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Common Errors: Life's Minor Irritations



Here are some of the common errors found in a paragraph on the the above topic.
Correct the struck-out errors in red. You can use the `Check' button at any time for instant feedback. If it is necessary to use a different word, the first letter is given.
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1. He knows exactly where it's but refuses to tell me.       
 

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     Hint:    You can use negative contractions at the end of a sentence or a phrase, but not affirmative contractions. Ex: `I wonder who's coming. I know that Linda isn't, but Bob is. (Not Bob's.)
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2. There are many ways to solve problems, like to talk about them.      
 

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     Hint:    Prepositions are followed by gerunds (verb forms ending in `-ing' that function as nouns). Ex: `I am thinking about looking for a part-time job. (Not to look)

3. Although we like ourselves very much, we can't be together all the time. I, for one, enjoy being alone from time to time.     
 

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     Hint:    Here it is mutual affection, not self-love.
Note: There are two words and the first letter of the first word is 'e.'

4. College dances are not very fun. I rarely have a good time.       
 

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     Hint:    You can use `very' with adjectives or adverbs, but not with nouns. `Fun' is a noun. You can, for example, say 'a lot of fun,' but here it is negative so it is more common to use a synonym for 'a lot of' that starts with `m.'

5. It's impossible to don't cough when you have a bad cold.      
 

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     Hint:    You never use the auxiliary verb `do/does/did' with infinitives. Ex: `I prefer not to go.'

6. Some customers were aggressive. I couldn't understand why were they like that.      
 

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     Hint:    This is not a question.

7. I love my girlfriend and I want that she loves me, but she must understand that we all need some time alone.   
 

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     Hint:    Look at the following example and use it as a model:
My coach likes me to arrive early for the training session.

8. I spend a lot of time to wait for people. I hate that.      
 

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     Hint:    Well at least you know that you don't use an infinitive after `spend.'

9. Here are the three things who bother me the most.      
 

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     Hint:    You only use `who' with people. Ex: He's the person who bothers me the most. Use another pronoun.

10. I hate electronics stores. They have so aggressive salespeople.      
 

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     Hint:    You can say: Their salespeople are so aggressive, but you cannot use `so' when the adjective (here = aggressive) is followed by a noun.

11. I work like a receptionist in a beauty parlor.      
 

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     Hint:    `Like' means `similar to' and in this context means that you do work that is similar to the work done by a receptionist. That is not what you mean. Use another word.

12. It's not economicly feasible. (Rewrite the whole word)     
 

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     Hint:    Adjectives that end in 'ic' (ex: economic, academic, tragic) have similar adverbial forms to words like `political' and `logical' that end in `ical.'

13. I think people should mind one's own business. Why should they care what I do?      
 

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     Hint:    Be careful when you look up words or expressions in the dictionary. Most dictionaries use a third person impersonal form like `one's' to list the word or expression. Here the subject is `most people,' so you cannot use `one's.'      

14. I hate correcting mistakes in my compositions but I know it's a good exercise. It learn us how to avoid similar mistakes in the future.      
 

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     Hint:    You can say that you learn from your mistakes, but you cannot say that mistakes learn you.

15. Although he makes his best, my father is never satisfied. He expects too much from his male children.
 

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     Hint:    This is one of those frustrating cases where you don't know which word to use: `do' or `make.' You make an effort but you... (Need I say more?)

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