them: the website called Lingbase. You can choose a specific topic which is problematic for you or maybe needs some refreshment, read the explanation and thoroughly practise it in exercises.
A useful resource for all English learners: English grammar online on Lingbase.
Article source: https://articlebiz.comRate article
Article comments
There are no posted comments.
Related articles
- Will Learning English Ever Rule the World?
- The Epistemological Crisis: How Social Media and Wicked Problems Impact Civil Discourse
- The term "victim" and approximation of meaning in Romance languages
- The Detrimental Impact of the Grammar Translation Method on Developing Speaking Skills
- Crossing Borders: Studying in Japan for Bangladeshi Scholars
- The Most Beautiful Word in the English Language
- Transforming Language Education: Embracing the Potential of Random Task Generators
- Litguide: The Best Solution for Helping Ontario Students Pass the OSSLT
- Applying CLIL methodology in the English classes in Brazil.
- Do not study spoken English, just experience it.
- 11 Essential Tips For Learning Spanish
- How to Learn Japanese With Manga: 5 Books for Beginners
- Kinyarwanda as a Language of the African Nation
- First Africa International Translation Conference
- The History of Arabic Typography – Fonts & Designs
- NAATI CCL Test Dates 2019
- Why We Learn Indonesian
- Wildlife will live to fight another Day
- How Languages Shape The Way We Think
- The Significance of Translation Services to Humanity
- Interest in the Italian language is growing worldwide
- The Top Simple Secrets of Learning a New Language Quickly
- How to choose a qualified Chinese traditional translator
- Why Translation Services Are Important for Business Success
- Two Languages That Require No Translation Services
- How does culture affect the quality of translation?
- Time to Learn Another Major Language or Two!
- Could Malagasy Be Africa’s Most Interesting Language?
- Why Translators Are Indispensable