Common Errors intermediate medium
Mixing up tenses: present perfect vs past simple, state verbs, if-clauses.
Common Errors — Frequent mistakes Indian learners make.
1. Present perfect is never used with finished time: I saw him yesterday (not "have seen… yesterday"). 2. Past simple for finished actions; present perfect for connection to now. 3. State verbs do not take continuous: I know (not "am knowing"). 4. After "since" use a point of time; after "for" use a duration. 5. No "will" after if/when: If it rains, we will stay home.
Most tense errors are present-perfect vs past-simple confusion and state verbs in continuous. Check the time signals: yesterday/last week → past simple; just/ever/never → present perfect.
हिंदी में
काल की आम गलतियाँ — yesterday के साथ present perfect, state verb का continuous, if के बाद will।
Q1. The present perfect can be used with "last week" and "ago".
Answer: False
💡 Those are finished-time expressions and require the simple past.
Q2. Choose the correct sentence.
Answer: I saw him yesterday.
💡 Finished past time (yesterday) takes the simple past.
Q3. Correct the sentence: "I am having two brothers."
Answer: I have two brothers.
💡 "Have" for possession is a state verb and takes no continuous form.
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Open Tense Errors lesson → Free practice — Sign up| Topic | Level | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Common Article Errors | intermediate | Frequent mistakes with a, an and the. |
| Common Verb Errors | intermediate | Frequent mistakes with verb forms and choices. |
| Subject-Verb Errors | intermediate | When the verb does not agree with its true subject. |
| Pronoun Errors | intermediate | Wrong pronoun case, agreement or who/whom confusion. |
| Word Order Errors | elementary | Placing words in the English Subject–Verb–Object order. |
| Preposition Errors | intermediate | Wrong prepositions after verbs, adjectives and time expressions. |
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