Cᴏᴍᴍᴏɴ Mɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇs:
401. Sit and Seat.
(a) Sit
❌Don't say: We seat at a desk to write a letter.
✅Say: We sit at a desk to write a letter.
(b) Seat
❌Don't say: He sat the passengers one by one.
✅Say: He seated the passengers one by one.
Use "sit" as an intransitive verb. "Seat" is a transitive verb and requires an object. Very often the object of "seat" is a reflexive pronoun: He seated himself near the fire. The principal parts of the two verbs are: sit, sat, sat, and seat, seated, seated.
Note: Don't confuse "sit" with "set", which usually means: to place. Common idioms with "set": to set the table, to set on fire, to set off (or out), to set a trap, to set a clock, to set a price, to set your heart on, to set free, to set an example, to set a broken bone, to set to work (= to start work).
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402. Rise and Raise.
(a) Rise
❌Don't say: Val raises very early in the morning.
✅Say: Val rises very early in the morning.
(b) Raise
❌Don't say: She rose their salaries too often.
✅Say: She raised their salaries too often.
"Rise" is an intransitive verb and means to go up, stand up, or get out of bed. It doesn't require an object. Raise is a transitive verb and means to lift up something. Their principal parts are: rise, rose, risen, and raise, raised, raised.
Note: "Arise" is often used for "rise", but it is better to use arise only in the sense of begin :A quarrel (a discussion, an argument, a difficulty, etc.) may arise. This is formal but is still used.
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403 Like and Love.
❌Don't say: I like you! Will you marry me?
✅Say: I love you! Will you marry me?
💚Both verbs can be used for people and things the only difference is o n e of
degree Love is much stronger than like.
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404 Stay and Remain.
(a) Stay.
❌Don't say: We remained in a very good hotel.
✅Say: We stayed in a very good hotel.
(b) Remain.
❌Don't say: Not many figs have stayed on the tree
✅Say: Not many figs have remained on the tree.
Here, to stay means to live for a short time as a guest or a visitor, and to remain means to be 'eft after part has been taken or deslioyed.
Note - Use either verb when the meaning is to continue in the same place or
condition /'// stay [or remain) at home till tomorrow. Remain is more formal
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405 Hanged and Hung.
(a) Hanged
❌Don't say: No-one has been hung in Britain since 1964.
✅Say: No-one has been hanged in Britain since 1964.
(b) Hung.
❌Don't say: We hanged the picture on the wall.
✅Say: We hung the picture on the wall.
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406 Wear and Put on.
(a) Wear.
❌Don't say: Kathy always puts on black shoes.
✅ Say: Kathy always wears black shoes.
(b) Put on.
❌Don't say: 1 wear my clothes in the morning.
✅ Say: 1 put on my clothes in the morning.
💡Wear means to have upon the body as a garment or as an ornament To put on denotes a simple act.
💡Note1👈🏻 To dress has nearly the same meaning as to put on, but the object of dress is a person and not a thing He dressed himself and went out, The mother dressed her baby
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407 Tear and Tear up.
(a) Tear.
❌Don't say: John tore up his coat on a nail.
✅ Say: John tore his coat on a nail.
(b) Tear up.
❌Don't say: Philip was angry and tore the letter.
✅Say: Philip was angry and tore up the letter.
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408 Grow and Grow up.
(a) Grow.
❌Don't say: These flowers grow up very quickly.
✅Say: These flowers grow very quickly.
(b) Grow up.
❌Don't say: When I grow I'll be a doctor.
✅Say: When I grow up I'll be. a doctor.
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409 Pick and Pick up.
(u) Pick.
❌Don't say: We picked up flowers in the garden.
✅ Say: We picked flowers in the garden.
(b) Pick up.
❌Don't say: The naughty boy picked a stone.
✅ Say: The naughty boy picked up a stone.
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410 Deal with and Deal in.
(a) Deal with.
❌Don't say: This book deals in common errors.
✅ Say: This book deals with common errors.
(b) Deal in.
❌Don't say: A bookseller deals with books.
✅ Say: A bookseller deals in books.
To deal with means to have to do with, to deal in means to buy and sell
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411 Interfere in and Interfere with.
(a) Interfere in.
❌Don't say: Don't interfere with my private business!
✅ Say: Don't interfere in my private business!
(b) Interfere with.
❌Don't say: Paul is always interfering in the equipment.
✅ Say: Paul is always interfering with the equipment.
Interfere in means to concern yourselt with something which you shouldn't Interfere with means to do some damage or be a nuisance to someone or something.
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412 Borrow and Lend.
(a) Borrow.
❌Don't say: I want to lend a book from you.
✅ Say: I want to borrow a book from you.
(b) Lend.
❌Don't say: Will you please borrow me a book?
✅ Say: Will you please lend me a book?
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413 Steal and Rob.
(a) Steal.
❌Don't say: Someone has robbed all her money.
✅Say: Someone has stolen all her money.
(b) Rob.
❌Don't say: Some men stole a bank last night.
✅ Say: Some men robbed a bank last night.
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414 Take revenge and Avenge.
❌Don't say: I must avenge myself for what he did to me!
✅Say: I must take revenge for what he did to me!
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415 Convince and Persuade.
❌Don't say: I am persuaded of Robin's innocence.
✅Say: I am convinced of Robin's innocence.
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416 Refuse and Deny.
(a) Refuse.
❌Don't say': Sarah denied to take the money.
✅ Say: Sarah refused to take the money.
(b) Deny.
❌Don't say: John refused that he'd done it.
✅ Say: John denied that he'd done it.
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417 Discover and Invent.
(a) Discover.
❌Don't say: America was invented by Columbus.
✅ Say; America was discovered by Columbus.
(B) Invent.
❌Don't say: Edison discovered the gramophone.
✅ Say: Edison invented the gramophone.
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418 Take place and Take part.
(a) Take place.
❌Don't say.The meeting will take part soon.
✅ Say: The meeting will take place soon.
(b) Take part.
❌Don't say: I'll take place in the meeting.
✅ Say: I'll take part in the meeting.
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419 Made from and Made of.
(a) Made from.
❌Don't soy. The bowl is made of glass.
✅ Say: The bowl is made from glass.
(b) Made of.
❌Don't say: The statue is made from marble.
✅ Say. The statue is made of marble.
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420 Let for Rent and Hired out for Hire.
(a) Rent.
❌Don't say: I let the house from Mr Jones.
✅ Say: I rent the house from Mr Jones.
(b) Hire.
❌Don't say: I hired out a surf board when I was in America.
✅ Say: 1 hired a surf board when I was in America.
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421 Win for Earn.
❌Don't say: She wins her living by hard work.
✅ Say: She earns her living by hard work.
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422 Substitute for Replace with.
❌Don't say:They substituted gold with paper money.
✅ Say: They replaced gold with paper money.
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423 Correct for Repair or Mend.
❌Don't soy: Some men are correcting the road.
✅ Say: Some men are repairing the road.
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424 Dust for Cover with dust.
❌Don't say: A sandstorm dusted our clothes.
✅ Say: A sandstorm covered our clothes with dust.
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425 Please for Ask or Thank.
❌Don't say: I pleased him to do me a favour;
or: I pleased him for his lovely present.
✅ Say: I asked him to do me a favour;
and: J thanked him for his lovely present.
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426 Could for Was able to.
❌Don't say: Because Laura worked hard she could
finish the job in time.
✅ Say: Because Laura worked hard she was able to
finish the job in time.
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427 Learn for Teach.
❌Don't say: Graham learned us how to play hockey.
✅Say: Graham taught us how to play hockey,
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428 Win or Beat.
❌Don't say: We've always won your team.
✅Say: We've always beaten your team.
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429 Accept for Agree.
❌Don't say: The teacher accepted to go with us.
✅Say: The teacher agreed to go with us.
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430 Leave for Let.
❌Don't say: Penny didn't leave me to get my book.
✅Say: Penny didn't let me get my book.
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431 Bring for Take.
❌Don't soy: The astronauts are bringing plants to
the moon.
✅Say: The astronauts are taking plants to the moon.
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432 Drown tor Sink.
❌Don't say: The ship drowned in the ocean.
✅Say: The ship sank in the ocean.
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433 See for Look.
❌Don't say: Neil was seeing out of the window.
✅ Say: Neil was looking out of the window.
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434 Hear for Listen.
❌Don't say: I was hearing her CDs.
✅ Say: I was listening to her CDs.
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435 Remember for Remind.
❌Don't soy: Please remember me to give it back.
✅ Say: Please remind me to give it back.
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436 Leave for Let go.
❌Don't say: Leave the other end of the string.
✅ Say: Let go of the other end of the string.
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437 Sleep far Go to Bed.
❌Don't say: I'M sleep early tonight.
✅ Say: I'll go to bed early tonight.
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438 Be found for Be.
❌Don't say: The man was found in his office.
✅ Say: The man was in his office.
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439 Be with for Have.
❌Don't say: My English book is with my brother.
✅ Say: My brother has my English book.
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440 Take for Get.
❌Don't say: Clare took a good mark in chemistry.
✅ Say: Clare got a good mark in chemistry.
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441 Like for Want, etc.
❌Don't say: Do you like to see my collection?
✅ Say: Do you want to see my collection?
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442 Know for Learn, etc.
❌Don't say: Dan went to school to know English.
✅ Say: Dan went to school to learn English.
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443 Read for Study.
❌Don't say: Lucy is reading algebra in her room.
✅ Say: Lucy is studying algebra in her room.
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444 Learn for Study.
❌Don't say: Kevin is learning at Gordon College.
✅ Say: Kevin is studying at Gordon College.
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445 Take for Buy.
❌Don't say: I went to the baker's to take bread.
✅ Say: I went to the baker's to buy bread.
Never use take m the sense of buy
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446 Take out for Take off.
❌Don't say: Chris took out his hat and coat.
✅ Say: Chris took off his hat and coat.
The opposite of put on is take off, and not take out.
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447 Leave for Give up, etc
❌Don't say: I've now left football.
✅ Say: I've now given up football.
Or: I've now stopped playing football.
Never use leave in the meaning of give up, or stop something
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448 Sympathise for Like.
❌Don't say: I don't sympathise him very much.
✅ Say: I don't like him very much.
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449 Put for Keep.
❌Don't say: Do you put your money in the bank?
✅ Say: Do you keep your money in the bank?
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450 Care about, Care for for Take care of.
❌Don't say: Oliver cares about (cares for) his brother's
investments.
✅ Say: Oliver takes care of his brother's investments.
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451 Let for Make (= to force).
❌Don't say: The examiner let me sit quietly until everyone had finished.
✅ Say: The examiner made me sit quietly until everyone had finished.
💡Don't use let, in the sense of make, meaning to force.
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452 Flown for Flowed.
❌Don't say: The river has flown over its banks.
✅Say: The river has flowed over its banks.
💡Flown is the past participle of fly, the past participle of flow (= to move as
water) is flowed. The principal parts of the t w o verbs'are; fly, flew, flown -
flow, flowed, flowed.
💡Note: Flee, fled, fled is formal but we still use it to mean to run away. We flee from danger Float, floated, floated means to stay on the surface of
water or other liquid: Ships float on the water.
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@Common_Mistakes_Grammar
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453 Fall for Fell.
❌Don't say: John fall down and broke his leg.
✅ Say: John fell down and broke his leg.
💡The past tense of this verb is fell, not fall. It's principal parts are- fall, fell, fallen.
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454 Found for Find.
❌ Don't say: Rosie tried to found her lost book,
✅ Say: Rosie tried to find her lost book.
💡To find is a very common verb meaning to get back a thing lost. It's principal
parts: find, found, found.
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@Common_Mistakes_Grammar
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455 Very and Too.
(a) Very.
❌Don't say: It's too hot in Rome in the summer.
✅ Say: It's very hot in Rome in the summer.
(b) Too.
❌Don't say: It's now very hot to play football.
✅ Say: It's now too hot to play football.
💡Very simply makes the adjective c adverb stronger Too means more than
enough, or so much that something else happens as a result
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@Common_Mistakes_Grammar
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456 Very and Much.
(a) Very.
❌Don't say: He's a much strong man.
❌It's a much interesting book.
✅Say: He's a very strong man.
✅It's a very interesting book.
(b) Much
❌Don't say: He's very stronger than I am.
✅ Say: He's much stronger than I am.
💡Use very with adjectives and adverbs in the positive, and with present participles used as adjectives like interesting. Use much with comparatives
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@Common_Mistakes_Grammar
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457 Too much for Very much.
❌Don't say: She likes the cinema too much.
❌He's too much stronger than I am.
✅ Say: She likes the cinema very much.
✅He's very much stronger than I am.
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458 Before for Ago.
❌Don't say: I saw your friend before two weeks.
✅Say: I saw your friend two weeks ago.
💡 We use ago in counting from the time of speaking to a point in the past; half an hour ago, three days ago, four months ago, five years ago, a long time ago. W e use before in counting from a distant to a nearer point in the past. Napoleon died in 1821, he had lost the battle of Waterloo six years before.
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459 Hardly for Hard.
❌ Don't say: She rubbed her eyes hardly.
✅ Say: She rubbed her eyes hard.
💡Hard means severely. Hardly means not quite or scarcely. The baby can hardly walk
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460 No so for Not very.
❌Don't say: I hear that he's not so rich.
✅ Say: I hear that he's not very rich.
💡We can't use not so in the sense of not very The expression He's not so rich implies a comparison- He s not so rich as you are.
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461 Just now r*or Presently, etc.
❌Don't say: The messenger will arrive just now.
✅Say: The messenger will arrive presently.
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