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Showing posts with the label Common Mistakes

10 Unusual Uncountable Nouns

  For a full refresher on uncountable and countable nouns, check out  this article!   But don’t worry, before we jump into today’s lesson, we’ll do a quick summary of uncountable nouns! Uncountable Nouns Uncountable nouns are nouns that we find impossible to count, such as: Liquids  (Water, tea, blood etc.) Gases  (Air, smoke, helium, etc.) Kinds of Weather  (Fog, rain, sunshine etc.) Emotions  (Excitement, sadness, anger etc.) Abstract ideas  (Advice, determination, stress, etc.)   They also apply to things that are difficult to count, like: Grains/ Mass nouns   These are often things you could (theoretically) count, but that information is likely to be irrelevant and the number so large,  that we tend to refer to them as uncountable. It's not important how many grains of rice are in your dinner, as long as you're full at the end. Mass/Category Nouns Alternatively, category nouns are considered uncountable because they represe...

Preposition Practice

 So you’ve read the article on  5 Common Preposition Mistakes Every Beginner Makes  and now you want to put your skills to the test? Complete these 10 multiple-choice questions and check your answers (and their explanations) at the bottom of the page. No cheating! I always ... my best clothes before ... a job interview. A) put / going B) put on / going C) put on / going to D) put / going to My cat always sleeps ... the afternoon. But she has too much energy ... night! A) on / at B) in / at C) at   / at D) in / on I sent an email ... Sarah last week, but she still hasn’t .... me. A) to / replied to B) at / replied C) from / replied to D) to / replied Americans celebrate Thanksgiving ... November. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving ... the second Monday of October A) on / on B) in / on C) in / in D) on / in I wake up ... 7am every day because I have to ... school.  A) at / go B) in / go C) on / go to  D) at / go to  When you make a cup of tea, make sure yo...

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

  In English, we have two broad categories of nouns that we call countable and uncountable nouns. But what do these categories mean? Luckily, it's (for the most part) exactly what it sounds like.  Usually, if you can imagine yourself actually counting something, it's countable . If you can't imagine counting the noun, it's uncountable . Don't worry, we'll get into some more concrete examples in a bit!   But why should I care if I can count an item or not? Well, in English, these two categories use different grammar rules. So knowing the countability of a noun is step one to talking about it clearly.   So let's take a closer look at each of these categories to turn you into a countable and uncountable noun pro! Countable Nouns Usually, if you can imagine yourself actually counting something, it's countable. Physical things like apples, dogs, people, pages etc. can all be counted easily. Even some more abstract ideas, like ideas themselves, can be count...

5 Common Preposition Mistakes Every Beginner Makes (And How to Correct Them)

  Prepositions are some of the most difficult words in English. They aren't difficult because they are long or hard to understand. The difficulty comes in understanding the rules for using them. Throw in the always-confusing phrasal verbs, and it only gets worse. While these tiny words seem like they aren't usually a big deal to get wrong, using prepositions incorrectly can change the whole meaning of a sentence. Using the wrong preposition may not make your sentence impossible to understand, but that can definitely happen in some cases. And while it's important not to worry too much about the small stuff, it's always important to try for the clearest communication possible. And that's what we're working towards, together! So here's a list of some common preposition mistakes I often hear from beginners. Master these to take your English to the next level!   1.  Verbs that require To   If you've ever talked about your hobbies in a conversation group, you...