Misuse of the infinitive

Use the gerund and not the infinitive:

After words which regularly take a preposition:

Used to + -ing.

Don’t say: She is used to get up early.

ü Say: She is used to getting up early.

Misuse of the infinitive

Use the gerund and not the infinitive:

After words which regularly take a preposition:

Think of + -ing.

Don’t say: I often think to go to England.

ü Say: I often think of going to England.

Misuse of the infinitive

Use the gerund and not the infinitive:

After words which regularly take a preposition:

Prevent from + -ing.

Don’t say: The rain prevented me to go.

ü Say: The rain prevented me from going.

Misuse of the infinitive

Use the gerund and not the infinitive:

After words which regularly take a preposition:

Insist on + -ing.

Don’t say: Simon insisted to go to London.

ü Say: Simon insisted on going to London.

Misuse of the infinitive

Use the gerund and not the infinitive:

After words which regularly take a preposition:

Capable of + -ing.

Don’t say: They are quite capable to do that.

ü Say: They are quite capable of doing that.

Misuse of the infinitive

Misuse of the infinitive

Use the gerund and not the infinitive:

After prepositions or preposition phrases:

Without, etc. + -ing.

Don’t say: Do your work without to speak.

ü Say: Do your work without speaking.

Warn

Warn: notify of danger, potential harm, or risk; admonish or counsel in terms of someone's behavior; notify, usually in advance.

Synonym: caution, advise, inform, notify, call, summon, apprise, forewarn.

Example: The doctor warned me about the dangers of smoking.

Usage in Sentence: Warn of, not about.

Don’t say: They were warned about the danger.

ü Say: They were warned of the danger.

Warn

Warn: notify of danger, potential harm, or risk; admonish or counsel in terms of someone's behavior; notify, usually in advance.

Synonym: caution, advise, inform, notify, call, summon, apprise, forewarn.

Example: The doctor warned me about the dangers of smoking.

Usage in Sentence: Warn of, not about.

Don’t say: They were warned about the danger.

ü Say: They were warned of the danger.

Translate

Translate: To render in another language; to put into simpler terms; explain or interpret; to express in different words; paraphrase; to change from one form, function, or state to another; convert or transform: translate ideas into reality; to express in another medium; to transfer from one place or condition to another.

Synonym: interpret, decode, decipher, render, convert, transform, turn.

Example: Today's low inflation and steady growth in household income translate into more purchasing power.

Usage in Sentence: Translate into, not to.

Don’t say: Translate this page to English.

ü Say: Translate this page into English.

Tired

Tired: weary; fatigued; having lost interest in; bored; having lost patience with; hackneyed; depleted of strength or energy.

Example: I'm tired of playing cards.

Usage in Sentence: Tired of, not from.

Don’t say: The boys are tired from eating boiled eggs.

ü Say: The boys are tired of eating boiled eggs.

Suspect

Suspect: to believe to be guilty, false, counterfeit, undesirable, defective, bad, etc., with little or no proof; to doubt or mistrust; to believe to be the case or to be likely or probable; surmise; to have some hint or fore knowledge of.

Example: I suspect his motives.

Usage in Sentence: Suspect of, not for.

Don’t say: I suspect Kate for stealing the pen.

ü Say: I suspect Kate of stealing the pen.

Sure

Sure: free from doubt as to the reliability, character, action, etc., of something; confident, as of something expected; convinced, fully persuaded, or positive; assured or certain beyond question; worthy of confidence; reliable; stable.

Synonym: assured, certain, confident, reliable, effective, undoubted, guaranteed.

Example: Are you sure of what you are saying?

Usage in Sentence: Sure of, not for.

Don’t say: I’m quite sure for her honesty.

ü Say: I’m quite sure of her honesty.

Succeed

Succeed: to happen or terminate according to desire; turn out successfully; have the desired result; to thrive, prosper, grow, or the like; to accomplish what is attempted or intended; to attain success in some popularly recognized form, as wealth or standing; to follow or replace another by descent, election, appointment, etc. (often followed by to ).

Synonym: ensue, follow, inherit, flourish, gain, hit, prevail, prosper.

Example: The class voted him the one most likely to succeed.

Usage in Sentence: Succeed in, not at.

Don’t say: I hope he’ll succeed at his work.

ü Say: I hope he’ll succeed in his work.

Spend

Spend: to pay out, disburse, or expend; dispose of (money, wealth, resources, etc.); to employ (labor, thought, words, time, etc.), as on some object or in some proceeding; to pass (time) in a particular manner, place, etc.; to use up, consume, or exhaust.

Synonym: disburse, dispose of, expend, lay out, consume, dissipate, exhaust, lavish, squander, devote, apply.

Example: Mark spends a lot on his electronic accessories.

Usage in Sentence: Spend on, not for.

Don’t say: I spend a lot of time for my computer.

ü Say: I spend a lot of time on my computer.

Similar

Similar : Related in appearance or nature; alike though not identical.

Synonym: agnate, akin, allied, analogous, coincident, coincidental, coinciding, collateral, companion, comparable, complementary, congruent, congruous, consonant, consubstantial, correlative, corresponding, homogeneous, identical, in agreement, kin, kindred, like, matching, much the same, parallel, reciprocal, related, resembling, same, twin.

Example: I have a book whose contents are similar to that of yours.

Usage in Sentence: Similar to, not with.

Don’t say: Your house is similar with mine.

ü Say: Your house is similar to mine.

Repent

Repent: To feel remorse, contrition, or self-reproach for what one has done or failed to do; be contrite; to feel such regret for past conduct as to change one's mind regarding it; to make a change for the better as a result of remorse or contrition for one's sins; to feel regret or self-reproach for; to cause to feel remorse or regret.

Synonym: ask forgiveness, apologize, atone, be ashamed, be contrite, be sorry, bewail, deplore, feel remorse, have qualms, lament, reform, regret, relent, reproach oneself, rue, see error of ways, show penitence, sorrow.

Example: She repented of her past mistakes.

Usage in Sentence: Repent of, not from.

Don’t say: He repented from his crime.

ü Say: He repented of his crime.

Rejoice

Rejoice: To feel joyful; be delighted: rejoiced at the news; to fill with joy; gladden.

Synonym: be glad, be overjoyed, celebrate, delight, enjoy, exult, feel happy, glory, joy, jump for joy, make merry, revel, triumph.

Example: She rejoiced in her friend's good fortune.

Usage in Sentence: Rejoice at or in, not for.

Don’t say: We rejoiced for her success.

ü Say: We rejoiced at (or in) for her success.

Prefer

Prefer: To choose or be in the habit of choosing as more desirable or as having more value: prefers coffee to tea; to give priority or precedence to (a creditor); to recommend for advancement or appointment; promote.

Synonym: choose, favor, promote, wish, have a preference.

Example: Some people prefer camping to staying in hotels.

Usage in Sentence: Prefer to, not from.

Don’t say: I prefer a blue pen from a red one.

ü Say: I prefer a blue pen to a red one.

Pleased

Pleased: Feeling or showing pleasure and satisfaction; willing or glad to do something; satisfied.

Synonym: glad, content, contented, happy, satisfied.

Example: Mr. Mark was pleased to be with us.

Usage in Sentence: Pleased with, not from.

Don’t say: The teacher is pleased from me.

ü Say: The teacher is pleased with me.

Pass by a place

Pass by a place: to move past; go by.

Synonym: go by, bypass, exceed, overtake.

Example: While passing by the river I saw her house.

Usage in Sentence: Pass by a place, not from a place.

Don’t say: Will you pass from the post office?

ü Say: Will you pass by the post office?

Married

Married = Having a spouse; united in matrimony; of or relating to the state of marriage acquired through marriage.

Synonyms: wedded, nuptial, conjugal, associated, united.

Example: Mary is about to get married.

Usage in Sentence: Married to, not with.

Don’t say: Angela was married with a rich man.

ü Say: Angela was married to a rich man.

Married

Married = Having a spouse; united in matrimony; of or relating to the state of marriage acquired through marriage.

Synonyms: wedded, nuptial, conjugal, associated, united.

Example: Mary is about to get married.

Usage in Sentence: Married to, not with.

Don’t say: Angela was married with a rich man.

ü Say: Angela was married to a rich man.

Live

Live = To be maintained in life; to acquire a livelihood; to subsist; to spend, as one's life; to pass; to maintain; to continue in.

Synonyms: exist, be alive, survive, subsist, reside.

Example: Horses live on grass and grain.

Usage in Sentence: Live on, not from.

Don’t say: He lives from his brother’s money.

ü Say: He lives on his brother’s money.

Jealous

Jealous = feeling resentment against someone because of that person's rivalry, success, or advantages (often followed by of ); feeling resentment because of another's success, advantage, etc.; characterized by or proceeding from suspicious fears or envious resentment; inclined to or troubled by suspicions or fears of rivalry, unfaithfulness, etc.; solicitous or vigilant in maintaining or guarding something.

Synonyms:covetous, demanding, emulous, envious, envying, grabby, grasping, green-eyed, grudging, guarded, intolerant, invidious, jaundiced, mistrustful, monopolizing, possessive, possessory, protective, questioning, resentful, rival, skeptical, solicitous, zealous.

Example: He was jealous of his rich brother.

Usage in Sentence: Jealous of, not from.

Don’t say: He is very jealous from his brother.

ü Say: He is very jealous of his brother.

Interested

Interested = Having or showing curiosity, fascination, or concern; Possessing a right, claim, or stake.

Synonyms: paying attention, involved, concerned, attracted, fascinated, engrossed.

Example: I'm interested to hear about your family.

Usage in Sentence: Interested in, not for.

Don’t say: She is not interested for her work.

- Say: She is not interested in her work.