7 English grammar mistakes you need to stop making at B2 level.
At B2, you're past the basics.
You can already hold a conversation and you understand a lot.
But to truly sound confident, natural and accurate, you need to stop making these common mistakes in English.
So, let's dive in.
Hey there, how's it going?
Thiago here and welcome to another video.
I am a Cambridge Certified English teacher and I have been teaching this language for 20 years.
My main goal with this channel is to help intermediate learners, B1 to B2 learners, become solid advanced users of English.
Hopefully, get you to C1 and even C2 level.
So, if you like that idea, make sure to subscribe if you are new here on the channel.
So our first mistake is a classic and it causes headaches for so many intermediate B1 level learners.
Confusing make and do.
Oh yeah, confusing make and do.
I know that in many languages there's often just one verb for these, but in English these two words are very distinct.
Remember this rule of thumb?
Listen.
We usually use make to talk about creating, producing something, or even choosing something.
Think of it as bringing something into existence or having an effect.
Now do, on the other hand, is more about performing an action, a task, or an obligation.
Let's look at some common mistakes here.
Listen, I need to do a decision about my career.
No, the correct way is I need to make a decision about my career.
It's like you are creating the choice.
You see, I need to make a decision, create the choice.
All right.
Another mistake is the students will make a test next week.
No, the students will do a test next week.
Doing a test is a task, is an activity that you perform.
You do.
You see?
Now, here's a little parenthesis.
The teacher makes the test for the students.
You see the difference?
So the teacher makes the test for the students.
In other words, the teacher creates the test to apply in class.
And the students perform the action or do the activity, the task of doing the test.
You see?
The teacher makes the tests.
The students do the tests.
Here's another one.
Mistake.
Can you help me make the laundry?
No, the correct way is, can you help me do the laundry?
Doing your laundry is a chore.
It's an activity, a task that you perform.
Another one, I want to do a good impression.
No, I want to make a good impression.
Remember, make, because you are creating something.
In this context, you are creating that impression.
I want to make a good impression, not I want to do a good impression.
The best way to fix this is to learn these common collocations.
Remember, make a good impression.
Make a test versus do a test.
Do your laundry.
Make a decision.
You've got to memorize these.
So a collocation is a group of words that often go together in conversation.
Memorize these.
Make a mistake.
Make a profit.
Make arrangements.
Make friends.
And we do homework.
Do a favor.
Do exercise.
Do business.
You see?
And at the end of the day, if you're not sure, just search for the phrase online.
Take that extra proactive step and just search for the phrase online.
You can type on Google something like, make a decision or do a decision.
And you will quickly find the answer.
Make a mistake or do a mistake.
You will quickly find the answer.
Just you know.
Don't be lazy.
Do that extra work of checking if you are correct, if you're not sure, all right.
By the way, if you need extra help discovering your english level, consider booking a one-on-one fluency discovery call with me.
This is a 90-minute zoom session where you and i will talk.
I'll be listening to you, asking you questions and helping you determine what your current level of English is and what you need to do to get to the next level.
Plus, after our session, I'm going to send you by email an action plan with some useful links that you can use to take your English to the next level.
So if you want to book a one-on-one call with me for me to evaluate and assess your English skills link in the description.
All right, now let's move on to the next common mistake that B2 learners make, confusing the present perfect tenses, specifically present, perfect simple and present perfect continuous.
You have learned these tenses before if you are a B2 already, but it's very common in my experience to see learners mixing them when talking about an action versus talking about the duration of an action.
Let's clarify this.
Look.
The present perfect, simple I have done focuses on the result of an action or a state that has existed up to now.
It's often used with stative verbs or to talk about how many times something has happened.
Now, the present perfect continuous, on the other hand, I have been doing focuses on the duration of an action, or an action that started in the past and is still ongoing, or even that has a clear result in the present.
Let's look at some common mistakes here that I observe B2 level learners making.
Listen.
Mistake.
I have been knowing her for ages.
Remember, know is a stative verb.
So the correct way here is I have known her for ages.
This is a state, not an action in progress.
I have known her for ages, not I have been knowing her for ages.
Another common mistake.
Listen, my clothes are dirty because I have repaired my car.
This is weird because if you say, I have repaired my car, I understand that you're done with this.
The action of repairing the car is finished.
That doesn't make much sense in this context.
Much better for you to say, my clothes are dirty because I have been repairing my car.
You see?
Now the action is still ongoing, leading to your clothes being dirty now.
Got it?
Another common mistake.
Listen.
I have read this book all morning.
This is weird, because if you say I have read this book again, I understand that you finished reading the book.
Much better for you to say, I have been reading this book all morning.
Then I understand that the action is still happening.
It's still in progress.
You're not finished with reading the book.
Think about it like this.
Present perfect simple.
The focus is on the completion or the result of an action.
Done.
But it's present perfect because we don't know when it happened, but the action is done.
Present perfect, continuous on the other hand, focuses more on the duration how long something has been going on?
So next time you are in doubt, just ask yourself Am I focusing on the result or the finished, completed action, or on the activity and the duration of the activity?
How long something has been going on?
Think about it that way.
I did mention also the state of verbs, didn't I?
Now you might be wondering, what are stative verbs?
Well, let's review stative verbs here very quickly.
This is actually very connected to the next mistake, which is not using stative verbs in the correct way.
All right?
Stative verbs describe a state, an opinion, a sense, possession, or even feeling.
Not a physical action you can see happening.
Because these verbs, stata verbs, describe a state, they are almost never used in continuous tenses.
In other words, it's not common for us to use these stata verbs in English in the ING form.
That's why, going back to the previous example, I say I have known her for 10 years, for example, and not I have been knowing her, because the verb know is not an action.
It's a state, the state of knowing someone.
So I got to treat it like a present perfect simple sentence.
I have known her for 10 years, for decades.
Here are some more examples of stater verbs in English.
Know believe understand love hate, want seem cost own smell, taste prefer like.
Need agree, remember and possess.
All these are stative verbs.
So I say, I believe you, not I am believing you.
I say, I understand it, not I am understanding it.
Got it?
Now let's look at some other mistakes here.
Look.
Mistake.
I am not understanding the instructions.
No, I don't understand the instructions.
Mistake.
This coffee is tasting really strange.
No, this coffee tastes really strange.
Mistake.
I am believing that she's right.
No, I believe that she's right.
Another one.
Mistake.
He is wanting to go home now.
He wants to go home now.
That's the correct one.
He wants to go home now.
No, he is wanting to go home now.
All right.
Remember, most of the time, it's not common for you to see these verbs being used in the ING form.
Most of the time.
Keep that in mind.
Now, a quick note.
Some verbs in English can be both stative and action verbs depending on the meaning.
For example, if I say I have a car, that's a state, because the verb have here means means a possession of mine.
I have a car.
It's my possession.
I have a car.
So it's a stative verb.
But what about have lunch?
Think about it.
To have lunch, that's an action, right?
So have lunch is an action verb.
Therefore, I can use it in the ING.
So I am having lunch now.
I've been having lunch for one hour.
Now it's okay.
So to have a car is a state of verb.
To have lunch is an action verb and it can be used in the ING.
See the difference?
Moving on here to the next mistake.
That is mistake number four.
Over relying or over depending on direct translation.
This is about how you think in English.
Many B2 learners still translate directly from their native language.
When they are trying to speak English, there is that translation step in their minds.
This means that you are taking an expression or a word from your language and just swapping out the words for English ones.
The result sentences might be grammatically correct, but they sound completely unnatural to a native speaker.
Because, in other words, if you have this habit of translating all the time before speaking, you are not really speaking English.
I'm sorry to tell you this, but that's the truth.
You are not really speaking English.
You know what you're doing when you translate?
You are speaking your native language with English words.
Let that sink in for a while okay, when you translate in your head before speaking something in english.
You are not speaking english, all right.
You are speaking your native language.
You are using the conventions, the structures of your native language.
You are just using english words instead of your native language words, but the structure that you're using is pretty much the same, so be careful with that.
All right, At the B2 level, your goal isn't just to be understood.
It's to sound natural.
This means incorporating more phrasal verbs in your speech, idioms, and natural collocations.
I mean, I don't know if you noticed, but I've just used the phrasal verb just now.
I said, let that sink in for a while.
Sink in.
When something sinks in, or when an idea sinks in, it is truly, profoundly absorbed.
So i shared an idea with you.
I wanted to, i wanted you to think about it and reflect on it.
So i say, let that sink in for a while.
So, you see, incorporate more phrasal verbs, idioms and natural collocations into your speech.
All right, let me give you some examples here of possible mistakes in their corrections.
A possible mistake could be the event was put into the following week.
That is really weird to say.
Better to say the event was put off until the following week.
Here I'm using the phrasal verb put off, which means to postpone something.
You put something off, right?
What about this one?
I need to take a decision about my future.
I hear Brazilian learners saying this all the time, like, you know, take a decision, all right?
Because if you translate from Portuguese, in Portuguese, we say take, you know, in a way, right?
We say tomar, right?
Tomar uma decisão.
Oh, take a decision.
No, you make a decision.
So I need to make a decision about my future.
That's the correct way.
And it connects to mistake number one, not knowing when to use make.
Or do.
Here's another one.
She's a strong smoker.
That sounds weird in English.
Better to say she's a heavy smoker.
What about this one?
I feel myself good today.
Also weird.
When you translate directly from a native language, you might say something like this.
I feel myself good today.
Don't do that.
Better to say I feel good today.
I feel good today.
So how do you fix this?
What is the cure for this habit of constantly translating in your head?
Immersion.
Immersion.
You need to have immersion in English, right?
Read a lot of English, listen to a lot of English and pay attention to how native speakers express ideas.
Let me say that again read a lot of English, listen to a lot of English and pay attention, pay attention, pay attention to how native speakers express ideas.
Why am I emphasizing this?
Because just watching a movie in English, listening to a podcast in English passively and not really paying attention to what you're hearing, is not enough.
All right.
The secret is consuming the content, watching, listening, and paying attention.
As you are listening to me right now, pay attention to how I'm moving my mouth, how I'm using my voice, the words that are coming out of my mouth, the expressions I'm using, the words I'm using.
Pay attention.
You see, this is true listening, active listening.
If you don't pay attention, you are not listening.
You are just hearing.
Let me say that again.
If you don't pay attention, when you listen to something, you are not really listening to English.
You are just hearing.
And there is a difference between listening and hearing, right?
Keep that in mind.
Remember that.
Now, for example, when you hear a new verb that a native speaker uses, think to yourself does this verb have a common phrasal verb equivalent?
That's a good exercise for you to do, right?
In your mind.
Does this verb have a common phrasal verb in English?
For example, if you come across the word accelerate, we need to accelerate the process.
Okay, think of the word accelerate.
Now, ask yourself, do I have or is there a phrasal verb equivalent for accelerate?
If you don't know, look it up.
And probably you will find that there is speed up.
Speed up.
Speed up is the phrasal verb equivalent for accelerate.
We need to accelerate the process.
We need to speed up the process.
So if I say I need to speed up the process, that's going to make me sound more natural and also standard or formal or academic in my speech.
Mistake number five that I see B2L learners still making has to do with the use of prepositions.
The use of prepositions.
I know that prepositions are very tricky for learners.
Even very advanced non-native speakers of English sometimes make mistakes with preposition use.
I certainly do, you know, sometimes.
I have some slips when it comes to prepositions.
I have to be mindful of those.
But it's important that you are aware at least of the most basic ones, because at the b2 level you should already be past the basic in on and add confusions at least you know.
Now the challenge is remembering the specific preposition that must follow certain verbs, certain adjectives or certain nouns, and when it comes to prepositions, There isn't specifically a rule that you can memorize.
It's much easier for you to just learn them by heart, memorize which verbs go with which prepositions.
Let me give you some examples here of common mistakes and their corrections.
Mistake.
She's very keen with surfing.
Keen with surfing?
No.
She's very keen on surfing.
That's it.
She's very keen on surfing.
Another one, they will arrive to the station soon?
Arrive to the station?
No, they will arrive at the station soon.
Remember this, you always arrive at a place, specific place.
You arrive at the station.
You arrive at the club.
You arrive at the bookstore.
But you arrive in a city or in a country.
You arrive in New York City.
You arrive in the U.S., Remember that difference.
All right.
You got to memorize these.
What about this one?
Typical.
I'm interested on learning more.
No.
Interested on learning more?
No.
Or even I hear sometimes, I'm interested about learning more.
Not interested about, not interested on.
I'm interested in.
And that's the preposition that you use with interested.
I'm interested in learning more.
Memorize that.
Interested in.
Interested in.
All right?
Just like you have probably memorized that it's listen to, right?
Listen to music.
Listen to a podcast.
Memorize that it's interested in something.
All right?
What about this one?
He is good in maths.
No, he is good at maths.
So, if he is good at maths, he is bad at something else.
You see?
Good at, bad at.
What about this one?
We talked about the problem with John.
Better to say, we talked to John about the problem.
Alright?
So whenever you learn a new adjective or verb, Always try to find out what preposition goes with it and learn them as a pair.
So don't just focus on the individual verbs or adjectives.
Focus on what prepositions go with them.
And then if you do a little research, you will learn that, okay, interested in.
So you add to your notebook or to your vocabulary app the combination interested in.
Don't add just interested.
Add the combination worried about, not just worried.
Accustomed to, not just accustomed.
Responsible for, not just responsible.
If you do that, it's going to be much easier for you to memorize these combinations of verbs and adjectives, plus prepositions.
This is very common, really, really common.
This is a seemingly small error that instantly flags you as a non-native speaker of English, because in english, nearly every sentence needs a subject.
In some other languages in my native language, for example in portuguese many times it is possible to hide or omit the subject, especially if it's obvious or if it's about the weather, But in English you almost always need a subject.
So, use it for things like weather, time, distance, or general impersonal statements and opinions.
You can use there to talk about the existence of something.
There is, there are, there was, there were.
Let me give you some examples and now it's going to be clear to understand.
I hear many learners going, it's difficult to learn a new language.
It's difficult to learn a new language.
But We need a subject here.
Add it.
The correct way is it is difficult to learn a new language.
If you want to contract, you can go it.
It's difficult to learn a new language.
What about this one?
Look.
Is rainy outside?
No.
It is rainy outside.
Or it's rainy outside.
Never is rainy outside.
Listen to this one.
Are many cars on the road today?
Are many cars on the road today?
No, there are many cars on the road today.
To the Brazilians out there, I hear this all the time.
A typical Brazilian learner would say have, not even are.
Have many cars on the road today?
You see, this is translation.
Yeah, you are translating from Portuguese.
Have many cars on the road today?
No.
Have many cars on the road?
No.
There are many cars on the road today.
What about this one?
In my country it's very hot in summer.
Add it in my country it is very hot in summer.
This is a simple fix, but one that requires conscious effort until it becomes second nature to you.
Always ask yourself does my sentence have a subject?
If not, and if it's about the weather time, distance or existence of something, always add it, or there.
Don't forget that.
And to the Brazilians out there, there is, there are, not have.
Have many places in my city?
There are many places in my city.
Finally, mistake number seven, overcomplicating sentences or even sounding redundant.
When you sound redundant, you sound repetitive.
You are repeating information that wasn't necessary to be repeated in the first place.
This is very typical at B2 level, because at B2 level You are already learning more complex grammar, for example.
Various clauses, passive voice, advanced conjunctions.
That's great.
But sometimes what I notice is that, in an effort to sound more advanced, learners create sentences that are long clunky, unclear or they repeat information unnecessarily.
Remember this.
Your goal at B2 level...
It's not just about complexity.
Yes, that is true.
But it's not just about complexity.
It's also about speaking with clarity and being concise.
All right.
So let me give you some examples here.
A typical mistake would be something like this.
I'm not sure if I will be able to can come to the party.
You see, this is redundant because I am saying I will be able to and then can.
They mean the same thing.
I will be able to can come?
No.
Use just one or the other.
All right?
So it's better for you to say I'm not sure if I will be able to come to the party.
Or you can use can.
I'm not sure if I can come to the party.
But never both together.
Here's another one.
Listen.
They decided to stop the project, which was a bad thing.
This is an example of a sentence that is not really wrong, but it's too simplistic, especially this part, which was a bad thing.
I mean, if they stopped the project, we kind of understand that it was a bad thing, right?
So it's better for you to be a little bit more specific here.
Listen to the difference.
They decided to stop the project, which was a detrimental move.
You see, I'm not just saying which was a bad thing.
I'm saying which was a detrimental move.
It's more specific and more sophisticated.
What about this one?
They decided to stop the project.
A decision that had significant negative consequences.
You see, a decision that had significant negative consequences sounds much better and precise than which was a bad thing.
And also remember that at B2 level, you should...
Be worried about using too much good and bad.
Oh, this is good.
This is bad.
That is very good.
That is very bad.
This is not B2 level type of language.
All right.
So remember that.
Here's another one.
The reason why I think that is because I studied it.
The use of why here and because in the same sentence is redundant.
Listen again.
The reason why I think that is because I studied it.
You don't have to do that.
You can just go like this.
The reason I think that is that I studied it.
You see?
I'm not using why nor because.
If you want to use because, make sure you cut out why.
And then you could say, I think that because I studied it.
You see?
Much better.
So, how do you fix this?
After you have written something, read it aloud.
Does it flow naturally?
Ask yourself, does it flow naturally?
Could you say the same thing with fewer words or with more precise, higher level vocabulary, instead of simple repetitive phrases?
Practice editing your own work for clarity and impact.
I mean, I do this all the time.
I mean, I am an advanced user of English.
I have been teaching English as a second language for 20 years.
I hold a Cambridge C2 level certificate, and I still added my own work until today.
I mean, when I write my scripts for my videos here on YouTube, I write the first draft, I read it out loud and I start making changes.
I cut words, I use different words.
I mean, my wife is witness to this.
I mean, sometimes she walks in the room here and she sees me talking to myself like a crazy person, rehearsing the script or reading the script aloud to make sure that it sounds good.
You see?
I mean, if I do this until today...
A person who has decades of experience with English learning and teaching.
Don't you think you have to do it as well?
So again, edit your own work.
If you write an email, review the email, edit it, make changes so that you know it's more concise, it's more clear, it's more precise.
I've already shared this before.
Let me share that again.
If you want to share a comment here on YouTube under my videos, that's great.
Share away.
But before publishing the comment, double-check the comment.
See if the spelling is correct, if the words that you are using are really communicating your question, your doubt or your opinion.
You know.
Sometimes I get some comments here that I just can't understand, because you know they're so badly written.
But you know, if you just take the extra step of doing that editing of your written work, you will see I mean how much more intentional you will be using English.
Now, here are the seven mistakes that B2 learners make quite often.
I observe that in my students and in learners in general.
So let me just quickly recap here.
Mistake number one, confusing make and do.
Mistake number two confusing the present perfect simple with the present perfect continuous, which connects to mistake number three not using stative verbs properly.
Remember, stative verbs are not action verbs.
We don't usually use them in the ING form.
Mistake four, over-relying or over-depending on direct translation.
Remember if you're always translating in your head when you speak English, you are not really speaking English.
You are speaking your native language with English words.
Mistake number five, persistent errors with prepositions.
I know they are tricky, but try to master at least the basic ones in on and at at this point at B2 level.
Mistake number six, ignoring the dummy subject, it and there.
Take a look at your sentence.
Is there a subject?
If there isn't a subject, make sure you add it or there.
And if you have this habit of saying, in my city have many parks, stop that.
At B2 level, that is a mistake that should not fly anymore.
In my city, there are many places, there is a park.
And finally, mistake number seven overcomplicating sentences or making sentences redundant, unnecessarily repeating yourself.
Making a conscious effort to identify and correct these mistakes will push your English skills from good to excellent.
That is the difference between a B1 learner and a B2 learner.
A B1 learner has good English, good enough English.
A B2 learner that is a solid B2 learner has excellent English.
It's about refining your accuracy and sounding more natural and fluent.
But now I want to hear from you.
Which of these mistakes do you make most often?
Let me know in the comment section below.
And if there are other mistakes that you struggle with that I didn't mention in this video, feel free also to share them here in the comment section below.
Don't forget to book a one-on-one call with me if you're interested in learning more about your current level of English and the steps you need to take to move beyond this plateau of B1 to B2 level.
So the link is in the description of the video.
It's going to be great to talk to you on Zoom for about an hour and a half and getting to know you better in your history with English.
And again, if you are new here to the channel, make sure you subscribe so you don't miss any videos like this one.
Make sure you leave a like on the video as well.
That helps me a lot here on YouTube.
And share this video with another friend or family member who is interested in learning English that way.
All right?
I'm Thiago.
I'm signing off.
And...
If you want to learn more about the difference between B1 level language and B2 level language, I highly recommend you watch this episode next, because I go in more detail about some of the differences between the levels.
Do check it out.
