Common Mistakes in English ( Part -3)

"It" as empty subject  

Incorrect : When did rain last?

 Correct : When did it rain last?

 Incorrect : Now is very hot here. 

 Correct : It is very hot here now.

Note: An impersonal verb like "rain" and "be" has no  real subject. Its subject is, represented by a meaningless or empty word like "it", This empty subject cannot be omitted.

 Repetition of the subject

 Incorrect :  When he saw the teacher, stood up.

Correct : When he saw the teacher, he stood up.

Note: When a complex sentence begins with  clause, the personal pronoun as the subject of principal clause cannot be omitted. But the  may be omitted. For example: sentence He saw the teacher and stood up.

Transitive verb + object

Incorrect : I asked her for some sugar, but she did not have.

Correct : I asked her for some sugar, but she did not have any.

Note: Every transitive verb must have an expressed object. In the correct sentence above, "have" is a transitive verb and "any" is its object. 

Ditransitive verb + two objects

 Incorrect : I asked her for sugar, and she gave me.

Correct : I asked her for sugar, and she gave me some.

Note: Ditransitive verbs like "give", "bring' "send"  "tell", "buy" and "show" must have two expressed objects - one indirect and the other direct. In the correct sentence above, "me" is the indirect object of the verb "gave" and "some" is its direct object The direct object cannot be omitted.

Enjoy oneself

Incorrect: He always enjoys on holiday

Correct: He always enjoys himself on holiday.

Or,

He always enjoys his holiday.

In British English "enjoy" is always a transitive verb followed by a noun, or a pronoun (often reflexive), or a gerund. You can say:

He enjoys going to the cinema.

It cannot be followed by a prepositional or adverbial phrase. But in American informal speech the expression "Enjoy!" is intransitive and it actually means "Enjoy yourself' or "Have a nice time,"

Adjective + Noun

 Incorrect: The unfortunate was killed in the accident.

Correct: The unfortunate man was killed in the accident.

Note: The noun coming normally after an adjective cannot be left out. But when the noun after an adjective is plural, it can sometimes be omitted. For example: The rich are not always happy. Only the brave deserve the fair. In these examples, "the rich" means "the rich people" and "the brave" means "the brave people". The noun "people" is thus often omitted.

A quarter

 Incorrect : It's quarter past ten.

  Correct : It's a quarter past ten.