English Class ISE1: My common grammar mistakes

Name: Sebastián Covarrubias Date: Thursday 22nd, August, 2013 Grade: 8th ISE-1

Mistake Nº1: We was lost.

Correction: We were lost.

Grammar Rule: Simple past verb "to be"

Explanation of the grammar rule:

The Verb To Be

Probably the best known verb in the world: "To be or not to be..."

Forms of To Be
	Present	Past	Perfect Form	Continuous Form
I	am	was	have / had been	am / was being
he / she / it	is	was	has / had been	is / was being
you / we / they	are	were	have / had been	are / were being

Normally we use the verb to be to show the status or characteristics of something or someone (as a stative verb). It says what I am, what you are or what something is.

(Source): (http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/verbtobe.html)

Two new examples:

1.-We were having dinner 2.-I was playing basketball

2 links to practice this structure:

Exercise 1:http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-simple-past.php
Exercise 2: http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?03

Mistake n°2: Haslem heard this words

Correction: Haslem heard these words

Grammar Rule: "Determiners"

Explanation of the grammar rule:

1. Function

The demonstratives this, that, these, those ,show where an object or person is in relation to the speaker.
This (singular) and these (plural) refer to an object or person near the speaker. That(singular) and those (plural) refer to an object or person further away. It can be a physicalcloseness or distance as in:

Who owns that house? (distant)
Is this John's house? (near)

Or it can be a psychological distance as in:

That's nothing to do with me.. (distant)
This is a nice surprise! (near)

2. Position

Before the noun.
Before the word 'one'.
Before an adjective + noun.
Alone when the noun is 'understood'.

(Source): http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/demonstratives.php

Two new examples:

1.- This is your house?

2.- I sold these candies

2 links to practice this structure:

Exercise 1: http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=9426
Exercise 2:http://www.adelescorner.org/grammar/this_that/this_these.html

Mistake n°3: This Friday start the basketball competition.
Correction: This Friday starts the basketball competition.

Grammar Rule: "Simple Present"

Explanation of the grammar rule:

The affirmative form of the simple present:

I, you, we, they	play.
He, she, it	plays.

Remember the verbs in the third person singular (he,she and it) always take an "s". For example, "he plays, she sings,it works..."

(Source): http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-lesson-simple-present.php

Two new examples:

1.- They jump in basketball class

2.- She drives in the city

2 links to practice this structure:

Exercise 1.- http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simpre-prepro/exercises

Exercise 2.- http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/simple_present_mix.htm

Mistake Nº 4: What music you need to put on the stereo? Correction: What music do you need to put on the stereo?

Grammar Rule: "Auxiliaries"

Explanation of the grammar rule:

The verb do can be an auxiliary verb or a main verb in English.

do as a main verb in the Simple Present (do, does, don't, doesn't)

affirmative	negative
I, we, you, they:
I do my homework in the evenings.	I don't do my homework in the evenings.*
he, she, it:
He does his homework in the evenings.	He doesn't do his homework in the evenings.*