Time expressions used with various tense forms 

Usually, never, seldom, always, generally

These expressions are almost always used with the simple present tense.

• He seldom donates money to charities.
• He always wears neat clothes.
• You never thank me for anything.
• I usually drink coffee in the morning.

At present, now, at the moment, right now etc

These expressions are usually used with the present continuous tense.

• I am learning German now.
• He is working on a new novel at present.
• He is doing research in molecular biology at the moment.

Already, just, yet

These expressions are usually used with the present perfect tense.

• I have already watched that movie.
• We have not yet heard from them.
• John has just left.

Since and for

These time expressions are usually used with the present perfect and present perfect continuous tenses.

• We have lived here since 1999.
• I have been working since morning.
• It has been raining for hours.
• We have been living here for six years.

Yesterday, last year, some years ago

Use these expressions with the simple past tense.

• I met him yesterday.
• His father died three years ago.
• I visited Japan last year.

Tomorrow, next year, next month

These expressions are usually used with the simple future tense.

• I will talk to him tomorrow.
• We will move to our new home next month.
• He will retire next year.

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Nouns mistakes

Here are some common mistakes in the use of nouns.

Incorrect: We haven’t got any breads.
Correct: We haven’t got any loaves of bread.

Explanation

The noun ‘bread’ does not have a plural form. To express that idea we use the expression ‘loaves of bread’.

Incorrect: Please excuse the troubles.
Correct: Please excuse me for the trouble.

Incorrect: He took troubles to do his work.
Correct: He took trouble over his work.

Incorrect: I am learning a new poetry.
Correct: I am learning a new poem.

Explanation

The word poetry denotes a form of literature.

Incorrect: We had a good play of tennis.
Correct: We had a good game of tennis.

Incorrect: He is true to his words.
Correct: He is true to his word.

Incorrect: I saw three females in the room.
Correct: I saw three women in the room.

Incorrect: He enquired about your state of health.
Correct: He enquired about the state of your health.

Incorrect: I am leaving my service.
Correct: I am leaving my job.

Incorrect: I celebrated Christmas with my family members.
Correct: I celebrated Christmas with my family. / I celebrated Christmas with the members of my family.

Incorrect: The clock has struck six hours.
Correct: The clock has struck six.

Incorrect: The weather of Colombo does not suit me.
Correct: The climate of Colombo does not suit me.

Incorrect: These news are too good to be true.
Correct: This news is too good to be true.

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Among vs. Between

There is a widespread belief that the preposition between should be used in sentences with a choice involving two items while among is applicable to choices involving more than two items. While this may be true for some cases, this rule is not absolute and can cause errors in the usage of these terms.

“Here’s the important difference between Snapchat and Instagram’s lookalike apps”
Business Insider

“At the Trade Deadline, Some Players Fight a Battle Between Reality and Rumors”
New York Times

“Intriguing link between vitamin D and birth control uncovered”
Medical News Today

The first examples demonstrated the popular use of between when considering two choices and highlighting their one-to-one relationships.

However, between can be used even for choices involving more than two items as long as they are distinct, individual items.

“Info sharing between Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore helped foil planned Marina Bay attack”
News Straits Times Online

The next sentence, however, uses between to indicate rivalries between an unspecified number of countries at the 2016 summer olympics.

“Ranking the Best Rivalries Between Countries at the 2016 Summer Olympics”
Bleacher Report

There are common words followed by between. These include the nouns, connection, link and difference, and the verbs, choose,differentiate, and distinguish.

On the other hand, the preposition among is generally used for choices involving individuals or items that are not distinct.

“Brett Favre, Tony Dungy, Marvin Harrison among 8 inductees to Pro Football Hall of Fame”
Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia

“Newlyweds, a preschool teacher, a young mother among the 16 dead in fiery hot-air-balloon crash”
Washington Post

It is also used for items that are part of a group or a plural noun.

“Smaller households among Seattle renters mean they aren’t yet in the majority”
Seattle Times

“High Smoking Rates Continue Among Racial, Ethnic Groups, Despite Overall Decline In US: CDC”
International Business Times

Some people also use amongst, a variant of among, which is mostly found in British, Australian, and Canadian English, but has the same use and meaning.

“Three new species identified amongst the Tegu lizard family”
Science Daily

“Religious destinations most favorite amongst travellers this season”
Times of India

To master the uses of among and between, try giving your own example for each of the uses we presented above. Do you already have sentences in mind? Share them below.

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Apart vs. A part

Some people find it difficult to distinguish the terms apart and a part as they are similar both in sound and in spelling. However, these two have very distinct meanings and should never be used interchangeably.

The word apart is generally used as an adverb used to denote that “two or more people or things are separated by a distance at a specified distance from each other in time or space.”

“More than 500 miles apart, Donald Trump and Joe Biden debate compassion”
Washington Post

“Is this the best birthday surprise ever? Mother is left screaming hysterically after her daughter flies 5,000 miles from England to be with her after two years apart”
Daily Mail

“Mentor program helps two people a generation apart build friendship”
ABC News 4

It may also be used to mean “in or into parts or pieces.”

“Ted Cruz, and the speech that threatened to tear the convention apart”
Washington Post

Or “as a distinct item or entity.”

“Simone Biles may be small, but hugely difficult routines set her apart”
SB Nation

Apart is also used as an adjective that means “isolated.” It is either preceded by a noun or found in the predicate.

“On debt and taxation, rich and poor countries are worlds apart”
The Guardian

Meanwhile, the two-word phrase a part is comprised of the article aand the noun part, which denotes “a piece or segment of something such as an object, activity, or period of time, which combined with other pieces makes up the whole.”

“Young Mothers – A Part Of CVS Health’s Success”
Forbes

“How guns became a part of American culture”
CBS News

“Hydroplanes and pirates were always a part of Seafair — even the first in 1950 (photos)”
Seattle Times

There are two simple ways to determine which term to use in your sentence. The first one is by trying to take away the a and see if it would still make sense. If it does, then a part would be more applicable and if it doesn’t, then apart would be more appropriate.

Correct: Voluntarism is part of the solution.

Incorrect: They spent five years part while he was in the army.

Another useful technique is by remembering the prepositions that they are often paired with. Apart is usually paired with the preposition from while a part is often paired with of.

They couldn’t keep those two dogs apart from each other.

She always felt like she was a part of the family.

Is there anything else that confuses you about apart and a part?

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