ERROR ANALYSIS EXERCISES GRAMMAR 3 – KEY P. 6
(1)
In the next meeting about our new play garden, on 13 December, we are going to talk about the financial contribution, you have promised us years ago.
a.
play garden
contribution, you
have promised
b.
(vocabulary preference)
495.1/2: no comma should be used between the head of the NP and the restrictive relative clause; it contains necessary information to
identify the antecedent
421.4: the past simple is used with references to finished time (years ago)
c.
playground
contribution you
promised
(2)
Although the introduction of the euro was announced long before 1 January 2002, it still created confusion in stores, when paying the cashier behind the desk.
a.
when paying…
b.
411.4: the final part of the sentence is a misrelated participle; the subclause has a different subject from the main clause
c.
when people paid…
(3)
That afternoon got Michael a visit from an old schoolmate who was priest now.
a.
got Michael
priest
b.
509.1: basic word order in English is subject before verb (no need for inversion here)
63.2/65.3.c: the indefinite article should be used before a profession or other ‘state in life’, to classify what people do
c.
Michael got
a priest
(4)
First let me introduce myself. My name is Judy Templeton and since two years I live with my two children of four and ten years old in the Newton Street in London.
a.
since
live
the Newton Street
b.
208.1: we use for to talk about the whole period, and since to talk about the starting point
455.7 / 458.7 / 460.1: the present perfect should be used to express an action or situation that started in the past and continues up to
the present, especially with an indication of how long; see 459.2 for a comparison between the simple and continuous tenses
70.17: the definite article is not used before names of streets, squares, etc.
c.
for
have lived /
have been living
Newton Street
(5)
Although we have been enjoying to live here, something is lacking, in my view.
a.
to live
b.
296.1: after the verb enjoy, we use the ing-form of the verb; it would be even better to change the tense to a present perfect simple to
avoid two ing-forms
c.
(have enjoyed) living
(6)
I am realy looking forward to lend a hand and I hope you do as well.
a.
realy
lend
do
b.
557.1: the adverb is formed by adding –ly to the adjective (real)
298.2: the ing-form should be used after prepositions
181.1: in ellipsis, do is only used instead of the whole verb phrase when there is no other auxiliary; here, you leave out are (looking
forward to lending a hand)
c.
really
lending
are
(7)
Therefore there occured to me the idea to build a playground for our children where they can play quite safe and in peace.
a.
there occured to me
the idea
occured
safe
b.
587.1/6: there as a preparatory/provisional subject is mainly used with the verb to be, to say that something exists somewhere; the
exceptions refer to verbs which refer to states or arrivals only (so not the verb to occur)
562.4/5: the final consonant in the verb occur is doubled before the suffix –ed because it is preceded by one stressed vowel letter
26.1: the adverb should be used to modify the verb play
c.
the idea occurred to me
occurred
safely
(8)
Winning the pools may mean that the breadwinners, usually fathers, shall stay at home, have less social contacts and bully their wife.
a.
shall stay
less social contacts
their wife
b.
st
rd
211.1: shall is only used to talk about the future for 1 person singular and plural; here, the subject is 3 person plural
320: fewer should be used before plural (countable) nouns
530.1: the plural noun should be used for the repeated idea, to talk about several people each doing the same thing
c.
will stay
fewer social contacts
their wives
(9)
Well, I can imagine that if my lovely husband would be at home 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, I would probably become homicidal.
a.
would be
b.
258.1/261.2: the second conditional is constructed with if + past simple in the subclause, and would + infinitive in the main clause; a
non-reality is expressed using the modal past tense
c.
were
(10)
If you win the pools, your children can attend the more expensive university’s, no more stress concerning pension plans and perhaps quit your job.
a.
university’s
no more stress…
b.
523.1: the correct plural of nouns ending in consonant + -y is formed by changing y to i and adding -es
177/178.1: wrong ellipsis (only repeated words can be left out), to be corrected in several ways
c.
universities
You will have no more
stress… and will perhaps
be able to…
(11)
Canadian government allows more seal hunt because it blames the seals for eating the fish which causes problems for fisherman.
a.
Canadian government
b.
62.1/64.1: the definite article must be used to refer to ‘you know which one’
seal hunt
(vocabulary preference)
or: the plural form of the noun should be used when we talk about more than one (more)
495.2: non-restrictive relative clauses are normally separated by commas; the clause gives additional information that could be left out
524.2: the noun man (and its compounds) have an irregular plural, men; the plural must be used here because there is no determiner
…which causes
fisherman
c.
The Canadian
government
seal hunting /
seal hunts
…, which causes
fishermen
(12)
Napoleon organised a expedition to ‘discover’ in Egypt pyramids with the purpose of exposing them in a newly to build museum.
a.
a expedition
‘discover’ in Egypt
pyramids
a newly to build
museum
b.
65.7: the indefinite article an is used before words starting with a vowel sound
21.1 / 23.1/2 / 509.7: we do not usually put adverb(ial)s between a verb and its object; an adverbial of place usually has end position
287.1: we use the passive infinitive when we are thinking more about the thing the action is done to; the to-infinitive is used after the
noun
c.
an expedition
‘discover’ pyramids in
Egypt
a (new) museum to be
built
(13)
It is true that we have a much more better life now than hundred years ago, maybe we have it to good.
a.
much more better
hundred years
ago, maybe
to good
b.
137.2: the comparative form of good is the irregular form better, so we don’t need more
389.11: the indefinite article should be used before hundred (thousand, etc.)
(punctuation preference)
(spelling error) 595.1: too means ‘more than enough/necessary’
(vocabulary preference) literal translation of a Dutch expression, which sounds odd but is not grammatically incorrect
c.
much better
a hundred years
ago; maybe
too good
(14)
The question for the parents is should we sent our kid to a mixed school or to a single-sex school? On this last one there is a good discipline and also no difference between the students,
physical I mean.
a.
is should
should we sent
On this last one
b.
(punctuation preference)
353.1: the modal auxiliary should should be followed by the (bare) infinitive
(vocabulary/preposition preference)
a good discipline
physical
65: discipline is a non-count noun, so the indefinite article should be omitted
26.1: the adverb is formed by adding –ly to the adjective; it should be used here because it is used as an adverbial of manner
c.
is: should
should we send
At this last one / the
latter
good discipline
physically
(15)
Normally it is the local government’s task to look after OAPs, but if they would, it was not necessary for me to do this, is it?
a.
if they would, it was
not
is it
b.
258.1/261.2: the second conditional is constructed with if + past simple in the subclause, and would + infinitive in the main clause; a
non-reality is expressed using the modal past tense (note the use of ellipsis here)
487.3: in question tags, the auxiliary from the main clause is repeated (if there is no auxiliary or form of to be, use the auxiliary do)
c.
if they did, it would not
be
would it