I’ll be home fromthree o’clock. (NOT
The shop will be closed for two weeks from Monday. (NOT
77. Singular fraction + plural noun: use a plural verb.
A third of thestudents are from abroad. (NOT
A quarter of the trees have been cut down.
78. You listen to something.
She never listensto me. (NOT
Listen to this! (NOT
79. Don’t use the past progressive for past habits.
When I was 20 I smoked/ I used to smoke. (NOT
I played / I used to play a lot of football at school. (NOT
80. Don’t use most of directly before a noun.
Most of these people agree with me.
Most people agree with me.
(BUT NOT
81. In ‘unreal’ conditions with if, use would, not will.
If I knew the price,I would tell you. (
It would be better if he told the truth. (NOT
82. Don’t use later with an expression of time to talk about thefuture.
I’ll see you later.
I’ll see you in a few days.
(BUT NOT
83. Don’t use in case to mean ‘if’.
Compare:
I’ll take an umbrella in case it rains. (= ‘… because it might rain.’)
I’ll open the umbrella if it rains. (NOT
84. Use so before an adjective, but not before adjective + noun.
I love this country– it’s so beautiful. (NOT
Thanks for your help. That was so kind of you. (NOT
85. Only use unless to mean ‘except if’.
Compare:
I’ll see you tomorrow unless I have to work.
I’ll be really upset if I don’t pass the exam. (NOT
86. Use be with adjectives, not have with nouns, to talkabout physical sensations like cold, hunger, thirst etc.
I am thirsty.(NOT
We are cold in this house. (NOT
87. Don’t use to-infinitives after can, could, will, would,may, might, shall, should or must.
I can swim.(NOT
Must you make so much noise? (NOT
88. Use not, not no, to make sentences negative.
I’m notasleep. (NOT
We are open on Saturdays, but not on Sundays. (NOT
89. We don’t usually use present tenses after past reporting verbs.
She told me she hada headache. (NOT
I asked him what he wanted. (NOT
90. Use to after married, engaged.
He’s married to a doctor. (NOT
My sister is engaged to a computer engineer. (NOT
91. Use which, not what, to refer back to a wholesentence.
She passed her exam,which surprised everybody. (NOT
My father has just climbed Mont Blanc, which is pretty good for a man of75. (NOT
92. Don’t use the with society when it has a generalmeaning.
We all have to livein society. (NOT
Rousseau said that society makes people evil. (NOT
93. Use a to-infinitive after want.
I want to gohome. (NOT
The children want to stay up late. (NOT
94. Use make, not do, with mistake.
I have made amistake. (NOT
You can’t speak a language without making mistakes. (NOT
95. Don’t repeat a relative pronoun with another pronoun.
There’s the man thatI work for. (NOT
She saw a doctor who sent her to hospital. (NOT
96. After a superlative, use in with a place expression.
Which is the biggestcity in the world? (NOT
This is the best restaurant in the city. (NOT
.
97. You explain and suggest something to somebody.
Please explain tome what you want. (NOT
Can you suggest a good restaurant to us? (NOT
98. Work is an uncountable noun.
I’m looking for work.(NOT
My brother has found a new job. (NOT
99. Be careful of the word order in negative infinitives.
It’s important notto work too hard. (NOT
I asked her not to make so much noise.
100.Possessives replace articles.
We stayed in John’s house at theweekend. (NOT
She’s been studying Britain’s foreign policy since 1980. (NOT