Common mistakes
Find out what's wrong with the sentence, then check.
He hated the test ! He didn't know nothing !
Answer
Double négation: il faut dire "He didn't know anything" ou "He knew nothing"
Whose are you speaking ?
Answer
IWho are you speaking to?
Stop to walk so fast, I'm tired!
Answer
Stop walking so fast, I'm tired
("arrêtez de marcher si vite" et non pas "arrêtez pour marcher si vite" qui n'aurait aucun sens.
Look at! He's listening the radio in class!
Answer
"Look!" ou "Look at him" et ensuite, "He's listening TO the radio"
He'll phone to her this evening, won't he?
Answer
Pas de "to" ... He'll phone her this evening, won't he?
He's dead for at least ten years.
Answer
Il est mort depuis au moins 10 ans - il faut employer le "Present Perfect"
"He has been dead for at least 10 years"
When he'll come, I'll tell him.
Answer
Deux fois le futur en français, mais en anglais la subordonnée de temps est au présent:
"When he comes, I'll tell him."
The boy, whose the father was a doctor, had been late every day the week before.
Answer
dont le père... = whose father ...
(In a classroom, somewhere in England ...)
- I've gone to Paris, what about you ?
Answer
I've been to Paris ... (puisque la personne qui parle n'y est plus)
I listened to the news on the radio and they were quite depressing.
Answer
"news" est toujours avec "s" et toujours singulier, donc "...it was quite depressing"
- au singulier on parle de "news item"
Copyright (C) 1998 G.Smith (
sir@free.fr
)
Self-Study Quizzes for ESL Students
is at http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/quizzes/
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