20 Writing Mistakes Even Native Speakers Make (Infographic)
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Incite vs. Insight
Just like any other homophones (words that sound alike and have different meanings, but have different spellings), the terms incite and insight sometimes cause confusion among writers. Today, we will determine their difference and how they should be used in a sentence.
The word incite is used as a verb which means “to encourage or stir up violent or unlawful behavior” or “to urge or persuade someone to act in a violent or unlawful way.”
Business leaders concerned ACTU comments could incite violence
The Australian Financial ReviewGreat Yarmouth man tried to incite teenage girls in America to send him explicit photos
Norfolk Eastern Daily PressConcordia bomb threat suspect charged with inciting fear of terrorism
Montreal Gazette
On the other hand, the term insight is used as a noun referring to “the capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of a person or thing,” “the power or act of seeing into a situation,” or “the act or result of apprehending the inner nature of things or of seeing intuitively.”
Creativity Weekend workshops inspire insight, imagination and invention
Sarasota Herald TribuneBuilding Customer Engagement In The Cognitive Era: Insight From IBM’s Amplify Conference
ForbesEGYPTAIR chooses SITA airfare insight to manage fare pricing
Travel Daily News International
Now that you’ve known the difference between the two terms, you can try to test your understanding by filling in the blanks below:
The leader of the protest group tried to ……………… a riot by throwing a tomato toward the guest speaker.
Mary gave her ……………… on the issues faced by the current university school council.
In her speech, the student activist condoned those who _____ violence toward members of minority group.
Hopefully, the discussion above, as well as the exercise, would eliminate the urge to incite violence towards the misuse of the terms now that you have a better insight on how to use them in your writing.
Too, Enough and So…That
The adverbs too and enough are used to indicate excess or sufficiency.
In these sentence structures, enough is always placed after the adjective it qualifies while too is placed before the adjective. Enough and too are followed by infinitive phrases (to + verb). Sometimes they are also followed by a phrase beginning with for.
Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word or phrase.
1. She wasn't .......................... to be discouraged by some of her teachers.
2. She soon grew ......................... to manage without a hearing aid.
3. The task was ............................ for any teenager fresh from a Scottish farm.
4. Rahul was .......................... busy that he could not talk to me.
5. The car is ........................... to seat six people.
6. He walked ............................ fast that I could not catch up with him.
7. She is ............................ to buy a car.
8. He was ......................... proud to apologize.
9. None of the mangoes is .............................. to be eaten.
10. She has ............................. many students in her class that she cannot give them individual attention.
11. He is ................................ to solve the problem.
12. The light was not .............................. for one to see things clearly.
Answers
1. She wasn’t weak enough / too weak to be discouraged by some of her teachers.
2. She soon grew too deaf to manage without a hearing aid.
3. The task was daunting enough for any teenager fresh from a Scottish farm.
4. Rahul was so busy that he could not talk to me.
5. The car is large enough to seat six people.
6. He walked so fast that I could not catch up with him.
7. She is rich enough to buy a car.
8. He was too proud to apologize.
9. None of the mangoes is ripe enough to be eaten.
10. She has so many students in her class that she cannot give them individual attention.
11. He is intelligent enough to solve the problem.
12. The light was not bright enough for one to see things clearly.
2. She soon grew too deaf to manage without a hearing aid.
3. The task was daunting enough for any teenager fresh from a Scottish farm.
4. Rahul was so busy that he could not talk to me.
5. The car is large enough to seat six people.
6. He walked so fast that I could not catch up with him.
7. She is rich enough to buy a car.
8. He was too proud to apologize.
9. None of the mangoes is ripe enough to be eaten.
10. She has so many students in her class that she cannot give them individual attention.
11. He is intelligent enough to solve the problem.
12. The light was not bright enough for one to see things clearly.
Confusing words
There are some words which can cause confusion if we are not careful about their spelling because they can be mistaken for another word which is very similar in spelling.
Complete the following sentences.
1. The plants are ………………… They need more water and sunlight. (die / dye)
2. The floor has a rough surface which makes …………………… very difficult. (mop / mope)
3. I was ………………… that I would win the first prize. (hope / hop)
4. It took me several days to ………………. out the paint on the walls. (scrap / scrape)
5. The bird …………………. from branch to branch (hoped / hopped)
6. The lie detection test was used to find out whether the witness had ……………….. in his statement. (lied / lain)
7. He was ………………… mad when he heard that his son had failed the test. (hoping / hopping)
Answers
1. The plants are dying. They need more water and sunlight.
2. The floor has a rough surface which makes mopping very difficult.
3. I was hoping that I would win the first prize.
4. It took me several days to scrape out the paint on the walls.
5. The bird hopped from branch to branch.
6. The lie detection test was used to find out whether the witness had lied in his statement.
7. He was hopping mad when he heard that his son had failed the test.
Idioms – W
Idiomatic expressions formed from words beginning with W
In the wake of
Following as a result of
- In the wake of the recent terror attacks in the city, police have beefed up security.
Walk off with something
To walk off with something is to win it or steal it.
- He walked off with the first prize.
Drive someone up the hill
To drive someone up the hill is to make them very irritated.
- His rude replies drove his mother up the hill.
Go to the wall
When a business goes to the wall, it fails.
Be on the warpath
When two people are on the warpath, they are very angry with one another.
Ward something off
To ward something off is to prevent something from harming you.
- Eat lots of vegetables and fruits to ward off illnesses.
Be washed out
When an event is washed out, it is postponed or cancelled because of the rain.
- The third test cricket match was washed out.
Wash your hands of
When you wash your hands of, you take no further responsibility for something.
Watch your back
To watch your back is to protect yourself against unexpected danger.
Water something down
To water something down is to make it less forceful by changing or leaving out things.
Hold water
When a theory or a belief holds water, it seems possible or reasonable.
Verbs worksheet
Complete the following sentences using an appropriate verb form.
1. A duck …………………… with short steps, swaying from side to side. (walk)
2. A horse ………………….. rapidly by leaps. (run)
3. Androcles told him what …………………. at the forest. (happen)
4. Animals …………………. Kindness and respond to it. (understand)
5. There was a little tree that …………………. in the woods bravely. (stand)
6. I …………………… two kilometers yesterday. (walk)
7. My grandmother …………………… us every week. (call)
8. The elephants knew that they ………………… walking over the mice. (be)
9. I ………………… you tomorrow. (meet)
10. I …………………… your dad tomorrow. (meet)
11. She ………………. her money in a wooden box. (keep)
12. When the crow dropped some pebbles into the pot, the water level in it ……………… (rise)
Answers
1. A duck walks with short steps, swaying from side to side.
2. A horse runs rapidly by leaps.
3. Androcles told him what had happened at the forest.
4. Animals understand kindness and respond to it.
5. There was a little tree that stood in the woods bravely.
6. I walked two kilometers yesterday.
7. My grandmother calls us every week.
8. The elephants knew that they were walking over the mice.
9. I will meet you tomorrow.
10. I am meeting your dad tomorrow.
11. She keeps her money in a wooden box.
12. When the crow dropped some pebbles into the pot, the water level in it rose.
Proper nouns and common nouns
Common nouns are names of people, places and things in general. Examples are: mother, tiger, city and table.
Proper nouns are the names of a particular person, place or thing. Examples are: Karan, India, Jasmine, Antarctica, Greenland and Alps.
In the following sentences underline the common nouns and circle the proper nouns.
Tips:
It is easy to identify proper nouns – they always start with a capital letter.
It is easy to identify common nouns – they have both singular and plural forms.
1. The boys were flying kites on the beach.
2. There was an earthquake in Italy on Monday.
3. Radha bought a bicycle for her brother.
4. India is the seventh largest country in the world.
5. Jane, my sister, wants to be an airhostess.
6. I forgot my umbrella at home.
7. America is one of the most developed countries in the world.
8. Agra is on the banks of river Yamuna.
9. The coach was angry when the boys lost the championship.
10. Titanic is the name of the ship that sank on its maiden journey.
Answers
1. The boys were flying kites on the beach. (boys, kites and beach – common noun)
2. There was an earthquake in Italy on Monday. (earthquake – common noun; Italy and Monday – proper nouns)
3. Radha bought a bicycle for her brother. (Radha – proper noun; bicycle and brother – common nouns)
4. India is the seventh largest country in the world. (India – proper noun; country and world – common nouns)
5. Jane, my sister, wants to be an airhostess. (Jane – proper noun; sister and airhostess – common nouns)
6. I forgot my umbrella at home. (umbrella and home – common nouns)
7. America is one of the most developed countries in the world. (America – proper noun; countries and world – common nouns)
8. Agra is on the banks of river Yamuna. (Agra and Yamuna – proper nouns; banks and river – common nouns)
9. The coach was angry when the boys lost the championship. (coach, boys and championship – common nouns)
10. Titanic is the name of the ship that sank on its maiden journey. (Titanic – proper noun; ship, name and journey – common nouns)
Grammar exercise
Test your understanding of English grammar with these exercises
1. She is taller ……………….. her husband. (than / then)
2. He put the books ………………….. the table. (on / in)
3. Get the cat ……………….. the piano. (off / of)
4. The baby ………………….. his mother. (resembles / resembles to)
5. The child sat ………………….. his mother. (beside / besides)
6. The clown …………………….. the audience with his tricks. (amused / amusing)
7. He is nursing a …………………. heart. (broken / breaking)
8. It is raining cats and ……………….. (mice / dogs)
9. I gave ……………….. chemistry because I didn’t like it. (up /in)
10. I can’t wait ……………….. the holidays. (for / till)
Answers
1. She is taller than her husband.
2. He put the books on the table.
3. Get the cat off the piano.
4. The baby resembles his mother.
5. The child sat beside his mother.
6. The clown amused the audience with his tricks.
7. He is nursing a broken heart.
8. It is raining cats and dogs.
9. I gave up chemistry because I didn’t like it.
10. I can’t wait for the holidays.
Possessive adjectives and pronouns
Possessive adjectives and pronouns
Complete the following sentences using possessive adjectives or possessive pronouns.
Possessive adjectives are words like our, my, his, her, their, your and its. They go before nouns.
Possessive pronouns are words like ours, mine, his, hers, theirs and yours.
1. This house is ……………….. (our / ours)
2. We are visiting ………………. home tomorrow. (their / theirs)
3. This is ………………. laptop. (my / mine)
4. This laptop is ………………… (my / mine)
5. She has handed in …………….. work. (her / hers)
6. He is waiting for ……………….. sister. (his / him)
7. ………………….. cupboard was full of nice clothes. (Her / Hers)
8. That house is ……………….. (their / theirs)
9. This is not …………….. bag (your / yours). It is ………………. (her / hers)
10. Are these hens ………………….(your / yours)?
11. I will buy ribbons for ……………….. curly hair. (my / mine)
Answers
1. This house is ours.
2. We are visiting their home tomorrow.
3. This is my laptop.
4. This laptop is mine.
5. She has handed in her work.
6. He is waiting for his sister.
7. Her cupboard was full of nice clothes.
8. That house is theirs.
9. This is not your bag. It is hers.
10. Are these hens yours?
11. I will buy ribbons for my curly hair.
Subject-verb agreement
Complete the following sentences using a verb form that agrees with the subject.
1. Neither the chicks nor the mother bird …………………. in the nest. (is / are)
2. Neither James nor his friends ………………. arrived. (has / have)
3. The boy …………………. all alone in his home. (was / were)
4. His brothers ………………….. left their home. (has / have)
5. One of my students ………………. selected. (was / were)
6. None of the students ………………… selected. (was / were)
7. One of my friends ………………… in Mumbai. (live / lives)
8. Some of my friends ………………… abroad. (work / works)
9. The colors of the rainbow …………………. beautiful. (look / looks)
10. The mother bird, along with her chicks, is flying in the sky. (is / are)
11. Rahul as well as his friends ………………. gone to the movies. (has / have)
Answers
1. Neither the chicks nor the mother bird is in the nest.
2. Neither James nor his friends have arrived.
3. The boy was all alone in his home.
4. His brothers have left their home.
5. One of my students was selected.
6. None of the students was selected.
7. One of my friends lives in Mumbai.
8. Some of my friends work abroad.
9. The colors of the rainbow look beautiful.
10. The mother bird, along with her chicks, is flying in the sky.
11. Rahul as well as his friends has gone to the movies.
English vocabulary exercise
Complete the following sentences using an appropriate form of the word given in the brackets.
1. You will find it ……………………. to learn Hindi before visiting India. (advantage)
2. He is an ……………….. man, unafraid of risks. (adventure)
3. ………………… winds prevented us from arriving on time. (adversity)
4. Sweet are the uses of ……………………. (adverse)
5. It is ……………….. for all children to get vaccinations. (advice)
6. The judge gave the careless driver an ………………. (admonish)
7. She is famous for her ……………….. of equal rights for women. (advocate)
8. She has an ……………………. relationship with her grandparents. (affection)
9. The two hospitals have a close ……………….. (affiliate)
10. We are expecting an …………………… answer. (affirmation)
Answers
1. You will find it advantageous to learn Hindi before visiting India.
2. He is an adventurous man, unafraid of risks.
3. Adverse winds prevented us from arriving on time.
4. Sweet are the uses of adversity.
5. It is advisable for all children to get vaccinations.
6. The judge gave the careless driver an admonition.
7. She is famous for her advocacy of equal rights for women.
8. She has an affectionate relationship with her grandparents.
9. The two hospitals have a close affiliation.
10. We are expecting an affirmative answer.
