COMMON ERRORS

PRACTICE
1

Wrong use of words.

I am sorry I cant except your excuse.

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Please apologize for my mistake.

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My mother hanged the beautiful painting on the wall.

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I am hopping that my son will turn over a new leaf one day.
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Can you please borrow me your ruler?

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Please buy me a bar of soup from the grocery shop.

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Dont board the bus unless it is stationery!

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I am late for school, but he comes latter than me.

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Playing games is good but dont let it effect your studies.

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10

Ahmad received a latter from his pen friend.

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11

I like stamp-collecting because it is an interested hobby.

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12

My mother is a good cooker; she can prepare tasty dishes.

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13

All the girls are present accept Samihah.

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14

What is the prize of this dictionary?

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15

This drawer is full with papers.

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PRACTICE

Underline the correct word in the brackets.

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2
3
4

You need to [ proof, prove ] yourself before they give you a job.
I see that kind of incident almost [ everyday, every day ] in school.
It was such a [ relieve, relief ] to get back to Negeri Sembilan.
Melissa was so pleased to have [ past, passed ] her test she took everyone out for

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15

a meal.
That is the woman with [ who, whom ] I had the argument yesterday.
The train was late in arriving, [ because, because of ] a derailment in Gemas.
I havent seen them [ for, since ] almost two years.
Ah Fook is trying to [ devise, device ] a new method of recycling papaer.
[ Its, Its ] entirely up to you whether you want to come or not!
There were [ less, fewer ] people at the hockey match than I had expected.
You must come and stay with us [ sometime, some time ].
The boys were [ all ready, already ] to go when we arrived.
When my father was young, he [ was used to, used to ] be an active tennis player.
I really dont like [ this, these ] new office blocks they have built.
There are only two muffins left. You have one and Ill have [ another, the other ].

ANSWERS:
1.________________
2.________________
3. _______________
4. _______________
5. _______________

6.__________________
7. _________________
8.__________________
9.__________________
10._________________

11.___________________
12.___________________
13. __________________
14. __________________
15. __________________

PRACTICE

Errors in the use of articles [ a, an, the, - ]

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2
3
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6
7
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9
10

Seremban is a capital of Negeri Sembilan.

A sun rises in the east.
My uncle is a accountant in that bank.
She is the Muslim.
Can you lend me a umbrella?
University of Malaya is an university which is well-known in Malaysia.
Ravi is a first boy in my class.
A sun sets and soon a sky darkens.
An Japanese are hard-working people.
Kevin is a fastest runner in the district.

11
12
13
14
15

I met En Razak. He is a engineer.

Did you enjoy a breakfast that she served you?
Put the cheese back into a fridge,please.
Do you spell your name with a i or an y?
It was an unique opportunity to see the world.
ANSWERS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

__________________
._________________
. ________________
_________________
_________________

6. _______________
7. _______________
8. _______________
9._______________
10.______________

11.___________________
12.___________________
13.___________________
14. __________________
15. __________________

PRACTICE

Select and write the correct article. [ a, an, the, - ]

1

I thought I saw a cockroach under my bed but when I looked __ cockroach was

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10
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15

not there.
Many senior citizens suffer from ____ diabetes.
He was sentenced to two years in ___ prison for armed robbery.
Her home was in ___ United Kingdom but she spent little time there.
I feel really ill. Ive got ___ headache and ___ very high temperature.
No one told me that ___dinner at ____ Royale Bintang was a formal one.
Shamsiah and I went to ___ hospital to visit a friend.
The teachers say she has ___ IQ of 160!
When the police caught up with him, he was travelling at 130 kilometres ___ hour.
They arrived in KualaLumpur in __ December last year.
As we go through life, we learn that ____ honesty is the best policy.
My son says he wants to be ___ university lecturer when he grows up.
I need to wash___ floor before the guests arrive.
Pn Merina bought five metres of silk at RM75/- ____ metre last Tuesday.
We must learn to be more understanding and help ___ underpriviledged in our
society.

ANSWERS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

________________
________________
_______________
_______________
_______________

6.__________________
7. _________________
8. _________________
9. _________________
10. ________________

11. ________________
12. ________________
13. ________________
14.________________
15. ________________

PRACTICE

Read the following dialogue. Complete it by choosing the correct pronoun in brackets.

Simon

: Hello Razak. What kept you sol long?

Razak

: I had to go to the police station tomake a report.

Simon

: Why? What happened?

Razak

: Well, Azman and 1 [ I, me ] were returning home from work along 2 [ my,
his, our ] usual route when we suddenly heard a screech of brakes and a cry.

Simon

: Oh, was someone injured?

Razak

: Yes, and as we ran to 3 [ him, her, them ] the car just drove off. Anyway, we
found that the car had hit a small boy. He was lying unconscious on the road.

Simon

: So what did you do? I wouldnt have known what to do.

Razak

:Yes, you never really know what to doin such situations bur 4 [ one, you ] can
usually help best by making the victim comfortable ang phoning for the police
and ambulance. So, thats what we did! I phoned the police and it wasnt long
before 5 [it, they ] came. While we weewaiting, somebody shouted froman
upstairs window but we couldnt hear what 6 [ he, they ] said. Anyway, a few
seconds later, the person who had been shouting came out. 7 [ They, He ]
gave 8 [ we, us ] a blanket for the boy. The boys spectacles had been
knocked off and just as I was picking 9 [ it, them ]up, the police arrived. The
ambulance came soon after.

Simon

: And then what happened?

Razak

: The boy was taken to hospital and police started asking my friend and 10 [ I,
me ] about the accident. A big crowd had gathered around us by then so one
of the officers asked 11 [ it, them ] to disperse. Anyway, they asked us to to the
nearest police station tomake a report.

Simon

: What about the driver of the car?

Razak

:Well, the officer-in-charge toldme that the driver and his passengers had felt
guilty about what 12 [ he, they ] had done. Somebody had made an
anonymous phone call saying that 13 [ he, they ] felt sorry about what had
happened but didnt darestop after the accidentbecause other people were
running tohelp the boy before 14 [ they, them ] had a chance to get out of the
car.

Simon

: But at least 15 [ them, they ] could have stopped and taken 16 [ him, he ] to
the hospital!

Razak

:Yes, 17 [ I, me ] agree. But I guess they musthave panicked. Anyway, it

seems that the little boy has regained consciousness and is all right.

Simon

: Nevertheless, if neither the driver nor hispassengers have given 18 [ his, their
] names to the police, it will be really difficult for the police totrace 19 [ him,
them ] because nobody got the car number, did hey?

Razak

: No, thats right. But I hope the police can get 20 [ they, them ].

5
PRACTICE

Read and complete the text by underlining the correct verb in brackets.
Today many school children love to get together and paint their own roomsespecially during
the school vacation. To paint the walls 1 [ require, requires ] skill and patience although many
children do an equally professional job even without any previous experience.
However, there are certain basic steps to follow to achieve a smooth finish.That is why,
painters say paintings 2 [ is, are ] a skill not everyone can master as some just have no
patience. To scrape the walls 3 [ needs, need ] adequate sandpaper and ample strength.
Hence, scrapping 4 [ requires, require ] a lotof energy, that is, if you want a job well done.
Painting a wall without scrappingit 5 [ is, are ] time-saving but the results might not be
satisfactory.
Also, keeping your neck in one position 6 [ is , are ] tiring too. Make sure you place plenty of
newspaper sheets on the floor for obvious reasons. Keeping your balance on the ladder
while your eyes focussed on the walls 7 [ is, are ] difficult.
The next thing you would need is a proper type of brush. Buying the right type 8 [ seem,
seems ] easy these days with quite a range on sale in hardware stores. Get goodpaint
though it is expensive as it is more durable, and it can be washed to remove the stains, if
any. Selecting the right colour 9 [ appears, appear ] easy.
Now get down to the business of painting. Go slow to begin with. Getting the hang of it 10
[ is, are ] easy and fun to begin with. Moving your hand up and down or right and left
always in the same direction is the trick of the trade. Have music while you pasint, It is
good company.

Answers:
1

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________________________

____________________

________________________

____________________

_______________________

____________________

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10

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ANSWER KEY
PRACTICE

1 accept

6 soap

11 interesting

2 forgive

7 stationary

12 cook

3 hung

8 later

13 except

4 hoping

9 affect

14 price

5 lend

10 letter

15 of

1 prove

6 because of

11 sometime

2 every day

7 for

12 all ready

3 relief

8 devise

13 used to

4 passed

9 Its

14 these

5 whom

10 fewer

15 the other

1 the

6 the

11 the

2 The

7 the

12 The

3 the

8 The, the

13 the

4 a

9 The

14 an, a

5 an

10 The

15 an

1 the

6 the, the

11 -

2 -

7 the

12 a

3 -

8 an

13 the

4 the

9 an

14 a

PRACTICE

PRACTICE

PRACTICE

5 a, a

10 -

15 the

PRACTICE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

I
our
him
you
they
he
He
us
them
me
them
they
they
they
they
him
I
their
them
them

PRACTICE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

requires
is
needs
requires
is
is
is
seems
appears
is