マンツーマン/少人数で入会金無料 プライベート格安英会話

We all make mistakes. It is a natural part of the learning process and students who study English as a second language are no exception. At times their mistakes offer humor, at other times they interfere with understanding. By studying and recognizing mistakes you can improve your English. The private or small group-lesson provides you with a safe environment to make these mistakes and an educated teacher to help you with correction. We decided it would be interesting to survey our teachers and ask them what are the most common grammar mistakes made by students. Maybe you will recognize some of your own mistakes here. We hope that it will be of benefit to you.

The Verb "To Be"

Using the "be" verb correctly is by far the most common mistake selected by our teachers.The mistake happens with the use of the "be" verb in the continuous verb tense (also known as the progressive). "I going to my office". This sentence is an example of the mistake common with the "be" verb. The correct sentence is "I am going to my office". Students will often forget to use the "be" verb here. The solution is to practice and memorize the verb forms of the continuous tense. Be careful about confusing gerunds (verbs that add -ing to the end when used as nouns). For example "I am skiing at Mt. Fuji" versus "I go skiing at Mt. Fuji on Saturdays". The sentence "I am skiing" is in the present continuous and describes an action that is currently happening. The sentence "I go skiing" is using "skiing" as a noun.

Count and Non-Count Nouns

If you remember your grammar classes, you will remember that a countable noun takes and "-s" when there is more than one (eg. many studentS) and no "-s" when it is singular (eg. a student). Non-count nouns do not take an "-s". Some examples are "milk", "food", "children" and "money". There are several different mistakes that occur with non-count nouns. Often students will try to make a plural out of a non-count noun (eg. The peoples were happy.). Another mistake happens with using the wrong adjective with the noun. "He has many money" is incorrect. The correct sentence is "He has a lot of money". These are mistakes that you can only correct by studying and knowing your nouns and noun quantifiers. However, if you listen to how English speakers use the language you will find many cases where the rule is broken. This often confuses students when they hear a non-count noun being used as countable. You may hear an English speaker say something like "Would you like a coffee?" or "I drank three coffees this morning". Coffee is definitely a non-count noun, so why is it being used as a count noun?　What is happening is that a part of the sentence that would make the noun countable is not being spoken. "Three cups of coffee" or "a cup of coffee" is correct because "cups" are countable. The "cups of" is being dropped from the sentence and the noun "coffee" is being treated as countable to allow for that. Be careful. This may work with "coffee", but it will not work with all non-count nouns. Unless you have heard a non-count noun used this way, you should always follow the rules regarding count and non-count nouns.

Adjectives "-ed" and "-ing"

The last common mistake selected by our teachers is the use of adjectives that end in either "-ed" or "-ing". An example of this is "bored" versus "boring". Students often confuse the two forms which can lead to some funny sentences. These adjectives are used to express feelings or emotions (bored, excited, exhausted and relaxed are some examples). The difference between the "-ed" and "-ing" ending is whether it is the cause of the feeling or the feeling itself. An "-ed" ending is for the receiver of the feeling or emotion. An "-ing" ending is for the cause of the emotion or feeling. 　"You look bored".
　　　　This sentence means you look like you are not having fun. 　"You look boring".
　　　　This sentence means you are not a fun person. These sentences have two very different meanings, and if you say the second sentence to someone when you mean the first you may upset them. Good luck with your grammar and keep on reviewing and listening to how English is used. By being aware of these common mistakes you can look for them and correct them yourself. Remember, practice makes perfect!