20 Common English Speaking Mistakes You're Making But Aren't Aware Of! Improve Spoken English

Summary

In this engaging lesson, Radhan addresses 20 common English grammar mistakes that even proficient speakers might overlook. The script covers the correct use of pronouns, singular and plural forms, and verb tense agreement. It provides clear examples to help learners avoid common slips, such as the proper use of 'you and I', the non-countability of 'information', and the correct formation of conditional sentences. The lesson is designed to enhance English communication skills by raising awareness of these subtle yet significant grammatical nuances.

Takeaways

• 😀 Common grammar mistakes are often made even by those who are successful or have high proficiency in English.
• 📚 The script discusses 20 common English grammar errors that people might not be aware of.
• 👫 The correct use of pronouns is crucial; 'you and I' should be used in the middle of a sentence, while 'you and me' is correct at the end.
• 🙅‍♂️ 'Information' is an uncountable noun and should not be used in the plural form with an 's'.
• 🤔 'People' is a plural noun, so it should be paired with 'were' instead of 'was' when referring to a group.
• 👥 'A couple' is considered singular, so it should be followed by 'is' rather than 'are'.
• 🚫 Avoid using 'doesn't' with plural subjects; use 'don't' instead.
• 📝 The possessive form for plural nouns ending in 's' is made by adding an apostrophe before the 's', not after.
• 🍫 'Advice' is an uncountable noun and does not have a plural form; use 'pieces of advice' for multiple pieces.
• ❓ When forming indirect questions, do not use the question format; use a statement structure.
• 📆 In reported speech, the present tense should be changed to the past tense to reflect the reported action or statement.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video script?

The main topic of the video script is about 20 common grammar mistakes in English that people may not be aware of.

Why is the use of 'you and I' instead of 'you and me' recommended in the middle of a sentence?

The use of 'you and I' is recommended in the middle of a sentence because 'I' is the subject pronoun, whereas 'me' is the object pronoun, and it is grammatically correct to use the subject form in this context.

What is the correct way to end a sentence when using 'you and I'?

The correct way to end a sentence with 'you and I' is to change 'I' to 'me', as in 'she didn't see you and me', because the pronoun is now the object of the verb 'see'.

Why is 'information' not used in the plural form?

Information is an uncountable noun and does not have a plural form. It should not be used with an 's' or as 'informations'.

What should be the correct phrase instead of 'an interesting information'?

The correct phrase is 'interesting information' without an article or 'an interesting piece of information' if you want to specify a single piece.

What is the error in the phrase 'majority of people doesn't want to look'?

The error is the use of 'doesn't' with 'majority of people', which is plural. The correct form should be 'a majority of people don't want to look', using 'don't' for plural subjects.

Why is 'there was just a couple of people at the party' incorrect?

The phrase is incorrect because 'people' is a plural noun, and the past tense 'was' should be replaced with 'were' to agree with the plural subject.

What is the correct form of 'a couple in love are always a nice thing to see'?

The correct form is 'a couple in love is always a nice thing to see' because 'couple', when referring to two people together, is treated as a singular noun.

Why is 'people generally doesn't know about English' incorrect?

The phrase is incorrect because 'people' is a plural noun, and the correct auxiliary verb to use with a plural subject is 'don't', not 'doesn't'.

What is the mistake in the phrase 'we didn't see each other's faces'?

The mistake is the use of the possessive form 'each other's faces'. The correct phrase is 'we didn't see each other's face', as 'others' is already plural and does not require an apostrophe before the 's'.

Why is 'advices' incorrect and what is the correct term?

The term 'advices' is incorrect because 'advice' is an uncountable noun and does not have a plural form. The correct term is 'pieces of advice' when referring to multiple instances of advice.

What is the error in the sentence 'I don't know why does he go there'?

The error is the use of the question form 'why does he go there' within a statement that begins with 'I don't know'. The correct sentence structure is 'I don't know why he goes there', treating it as a statement.

In conditional sentences, why is it incorrect to use 'will' with both the condition and the result?

In conditional sentences, 'will' should only be used with the result, not the condition. This is because 'will' indicates future intention or action, and the condition is the prerequisite for that action to occur.

What is the correct way to report someone's speech from the past?

The correct way to report past speech is to change the present tense to past tense, as in 'Rahul said that he liked chocolates', to reflect the reported speech accurately.

What is the purpose of the video script?

The purpose of the video script is to educate viewers on common English grammar mistakes and to help them improve their language skills by avoiding these errors.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Common English Grammar Mistakes

This paragraph introduces a lesson on common English grammar errors that people might not be aware of, including the incorrect use of pronouns like 'you and I/me', the incorrect pluralization of uncountable nouns such as 'information', and the misuse of singular and plural forms with verbs. The instructor, Radhan, highlights the importance of correct grammar in professional and academic settings and provides examples to illustrate each mistake, aiming to help learners avoid these slips in their communication.

05:03

🗣️ Pronouns and Verb Agreement in English

This section delves into the nuances of pronoun usage and verb agreement in English. It addresses the correct placement of 'I' and 'me' in sentences, the transition from 'I' to 'me' when used at the end of a sentence, and the correct form of verbs to use with singular and plural subjects. The paragraph also corrects common errors such as using 'doesn't' with plural subjects and the misuse of contractions like 'there's' when referring to multiple people. Additionally, it clarifies the correct use of possessive forms and the distinction between singular and plural forms of nouns like 'advice'.

10:04

📝 Understanding Conditional Sentences and Reported Speech

The final paragraph focuses on the correct formation of conditional sentences and the changes required in reported speech. It explains the proper use of 'will' in first conditional sentences, emphasizing that 'will' should only be used with the result, not the condition. The paragraph also addresses the transformation of present tenses to past tenses in reported speech, providing an example of how to correctly report someone's statement made in the past. The instructor encourages viewers to practice these concepts to improve their English grammar skills.

Keywords

💡Grammar Mistakes

The term 'Grammar Mistakes' refers to errors made in the structure or usage of language that deviate from standard grammatical rules. In the video's context, it is the main theme, focusing on common errors that even proficient English speakers might make. For example, the script discusses the misuse of pronouns like 'you and I' and 'you and me', illustrating the video's educational intent to correct such mistakes.

💡Pronouns

Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns in sentences, and they are a fundamental part of English grammar. The script emphasizes the correct use of pronouns, such as the difference between 'I' and 'me', and how they should be used in different sentence positions. The video points out that 'you and I are good friends' is correct, rather than the commonly misused 'you and me are good friends'.

💡Plurals

The concept of 'Plurals' in grammar refers to the form of a word that indicates more than one of something. The video script addresses the incorrect use of plural forms with words like 'information' and 'people', where the speaker should use 'information' without an 's' and 'people' with 'don't' instead of 'doesn't', showcasing the importance of understanding singular and plural forms in English.

💡Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement is a grammatical rule that states the verb must agree with its subject in number. The script provides examples of incorrect subject-verb agreement, such as 'majority of people doesn't want', which should be 'majority of people don't want', emphasizing the need for verbs to match the plurality of their subjects.

💡Conditional Sentences

Conditional sentences express a condition and its possible result. The video script explains the correct use of 'will' in first conditional sentences, such as 'I will give it to him after he arrives', where 'will' is used with the main clause (the result) and not with the condition. This highlights the importance of using 'will' appropriately to convey the correct meaning.

💡Reported Speech

Reported speech is the act of recounting what someone else has said, usually changing the tense to match the past context. The script corrects the misuse of 'likes' to 'liked' in a reported statement, as in 'Rahul said that he liked chocolates', illustrating the rule of backshifting tenses in reported speech.

💡Possessive Form

The possessive form in English indicates ownership or relationship, typically formed by adding 's to a noun or using an apostrophe for plural nouns ending in s. The video script clarifies the use of possessive form, as in 'each other's face', to show the correct placement of the apostrophe in possessive plural forms.

💡Uncountable Nouns

Uncountable nouns are nouns that cannot be counted or do not have a plural form, such as 'information' and 'advice'. The script points out the incorrect use of 'informations' and 'advices', emphasizing that these nouns remain singular and can be quantified using 'piece of' if necessary.

💡Quasi Questions

A quasi question is a sentence that appears to be a question but is used as a statement. The script notes the incorrect formation of 'why does he go there' when it should be 'why he goes there' in the context of 'I don't know why he goes there', demonstrating the correct way to use statements that look like questions.

💡Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words that connect clauses or sentences, such as 'and', 'but', and 'or'. The video script uses conjunctions to illustrate correct sentence structure, like removing 'and' from 'an interesting information' to form 'an interesting piece of information', showing the role of conjunctions in creating grammatically correct sentences.

💡Articles

Articles are words that define a noun as specific or unspecific, such as 'a', 'an', and 'the'. The script discusses the omission of articles in phrases like 'that's interesting information', where 'an' should be used to indicate a singular, nonspecific item, highlighting the importance of articles in sentence clarity.

Highlights

Introduction to a lesson on 20 common grammar mistakes in English that people may not be aware of.

The correct use of 'you and I' versus 'you and me' in different sentence positions.

The importance of using 'information' without an 's' as it is an uncountable noun.

Clarification on the correct use of 'an interesting information' versus 'an interesting piece of information'.

The grammatical error in using 'majority of people doesn't' instead of 'most people don't'.

The correct form of 'there was just a couple of people' should be 'there were just a couple of people'.

Explanation of why 'a couple in love' is singular and should use 'is' instead of 'are'.

Common mistake of using 'there's a lot of people' instead of the correct 'there are a lot of people'.

The error in using 'people generally doesn't know' and the correction to 'people generally don't know'.

The distinction between 'a lot of students' and 'a lot of student' with the correct plural form.

The misuse of the possessive form in 'we didn't see each other's face'.

The incorrect use of 'advices' and the correct form 'advice' or 'pieces of advice'.

The difference between 'this was a good advice' and 'this was good advice'.

Clarification on the structure of 'I don't know why does he go there' versus 'I don't know why he goes there'.

The correct use of 'will' in conditional sentences, such as 'I will give it to him after he arrives'.

The error in using 'when I will come home' and the correction to 'when I come home'.

The importance of adjusting verb tenses in reported speech, as in 'Rahul said that he liked chocolates'.

Conclusion summarizing the common grammar mistakes discussed in the lesson.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Applause]

foreign

or a student with the best grades in the

class or a successful manager

are you any of these best in the world

best in what you do

but still make a lot of grammatical

slips during presentations or conference

meetings Etc all grammatical slips that

perhaps even you're not aware of yet if

this is the case with you then ladies

and gentlemen I welcome you all to this

fantastic lesson my name is radhan in

this lesson we're going to be talking

about 20 super common grammar mistakes

in English that you may not be aware of

that you commit even today so let's get

started this is part two we've already

completed part one in case you want to

watch it the link is right here let's

get started

slip number one is you and me are good

friends guys if you see in the sentence

me is a pronoun especially at in this

part of the sentence is not used in the

middle of the sentence rather in place

of me we say you and I are good friends

so remember from the next time on you

first say the person

my friends and I my father and I my

family and I

team and I manages an eye in any case

you say the name of the person first

whosoever is involved and then you use I

and we do not use me which is the object

pronoun here yep let's move to the next

one she didn't see you and I but what is

the problem with this one it looks

exactly like the correct option here she

didn't see you and I now when it comes

to using you and I in the end of the

sentence then me changes to she didn't

see you and me so remember when you're

actually using the sentence in the

beginning you say you and I you use this

form of pronoun here but when it comes

to talking about it in the end of the

sentence I changes to me so it's a very

important transition that if you keep in

mind we'll be able to

avoid the most common grammar slip of

today's time here we go I don't have

enough informations

if you see in this sentence information

is coming along with an S you cannot

count information one information two

information you can count the pieces of

information but not information

so the correct sentence is I don't have

enough information information never

goes with an S with it there's no plural

of information

so this was the first slide let's

quickly move to the next mistake that's

an interesting information again as we

discussed in the previous slide you

cannot count

information but if you use and with it

that means you're in a way counting it

that means there was one information so

we remove and from here and we say

that's interesting information without

an article or you can say that's an

interesting piece of information so if

you want to actually add and here you'd

have to specify that you're talking

about just one piece of it so you say an

interesting piece of information

the next is majority of people doesn't

want to look doesn't want to lock down

so if you see here majority of people is

plural and doesn't because it has s in

it well it is just a baby like

explanation not that it exists but

wherever there is s that means it's used

for Singularity but majority of people

is not singular it's plural so we say a

majority of or we say most people don't

want a lockdown and not too locked down

it is don't want a lockdown so that's

very important with plurals you use

don't and with singulars you use doesn't

but most of the people is not singular

it is plural

the next slip is there was just a couple

of people at the party I have a lot of

Asian American friends who speak English

like this the correct format is they

were just a couple of people at the

party

if you see again we're talking about

people which is plural and plural takes

the were form and we do not say was so

that'll be wrong here

so make sure whenever you're talking

about people towards the latter part of

the sentence you say there were a lot of

people now there was a lot of people

next a couple in love are always a nice

thing to see

a couple in love is always a nice thing

to see couple is counted as single yeah

couples accounted as multiple pairs but

when you say couple it is counted as a

singular word and therefore with

singular we always use is and not ah a

couple in love are

changes to a couple in love is

the next slip is there's a lot of people

at the party again if you see here we're

talking about people and this

contraction here stands for there is so

what is the right answer you know it

already because we discussed it there

are a lot of people at the party

yeah so this was all about

the mistakes on this page let's quickly

move to the next one

people generally doesn't know about

English people is plural

and doesn't Asia singular auxiliary verb

so it changes to people generally don't

know about English

yeah was the case of singular and plural

we've been discussing about don't and

doesn't for a little while every now and

then there is a lot of students in the

lecture hall there is

students here is plural self therefore

it has got to be plural as well so we

say there are a lot of people there are

a lot of students

in the lecture hall

moving on to the next one we didn't see

each other's face now such a problem

sort of arises in written English this

apostrophe that you see here goes before

the S so it changes to we didn't see

each other's face because we are talking

about

when you actually say others it means

plural form but others is a word that

doesn't have the plural form so we we

say the possessive pronoun by putting

the apostrophe before s so we say each

other's face

moving on to the next one his advices

were very helpful now if you look at the

sentence advice has just

single form to it just like information

we can say pieces of advice but we don't

say advice says so the correct sentence

is his advice was very helpful or his

pieces of advice were very helpful if

you want to use the plural form of

advice always choose to use pieces of

advice

gotcha

the next one is this was a good advice

what is wrong with this it looks good

this was a good advice

again you cannot count it by you say

this was good advice without an a

or you say this was a good piece of

advice the next problem is I don't know

why does he go there

why does he go there is taking the form

of a quasi question why does he go there

but in fact this particular scent this

particular statement is a simple

sentence so we don't have to write it

like a question so we say I don't know

why he goes there without in fact

treating it like a question we say I

don't know why he goes there remember if

there was no I don't know in this

sentence that's when you can say why

does he go there and it would be correct

but since there is in fact I don't know

we say

it in a sentence format why he goes

there

the next slip is I will give it to him

after he arrives if you see there are

two parts in the sentence

I will give it to him

comma after here I after he will arrive

there's a condition

and there's a result the condition is

after he will arrive and the result is I

will give it to him

please remember in such types of

sentences we only use will

with the result we never use Wool with

the condition so we say I will give it

to him which is the result

I will give it to him comma after he

arrives so we only use will in the first

part which is with the result of the

situation this is called a first

conditional sentence and it's a very

commonly misused across the continent

I will call you when I will come home

I've used the sentence intentionally

just for us to practice better

I will call you when I will come home

which is a condition which is a result

pause the video

I will call you is the result

when I will come home is the condition

we only use will at one place and that

is with the result so what is the right

sentence

I will call you

when I come home so we have to eliminate

this will

gotcha

the next slip is Rahul said that he

likes chocolates

imagine Rahul said it yesterday I like

chocolate now likes should become

personal because he said it yesterday

therefore it is a problem of reported

speech the right sentences Rahul said

that he liked chocolates is correct

whenever you report a piece of

information the present changes to past

this is very very important for us all

to understand this was all about very

common mistakes that people make when

they use grammar in their daily lives if

you like this video hit a like subscribe

to the channel and make sure you do not

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come take care and I'll see you soon