Common errors - ESL worksheet by Nicola5052 - Free Printable
Educational worksheet: Common errors - ESL worksheet by Nicola5052. Download and print for classroom or home learning activities.
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Step-by-step solution for: Common errors - ESL worksheet by Nicola5052
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Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: Common errors - ESL worksheet by Nicola5052
Let's go through each sentence and identify the common errors. These are mostly grammar, spelling, or word usage mistakes. I'll correct each one and explain why it's wrong.
---
- ✔ Error: "advise" is a verb; the noun form is "advice".
- 🔧 Correct: *He gave me good advice.*
---
- ✔ Error: "among" is used for three or more people; for two, use "between".
- 🔧 Correct: *She divided the sweets between the two children.*
---
- ✔ Error: Same as above — "between" is for two; for five, use "among".
- 🔧 Correct: *She shared the cake among the five adults.*
---
- ✔ Error: Incorrect word order and missing punctuation. Should be "Are we ready to go out, children?"
- 🔧 Correct: *Are we ready to go out, children?*
---
- ✔ Error: "accept" should be "except" (meaning "excluding").
- 🔧 Correct: *I can’t believe you told everyone except me.*
---
- ✔ Error: "board" is a noun; the adjective is "bored".
- 🔧 Correct: *I was so bored at college yesterday.*
---
- ✔ Error: "cereal" is breakfast food; the correct word is "series" (TV show).
- 🔧 Correct: *I watched the new documentary series on TV last night.*
---
- ✔ Error: "ensured" means "made sure"; the correct word is "insured" (as in insurance).
- 🔧 Correct: *She insured her car last week.*
---
- ✔ Error: "fare" is a noun (like bus fare); the correct word is "fair" (meaning just or equal).
- 🔧 Correct: *It’s not fair – she’s got more than me!*
---
- ✔ Error: "less" is for uncountable nouns; "people" is countable → use "fewer".
- 🔧 Correct: *There were fewer people here today than yesterday.*
---
- ✔ Error: "should of" is incorrect; it should be "should have" (often contracted to "should've").
- 🔧 Correct: *I should have gone to the park with my friends.*
---
- ✔ Error: "I" is incorrect here; it should be "me" because it's the object of the preposition "to".
- 🔧 Correct: *That CD was given to my sister and me last Christmas.*
---
- ✔ Error: "it’s" = "it is" (contraction); the possessive is "its" (no apostrophe).
- 🔧 Correct: *The dog wagged its tail when it saw him.*
---
- ✔ Error: "Lay" is transitive (requires an object), but here we need "lie" (intransitive).
- 🔧 Correct: *Come on. Lie down next to me.*
---
- ✔ Error: In British English, it's "driving licence" (with 's'); in American English, it's "license". But since the rest uses British spelling, this might be acceptable. However, the error could be "licence" vs "license" depending on region. But assuming UK context:
- 🔧 Correct (UK): *Wahoo! I’ve got my driving licence.*
*(Note: This one may be correct depending on dialect.)*
But if we're being strict about spelling consistency, "licence" is preferred in UK English.
---
- ✔ Error: "loose" (adjective) vs "lose" (verb). You don't "loose" something; you "lose" it.
- 🔧 Correct: *Careful – don’t lose your keys.*
---
- ✔ Error: Missing auxiliary verb. It should be "may be", not "maybe".
- 🔧 Correct: *What you said may be true!*
---
- ✔ Error: "past" is a noun/adverb; the verb form is "passed".
- 🔧 Correct: *Congratulations – you passed your exams!*
---
- ✔ This sentence is actually correct!
But wait — let's check: "practice" is fine (noun/verb), and "better and better" is idiomatic.
- ✔ No error — this one is correct.
Wait! The prompt says all have mistakes. So maybe there's a subtle issue?
Actually, "practice" is correct here as a verb. But sometimes people confuse it with "practise" (UK spelling). But both are acceptable.
So perhaps this is correct, but the exercise says all have errors — so maybe it's intended to be "practise" in UK English.
But even then, "practice" is widely accepted.
Alternatively, maybe it's meant to be "practise" (UK spelling), but that’s not a grammatical error.
✔ So likely, this sentence has no real error — but perhaps the exercise considers "practice" as incorrect in British English.
Still, most would consider it correct.
But let's assume it's okay — no error.
Wait — perhaps the mistake is "you’ll"? No, that’s fine.
Maybe the error is in "better and better"? That's perfectly idiomatic.
So possibly, this one is correct — but the task says all have mistakes.
Hmm. Let's move on and come back.
---
- ✔ Error: "quite" is an adverb meaning "rather", but here it should be "quiet" (adjective).
- 🔧 Correct: *She’s really shy, isn’t she – she’s so quiet!*
---
- ✔ Error: "stationery" = paper supplies; the correct word is "stationary" (not moving).
- 🔧 Correct: *The car was stationary at the traffic lights.*
---
- ✔ Error: "threw" is the past tense of "throw"; the correct word is "through" (preposition).
- 🔧 Correct: *She fell through the hole in the ice.*
---
- ✔ Error: "waste" is not correct; the body part is "waist".
- 🔧 Correct: *Her hair is so long – it’s down to her waist.*
---
- ✔ Error: "Who’s" = "who is"; the correct possessive is "whose".
- 🔧 Correct: *Whose coat is this?*
---
Now, going back to #19:
> "If you practice every day you’ll get better and better."
This is grammatically correct.
But perhaps the intended error is "practice" vs "practise"?
In British English, the verb is "practise", and the noun is "practice".
So if we're using British English, the correct form would be:
> "If you practise every day..."
So the error is spelling — "practice" instead of "practise".
✔ Therefore, the mistake is in spelling — using "practice" (American spelling) instead of "practise" (British).
So in British English context, it's wrong.
Thus, #19 has a spelling error.
---
| # | Original Sentence | Error | Corrected |
|----|-------------------|-------|-----------|
| 1 | He gave me good advise. | advise → advice | He gave me good advice. |
| 2 | She divided the sweets among the two children. | among → between (for two) | She divided the sweets between the two children. |
| 3 | She shared the cake between the five adults. | between → among (for more than two) | She shared the cake among the five adults. |
| 4 | Are we already to go out children? | "already" → "ready", punctuation | Are we ready to go out, children? |
| 5 | I can’t believe you told everyone accept me. | accept → except | I can’t believe you told everyone except me. |
| 6 | I was so board at college yesterday. | board → bored | I was so bored at college yesterday. |
| 7 | I watched the new documentary cereal on TV last night. | cereal → series | I watched the new documentary series on TV last night. |
| 8 | She ensured her car last week. | ensured → insured | She insured her car last week. |
| 9 | It’s not fare – she’s got more than me! | fare → fair | It’s not fair – she’s got more than me! |
| 10 | There were less people here today than yesterday. | less → fewer | There were fewer people here today than yesterday. |
| 11 | I should of gone to the park with my friends. | should of → should have | I should have gone to the park... |
| 12 | That CD was given to my sister and I last Christmas. | I → me | That CD was given to my sister and me... |
| 13 | The dog wagged it’s tail when it saw him. | it’s → its | The dog wagged its tail... |
| 14 | Come on. Lay down next to me. | lay → lie | Come on. Lie down next to me. |
| 15 | Wahoo! I’ve got my driving license. | license → licence (UK) | Wahoo! I’ve got my driving licence. |
| 16 | Careful – don’t loose your keys. | loose → lose | Careful – don’t lose your keys. |
| 17 | What you said maybe true! | maybe → may be | What you said may be true! |
| 18 | Congratulations – you past your exams! | past → passed | Congratulations – you passed your exams! |
| 19 | If you practice every day you’ll get better and better. | practice → practise (UK) | If you practise every day... |
| 20 | She’s really shy isn’t she – she’s so quite! | quite → quiet | She’s really shy, isn’t she – she’s so quiet! |
| 21 | The car was stationery at the traffic lights. | stationery → stationary | The car was stationary at the traffic lights. |
| 22 | She fell threw the hole in the ice. | threw → through | She fell through the hole in the ice. |
| 23 | Her hair is so long – it’s down to her waste. | waste → waist | Her hair is so long – it’s down to her waist. |
| 24 | Who’s coat is this? | who’s → whose | Whose coat is this? |
---
All sentences have been corrected. The main types of errors include:
- Homophones (e.g., *advice/advise*, *lose/loose*)
- Spelling (e.g., *stationary/stationery*, *practise/practice*)
- Grammar (e.g., *between/among*, *lay/lie*)
- Punctuation and word order
- Confusion between similar words (e.g., *except/accept*)
✔ All 24 sentences now corrected.
---
1. He gave me good advise.
- ✔ Error: "advise" is a verb; the noun form is "advice".
- 🔧 Correct: *He gave me good advice.*
---
2. She divided the sweets among the two children.
- ✔ Error: "among" is used for three or more people; for two, use "between".
- 🔧 Correct: *She divided the sweets between the two children.*
---
3. She shared the cake between the five adults.
- ✔ Error: Same as above — "between" is for two; for five, use "among".
- 🔧 Correct: *She shared the cake among the five adults.*
---
4. Are we already to go out children?
- ✔ Error: Incorrect word order and missing punctuation. Should be "Are we ready to go out, children?"
- 🔧 Correct: *Are we ready to go out, children?*
---
5. I can’t believe you told everyone accept me.
- ✔ Error: "accept" should be "except" (meaning "excluding").
- 🔧 Correct: *I can’t believe you told everyone except me.*
---
6. I was so board at college yesterday.
- ✔ Error: "board" is a noun; the adjective is "bored".
- 🔧 Correct: *I was so bored at college yesterday.*
---
7. I watched the new documentary cereal on TV last night.
- ✔ Error: "cereal" is breakfast food; the correct word is "series" (TV show).
- 🔧 Correct: *I watched the new documentary series on TV last night.*
---
8. She ensured her car last week.
- ✔ Error: "ensured" means "made sure"; the correct word is "insured" (as in insurance).
- 🔧 Correct: *She insured her car last week.*
---
9. It’s not fare – she’s got more than me!
- ✔ Error: "fare" is a noun (like bus fare); the correct word is "fair" (meaning just or equal).
- 🔧 Correct: *It’s not fair – she’s got more than me!*
---
10. There were less people here today than yesterday.
- ✔ Error: "less" is for uncountable nouns; "people" is countable → use "fewer".
- 🔧 Correct: *There were fewer people here today than yesterday.*
---
11. I should of gone to the park with my friends.
- ✔ Error: "should of" is incorrect; it should be "should have" (often contracted to "should've").
- 🔧 Correct: *I should have gone to the park with my friends.*
---
12. That CD was given to my sister and I last Christmas.
- ✔ Error: "I" is incorrect here; it should be "me" because it's the object of the preposition "to".
- 🔧 Correct: *That CD was given to my sister and me last Christmas.*
---
13. The dog wagged it’s tail when it saw him.
- ✔ Error: "it’s" = "it is" (contraction); the possessive is "its" (no apostrophe).
- 🔧 Correct: *The dog wagged its tail when it saw him.*
---
14. Come on. Lay down next to me.
- ✔ Error: "Lay" is transitive (requires an object), but here we need "lie" (intransitive).
- 🔧 Correct: *Come on. Lie down next to me.*
---
15. Wahoo! I’ve got my driving license.
- ✔ Error: In British English, it's "driving licence" (with 's'); in American English, it's "license". But since the rest uses British spelling, this might be acceptable. However, the error could be "licence" vs "license" depending on region. But assuming UK context:
- 🔧 Correct (UK): *Wahoo! I’ve got my driving licence.*
*(Note: This one may be correct depending on dialect.)*
But if we're being strict about spelling consistency, "licence" is preferred in UK English.
---
16. Careful – don’t loose your keys.
- ✔ Error: "loose" (adjective) vs "lose" (verb). You don't "loose" something; you "lose" it.
- 🔧 Correct: *Careful – don’t lose your keys.*
---
17. What you said maybe true!
- ✔ Error: Missing auxiliary verb. It should be "may be", not "maybe".
- 🔧 Correct: *What you said may be true!*
---
18. Congratulations – you past your exams!
- ✔ Error: "past" is a noun/adverb; the verb form is "passed".
- 🔧 Correct: *Congratulations – you passed your exams!*
---
19. If you practice every day you’ll get better and better.
- ✔ This sentence is actually correct!
But wait — let's check: "practice" is fine (noun/verb), and "better and better" is idiomatic.
- ✔ No error — this one is correct.
Wait! The prompt says all have mistakes. So maybe there's a subtle issue?
Actually, "practice" is correct here as a verb. But sometimes people confuse it with "practise" (UK spelling). But both are acceptable.
So perhaps this is correct, but the exercise says all have errors — so maybe it's intended to be "practise" in UK English.
But even then, "practice" is widely accepted.
Alternatively, maybe it's meant to be "practise" (UK spelling), but that’s not a grammatical error.
✔ So likely, this sentence has no real error — but perhaps the exercise considers "practice" as incorrect in British English.
Still, most would consider it correct.
But let's assume it's okay — no error.
Wait — perhaps the mistake is "you’ll"? No, that’s fine.
Maybe the error is in "better and better"? That's perfectly idiomatic.
So possibly, this one is correct — but the task says all have mistakes.
Hmm. Let's move on and come back.
---
20. She’s really shy isn’t she – she’s so quite!
- ✔ Error: "quite" is an adverb meaning "rather", but here it should be "quiet" (adjective).
- 🔧 Correct: *She’s really shy, isn’t she – she’s so quiet!*
---
21. The car was stationery at the traffic lights.
- ✔ Error: "stationery" = paper supplies; the correct word is "stationary" (not moving).
- 🔧 Correct: *The car was stationary at the traffic lights.*
---
22. She fell threw the hole in the ice.
- ✔ Error: "threw" is the past tense of "throw"; the correct word is "through" (preposition).
- 🔧 Correct: *She fell through the hole in the ice.*
---
23. Her hair is so long – it’s down to her waste.
- ✔ Error: "waste" is not correct; the body part is "waist".
- 🔧 Correct: *Her hair is so long – it’s down to her waist.*
---
24. Who’s coat is this?
- ✔ Error: "Who’s" = "who is"; the correct possessive is "whose".
- 🔧 Correct: *Whose coat is this?*
---
Now, going back to #19:
> "If you practice every day you’ll get better and better."
This is grammatically correct.
But perhaps the intended error is "practice" vs "practise"?
In British English, the verb is "practise", and the noun is "practice".
So if we're using British English, the correct form would be:
> "If you practise every day..."
So the error is spelling — "practice" instead of "practise".
✔ Therefore, the mistake is in spelling — using "practice" (American spelling) instead of "practise" (British).
So in British English context, it's wrong.
Thus, #19 has a spelling error.
---
Summary of Corrections:
| # | Original Sentence | Error | Corrected |
|----|-------------------|-------|-----------|
| 1 | He gave me good advise. | advise → advice | He gave me good advice. |
| 2 | She divided the sweets among the two children. | among → between (for two) | She divided the sweets between the two children. |
| 3 | She shared the cake between the five adults. | between → among (for more than two) | She shared the cake among the five adults. |
| 4 | Are we already to go out children? | "already" → "ready", punctuation | Are we ready to go out, children? |
| 5 | I can’t believe you told everyone accept me. | accept → except | I can’t believe you told everyone except me. |
| 6 | I was so board at college yesterday. | board → bored | I was so bored at college yesterday. |
| 7 | I watched the new documentary cereal on TV last night. | cereal → series | I watched the new documentary series on TV last night. |
| 8 | She ensured her car last week. | ensured → insured | She insured her car last week. |
| 9 | It’s not fare – she’s got more than me! | fare → fair | It’s not fair – she’s got more than me! |
| 10 | There were less people here today than yesterday. | less → fewer | There were fewer people here today than yesterday. |
| 11 | I should of gone to the park with my friends. | should of → should have | I should have gone to the park... |
| 12 | That CD was given to my sister and I last Christmas. | I → me | That CD was given to my sister and me... |
| 13 | The dog wagged it’s tail when it saw him. | it’s → its | The dog wagged its tail... |
| 14 | Come on. Lay down next to me. | lay → lie | Come on. Lie down next to me. |
| 15 | Wahoo! I’ve got my driving license. | license → licence (UK) | Wahoo! I’ve got my driving licence. |
| 16 | Careful – don’t loose your keys. | loose → lose | Careful – don’t lose your keys. |
| 17 | What you said maybe true! | maybe → may be | What you said may be true! |
| 18 | Congratulations – you past your exams! | past → passed | Congratulations – you passed your exams! |
| 19 | If you practice every day you’ll get better and better. | practice → practise (UK) | If you practise every day... |
| 20 | She’s really shy isn’t she – she’s so quite! | quite → quiet | She’s really shy, isn’t she – she’s so quiet! |
| 21 | The car was stationery at the traffic lights. | stationery → stationary | The car was stationary at the traffic lights. |
| 22 | She fell threw the hole in the ice. | threw → through | She fell through the hole in the ice. |
| 23 | Her hair is so long – it’s down to her waste. | waste → waist | Her hair is so long – it’s down to her waist. |
| 24 | Who’s coat is this? | who’s → whose | Whose coat is this? |
---
Final Answer:
All sentences have been corrected. The main types of errors include:
- Homophones (e.g., *advice/advise*, *lose/loose*)
- Spelling (e.g., *stationary/stationery*, *practise/practice*)
- Grammar (e.g., *between/among*, *lay/lie*)
- Punctuation and word order
- Confusion between similar words (e.g., *except/accept*)
✔ All 24 sentences now corrected.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of find the errors worksheet answers.
