Archive for November, 2011

Common mistakes – part II

November 27th, 2011 in Common Mistakes

Good Vs Well

Good is an adjective. It is used to modify a noun. Well is an adverb. It is used to modify a verb.

Incorrect: She sings good.

Correct: She sings well.

Incorrect: She can speak English good.

Correct: She can speak good English. / She can speak English well.

Incorrect: Our team played good yesterday.

Correct: Our team played well yesterday.

More examples are given below.

A good player plays well. (NOT A good player plays good.)

Everyone/ everybody and every one / every body

Everyone / everybody is a pronoun. It is used to refer to all the people in a group.

I want everyone to come to my birthday party.

Everybody has turned up.

Every one

Every one and every body refer to each one in a group.

I have invited every one of my friends to my birthday party.

Every one of my students wants to learn English.

Then vs. Than

Then is an adverb of time.

We were living in France then.

Will you still be here then?

Then can also mean ‘next’, ‘after that’ and ‘afterwards’.

We will go to Paris first, then to Rome.

Than

Than is used for comparisons.

Jack is taller than Peter.

Than is used in expressions like ‘none other than’ and ‘nothing else than’.

I met none other than my old friend Peter today.

It was nothing else than bad luck that they lost the game.