📘 15 Common Grammar Mistakes in IELTS Essays (with Fixes & Examples)
1. Because vs Because of
Because → Followed by a full clause (subject + verb).
Because of → Followed by a noun/noun phrase.
🖊️ Example:
❌ Many students dropped out because of they couldn’t pay fees.
✅ Many students dropped out because they couldn’t pay fees.
✅ Many students dropped out because of financial issues.
---
2. Due to vs Owing to
Due to → Used after a form of “be” and followed by a noun.
Owing to → Used at the beginning or mid-sentence, followed by a noun/phrase.
🖊️ Example:
✅ The delay was due to bad weather.
✅ Owing to bad weather, the match was cancelled.
---
3. Affect vs Effect
Affect (verb): to influence.
Effect (noun): result or outcome.
🖊️ Example:
✅ Climate change will seriously affect agriculture.
✅ The effect of pollution is alarming.
---
4. Who vs Whom
Who → Subject (he/she/they).
Whom → Object (him/her/them).
🖊️ Example:
✅ Whom did you speak to regarding the issue?
✅ Who is responsible for this task?
---
5. Ago vs Back
Ago → Use with exact time (e.g., 3 years ago).
Back → Use with some/few/many + time.
🖊️ Example:
✅ I moved here three years ago.
✅ I visited that place a few years back.
---
6. Since vs For
Since → Specific point in time.
For → Duration.
🖊️ Example:
✅ She has been living here since 2010.
✅ She has been living here for 13 years.
---
7. At vs On
At → Exact time or specific place.
On → Specific day/date.
🖊️ Example:
✅ The meeting is at 5 PM.
✅ The seminar is on Monday.
---
8. In vs On
In → Months, years, enclosed spaces.
On → Days, dates, flat surfaces.
🖊️ Example:
✅ The event happened in 2020.
✅ The document is on the table.
---
9. Among vs Between
Between → 2 entities.
Among → More than 2.
🖊️ Example:
✅ Distribute the marks between the two students.
✅ There is a lot of competition among the applicants.
---
10. Despite vs In spite of
Both followed by noun/gerund, not full clause.
🖊️ Example:
✅ Despite the delay, the work was completed.
✅ In spite of working hard, he failed.
---
11. Although vs However
Although → Conjunction within a sentence.
However → Connects two sentences.
🖊️ Example:
✅ Although it rained, we played.
✅ It rained. However, we played.
---
12. On time vs In time
On time → Exact time.
In time → Before a deadline.
🖊️ Example:
✅ The train arrived on time.
✅ He submitted the form in time to qualify.
---
13. If vs In case
If → Conditional.
In case → Precaution.
🖊️ Example:
✅ Bring a pen in case the one you have stops working.
✅ You will pass if you prepare well.
---
14. Few vs A few
Few → Almost none (negative).
A few → Some (positive).
🖊️ Example:
✅ Few students passed the exam. (almost none)
✅ A few students passed the exam. (some)
---
15. Little vs A little
Little → Almost none (negative).
A little → Some (positive).
🖊️ Example:
✅ There is little hope left.
✅ There is a little time to revise.
No comments:
Post a Comment