In this Lesson you will learn Common Mistakes in English in the use of articles and how to fix them. Mistakes in the usage of Grammar may badly affect your performance whether it is a language exam, a blog or an article; it is going to help you from the basic level to advanced level.
| Wrong: Aslam and Ahmad made great noise when they were playing in the garden. |
| Right: Aslam and Ahmad made a great noise when they were playing in the garden. |
| Reason: We say “make a noise’, ‘make a mistake’, ‘make a fortune’, ‘make a will’, reputation’, make a promise’, ‘make an impression’, ‘make an experiment’. |
| Wrong: I have headache |
| Right: I have a headache. |
| Reason: The correct phrases are ‘have (run) a temperature’, ‘have a cold’, ‘have a severe pain’ ‘have a sore throat’. |
| Wrong: He was in hurry and could not wait. |
| Right: He was in a hurry and could not wait. |
| Wrong: Aslam won prize at school for good conduct. |
| Right: Aslam won a prize at school for good conduct. |
| Wrong: He is in bad mood. |
| Right: He is in a bad mood. |
| Wrong: Don’t try to make fool of me. |
| Right: Don’t try to make a fool of me. |
| Wrong: After Aslam had beaten me three times in tennis, I had to acknowledge that he was better player. |
| Right: After Aslam had beaten me three times in tennis 1 had to acknowledge that he was the better player. |
| Wrong: You need a great stamina to run five kilometres. |
| Right: You need great stamina to run five kilometres. |
| Wrong: We cannot go out in this weather, it is out of question. |
| Right: We cannot go out in this weather, it is out of the question. |
| Wrong: He wants to go to cinema. |
| Right: He wants to go to the cinema. |
| Reason: Go to the cinema, theatre, opera, circus, pictures, movies, etc. are idioms which require ‘the’ even if no particular cinema etc. is meant. Note: However go to school, church without ‘the’. |
| Wrong: He made living by begging from door to door |
| Right: He made a living by begging from door to door. |
| Wrong: My sister goes to the school. |
| Right: My sister goes to school. |
| Wrong: He admitted that he was in wrong. |
| Right: He admitted that he was in the wrong. |
| Reason: The correct phrases are ‘in the wrong’, ‘in the right’, ‘in the affirmative’, ‘in the negative. Bus services in the city are practically at halt. |
| Wrong: My shoes are worse for wear. |
| Right: My shoes are the worse for wear. |
| Wrong: The money was stolen and Danish was the only boy who had known where it was, but the teacher gave him the benefit of doubt. |
| Right: The money was stolen and Danish was the only boy who had known where it was, but teacher gave him the benefit of the doubt. |
| Reason: The correct phrase is ‘the benefit of the doubt, and not benefit of doubt. |
| Wrong: I am of opinion that he is right. |
| Right: I am of the opinion that he is right. |
| Wrong: What kind of a tree is this? |
| Right: What kind of tree is this? |
| Wrong: I watched the film from the beginning to the end. |
| Right: I watched the film form beginning to end. |
| Wrong: If I get a promotion, I shall be getting higher salary. |
| Right: If I get a promotion, I shall be getting a higher salary. |
| Wrong: It is too difficult book for me. |
| Right: It is too difficult a book for me. |
| Wrong: When we had had rest, we set off again. |
| Right: When we had had a rest, we set off again. |
| Wrong: He was a pick-pocket and had spent many years behind the bars. |
| Right: He was a pick-pocket and had spent many years behind bars. |
| Wrong: Mrs. Ali does her housework in morning. |
| Right: Mrs. Ali does her housework in the morning. |
| Reason: Reason: The definite article ‘the’ is used for certain expressions of time in the morning, afternoon, evening, night, on the previous day, the day before, the day after. |
| Wrong: My friend is in a great trouble. |
| Right: My friend is in great trouble. |
| Wrong: Give me three and half rupees. |
| Right: Give me three and a half rupees. |
| Wrong: He spends lot of money on clothes. |
| Right: He spends a lot of money on clothes. |
| Wrong: He has had to spend good deal of money on medicines. |
| Right: He has had to spend a good deal of money on medicines. |
| Wrong: I have been here many a times. |
| Right: I have been here many a time. |
| Wrong: I saw an one-eyed man. |
| Right: I saw a one-eyed man. |
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