15 January

 What are the most common mistakes made in English? 

1.     How can we avoid them?

May vs. might

Deciding when to use "may" or "might" can be difficult because the difference between these two verbs is minimal. Both indicate something that is possible, but "might" suggests something that is less likely to happen than "may."

 

“I might take a trip to India next year” means that maybe you are going to go to India, but maybe not. “I may have a slice of cake after dinner” indicates that there is a good chance that you are going to eat that cake.

 

 

Even more confusing is the rule that says "may" becomes "might" in the past. Therefore, in the present, you would say “he may eat the last piece of cake” (“maybe the last piece of cake is eaten”) but in the past, this phrase becomes “he might have eaten the last piece of cake ”(“ probably had the last piece of cake ”).

 

Fewer vs. less

This mistake is difficult for both native speakers and learners alike.

 

Both "fewer" and "less" describe the opposite of "more," but you have to look at the noun to decide which one to use. Fewer is used for countable nouns like books, cars, people, or glasses. Basically, if a number can go before a noun, like 2 books, 10 cars, 100 people, or 5 glasses, then the noun is countable.

 

"Less" is used for uncountable nouns like love, water, electricity, or science. If you cannot form its plural, then it is an uncountable noun. For example, you would say “this parking lot is too crowded. I wish there were fewer cars ”(“ this parking lot is full. I wish there were fewer cars ”) and“ I wish you would turn off the lights, so we could use less electricity ”(“ I wish you would turn off the lights to use less electricity ”) .

 

Could, should, or would

These 3 very similar verbs also cause problems for many English learners.

 

“Should” is used to give advice (“That shirt looks great on you. I think you should buy it” or “You should get vaccinations before traveling overseas”). ("That shirt fits you very well. You should buy it" or "You should get vaccinated before you travel").

 

 

“Would” is used to describe improbability or unrealistic situations (“I would love to go to Italy, but I don't have enough money” or “She would come to the party if she didn't have to wake up early tomorrow ”), (I would love to go to Italy but I don't have enough money” or “She would come to the party if she didn't have to wake up early tomorrow”). "Would" can also be used to offer politely ("Would you like some tea?" = "Do you want tea?")

 

Finally, “could” can be used in three different ways: 1) To describe an ability from the past (“When I was younger, I could run twice as fast” = “when I was younger, I could run twice as fast”) , 2) to describe possibilities in the future (“If we work really hard, I think we could save up enough money for a vacation this year” = “If we work hard, I think we could save enough money for this year's vacation” ), and 3) for formal requests (“Could I have a cup of tea?” = “Could I have a cup of tea?”).

 

Since vs. for

The words "since" and "for" are used to talk about time.

 

The difference is that "for" is used for a period or duration of time, while "since" is used for an exact moment in time. "For" can be used with all tenses, but "since" is used more with perfect tenses. "For" appears before expressions of time such as "30 minutes" (30 minutes), "6 months" (6 months) and "10 years" (10 years), while "since" appears before expressions of time such as "Monday" (Monday), "January" (January) or "2009". You could say: "He jogs for 1 hour everyday" or "He has lived in Bangkok for 10 years." ("He has lived in Bangkok 10 years"). If you use "since" you would say "he 's been jogging since 7am" ("he has been walking since 7 in the morning") or "he has lived in Bangkok since 2003" ("he has lived in Bangkok since 2003") .

 

Bring vs. take

"Bring" and "take" have almost the same meaning but imply different directions. Their relationship is similar to that of verbs