Part 2 — Core Grammar Error Bank

1. Subject–verb agreement

Indefinite singular subjects

Each, every, either, neither, everyone, somebody, anyone normally take a singular verb.

Wrong: Neither of the proposals are practical.

Correct: Neither of the proposals is practical.

A number of / the number of

• A number of + plural noun + plural verb
• The number of + plural noun + singular verb

Example: A number of applicants are waiting.

Example: The number of applicants is increasing.

Either…or / neither…nor

The verb normally agrees with the nearer subject.

Example: Neither the teacher nor the students were ready.

Example: Neither the students nor the teacher was ready.

Collective and special nouns

News, mathematics, politics as a field, and many subjects ending in -s take singular verbs.

Police, cattle, people take plural verbs.

Example: The news is encouraging.

Example: The police are investigating.

2. Tense and sequence

Finished time

Use simple past with yesterday, last year, ago, in 2020.

Wrong: She has arrived yesterday.

Correct: She arrived yesterday.

Since and for

• Since gives a starting point.
• For gives a duration.
• An action continuing to the present usually takes a perfect tense.

Example: He has lived here since 2018.

Example: He has lived here for eight years.

Time and condition clauses

Do not normally use will in the clause beginning with when, until, before, after, if, unless when referring to the future.

Wrong: When he will arrive, we will begin.

Correct: When he arrives, we will begin.

Earlier past action

Use past perfect when clarity requires showing that one past action happened before another.

Example: The train had left before we reached the station.

3. Verb forms and auxiliaries

Do/does/did + base verb

Wrong: He did not went.

Correct: He did not go.

Modal + base verb

Wrong: You should to study.

Correct: You should study.

Has/have/had + past participle

Wrong: She has wrote the letter.

Correct: She has written the letter.

Gerund after a preposition

Wrong: I look forward to meet you.

Correct: I look forward to meeting you.

Why: Here to is a preposition.

Stative verbs

Verbs such as know, believe, understand, belong, own, resemble are not normally continuous when describing a state.

Wrong: I am knowing the answer.

Correct: I know the answer.

4. Articles and determiners

Sound decides a/an

Example: a university, a European, an hour, an honest man.

Countable singular nouns need a determiner

Wrong: She bought book.

Correct: She bought a book.

Few / a few

• Few = almost none; negative idea.
• A few = some; positive idea.

Example: Few candidates understood the question.

Example: A few candidates answered correctly.

Little / a little

• Little = almost no amount.
• A little = some amount.

Example: There is little hope.

Example: There is a little hope.

Many / a great many

Use many or a great many with plural countable nouns.

Example: Many students applied.

Example: A great many students applied.

5. Pronouns

Subject and object case

Wrong: Between you and I, this plan will fail.

Correct: Between you and me, this plan will fail.

Wrong: Him and me completed the task.

Correct: He and I completed the task.

Who and whom

Use who as a subject and whom as an object.

Example: Who called you?

Example: Whom did you call?

Clear reference

Unclear: When Ali met Bilal, he was worried.

Clear: Ali was worried when he met Bilal.

Reflexive pronouns

Use a reflexive form when subject and object refer to the same person.

Example: She blamed herself.

Do not use reflexives merely for emphasis in ordinary object position: Please contact Ali or me, not Ali or myself.

6. Prepositions and fixed patterns

Learn these as complete phrases. Translation often produces the wrong preposition.