ESL BLUE(s)   Modern Love: common errors   
Step 1:  Pre-quiz review of common errors    Can you correct the following errors? If you are not sure, place mouse over error for feedback and the correct form.
Common Errors (in red)Type of Error
1.   In this composition I'm gonna discuss the problem of modern relationships. VF (verb form)
2.   I am agree with the author of this article. VF (verb form)
3.   It is important to find someone with the same interests than you. W (wrong word)
4.   I think it is possible to find the true love, but you must be patient. Article
5.   I don't know what love mean. VF (verb form)
6.   Not very long ago people had a lot of respect for the institution of marriage, but actually people have very little respect for it. W (wrong word)
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7.   When both partners have common goal, love lasts. A (agreement: singular / plural)
8.   It's difficult to find the good person, someone who has similar interests and goals. W (wrong word)
9.   Nowadays youngs men and women are very independent. A (agreement: singular / plural)
10.  I love my girlfriend but she don't love me. VF (verb form)
11.  I love my girlfriend but we don't have a good relation. W (wrong word)
12.  My boyfriend believes in sexual freedom. I disagree about this idea. There are always problems. W (wrong word)
13.  I don't know what is love. VF (verb form)
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14.  Nowadays so much people get divorced as soon as there are problems in the relationship. W (wrong word)
15.  The respect is very important in a relationship. I must earn the respect of my boyfriend. Article
16.  Everybody want to find the perfect love, but it is a vain dream. VF (verb form)
17.  She doesnt realize that she must earn his love and respect. P (punctuation)
18.  Love does not come to you. You must search        it. WM (word missing)
19.  At the moment I go out with a really nice guy. T (verb tense)
20.  They are the perfect couple. They love themselves very much. W (wrong word)
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We often pronounce it as "gonna," but the correct written form is going to:

  • I'm going to discuss the problem of modern relationships.
    • "Agree" is a verb. You say I agree with you. To correct this sentence, remove the word "am."
  • I agree with the author of this article.
    •  "Than" is used to compare people or things that are not similar:
    My sister is taller than me.
    Use as to indicate similarity:
    It is important to find someone with the same interests as you.     Do not use the definite article "the" to refer to things in general. In this sentence, true love means (all) true love, not a specific example of true love:
  • True love is hard to find.
    •  You must add "s" or "es" in the simple present tense when the subject (here = "love") is third person singular (he, she, it):
  • I don't know what love means.
    •  "Actually" means "in fact." It does not mean "nowadays," "these days." Here is one way you can correct the sentence:
  • ...nowadays people have very little respect for it.
    •  Here there is no indefinite article (a common goal) so the word "goal" is plural. Therefore you must use the plural form:
  • When both partners have common goals, love lasts.
    •  When we say someone is a "good" person, we are usually referring to the person's moral values. Here the correct term is right
  • It's difficult to find the right person.
    •  Adjectives are invariable in English. They do not have a plural form:
  • Nowadays young men and women are independent.
    •  To express the negative in the simple present tense you must use "doesn't" when the subject (here = "she") is third person singular (he, she, it):
  • She doesn't love me.
    •  The correct term is relationship:
  • We don't have a good relationship.
    •  The correct term is with.You can disagree about a general subject of discussion (We always disagree about politics) but you disagree with an opinion or an idea:
  • I disagree with this idea.
    •  This is not a question so you cannot reverse the subject verb order:
  • I don't know what love is.
    •  The adjective much can only be used with singular nouns (usually non-count like "cream," "money," etc.) The correct form is many:
  • So many people get divorced as soon as there are problems in the relationship.
    •  Compare the two uses of the word respect in the sentence. The first one refers to respect in general, so you cannot use the definite article "the." In the second case, it is specific: "the respect of the boyfriend," so you must use the definite article.
  • Respect is very important in a relationship.
    •  "Everybody," "somebody," "nobody," etc. are singular and therefore you must use the third person singular "s" ending in the simple present:
  • Everybody wants to find the perfect love.
    •  When you use contractions, as here, you must replace the vowel that is dropped with an apostrophe: does not becomes doesn't:
  • She doesn't realize that she must earn his love and respect.
    •  When you refer to the object you want to find, you use search for. You can search a place to find the object, but you search for the object itself:
  • Love does not come to you. You must search for it.
    •  As the time expression "At the moment" indicates, you should use the present progressive tense:
  • At the moment I am going out with a really nice guy.
    •  If they love themselves, it means they are self-centered. Here you wish to express the idea of mutual love, one person's love for another, so the correct term is each other:
  • They love each other very much.
    •