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[Become a Language Detective: Mastering Common English Grammar Mistakes]-[481. Can you guess the English mistake? Quiz yourself!]

The InFluency Podcast · B1 · 2025-10-08

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📋 Summary

Elevating Your English: A Guide to Common Grammar Pitfalls

In this episode of the Influency Podcast, host Hadar Shemesh invites listeners to play "Language Detectives." By analyzing frequent errors that arise when native grammar structures clash with English, Hadar provides practical, actionable strategies to improve clarity and precision in speech. Below are the key grammatical corrections discussed.

1. Time Clauses and Future Tense

Error: "I'll meet you when I'll arrive." Correction: "I'll meet you when I arrive." Explanation: In time clauses introduced by words like when, after, or before referring to the future, we use the simple present tense. Using will after these conjunctions is redundant and incorrect.

2. The Verb "Discuss"

Error: "We discussed about the project." Correction: "We discussed the project." Explanation: The verb discuss is a transitive verb and does not take a preposition (like about) immediately after it. You simply discuss a topic directly.

3. Comparisons: "Better At" and Subject Pronouns

Error: "She's better in math than me." Correction: "She's better at math than I am." Explanation: Use the preposition at when expressing proficiency (better at). While "better than me" is acceptable in casual, conversational English, formal English dictates the use of the subject pronoun: "better than I am."

4. Indirect Questions

Error: "She didn't know where was the key." Correction: "She didn't know where the key was." Explanation: In indirect speech, the word order must shift to match a statement structure rather than a question structure. The subject (the key) precedes the verb (was).

5. Duration: "For" vs. "Since"

Error: "He's been working there since two years." Correction: "He's been working there for two years." Explanation: Use for to describe the duration of an action (a period of time), whereas since is reserved for a specific point in time in the past.

6. Habitual Actions: "Used To"

Error: "I'm used to get up early." Correction: "I'm used to getting up early." Explanation: When you are accustomed to a habit, you must use the gerund form (-ing) after the phrase used to. It is always "used to [verb]+ing."

7. Simple Past for Specific Time Markers

Error: "I have visited Boston last year." Correction: "I visited Boston last year." Explanation: When a sentence includes a specific time indicator in the past (e.g., last year, last month), you must use the simple past tense, not the present perfect.

8. Uncountable Nouns: "Advice"

Error: "She gave me a lot of advices." Correction: "She gave me a lot of advice." Explanation: Advice is an uncountable noun in English; it has no plural form. Even if you receive multiple pieces of information, you should never add an 's' to the word.

Conclusion

Making mistakes is a natural, necessary part of the learning process. As Hadar emphasizes, identifying these "clashes" between your native language and English is the most effective way to achieve fluency. By recognizing the error, repeating the correct form, and practicing in context, you can move toward speaking with greater confidence and clarity.

🎯Key Sentences

1
I'll meet you when I arrive.
2
We'll start the meeting when everyone arrives.
3
We discussed the project during the meeting.
4
We discussed the new policy at the board meeting.
5
I'll discuss the proposal with my team tomorrow.
Expand All

📝Key Phrases

1
discuss the project
2
better at math
3
better than I am
4
where the key was
5
for two years
Expand All

📖 Transcript

We discussed about the project during the meeting.
Where is the mistake and what is the correct form?
We discussed the project during the meeting.
We discussed the project or about during the meeting.
Why?
Because discuss doesn't take a preposition right after.

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