Common mistakes in English usage: Part 1

Choose the correct answer.

1. Yesterday I managed to clean ... kitchen in just an hour!

a. the entire

b. all the

2. ... students applied for college financial aid in 2018 than in 2017.

a. Less

b. Fewer

3. “You haven’t answered ... question. Why?”

“I simply couldn’t remember the rule.”

a. the last

b. on the last

4. “If I’ve got it right, tomorrow I must arrive at the airport at 8 a.m. to meet our guests.”

“No, you ... Zoe and Ella will meet them.”

a. needn’t

b. mustn’t

5. Mel stopped ... to Priya’s text.

a. to reply

b. replying

6. If you ask me, Aimee is ... to make decisions on her own.

a. mature enough

b. enough mature

7. They ... to eating spicy food.

a. didn’t use

b. weren’t used

8. In my view, we’ve made a ... mistake by rejecting William’s idea.

a. big

b. large

9. Howard was sent to ... for bank robbery.

a. the prison

b. prison

10. ... adore legal dramas like “Suits”.

a. My husband and I

b. I and my husband

Give the singular of each noun. Write your answers next to each word. If the noun is used only in the plural, write “P”.

1. Strata.

2. Lives.

3. Hypotheses.

4. Ties.

5. Outskirts.

6. Suburbs.

7. Photos.

8. Binoculars.

9. Gadgets.

10. Hives (if it is a structure made for bees to live in).

11. Scarves.

12. Firemen.