Word Choice – I believe on or I believe in
Instead of: I believe on We say: I believe in Teacher’s Note In English, it is much more natural to say that you believe in something. For example, “I believe…
Translation – Planification or planning
Instead of: Planification We say: planning Teacher’s Note “Planification” doesn’t exist in English. We would say “planning” instead.
Verb Choice – I take a coffee or I have a coffee
Instead of: I take a coffee We say: I have a coffee Teacher’s Note Instead of “to take a coffee”, in English we “have a coffee”. This is a common…
Verb Choice – He is washing his teeth or He is cleaning/brushing his teeth
Instead of: He is washing his teeth We say: He is cleaning/brushing his teeth Teacher’s Note In English, we don’t wash our teeth, but rather we clean or brush our…
Negatives – I haven’t time or I don’t have time
Instead of: I haven’t time We say: I don’t have time Teacher’s Note Whilst “I haven’t time” is a correctly formed construction, it is much more natural to say “I…
Prepositions – The woman is in the bus or The woman is on the bus
Instead of: The woman is in the bus We say: The woman is on the bus Teacher’s Note In English, we don’t say “in the bus” even though you are…
Word Order – They are horses white or They are white horses
Instead of: They are horses white We say: They are white horses Teacher’s Note In English, the colour of an object comes before the object itself. In this case, we…
Indefinite Articles – This is apple or This is an apple
Instead of: This is apple We say: This is an apple Teacher’s Note In English, we must be careful to include an article when one is required. In this case,…
Plural Form – Mans or Men
Instead of: Mans We say: Men Teacher’s Note The plural form here cannot be added by simply adding “s”. In this case, the correct plural form is “men”.
Present Perfect – I have write this down or I have written this down
Instead of: I have write this down We say: I have written this down Teacher’s Note This is a present perfect construction and so we must use the past participle…
Prepositions – On the window or In the window
Instead of: On the window We say: In the window Teacher’s Note The correct preposition here is “in”. We have to be careful with different preposition choices in English. If…
Word Choice – 500 sheets or 500 pages
Instead of: 500 sheets We say: 500 pages Teacher’s Note The natural word choice here is “pages”. These are the individual pieces of paper inside of a book.
Quantifiers – Much or Many
Instead of: So much vegetables We say: So many vegetables Teacher’s Note In this case, “vegetables” is a countable noun and as such we need to use “many”. “Much” is…
Double Negative – “Nobody” or “Anyone”
Instead of: I didn’t speak with nobody Join Our School We say: I didn’t speak to anyone Teacher’s Note In English, we have to watch out for double negatives. When…
The Possessive Form – “His” and “Her”
Instead of: The girl is helping his father We say: The girl is helping her father Teacher’s Note The father belongs to the girl in this sentence and so the…
In the TV or On TV? – Natural English
Instead of: IN THE TV We say: ON TV Teacher’s Note “On TV” is the correct form to use when you are talking about something that is being broadcast via…
She is drinking a cafe or She is drinking a coffee? – Natural English
Instead of: SHE IS DRINKING A CAFE We say: SHE IS DRINKING A COFFEE Teacher’s Note “She is drinking a coffee” is the correct form to use when you are…
What hour is it or What time is it? – Natural English
Instead of: WHAT HOUR IS IT? We say: WHAT TIME IS IT? Teacher’s Note “What time is it?” is the correct form to use when you are asking for the…
I hear music or I listen to music? – Natural English
Instead of: I HEAR MUSIC We say: I LISTEN TO MUSIC Teacher’s Note “I listen to music” is the correct form to use when you are discussing active consumption of…
At morning or In the morning? – Natural English
Instead of: AT MORNING We say: IN THE MORNING Teacher’s Note “In the morning” is the correct form to use when you are discussing the time of day whether it…
I make sport or I exercise? – Natural English
Instead of: I MAKE SPORT We say: I EXERCISE Teacher’s Note “I exercise” is the correct verb to use when talking about playing sport or performing strenuous physical activity. “I…
I go with a car or I drive? – Natural English
Instead of: I GO WITH A CAR We say: I DRIVE Teacher’s Note “I drive” is the correct verb to use when talking about operating a car or most other…
I go at home or I go home – Natural English
Instead of: I GO AT HOME We say: I GO HOME Teacher’s Note “I go home” is the natural way to tell people that you return to your house at…
My Woman or My Wife – Natural English
Instead of: MY WOMAN We say: MY WIFE Can you use the correct form in a sentence? Teacher’s Note Be very careful with the incorrect form here. It can seem…