Common mistakes
Common English mistakes: choose the form you mean
A missing -s or extra past ending can change a sentence. A wrong small word can too. This lesson gives you four patterns to check.
This guide helps you fix small slips in everyday speech. You will practice the right forms with quick steps.
Try what you have learned
Listen to a recording, type what you hear, and check your answer.
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choose the form you mean CHOOZ-dhuh-FORM-yoo-MEEN
Link the final z in choose smoothly into the next soft word.
Do or does: make present-simple questions and negatives
Use do and don't (do not) with I, you, we, they, and plural nouns. Use does and doesn't (does not) with he, she, it, and other singular nouns.
Open lessonHave or has: match the verb to the subject
Have and has can describe things you own, family, and daily activities.
Open lessonWas or were: choose the past form of be
Was and were are past forms of the verb be that connect a subject to a past state or place.
Open lessonBought or brought: which past form do you need?
Bought is the past form of buy. In this lesson, it describes paying for something. Brought is the past form of bring: someone or something came with you, or you moved it to the place being discussed.
Open lessonDairy or diary: check the order of the letters
Dairy can mean milk and foods made from it, or a place that produces milk. A diary is a book for personal notes or appointments.
Open lessonHear or listen: receiving sound and paying attention
You may hear a phone ring while you work. You listen to a voicemail when you choose to pay attention to the words. The sound can arrive without a plan, but listening needs attention.
Open lessonI or me: choose the subject or object form
Both forms point to the speaker, with the sentence deciding which one fits.
Open lessonMuch or many: quantities with countable and uncountable nouns
At a market, bags can be counted one by one, while rice is measured as an amount. That difference tells you whether a question needs many or much.
Open lessonSee or watch: noticing something and giving it attention
You may see a bird from the bus window for a second. You watch a football match because you keep your eyes on it as it happens. The key difference is attention over time.
Open lessonSome or any: quantities, offers, questions, and negatives
You open the cupboard and ask whether there is anything to eat. A friend then offers you some soup. The two words point to quantity, but the speaker's purpose changes which one sounds right.
Open lessonThen or than: time, sequence, or comparison?
Use then for time, next steps, and results; use than to compare two things.
Open lessonThere, their, or they're: place, possession, or they are?
There names a place or helps say that something exists. Their shows who owns something. They're is short for they are.
Open lessonThrew or through: action or movement?
Threw is the past of throw. Through can show a path inside a place, a period of time, or a finished task.
Open lessonTo, too, or two: direction, also, or the number?
To can point toward a place or person and can come before a verb. Too means also or more than you want. Two means 2.
Open lessonWait vs weight: hear and use the right word
Wait and weight share the same final sound, but they do different jobs. One describes time. The other names how heavy something is.
Open lessonWhere, were, or wear: choose by meaning
Where points to a place. Were is a past form of be. Wear can describe clothes on your body.
Open lessonYour or you're: possession and the short form of you are
The two words sound alike, so your and you're are easy to confuse in writing. One small check usually gives you the answer: can you replace the word with you are?
Open lessonAccept or except: meaning, pronunciation, and sentence use
The shop can accept card payments, but every payment method is welcome except cash. One word describes receiving; the other marks an exclusion.
Open lessonAdapt or adopt: which verb do you need?
A team can adapt its schedule to a new deadline. The same team can adopt a new schedule. The verbs look similar, but they describe different actions.
Open lessonAdvice or advise: noun or verb?
Advice is guidance about what to do. Advise is the verb for giving guidance.
Open lessonBeside or besides: place, addition, and sentence position
A bag beside the chair has a physical position. Besides the bag, you may need a coat as well. One final s changes the job of the word.
Open lessonBrake or break: two words with different jobs
A car can brake at a crossing, but a glass can break if it falls. The words sound the same, so the meaning has to guide the spelling.
Open lessonCan or may: ability, possibility, and permission
At the library desk, you might ask, Can I borrow this today? In a formal notice, you might read, Visitors may borrow two books. Both sentences concern permission, but their setting changes the choice.
Open lessonCereal or serial? How to choose the right English word
The words cereal and serial usually sound alike in ordinary speech, but they point to very different things. One belongs in a bowl; the other belongs in an ordered set.
Open lesson
The short answer
Match your verb to the subject and keep verbs simple after did. Small word choices change your whole sentence.
She lives in London and she didn't miss her train today.
Why it works: Use the -s form after the singular subject she and keep miss simple after didn't.
4 more examples
-
Talking about a coworker's weekly schedule
He works from home on Fridays.
Use -s or -es after he, she, it, or a singular noun.
Not this:
He workfrom home on Fridays. What changes: Your listener might pause because he needs an s on the verb. -
Asking a colleague about a site visit
Did you see the new office yesterday?
Keep the main verb in its base form after did.
Not this:
Did you sawthe new office yesterday? What changes: Using two past forms together sounds wrong to native ears. -
Directing someone to a meeting spot
They're waiting near their car over there.
Each word has a different job even though they sound the same.
Not this:
Their waiting near there car over they're. What changes: The reader gets confused by the wrong spelling. -
Sharing a daily hobby
I love to listen to podcasts on my walk.
Always put to after listen when you name the sound.
Not this:I love to
listen podcastson my walk. What changes: Leaving out to makes the sentence feel incomplete.
Quick check
Which sentence is correct for daily work?
Answer: She works at the bank.
Show the answer
Answer: She works at the bank.
With she, use the third-person singular form, which usually ends in -s.
Read the full guide
Try the listening exerciseYou chat with a coworker by the coffee machine. You want to share a quick story, but pause on a verb ending. Clear rules help you choose the right form without worry.
Add -s in the present simple
The problem: I know the rule but I still forget the -s on verbs when I talk about my friend or boss in the present simple.
Use -s or -es after he, she, it, or a singular noun. Use the base form after I, you, we, and they.
-
Not this:
My manager work in the city centre.Say: My manager works in the city centre.
Manager is a singular noun, so use works in this daily habit.
Your turn
Choose the correct sentence to describe your manager's routine.
Answer: My manager starts work at eight.
Show the answer
Answer: My manager starts work at eight.
Use starts because manager is a singular noun in a present simple routine.
Keep base verbs after did
The problem: I say 'Did you went?' because I try to put both the helping word and the action word in the past.
You ask a friend about yesterday. The helper word did already carries the past time. Your action word stays in its simple base form.
-
Not this:
Did you went to the meeting this morning?Say: Did you go to the meeting this morning?
Did already shows the past, so use go, not went.
Your turn
Which question is correct for a past project?
Answer: Did you finish the report yesterday?
Show the answer
Answer: Did you finish the report yesterday?
The helping word did shows past time, so finish stays in its base form.
Tell there their they're apart
The problem: The words 'their', 'there', and 'they're' sound the same when people talk fast, so I mix up which spelling and form to use.
Three small words sound identical when you hear them in fast speech. Look at who owns what or where things sit. Each spelling belongs to a different job.
| Spelling | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| there | A place or location | The keys are over there. |
| their | Belonging to them | They brought their laptop. |
| they're | Short for they are | They're ready for lunch. |
Your turn
Type there, their, or they're to complete the travel sentence.
Answer: The guests left their bags in the hotel lobby.
Show the answer
Answer: their
Use their because it shows that the bags belong to the guests.
Use to with listen and explain
The problem: I say 'explain me the rule' or 'listen music' because my first language does not use 'to' there.
Listen needs to before the sound or thing you listen to. Explain can take a thing directly: explain the plan. Use to before the person who receives it: explain the plan to me.
-
Not this:
Can you explain me the new schedule?Say: Can you explain the new schedule to me?
Explain takes the schedule directly. Use to before the person receiving the explanation.
-
I always listen to the news on my drive home.
Why it works: Listen connects to the news with to.
-
She will explain the plan to our team tomorrow.
Why it works: Explain takes the plan as its object. Use to before the people who receive the explanation.
Your turn
Which sentence uses listen correctly?
Answer: I listen to a podcast every morning.
Show the answer
Answer: I listen to a podcast every morning.
Listen requires the word to before the podcast.
Before you go
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence is correct for yesterday's meeting?
Answer: He didn't bring his notes to the meeting.
Show the answer
Answer: He didn't bring his notes to the meeting.
After didn't, use the simple base verb bring.
Question 2 of 2 · One new sentence
Your friend asks about your weekend plans. Which response is correct?
At a dinner party with new friends
Answer: I didn't buy tickets yet, but my sister wants to go on Sunday.
Show the answer
Answer: I didn't buy tickets yet, but my sister wants to go on Sunday.
Use buy after didn't and wants after the singular subject my sister.
Remember this
Do not double the past tense after did. Listen to daily conversations and try saying each sentence out loud.
Listen first
Listen and write
Listen, type what you hear, then choose Check my answer. Use a hint when you get stuck.
0 of 3 done
Listening 1 of 3
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
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Listening 2 of 3
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
Try a longer clip. Listen once, then replay the part you missed.
Listening 3 of 3
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
Practice complete
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Test yourself
Listen to a new clip and write what you hear. You can replay it, but hints stay off and the transcript opens after you check your answer.
0 of 4 done
Listening 1 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
Describing a morning habit at breakfast
0:00
Listening 2 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
Looking for coats near the entrance
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Listening 3 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
Checking on friends arriving for a weekend trip
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Listening 4 of 4
Listen, then type the missing words. The rest of the text is already there.
Listening to a coworker talk about a busy morning
0:00
Practice complete
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Save my progressQuestions about "Common English mistakes: choose the form you mean"
When does a present simple verb need an -s ending?
Most present simple verbs take -s or -es with he, she, it, or a singular noun such as my cousin. Use the base form with I and you, even when each refers to one person. After does or doesn't, the main verb also stays in its base form.
I teach art.
My cousin teaches art.
Why does the verb stay in its base form after did?
Did marks the past in these questions and negatives. Use the base form after did or didn't, including with irregular verbs. In a positive sentence without did, the main verb takes its past form. Check which verb is carrying the past meaning before adding an ending.
Did Mina find her glasses?
Mina didn't find her glasses.
How do I choose between their, there, and they're?
Use their to show that something belongs or relates to someone. They're is the short form of they are. There can point to a place or introduce something that exists. Try replacing they're with they are, then check what the sentence means.
Their garden has a lemon tree.
They're planting flowers.
There's a small bench by the gate.
Do I always need to after listen?
Use listen to when you name the person or sound you are paying attention to. If you do not name that object, listen can stand without to. This is why both listen carefully and listen to the instructions are useful patterns.
Please listen to the final instruction.
He closed the book and listened.
Why do I say explain it to me?
Put the thing you are explaining directly after explain. If you also name the person receiving the explanation, introduce that person with to. You can leave the person out when the context is clear; explain does not always need a phrase with to.
The teacher explained the puzzle.
The teacher explained the puzzle to me.
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