Common Mistakes in IELTS Speaking and Writing
It is common to make some mistakes when you write or speak in English. But, these mistakes can be avoided.
Take a look at the example given.
Example: Her room's window is open.
Do you think the sentence given above is correct? Well, it may look like a correct sentence. But, it is not. It is incorrect.
The correct sentence is as follows: The window of her room is open.
We usually use the “of” structure with inanimate objects.
Some other examples are given below.
Wrong: The car’s door.
Right: The door of the car.
Wrong: The table’s leg.
Right: The leg of the table.
Wrong: The water’s surface.
Right: The surface of the water.
Bu, when it comes to names of the places or the names of the organizations, we have the option to say it in any of these two ways.
- Melbourne’s streets = The streets of Melbourne.
- Canada’s climate. = The climate of Canada.
- The college’s main office = The main office of the college.
However, you shall also know that following word-groups are not wrong.
- A night’s rest
- Midnight’s children dream
- A pound's worth
- A day's work
- A week's holiday
Use of the objective case after the verb to be
Most of the people write as follows: It was her. It was him..
But, it is always good to write as follows: It was she. It was he.
It is important that the pronoun coming after the verb must be in the nominative case. The use of the objective case is very common when it comes to spoken English. When interacting with someone, it may not be wrong to say, It's me. lt was her. It was him, etc.
Using the objective case after the conjunction than
Do you think the sentence given is correct?
Sentence: My brother is taller than me. It is correct when it is spoken English.
But, if it is written English, it is recommended that you write as follows: My brother is taller than I (am).
The word “than” is a conjunction. It is followed by a pronoun when it is a nominative case. In most of the cases, the verb coming after the pronoun is generally not mentioned.
But, when it comes to spoken English, you will have the option to say as follows:
- She is much taller than me.
- Martha is much happier than her.
- You are smarter than them.
Use of the subject pronoun after between
You shall not say: “It's a secret between you and I.”
You shall say, “It is a secret between you and me.
Use of the object pronoun before a gerund
Can you pick the right sentence?
Sentence 1: Him looking at them was what made them angry.
Sentence 2: His looking at them was what made them angry.
Obviously, sentence 2 is correct.
Whenever we use an ING-Verb as a Noun then it is compulsory that the preceding noun or the pronounce must be possessive.
Use of the object pronoun in a double genitive
You shall not say: A classmate of him told her the news.
But, you shall always say: A classmate of his told her the news.
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