coммon мιѕтaĸeѕ

2017-06-22 12:10:32 Prepositions often confused

394. After for In.

Don't say: I may be able to go after a week.

Say: I may be able to go in a week.
Or: I may be able to go in a week's time.

When speaking of a period of time in the future, use "in", and not "after". Here "in" means "after the end of".

@common_mistakes Open / Comment

2017-06-22 12:10:32 Prepositions often confused

393. From for Since.

Don't say: Ian's been ill from last Friday.

Say: Ian's been ill since last Friday.

Place the preposition "since" before words or phrases denoting a point in time: since Monday, since yesterday, since eight o'clock, since Christmas.
When we use since, the verb is usually in the present perfect tense, but it may be in the past perfect: I was glad to see Tom. I hadn't seen him since last Christmas.

Note: "From" can also denote a point in time, but it must be followed by "to" or "till": He works from eight o'clock till one o'clock without a break.

@common_mistakes Open / Comment

2017-06-19 21:26:24 Prepositions often confused

392. Since for For.

Don't say: She's lived here since two years.

Say: She's lived here for two years.

Place the preposition "for" before words or phrases denoting a period of time: for three days, for six weeks, for two years, for a few minutes, for a long time. Use it with any tense except the present.

Note: "For" is often omitted. We can say: I've been here for two years or I've been here two years.

@common_mistakes Open / Comment

2017-06-19 21:26:24 Prepositions often confused

391. For for About

Don't say: The teacher spoke for bad habits.

Say: The teacher spoke about bad habits.

Don't use "for" in the sense of "about". The chief use of "about" is to convey the idea of being in favour of. If we say that the teacher spoke for bad habits it's like saying that he/she spoke in favour of bad habits!

@common_mistakes Open / Comment

2017-06-16 08:45:41 Prepositions often confused

390. From for Of or In.

Don't say: He's the tallest from all the boys.

Say: He's the tallest of all the boys.
Or: He's the tallest boy in the class.

Precede adjectives (or adverbs) in the superlative degree by "the" and follow them by "of" or "in".

@common_mistakes Open / Comment

2017-06-16 08:45:41 Prepositions often confused

389. From for By.

Don't say: Mary was punished from her father.

Say: Mary was punished by her father.

Use "by" (not from)after the passive form to show the doer of the action.

@common_mistakes Open / Comment

2017-06-12 21:05:05 Prepositions often confused

388. By for With.

Don't say: The man shot the bird by a gun.

Say: The man shot the bird with a gun.

When you want to show the means or the instrument with which the action is done use "with". "By" denotes the doer of the action: The bird was shot by the man.

Note: The following take "by" and not "with": by hand, by post, by phone, by one's watch, by the hour, by the dozen, by the meter.

@common_mistakes Open / Comment

2017-06-12 21:05:05 Prepositions often confused

387. Except for Besides/As well as

Don't say: I have other books except these.

Say: I have other hooks besides/as well as these (=in addition to these).

Note: Except means "leave out": Everyone is present except John.

@common_mistakes Open / Comment

2017-06-11 21:38:58 Prepositions often confused

386. Beside.

Don't say: Charlie was standing just besides me.

Say: Charlie was standing just beside me.

@common_mistakes Open / Comment

2017-06-11 21:38:58 Prepositions often confused

385. Between and Among.

(a) Between.
Don't say: There was a fight among two boys.

Say: There was a fight between two boys.

(b) Among.
Don't say: Divide the apple between you three.

Say: Divide the apple among you three.

Use "between" for two only. Use "among" for more than two.

@common_mistakes Open / Comment