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ELS students usually face common mistakes which tend to confuse them. Words in the English language sometimes are similar or the same but are different in meaning, use and pronunciation.

In the following examples, you�ll see the differences and the most common mistakes students tend to make in their ESL classes.

Good vs. well

*Good is an adjective which describes a noun.

*Well is an adverb which describes how you do the action.

She did well on the test.
He played well in the tennis match.
She sang well.

He�s a good tennis player.
She�s a good dancer.
I�m a good singer.

Bring vs. take

*We use bring if the speaker refers to something that is at his current location and when something moves from there to here.

*We use take if the speaker refers to something that is in a different location and when something moves from here to there.

I brought all my books to class.
He brought his pictures to show his friends.
I promise I will bring it next time.

Jon took his boy to the baseball game.
I�ll remember to take everything to the picnic.
She felt sick so he took her home.

It�s vs. its

*It�s is the contracted form of it is. This is a subject (it) with the verb to be.

*Its is the possessive case.

It�s a great idea! Let�s go to the concert.
It�s mine! What are you doing?
What wrong with Bill�s behavior? It�s something we should be concerned about.

That watch is nice. Its color is rare.
That�s your new shirt. Its style is nice.
It�s a great house and its price is reasonable.

Everyone vs. every one

*Use everyone as a pronoun to mean all the people in a group.

*Use every one as a noun to indicate each person.

Do you think everyone will go to the play?
Everyone contacts her to leave her comments on her blog.
Everyone is considering going to the party.

Every one of the experts has different points of view.
The teacher told every one of the students to behave.
Every one of the dancers was told to improve.

Since vs. for with present perfect

*We use since with the present perfect to indicate that something has happened since a point in time.

*We use for with the present perfect to express that something has happened for a period time.

I�ve worked here since 2001.
She�s been married since October of this year.
He�s been repairing the car since two this afternoon.

He�s worked on this project for 2 years.
Jon has been playing rugby for 1 hour.
I�ve worked on this report for 1 week.

Too, two, to

*Too is the same as also and is used at the end of a sentence. Too is also too much of a particular quality.

That house is too expensive for me!
I love eating pizza too!
This is too much for me! Help me solve it.

*Two is the written form of number 2.

I�ve always wanted two children.
She is so lucky; she has two houses.
I�ve corrected two tests so far.

*To is usually used as a preposition and also used as part of the infinitive form of verbs.

Tomorrow I�m going to my grandmother�s house.
I spoke to her about the inconvenience we had at tennis.
He returned the key to her when they broke up.

Rachel Clarkson is an English teacher at LCI English ESL Programs and blogger at the ESL Blog.
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LCI offers the best ESL classes through experienced teachers and high quality programs in Denver, Colorado. Check out great ESL resources and articles at www.englishlci.com/blog