Wrong Placement of Adverbs

Rule: In a compound verb, not should be placed after the first auxiliary.

        Incorrect Usage: He should have not gone to the late night party.

                                           

        Correct Usage: He should not have gone to the late night party.

Wrong Placement of Adverbs

Rule: When used with a transitive verb, the adverb is placed after the object.

     Incorrect Usage: She drove carefully her car.

                                           

      Correct Usage: She drove her car carefully.

Wrong Placement of Adverbs

Rule: Adverbs of indefinite time (always, ever, never, seldom, soon, etc.) should be placed before the principal verb.

      Incorrect Usage: She reaches always office punctually.

                                           

     Correct Usage: She always reaches office punctually.

Unnecessary articles

Using a before work, fun, etc.

Note: The indefinite article should not be used before work, fun, etc.

Incorrect Usage: (a) He found a work at a construction site.

                                  (b) The visit to Disneyland was full of a fun and excitement.

                                           

Correct Usage: (a) He found work at a construction site.

                              (b) The visit to Disneyland was full of fun and excitement.

Unnecessary articles

Using the with nature

Note: The definite article should not be used before nature.

      Incorrect Usage: Everyone wants to escape into the nature.

                                           

     Correct Usage: Everyone wants to escape into nature.

Unnecessary articles

Using the with names of days and months

Note: The definite article should not be used before the names of days and months.

  

    Incorrect Usage: The January is the first month of the year.

                                           

     Correct Usage: January is the first month of the year.

Unnecessary articles

Using the with disease names

Note: The definite article cannot be used before disease names.

     

    Incorrect Usage: The measles is a highly contagious disease.

                                           

   Correct Usage: Measles is a highly contagious disease.

Unnecessary articles

Using the with meal names

Note: The definite article cannot be used before meal names (breakfast, lunch, dinner/supper), unless it is used in a particular sense.

  

 Incorrect Usage: We were supposed to meet after the dinner.

                                           

   Correct Usage: We were supposed to meet after dinner.

Unnecessary articles

Using the with plural nouns

Note: When used in a general sense, article cannot be used before common nouns in the plural.

   

    Incorrect Usage: The camels are called as the ships of the desert.

                                           

    Correct Usage: Camels are called as the ships of the desert.

Unnecessary articles

Using the with abstract nouns

Note: When used in a general sense, article cannot be used with abstract nouns.

     Incorrect Usage: The honesty is the best policy.

                                           

     Correct Usage: Honesty is the best policy.

Unnecessary prepositions

Round (implies on all sides of)

   Incorrect Usage: The luxury cruise ship travels round of the world.

                                           

   Correct Usage: The luxury cruise ship travels round the world.

Unnecessary prepositions

Inside (implies the inner side or interior of)

     Incorrect Usage: The patient was taken inside of the operation theatre.

                                           

    Correct Usage: The patient was taken inside the operation theatre.

Unnecessary prepositions

Tell (implies to say; attain)

    Incorrect Usage: The Manager told to him to cancel the meeting at once.

                                           

    Correct Usage: The Manager told him to cancel the meeting at once.

Unnecessary prepositions

Reach (implies to arrive at; attain)

    Incorrect Usage: We reached at the mountain peak in the early hours of the morning.

                                           

     Correct Usage: We reached the mountain peak in the early hours of the morning.

Unnecessary prepositions

Obey (implies to carry out a command or request/act according to)

       Incorrect Usage: We should obey to the traffic rules.

                                           

Correct Usage: We should obey the traffic rules.

Unnecessary prepositions

Finish (implies to bring to an end; complete)

      Incorrect Usage: She has finished from her household chores.

                                           

Correct Usage: She has finished her household chores.

Unnecessary prepositions

Comprise (implies be made up of)

Incorrect Usage: The school library comprises of several knowledgeable and entertaining books.

                                           

          Correct Usage: The school library comprises several knowledgeable and entertaining books.

Note: We can also say: The school library is comprised of several knowledgeable and entertaining books.

Unnecessary prepositions

Approach (implies come near to)

        Incorrect Usage: Don’t approach to that building.

                                           

Correct Usage: Don’t approach that building.

Incorrect omission of prepositions

Use for this reason instead of for this.

      Incorrect Usage: For this, he wants to leave the country.

                                           

Correct Usage: For this reason, he wants to leave the country.

Incorrect omission of prepositions

Omission of the word or between numbers.

Rule: The conjunction or should be used between numbers.

         Incorrect Usage: All of a sudden, five, six men attacked him.

                                           

Correct Usage: All of a sudden, five or six men attacked him.

Incorrect omission of prepositions

Omission of the personal pronoun after a quote ends.

  Rule: After the quote ends, mention the personal pronoun as the subject of the reporting verb.

       Incorrect Usage: ‘I am going out for dinner,’ said.

                                           

Correct Usage: ‘I am going out for dinner,’ she said.

Incorrect omission of prepositions

Omission of the pronoun subject from the principal clause.

Rule: When the sentence begins with an adverbial clause, use the personal pronoun as the subject of the main clause.

Incorrect Usage: When he saw the ghost, was terrified.

                                           

Correct Usage: When he saw the ghost, he was terrified.

Incorrect omission of prepositions

Omission of the personal pronoun before the infinitive.

Rule: Mention the subject of the infinitive after verbs like allow, want, like, etc., if it differs from the main verb.

Incorrect Usage:  (a) I allow to attend the college function.

(b) I want to come with me to the market.                                      

Correct Usage: (a) I allow you to attend the college function.

(b) I want you to come with me to the market.

Incorrect omission of prepositions

Omission of else after everybody, etc.

Rule: Use the word else in making a comparison between one person/thing and all others of the same kind after everybody, anybody, anything, nobody, etc.

Don’t say: (a) She is taller than everybody.

(b) Except him, nobody could have done that.

Say: (a) She is taller than everybody else.

(b) Except him, nobody else could have done that.

Incorrect omission of prepositions

Omission of the auxiliary do from questions.

Don’t say: You understand the problem?

                   He understands the problem?

                   She understood the problem?

ü  Say: Do you understand the problem?

   Does he understand the problem?

                     Did she understand the problem?

Place the auxiliary verbs before the subject to ask question in the simple present and simple past tenses.