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.
Which or who: choose the correct word for people and things
Who sent the message? Which message did they send? The two questions look similar, but one asks about a person and the other asks about a thing.
Open lessonWill or going to: decisions, plans, and predictions
Your phone rings while you are cooking. You decide at that moment: I'll answer it. Later, you tell a friend about a plan you made yesterday: I'm going to call the bank after work. Both sentences refer to the future, but the speaker makes a different choice about when the decision happened.
Open lessonAdverse or averse: conditions, feelings, and sentence patterns
The forecast may warn of adverse weather, while a colleague may be averse to travelling in it. The words look similar and share a serious tone, but one describes a bad situation and the other describes a person's attitude.
Open lessonAesthetic or ascetic: art, beauty, and self-discipline
These words look alike, but they point in different directions: one is about beauty and style; the other is about living with deliberate restraint.
Open lessonAffect or effect: choosing the right word in a sentence
A delayed train can affect a meeting. The effect may be that the meeting starts late. The two words look similar, but one usually names an action and the other usually names what happens because of that action.
Open lessonAllusion or illusion: how to tell them apart
A reviewer says that a film contains an allusion to an older story. Later, a character walks toward what looks like water in the desert, but it is an illusion. The words sound close, yet they describe different things.
Open lessonAnecdote or antidote: a short story and a remedy
One letter changes a story into a remedy. An anecdote may make a speech more memorable. An antidote may counteract a poison.
Open lessonBorn or borne: life events, carrying, and verb forms
A child is born in a place and year. A bridge is borne by its supports. The words come from the verb bear, but they point to different meanings.
Open lessonCompliment or complement: choose the right spelling
Maya gave her colleague a compliment after the presentation. The blue scarf was a complement to her gray coat. One spelling is about praise, while the other is about how two things work or look together.
Open lessonEffective or efficient: choose the word for results or method
A quick meeting can be efficient, yet it may fail to solve the problem. A longer meeting can be effective if it leads to a clear decision. The words often appear together, but they ask different questions.
Open lessonElicit and illicit: meaning, spelling, and use
Two words can sound exactly alike and still do completely different jobs. Elicit and illicit are a useful pair to check before you send an important email or report.
Open lessonIrrelevant or irreverent: different meanings and tones
During a meeting, a question about last year's office party may be irrelevant to a safety report. A joke about the report's solemn introduction may be irreverent. The words look related, but they point to different problems.
Open lessonMarital vs martial: use each adjective accurately
A newspaper may report a marital dispute or martial law. The words look close on the page, but the first concerns a marriage and the second concerns the military. Choosing the wrong one changes the subject completely.
Open lessonPray or prey: worship, hope, hunting, and spelling
Before the hikers left, they prayed for clear weather. Near the lake, they watched an osprey carry prey to its nest. The words sound alike, but one is an action and the other names a target or hunted animal.
Open lessonWave or waive: movement, greetings, and giving up a right
At the station, you might wave to a friend through the window. At the ticket desk, a staff member might waive a fee. The words sound alike, but one describes movement and the other describes a decision.
Open lessonWho or whom: everyday and formal English
Who is the subject form and is also common as an object in everyday English. Whom is the object form of who, used as the object of a verb or a preposition such as to or with. It is more formal.
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
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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
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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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