Explanations + Practice
Top 10 English Mistakes To Avoid
Here’s how to correct these common mistakes made by ESL students:
1. “I spent many money.”
- Mistake: The word “many” is used with countable nouns, but “money” is uncountable.
- Correction: I spent a lot of money.
- Explanation: Use “a lot of” with uncountable nouns like “money.”
2. “I want to go to abroad this winter vacation.”
- Mistake: The word “abroad” does not need a preposition like “to” in front of it.
- Correction: I want to go abroad this winter vacation.
- Explanation: “Abroad” is an adverb, so we don’t use “to” before it. The phrase is simply “go abroad.”
3. “Can I go to the toilet?” (British English: OK, but not in American English)
- Mistake: In American English, “toilet” is not commonly used in this context.
- Correction (American English): Can I go to the restroom? or Can I go to the bathroom?
- Explanation: In American English, “restroom” or “bathroom” is more polite. “Toilet” refers specifically to the fixture, not the room.
4. “The event was funny.”
- Mistake: “Funny” means something that makes you laugh, but the student probably means the event was enjoyable.
- Correction: The event was fun.
- Explanation: Use “fun” to describe something enjoyable or entertaining, and “funny” to describe something that makes you laugh.
5. “I played with my friend on Saturday.”
- Mistake: “Played” sounds childish when referring to social activities for adults or older teens.
- Correction: I hung out with my friend on Saturday. or I spent time with my friend on Saturday.
- Explanation: “Played” is more suitable for young children. For older kids and adults, use “hang out” or “spend time.”
6. “Almost Asians eat rice for breakfast.”
- Mistake: “Almost Asians” sounds awkward. It should clarify the number of people.
- Correction: Almost all Asians eat rice for breakfast.
- Explanation: “Almost” needs to be followed by a quantifier like “all” when referring to a large group.
7. “I have to lose my weight.”
- Mistake: “My” is unnecessary here. “Weight” is treated as something general to the speaker.
- Correction: I have to lose weight.
- Explanation: When talking about weight, we don’t use possessive pronouns like “my” unless we’re specifying an unusual context.
8. “I want to trip to France.”
- Mistake: “Trip” is a noun, but the student is using it as a verb.
- Correction: I want to take a trip to France. or I want to travel to France.
- Explanation: Use “take a trip” (noun) or “travel” (verb) when talking about going somewhere.
9. “Water is more cheaper than juice.”
- Mistake: The word “more” is unnecessary because “cheaper” is already a comparative form.
- Correction: Water is cheaper than juice.
- Explanation: “Cheaper” already shows comparison, so “more” should not be used.
10. “Me and my friends watched a movie.”
- Mistake: “Me” should not be used as the subject.
- Correction: My friends and I watched a movie.
- Explanation: Use “I” in the subject of a sentence. It’s also polite to mention others first, hence “My friends and I.”
Bonus: “What’s your hobby?”
- Mistake: While grammatically correct, this question is outdated or overly formal in casual conversation.
- Correction: What do you do for fun? or What do you do in your free time?
- Explanation: These are more natural ways to ask about someone’s interests in modern, everyday English.
Correcting these common mistakes helps students sound more natural and grammatically correct in their use of English!
Extra practice
Quiz: Correcting Common ESL Mistakes
1. Choose the correct sentence:
- A. I spent much money on groceries.
- B. I spent a lot of money on groceries.
2. Choose the correct sentence:
- A. She wants to go to abroad next summer.
- B. She wants to go abroad next summer.
3. Choose the correct sentence (American English):
- A. Can I use the toilet?
- B. Can I use the bathroom?
**4. Fill in the blank with the correct word:
The party was ____________.
- (fun / funny)
5. Choose the better sentence for an adult:
- A. I played with my coworker after work.
- B. I hung out with my coworker after work.
6. Choose the correct sentence:
- A. Almost Europeans enjoy traveling.
- B. Almost all Europeans enjoy traveling.
**7. Fill in the blank with the correct word:
I need to lose ____________.
- (weight / my weight)
8. Choose the correct sentence:
- A. They want to travel to Japan next year.
- B. They want to trip to Japan next year.
9. Choose the correct sentence:
- A. This dress is more cheaper than the other one.
- B. This dress is cheaper than the other one.
10. Choose the correct sentence:
- A. Me and my sister are going shopping tomorrow.
- B. My sister and I are going shopping tomorrow.
11. Choose the more natural question:
- A. What’s your favorite hobby?
- B. What do you like to do in your free time?
12. Choose the correct sentence:
- A. I spent a lot of money on this jacket.
- B. I spent many money on this jacket.
13. Choose the correct sentence:
- A. The presentation was very fun.
- B. The presentation was very funny.
14. Choose the correct sentence:
- A. Almost of the people here speak English.
- B. Most people here speak English.
15. Choose the correct sentence:
- A. I hung out with my friends last weekend.
- B. I played with my friends last weekend.
16. Choose the correct sentence:
- A. This fruit is more fresher than the other one.
- B. This fruit is fresher than the other one.
Answer Key
- B, 2. B, 3. B, 4. Fun, 5. B, 6. B, 7. Weight, 8. A, 9. B, 10. B, 11. B, 12. A, 13. A, 14. B, 15. A, 16. B