INCORRECT OMISSIONS 03

Dialog

Right, let's start. Listen carefully, because I won't repeat myself. First, I play violin, but not piano. Is that sentence correct, you?

Um, I think... yes? It sounds okay to me, like how someone might say it.

Wrong! Honestly, you really need my help, don't you? We always use 'the' before musical instruments. So it should be 'I play the violin, but not the piano.' Remember that, it’s not hard.

Next one. On Saturday I go to the cinema. Correct?

Yes, that sounds right. We always say 'the cinema'.

See? Not so hard when you actually think for a moment. Yes, 'the' is needed before places like cinema, theatre, or concert. You got one right, surprisingly.

Nelson is a British warship. Is this sentence right?

Nelson... like the admiral? I think it needs 'the'. So, 'The Nelson is a British warship'. Am I right this time?

You are. For once, you actually paid attention. We always use 'the' before names of ships. They're important, you know. Good job.

Charles Dickens born in 1812. Is that how you'd say it?

No, that's definitely wrong. It should be 'Charles Dickens was born in 1812'. You need 'was' there to show when it happened.

You got that one quickly. You're not completely useless after all. The passive voice always needs a form of the verb 'to be', like 'was' here. Well done.

He understands the problem? What about that?

It feels... incomplete. Shouldn't it be 'Does he understand the problem?'?

Exactly! You're finally learning something. We use 'do' or 'does' or 'did' at the start of most questions in the present or past tense. It's not that complicated if you just remember the rule.

Do pupils their work carefully? Is that good English?

That sounds really strange. 'Do pupils do their work carefully?' is what I'd say. The second 'do' means perform.

Impressive. You actually explained it too! The first 'do' makes the question, the second 'do' is the action. Don't go getting too confident, though.

I was born the third of December. Is that how you say your birthday?

Mine is in July, but... 'I was born on the third of December.' You need 'on'.

Correct. Most dates need a preposition like 'on'. You remembered that one, good for you.

They have no houses to live. What do you think?

To live... but where? 'They have no houses to live in.' You need the 'in'.

Spot on. When you have a verb like 'live' at the end of a phrase like that, you usually need a preposition after it. You're getting better at this than I expected.

Once lived a great king. Is that a good start to a story?

It sounds a bit old-fashioned, but I think 'Once there lived a great king' is more common. It introduces the subject.

Precisely. You remembered the introductory 'there'. It's important for introducing a subject when the verb comes before it. Don't forget it now.

She knows to play the piano. Correct or incorrect?

Incorrect. It should be 'She knows how to play the piano'. You need 'how'.

Right again! After the verb 'to know' and before an infinitive, we always use 'how'. You seem to remember this stuff when it counts, which is something, I suppose.

He ran lest he miss the train. Is that grammatically sound?

'Lest'... that's a bit of an old word, isn't it? I think it needs 'should'. 'He ran lest he should miss the train.'

Very good! You even know what 'lest' means, which is more than I expected from you. Yes, 'lest' is almost always followed by 'should'. You're smarter than you look sometimes.

Homer was greater than all the Greek poets. Is that a logical sentence?

Well, Homer was a Greek poet, so he can't be greater than himself. It needs 'other'. 'Homer was greater than all the other Greek poets.'

See? You can get it when you apply some logic. You can't compare someone to themselves, so you need 'other'. That was quite insightful, for you.

I had never seen such a thing. Is anything missing there?

'I had never seen such a thing before.' I think 'before' makes it complete, comparing it to all previous times.

That's right. When you're making a comparison about something new or unique, you often need 'before' at the end. Don't forget those little words; they matter a lot.

He is stronger than anybody. Is that comparison correct?

If he's stronger than 'anybody', does that include himself? Probably needs 'else'. 'He is stronger than anybody else.'

You've learned! Just like with Homer, you can't compare someone to themselves. So you add 'else' after 'anybody', 'everybody', 'anything', and so on. Now, are you ready for more of my brilliant teaching, or do you need a break?

Summary

• 257. Omission of "the" before names of musical instruments.
• 258. Omission of "the" before the word "cinema," etc.
• 259. Omission of "the" before the names of ships.
• 260. Omission of the verb "to be" from the passive.
• 261. Omission of the auxiliary "do" from questions.
• 262. Omission of "do" when it is a principal verb.
• 263. Omission of the preposition indicating time.
• 264. Omission of the preposition after the infinitive.
• 265. Omission of "there" as an introductory word.
• 266. Omission of "how" after the verb "to know."
• 267. Omission of "should" after the word "lest."
• 268. Omission of "other" after a comparative.
• 269. Omission of "before" in comparisons.
• 270. Omission of "else" after "everybody", etc.

Reference: T. J. FITIKIDES, "COMMON MISTAKES IN ENGLISH" p57 - p60