If there are two auxiliary verbs, the adverb goes…?

VOCABULARY PRACTICE With ERRORS

l Some words ending in ly are adjectives, and not normally adverbs. Examples are: costly, cowardly, deadly, friendly, likely, lively, lonely, silly, miserly and unlikely.
Incorrect: He behaved cowardly.
Correct: He behaved in a cowardly manner.
Correct: He behaved like a coward.
Incorrect: He laughed silly.
Correct: He gave a silly laugh.
Incorrect: He lives miserly.
Correct: He lives in a miserly way.
l In the sentences given above the words cowardly, silly and miserly are all adjectives which cannot be used to modify verbs. And because there are no adverbs for these meanings we have to use adverb phrases like ‘in a cowardly manner’ and ‘in a miserly way’ to express the same idea.

Incorrect: Just I had gone when he came.
Correct: I had just gone when he came.
Incorrect: Still I love you.
Correct: I still love you.
l The adverbs still and just go before the verb. If there is an auxiliary verb, the adverb goes after the auxiliary verb and before the main verb. If there is no auxiliary verb, the adverb goes before the main verb. If there are two auxiliary verbs, the adverb goes between them.
I am still waiting for your reply. (NOT I still am waiting for your reply.) (NOT I am waiting still for your reply.)
They have just been informed. (NOT They have been just informed.)
She has just arrived. (NOT She just has arrived.)

Common mistakes with prepositions

Incorrect: He asked a holiday.
Correct: He asked for a holiday.
Use ask with for to ask somebody to give something.
Use ask without for to ask somebody to tell something.
Incorrect: Due to illness, I could not go to school.
Correct: Owing to illness, I could not go to school.
Both due to and owing to mean ‘because of’. Some people believe that it is incorrect to use due to at the beginning of a clause, but the structure is common in educated usage.
Incorrect: He was prevented to come.
Correct: He was prevented from coming.
Prevent cannot be followed by to. It is followed by from + -ing form.
The loud noise prevented me from sleeping.
Incorrect: I met with your friend.
Correct: I met your friend.
l Meet means ‘come face to face with somebody or something’. With this meaning it is used without with.
l Meet with means ‘experience’.
l He met with misfortune. (NOT He met misfortune.)
Incorrect: She insisted to pay.
Correct: She insisted on paying.
l Insist cannot be followed by to. It is followed by on + -ing form.
Incorrect: Let’s go for riding.
Correct: Let’s go riding.
l Go is used with an ing form in a number of expressions referring to sporting and leisure activities. No preposition is used in this structure.
Incorrect: We went a walk.
Correct: We went for a walk.
l The structure ‘go for a / come for a’ is used in a number of fixed expressions referring to sporting and leisure activities.

Verbs: common errors

Incorrect: He is taking his food.
Correct: He is having his food.
‘Taking his food’ is not wrong, but native English speakers rarely use this expression.
Incorrect: I take your leave.
Correct: I must say goodbye.
‘I take your leave’ is not wrong, but it is extremely formal.
Incorrect: He knows to swim.
Correct: He knows how to swim.
Incorrect: Do you know to cook?
Correct: Do you know how to cook?
Know cannot be followed directly by an infinitive. We use the structure ‘know how to’.
Incorrect: Students should not cut jokes in class.
Correct: Students should not make jokes in class.
Incorrect: He cut his pencil.
Correct: He sharpened his pencil.
Incorrect: Should I cut this word?
Correct: Should I erase this word?
Correct: Should I scratch out this word?
Incorrect: The prisoner’s head was cut.
Correct: The prisoner’s head was cut off.
When the cutting divides what is cut into pieces, use cut off, cut up and cut into.
Incorrect: My back is paining.
Correct: I have a pain in my back.
Correct: My back is hurting.
Incorrect: My tooth is paining.
Correct: My tooth is aching.
Pain is a transitive verb. It must have an expressed object. When there is no object, use other words like ache or hurt.
Incorrect : The news are too good to be true.

Sentence agreement common mistakes

Correct : The news is too good to be true.
Incorrect : Politics are a dirty game.
Correct : Politics is a dirty game.
Some nouns are plural in form, but singular in meaning. They should be followed by singular verbs. Examples are: news, politics, maths, measles etc.
Incorrect : A thousand dollars are not a small sum.
Correct : A thousand dollars is not a small sum.
Incorrect : A thousand dollars was distributed among the prize winners.
Correct : A thousand dollars were distributed among the prize winners.
When the subject is a sum of money considered as a whole, the singular verb is used. When the subject is a sum of money and the reference is to the bills or coins considered separately, the plural verb is used.
Incorrect : Neither the officer nor his assistants was present at the meeting.
Correct: Neither the officer nor his assistants were present at the meeting.
When the subjects connected by OR or NOR are of different numbers, the plural subject should be written last and it should be followed by a plural verb.
Incorrect : Neither you nor Tom seem to be capable of doing this.
Correct : Neither you nor Tom seems to be capable of doing this.
When the subjects connected by OR or nor are of different persons, the verb should agree in person with the subject nearest to it. Note that the subjects should be arranged in the proper order the person spoken to, first; the person spoken of, second; and the speaker, last.

Common errors in the use of gerunds

Incorrect : They were counting on me helping them.
Correct : They were counting on my helping them.
Incorrect : They insisted on me resigning the post.
Correct : They insisted on my resigning the post.
Gerunds should be used with possessive pronouns (my, your, her), and not object pronouns (me, him etc). Note that this rule is not strictly observed especially in the case of proper nouns.
Incorrect : I am thinking to write my autobiography.
Correct : I am thinking of writing my autobiography.
Incorrect : The clever girl was confident to win the first medal.
Correct : The clever girl was confi- dent of winning the first medal.
Incorrect : I am hopeful to secure a loan to build my house.
Correct : I am hopeful of securing a loan to build my house.
Certain verbs and adjectives are followed by a preposition + gerund. Examples are: think, desirous, despair, fond, con- fident, prevent, abstain, refrain, prohibit etc.
Incorrect : To die with honor is better than living with dishonor.
Correct : To die with honor is better than to live with dishonor.
Incorrect : Alice likes singing, dancing and to paint.
Correct : Alice likes singing, dancing and painting.
Your writing will be clearer if you use parallel structures in both clauses.
Incorrect : There is no hope of the fog’s lifting.
Correct : There is no hope of the fog lifting.
The possessive case should not be used with the gerund when the noun denotes a lifeless thing.

 

Common errors in the use of some conjunctions

Incorrect : The car either dashed against a goat or a donkey.
Correct : The car dashed against either a goat or a donkey. (either + noun + or + noun)
Incorrect : Neither he would eat nor allow us to eat.
Correct : He would neither eat nor allow us to eat. (neither + verb + nor + verb)
The correlatives (either&or), (neither &nor), (both&and) and (not only&but also) must be placed immediately before the words which they relate to.
Incorrect : Though he was poor but he was happy.
Correct : Though he was poor he was happy.
Correct : He was poor but he was happy.
One conjunction is enough to join two clauses.
Incorrect : He asked that what was my name.
Correct : He asked what my name was.
Incorrect : He enquired that where was the office.
Correct : He enquired where the office was.
Students often make the mistake of using the relative pronoun that before interrogatives like what, where, when, whether and why.
Incorrect : Do it carefully lest you may not make a mistake.
Correct : Do it carefully lest you make a mistake.
Lest means that&not, and, therefore, it will be wrong to add another not in the following clause. It should also be noted that the only auxiliary verb that can be used after lest is should.
Incorrect : He climbed up a tree such as to get a good view of the procession.
Correct : He climbed up a tree so as to get a good view of the procession.
Such as indicates result. So as indicates purpose.