Common Mistake FAQs | Gary Skyner

Common Mistakes FAQs

On this page is a list of the most common mistakes FAQs asked by students of English. If you browse through the list there’s a good chance that you will find a question you have asked yourself and not found the answer, until now. There is also a very good chance there is a mistake that you have been making that you didn’t know was a mistake, until now. Browse this page and become wiser.

Adjectives

What is the correct order of adjectives?	Do I put the article before superlative adjectives?
Can I use very much before an adjective?	What is the difference between adjectives ending in -ed and -ing?
How should I use such and so with adjectives?	How can I check if an adjective is gradable or non-gradable?
What are the rules for using more or -er with adjectives?	When should I use a hyphen between adjectives?
Should I use hyphens with very or adverbs ending in -ly?	When a number is an adjective should it have a hyphen?
What is the difference between its and it’s?	What is the rule for using a and an before adjectives?
Should I use a, an or the with adjectives that don’t have a noun?	When should I put a comma between two adjectives?

Adverbs

What is an adverb?	Where should I put very much in a sentence?
Where should I put still, already, just and yet in a sentence?	Can I say one time?
Can I use the adverb very much before an adjective?	Should I use hyphens with very or adverbs ending in -ly?
Can I use an adverb after a stative verb?	Should I use hyphens with adverbs not ending in -ly?

Articles

When should I use a before nouns?	How can I know when to use a or when to use an before a noun?
When should I use a or an?	Should I use a or an before a silent h?
Should I use articles before abbreviations?	Should I use an article with every noun in a sentence?
What is the rule for using a and an before adjectives?	Should I use a, an or the with adjectives that don't have a noun?
When should I use the?	Should I use the before names?
Do I put the before superlatives?	Should I put a or an with kind of?
Should I put an article before the names of countries and cities?	Can I put the before the names of the regions in a country?
Should I use articles with the names of mountains, rivers, etc?	Should I use the with the names of buildings?
Should I use the with street names?	Should I use the with the names of libraries, universities, etc?
Should I use articles with jobs titles?	Should I use articles with the names of illnesses?
Do I put articles with the names of meals?	Should I put the with gold, wood, etc?
Do I put the before radio, cinema, theatre and TV?	Should I use the with the names of ships and trains?

Comparatives

Can I say more bigger?	Can I use a superlative when comparing two nouns?
Should I use of or from when comparing two people or things?	Can I use a superlative when comparing more than two people or things?
How do I compare different things?	Should I use a comparative or a superlative before than?
Should I use a singular or plural noun after any other?	If there is no comparison can I use a superlative?
What are the rules for using more or -er with adjectives?	Do I put the before superlatives?

Conditionals

What tense is the zero conditional in?	How do I use will in the first conditional?
How do I use would in the second conditional?	How do I use have in the third conditional?
Do I use the perfect tense for the third conditional?	Can I use didn’t in the third conditional?
What is the difference between if I was and if I were?

Conjunctions

Can you start a sentence with a conjunction?	How many conjunctions in one sentence?
When do I need to use a comma before and or but?

Modals

What is the difference between use to and used to?	Are mustn’t and needn’t the same?
When should I use could and when should I use able to?	Is could of correct?
When should I use have to and when should I use must?	What is the difference between used to and would for past habits?
Which modals have to after them?

Nouns

Can I say persons?	Is one of single or plural?
Is it correct to write I have five years of experience?	How do I use both in a sentence?
After and do I use have or has?	Should I use a, an or the with adjectives that don't have a noun?
Should I use the with the names of libraries, universities, etc?	Should I use an article with every noun in a sentence?
Can I say a more bigger apple?	Can I use a superlative when comparing two nouns?
Can I use a superlative when comparing more than two nouns?	Should I use a singular or plural noun after any other?
What is the plural of aircraft?	Which is correct news is or news are?
Which nouns are always plural?	Is hair countable or uncountable?
How should I connect two nouns using nor?	Is money always uncountable?

Numbers

When should I write numbers as words?	Is it correct to say a two-hours flight?
Can I say one time?	How do I say and write dates correctly?
What is the difference between number one and the first?	When should I hyphenate numbers?
When should I use a plural with numbers?	Can I use one as pronoun?
Is none singular or plural?

Prepositions

What is the difference between at night and in the night?	What is the difference between at school and in school?
What is the difference between on a bus and in a bus?	Can you end a sentence with a preposition?
Do verbs always need a preposition?	Are prepositions used in expressions of time?
Do I need a preposition before that?	Are prepositions used before infinitives?
How should I use between in a sentence?	What are the correct prepositions for the verbs foot, depends and married?
What is the difference between made from, made of and made by?	How can I use than with a comparative?
Why is ‘I listen music’ wrong?	Which modals have to after them?
Is thinking to wrong?	Is arrive to wrong?
What is the difference between near and near to?	If I use to in a sentence where do I put the indirect object?

Pronouns

What is the correct way to agree with positive and negative sentences?	How do I know when to use me or I?
Why is ‘I and my wife’ wrong?	Should I use which or who when talking about people?
Is saying he/she wrong?	Can I use myself and I in the same sentence?
Why is ‘I felt myself tired’ wrong?	Can I use one as a pronoun?
Should I use it or they when talking about a business?	How can I know which pronoun to use?
What pronoun should I use when talking about two nouns?	Where should a pronoun be in a sentence?
What pronoun is used with a gerund?	When does a pronoun go next to a verb?
Do I need an apostrophe with a possessive pronoun?	What is the difference between neither and both?
Can I use ones as pronoun?

Quantifiers

When should I use less and when should I use fewer?	Is some a plural word?
Can I say no any?	If I add some to a sentence does it change the meaning?
How do I make all a negative?	Is each singular or plural?

Questions

What is the correct word order for questions?	Where do I put the subject in indirect questions?
Can I use an auxiliary verb in reported questions?

Sentences

How many times can I use the subject in a sentence?	Should I always use a single verb with a single subject?
If a sentence has plurals and singulars what verb form do I use?	Where do modifiers go in a sentence?
How can I agree with a negative sentence?	How can I know when to use that in a sentence?
Is it better to use short forms?	How should I use nor in a negative sentence?
Can I start a sentence with and or but?	What are fragments?
How can I know if I have written a complete sentence?	What is a run-on sentence?
What is the correct word order in English sentences?	What is the correct way to write a list in a sentence?
Why is 'He hasn’t got no friends' wrong?	Where do limiting modifiers go in a sentence?
Where should I put the comma with and or but?	Can you end a sentence with a preposition?
What is the correct way to agree with positive and negative sentences?	How can I find the subject of a sentence?

Tenses

What is the difference between the present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous?	What is the difference between the present perfect simple and the past simple?
What is the difference between going to do and will do?	If the main clause is in the past tense what tense will the dependent clause be in?
What tense do we use for things that happen all the time?	Can I use the present continuous for things that happen all the time?
Does the present perfect talk about the past?	If the main clause is in the future tense what tense will the dependent clause be in?
What is the difference between if I was and if I were?

Verbs

When should I add an -s to a verb?	What is the difference between have something done and do something?
Which verbs can’t I use with -ing?	What form of the verbs should I use after has, have and had?
Where do verbs and direct objects go in a sentence?	Can I say, 'I’m agree'?
After a stative verb do I use an adjective or an adverb?	After and do I use have or has?
Do I use a singular or plural verb after connecting two nouns?	Which is correct news is or news are?
Do I use a singular or plural verb with money?

Apostrophes

What is the difference between its and it’s?	How can I check if I need to use its or it’s?
When should I use apostrophes?	Is there a simple way to check if my apostrophes are correct?
Should I use apostrophes in plurals?	How do I use apostrophes with possessive plural nouns?
Where should I put the apostrophe with possessive compound nouns with numbers?	Do I need an apostrophe with a possessive pronoun?

Commas

What is the difference between the present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous?	What is the difference between the present perfect simple and the past simple?
What is the difference between going to do and will do?	If the main clause is in the past tense what tense will the dependent clause be in?
What tense do we use for things that happen all the time?	Can I use the present continuous for things that happen all the time?
Does the present perfect talk about the past?	If the main clause is in the future tense what tense will the dependent clause be in?
What is the difference between if I was and if I were?

Capitalisation

Should I always use commas when adding extra information to a sentence?	When do I need to use a comma before and or but?
When should I use commas and when should I use brackets?	Can I put a comma between a subject and a verb?
Can I use a comma between essential information in a sentence?	Should I use a comma between a verb and its object?
Do I need a comma between nouns?	Do I need a comma between clauses?
Should I use commas when writing a list?	Should there be a comma after an introductory phrase?
Should I put a comma after someone’s name?	What are the rules for using commas with adjectives?
What is a comma splice?	Should I use a comma with however?

Hyphens

When should I use a hyphen between adjectives?	Should I use hyphens with very or adverbs ending in -ly?
Should I use hyphens with very or adverbs ending in -ly?	Should I use a hyphen with self?
Should I use a hyphen with grandmother?	What are the rules for hyphenating prefixes?
What are the rules for hyphenating suffixes?	Can I use hyphens in the same way as commas?
Can I use hyphens when I write a list?	When should I hyphenate numbers?
Should I use hyphens with phrasal verbs?	When a number is an adjective should it have a hyphen?

All Other Punctuation

What are the rules for writing bullet points correctly?	Can I use quotation marks to highlight text?
Do full stops go inside or outside quotation marks?	What are the rules for using brackets in a sentence?
Should I use single or double quotation marks?	Can I use lots of exclamation marks in my text?
Should I use question marks for requests?	Do indirect questions need a question mark?
!? and ?! - which is correct?	When should I use commas and when should I use brackets?

How can I help?