Common Mistakes on the English as a Second Language (ESL) Exam

Here is a breakdown of the most frequent errors, organized by category.

1. Grammar Mistakes

These are the structural errors that often confuse meaning.

• Subject-Verb Agreement

  • Mistake: "He go to school."

  • Correction: "He goes to school."

  • Why: In the present simple, third-person singular (he, she, it) requires a verb ending in -s.

• Using the Wrong Tense (Present Perfect vs. Past Simple)

  • Mistake: "I have seen that movie yesterday."

  • Correction: "I saw that movie yesterday."

  • Why: You cannot use the Present Perfect (have seen) with a specific finished time (yesterday). Use Past Simple for completed actions at a specific time in the past.

• Conditional Sentences (Using "would")

  • Mistake: "If I would win the lottery, I would buy a car."

  • Correction: "If I won the lottery, I would buy a car."

  • Why: In the Second Conditional (hypothetical situations), use the past simple in the if clause, and would + verb in the main clause.

2. Vocabulary & Word Choice Mistakes

These happen when words are translated directly from another language or are easily confused.

• False Friends (Cognates)

  • Mistake: "I am constipated." (Meaning: I have a stomach ache).

  • Correction: "I have a cold" or "I have the flu."

  • Why: In many Romance languages, "constipado" means having a cold, not being unable to go to the bathroom.

• Confusing Similar Words (Make vs. Do)

  • Mistake: "I need to make my homework."

  • Correction: "I need to do my homework."

  • Why: Generally, we use DO for tasks and work (do the dishes, do a job), and MAKE for creating or constructing something (make dinner, make a plan).

• Using the wrong preposition

  • Mistake: "I am married with a doctor."

  • Correction: "I am married to a doctor."

  • Why: Prepositions are idiomatic; you can't always translate them literally from your native language.

3. Pronunciation Mistakes

These often make speech difficult to understand, even if the grammar is perfect.

• The "TH" Sound

  • Mistake: Saying "tree" instead of "three," or "zen" instead of "then."

  • Fix: Place the tip of your tongue gently between your top and bottom teeth. It should touch your upper teeth.

• Word Stress

  • Mistake: Putting the stress on the wrong syllable (e.g., phoTOgraph vs. PHOtograph).

  • Context: In compound nouns (like WHITE house), the stress is on the first word. In descriptive phrases (like white HOUSE), the stress is on the second word. This changes the meaning!

• Silent Letters

  • Mistake: Pronouncing the "b" in "doubt" or the "k" in "knee."

  • Fix: Memorize common silent letter patterns.

4. Punctuation & Writing Mistakes

• The Oxford Comma

  • Mistake: "I love my parents, Lady Gaga and Oprah." (This implies your parents are Lady Gaga and Oprah).

  • Correction: "I love my parents, Lady Gaga, and Oprah." (The comma before "and" clarifies they are separate items).

• Apostrophe Abuse (Its vs. It's)

  • Mistake: "The cat licked it's paw."

  • Correction: "The cat licked its paw."

  • Why: It's only means "it is." Its (without an apostrophe) is the possessive form (belonging to it).

• Comma Splices

  • Mistake: "I went to the store, I bought milk."

  • Correction: "I went to the store , and I bought milk." OR "I went to the store ; I bought milk."

  • Why: A comma is too weak to join two complete sentences on its own.