INCORRECT OMISSIONS 02

Dialog

Right, you, time for your English lesson. Don't look so worried, it's not like I'm going to bite you. Much. First one: I'll say a sentence, you tell me if it's right. Ready? He speak English very well. Is that correct?

Um, I think... no? It sounds a bit off.

Oh, surprisingly good start. You're right, it's not correct. It should be He speaks English very well. You need to add an 's' to the verb 'speak' because 'he' is singular, for the present tense. Got it?

Yes, the 's' for 'he', 'she', 'it'.

Good. Next one. He don't care what he says. Is that sentence correct, or not?

That one also sounds wrong. It should be He doesn't care.

You actually got that quickly. Don't expect me to praise you too much, you just got lucky. 'Don't' is for 'I' or 'you' or plural things, but for 'he' or 'she' or 'it', it's always 'doesn't'. Keep that in your head.

Okay, 'doesn't' for singular.

Right. Here's another. I receive a letter yesterday. Correct?

Yesterday... so it's past tense. That means it needs '-ed'. So, it should be received.

See, you can do it when you try. Not bad for you. When something happened in the past, like yesterday, regular verbs usually end in '-ed' or '-d'. Don't forget that, it's quite simple, really.

I'll try not to forget.

Okay. I paid six pound for the book. What do you think?

Six pound. But there's more than one. So it should be plural. Six pounds.

Exactly. Most things when there's more than one, you add an 's'. Like 'six apples' or 'two cars'. Except for weird ones like 'men' or 'feet', but we'll get to those another day. You're not completely useless, I suppose.

Thanks.

Next. A boy's hat is different from a girl. Is that right?

Hmm. A boy's hat... and a girl. It feels like the second part is missing something. Like it should be 'girl's' too, with an apostrophe 's'.

Spot on, clever clogs. If you're comparing two things, and the first one has that apostrophe 's' meaning 'belonging to', then the second one needs it too. It makes the sentence much clearer. You actually thought that through, which is good.

I tried to.

Right, listen up. I have no money to buy motor-car. Is that acceptable?

Motor-car... I think it needs 'a'. Like, a motor-car. Because it's a single car.

Yes, you got it. Most times when you talk about one singular thing, you need 'a' or 'an' or 'the' in front of it. It's just how we say it. You're not totally daft, are you?

I hope not.

Try this one. I am not teacher, I am student. Is that how you'd say it?

No, that sounds very wrong. It should be I am not a teacher, I am a student.

Very good. See, you just add 'a' before 'teacher' and 'student' because you're talking about one person being that thing. It's like a rule, almost. You're actually doing quite well today. Maybe you're not as hopeless as I thought.

Really?

Don't get ahead of yourself. Next: He drank half glass of milk. Is that right?

Half glass... it should be half a glass, shouldn't it?

Yes, precisely. You say 'half a' something, like 'half a loaf' or 'half an apple'. It's just a common phrase, you need the 'a' in there. You remembered that from somewhere, didn't you?

I think so.

Alright. Hundred years make a century. Is that a correct sentence?

Hmm. 'Hundred years'. I think it needs 'A hundred years' or 'One hundred years'.

That's very perceptive of you. You always put 'a' or 'one' before 'hundred' or 'thousand' when you're counting them. Good job, you. You clearly listen when I'm trying to teach you, which is... fine, I guess.

I do try to listen.

Let's see if you can get this one. I told them not to make noise. Is that how we say it?

That doesn't sound right. I think it should be make a noise.

Exactly! Some phrases just always have 'a' or 'an' with them, like 'make a mistake' or 'make an effort'. You can't just leave it out. You're actually learning this quite quickly. I mean, for you.

I'm trying my best.

Last one for today. English are fond of sports. What about that?

English are... No, it should be The English are fond of sports. Because it's talking about all English people.

Absolutely brilliant! You understand that when you're talking about all the people from a country, like 'the British' or 'the French', you need to put 'the' in front of the nationality. You've actually done really well on this lesson. Don't let it go to your head though. It's probably just my excellent teaching.

Thanks, you. I feel a bit better about English now.

Well, good. Now, don't think this means you're excused from practicing. We'll do more tomorrow. If I feel like it, that is.

Summary

• 246. The "-s" or "-es" of the third person singular omitted.
• 247. Using "don't" instead of "doesn't."
• 248. The "-d" or "-ed" of the past tense omitted.
• 249. The "-s" or "-es" of the plural form omitted.
• 250. The possessive ending omitted.
• 251. Omission of the article before a common noun in the singular.
• 252. Omission of "a" or "an" after the verb "to be."
• 253. Omission of "a" or "an" after the word "half."
• 254. Omission of "a" or "an" before "hundred" and "thousand."
• 255. Omission of "a" or "an" from "make a noise," etc.
• 256. Omission of "the" before names of nationalities.

Reference: T. J. FITIKIDES, "COMMON MISTAKES IN ENGLISH" p52 - p55