OVERCOMING GRAMMATICAL STUMBLING BLOCKS IN ENGLISH (N°1)

Pitfalls to avoid when mastering English grammar (N°1)

- Such a problem not: a such problem

- The young love sports = young people love sports not: young love sports

- I feel like a drink not: I feel like to drink

- France (in its entirety) not: the France; but we can say: the France of my childhood (a specific period)

- Everybody stretched out their legs not: everybody stretched out his legs

- A two-hour lesson not: a two hour's lesson

- Two-hour lesson not: two hours lessons

- A 25-year-old not: a 25 years old

- 25-year-olds not: 25 years olds

- Everybody has their coat not: everybody has his coat

- To this day there is no news = at this moment in time

- I give no help to others and I get none = the structure is no … none

- I don't give any help to others and I don't receive any =  the structure is don't … any 

- It's time we took action = it's time to make a move

- It's time (for us) to take action = it's time to make a move

- If he were to make an offer, we would be interested = sequence of tenses = past simple + conditional

- Were he to make an offer, we would be interested = sequence of tenses = past simple + conditional (the verb comes first by eliminating the if)

- I wish I saw her more often = I wish + simple past = I would like to

- I wish I had seen her more often = I wish + past perfect = I would have liked to 

- You had better stay where you are = had better + infinitive verb without to

- How long has it been since you visited her last? = How long is it since you visited her last? = how long + present perfect/present + since + simple past

- How long has it been since you last visited her? = How long is it since you last visited her? = how long + present perfect/present + since + simple past

- It has been nearly ten years since we last visited her = It is nearly ten years since we last visited her = it is/it has been + since + simple past

- I have been working there since 2019 (continuation of the action) not: I work there since 2019

I have worked there since 2019 (fact) not: I work there since 2019

- Give me the project or Give the project to me not: give to me the project

- But you can say: Give it to me (when you refer to something you no longer wish to name simply by using the pronoun it)

- The first two houses not: the two first houses

- He asked me if I had liked the concert = simple past + past perfect simple = asked me (action in the past), had liked (action in the past of the past)

- He was repeating what I had been told = past continuous + past perfect simple = was repeating (action having a duration in the past), had been told (action that had taken place before another one in the past)

- Before speaking not: before to speak

- After speaking not: after to speak

- Tell me not: tell to me

- Say to me not: say me / not: say at me