Common Language Errors

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Common Language Errors
Activity Booklet

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DESCRIPTION: Each of the following worksheets will help you learn and avoid common language errors. Making any of these errors in a writing assignment would cause you to lose marks.
DIRECTIONS: Read each worksheet carefully and write the activities in your notebook or on lined paper. DO NOT write in this booklet! Please note that in the case of paragraph activities, you do not need to rewrite the whole paragraph. Once you have completed all the worksheets, see Jen for the answer key.
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Homonyms Worksheet 1
In paper after paper, numerous problems with spelling occur, particularly with homonyms. Homonyms are words that sound alike but are spelled differently and usually mean different things. Unfortunately, these are the kinds of misspellings that readers are most likely to be prejudiced against. Your job is to train yourselves to look for these trouble spots. Don’t be afraid to look them up and make sure you have the correct spelling! Every time you use a homonym, a warning bell should go off in your head. For practice, choose the correct word in the parentheses and write it in your notebook. Example: When (your, you’re) in New York, be sure to visit the Museum of Natural
History.
1. The winners of the World Series (road, rode) down Main Street in a parade.
2. After reading murder mysteries all summer, she decided to (right, write) one herself. 3. While I was cleaning, I found some (loose, lose) change under the cushions.
4. Thunder and (lightning, lightening) kept the campers awake all night.
5. The young woman put a lock on her (diary, dairy) when she realized her roommate had been reading it.
6. A square has four (right, write) (angles, angels).

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7. The runners stood (altogether, all together) near the starting line, waiting for the signal to take (there, their) places.
8. The trip was great, (accept, except) for the day the car broke down in the (dessert, desert). 9. The broken-hearted man wrote to the (advice, advise) columnist.
10. Going to college can (altar, alter) a person’s view about many things.
11. The play was an (hour, our) long.
12. The neighborhood (counsel, council) agreed to patrol the park at night.
13. Professional bakers have special (devices, devises) that help them form a (piece, peace) of pastry quite easily.
14. The amount of oxygen in the air (lessens, lessons) as the climbers reach higher levels. 15. Scott Kamiel (maybe, may be) the best (pitcher, picture) we have ever had.
16. Prince Charles will (rain, reign) as the next King of England.
17. Do you know (who’s, whose) car is blocking the driveway?
18. The last (scene, seen) of the movie was filmed from a helicopter.
19. He hid the candy bar (were, where) his brothers could not find it.
20. Everything costs more now ( then, than) it used (to, too).

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21. Some days the smog in Los Angeles is so thick that people can barely (breath, breathe), and the paramedics have more (patience, patients) than they can handle.

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Homonyms Worksheet 2
Choose the correct word in the parentheses and write it in your notebook.
1. The trouble in the Middle East has had a serious (affect, effect) on the price of oil all over the world.
2. The (brakes, breaks) on my car don’t work properly.
3. The (principal, principle) of our high school gave an interesting lecture on the
(principal, principle) causes of failure and another on the (principals, principles) of science.
4. (There, their) are several jobs available in the public schools of Bulloch County because several teachers have lost (there, their) jobs.
5. The committee cast (its, it’s) vote in favor of the new law.
6. President Bush’s threats have had little (affect, effect) on Hussein.
7. As I was driving to school today, I realized that I was (to, too) tired to see clearly.
8. If you go to the movies, I want to go (to, too).
9. Some young people even (sale, sell) their mothers’ jewelry to buy drugs.
10. (Loosing, Losing) patience, Mary screamed obscenities at the other driver.
11. Failure to attend class regularly can adversely (affect, effect) a student’s grade.
12. I couldn’t (hear, here) a word he said, so I shouted, “Come over (hear, here) beside me!”
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Redundancies Worksheet 1
Avoiding redundancy in your writing clarifies the meaning and removes unnecessary words. Underline the redundant phrases in these sentences.
1. If you didn’t hear me, I will repeat the instructions again.
2. The old car still remains parked in that field.

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3. After much thought and consideration, Jim decided to continue seeing Laura.
4. It was the consensus of opinion among their friends that the couple belonged together. 5. After a period of time, they solved their problems.
6. In the modern world of today, we are surrounded by technological advance.
7. Jim’s mother said her age was forty-five.
8. Marcia’s hair color was deep auburn.
9. The length of her hair is longer than mine.
10. The room was rectangular in shape.
11. The market had fresh lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and etc.
12. Sue hung the painting up over her desk.
13. Briefly summarize your reading assignment.
14. My father has a yearly, annual check-up.
15. At that moment in time, Allen was afraid.
16. The usual custom is to have a farewell party.
17. The dress was much too small in size.
18. The future prospects of this program are very good.
19. Paul is really and truly interested in Geology.
20. The class begins at eight a.m. in the morning.
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Redundancies Worksheet 2
Underline the redundant phrases in these sentences.
1. This team is equally as good as that one.
2. We used two different kinds of paper.
3. It is my considered opinion that you are wrong.
4. Each individual has the right to vote.
5. First and foremost, you must register.

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6. Make the report full and complete; use only true facts, and give them your best thought and consideration.
7. It is right and proper for each and every one of you to be sincere and earnest with your friends.
8. I cannot and will not buy any more clothes.
9. The end result of her laziness was a failing grade.
10. If you have any questions, refer back to Chapter Two.
11. The basic fundamentals of baseball come easily to many children.
12. Each individual person is unique.
13. My personal opinion is that we need more room.
14. This recipe says to take the two mixtures, combine into one, bake for one hour.
15. I cannot eat shrimp in any way, shape or form.
16. Marcia’s little sister is very polite and courteous.
17. Her twin brothers are exactly identical.
18. Each and every child in the family is well behaved.
19. If and when they are rude, Mrs. Smith is quick to correct them.
20. Any and all overdue books should be returned today.

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Wordiness Worksheet 1
Wordiness basically means using more words, phrases, or sentences than are absolutely necessary. This can be distracting, so you should strive for a more efficient use of words and descriptions. Rewrite the following in your notebook, eliminating extra words and combining short sentences into longer ones when necessary.
1. The first person that I met at the party was Cindy. Cindy was a blonde who had bright green eyes.
2. The woman who was keeping score made a mistake.

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3. The trail that I followed led to a boulder that was perched on the edge of a cliff.
4. Aluminium is a metal that is very light in weight.
5. The office manager wanted all the memos to be typed. She wanted all the memos to be typed so that they would be easy to read.
6. I spent two years in Tucson. Tucson is my favorite city.
7. The license plate that was on the car had a word on it instead of numbers. The word was “rodeo.”
8. The book that the library wants me to return is called For Whom The
Bell Tolls.
9. She flew to Hawaii on a 747. The 747 is the biggest airliner in the world. 10. All the cigars that he smoked made the room smell like it was a tobacco factory.
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Diction and Usage Worksheet 1
Explain the error associated with each of the underlined words in the sentences. Some words are correct.
1.

Then he give him a punch in the nose.

2.

He was sick for a period of time.

3.

The reporter’s purpose was to relate the main points of the book.

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4.

The writer tried his best to get his ideas across to the reader, but he did not succeed. 5.

The stone was so heavy that I couldn’t hardly lift it.

6.

Carl became so livid with anger that his face looked like a giant.

7.

The river is not a safe place for people to swim.

8.

The basic fundamentals of the game are not hard to learn.

9.

I cannot and will not do it under any circumstances.

10.

He don’t like those apples.

11.

We got everything that we asked for.

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Faulty Diction Worksheet 1
Rewrite the sentences below in your notebook, making all necessary corrections.
1. My sister she can’t go to school today.
2. Why don’t she go to the infirmary?
3. The game had ought to be over now.
4. Between the three of us, you are the slowest.
5. This movie is differcult than the last one I saw.
6. My book is their on the table.
7. That kind of sounds make me nervous.
8. I will try and carry your books.
9. That there woman is our teacher.
10. The teacher will learn us the rules.
11. This here shoe is yours.
12. In this class, all accept one boy passed.
13. When you go to class, bring your book.
14. Here are too more sandwiches.
15. He should of done his housework earlier.

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16. They are looking for there car.
17. Why don’t Jane vacuum the rug.
18. Leave us go quickly!
19. Put your books besides mine.
20. The door it doesn’t close tightly.
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Faulty Diction Worksheet 2
Rewrite the sentences below in your notebook, making all necessary corrections.
1. What dorm don’t have air conditioning?
2. Where is your paper at?
3. Oh, I ate two much!
4. Janet doesn’t work hear anymore.
5. Take your feet off the desk.
6. No thanks, I don’t want none of that cake.
7. The man which stole the car was caught.
8. This antique vase is very unique.
9. Needless to say. We won every game.
10. I don’t know but that you can figure this out.
11. Its too late; I’ve already burned the dinner!
12. Program-wise, "Charlie’s Angels" is a success.
13. The fact that ABC leads in the network ratings is due to the fact that it has better shows. 14. Driving that old car aggravates me.
15. She dances perfectly because she practices continuously.
16. If Jack flaunts the law, he will pay.
17. Pat Hayden threw the ball further than the opposing quarterback.
18. Jill was very conscious of her problem.

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19. Will you loan me a few dollars ‘til Friday?
20. There were less people at the party this week than I expected.
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Double Negatives Worksheet 1
Negative words: no, not, nobody, nothing, none, never, hardly, scarcely, barely, only.
Using two negatives in the same sentence gives the opposite meaning, but it does the job awkwardly. Avoid double negatives!
In these sentences, underline each correct word in parentheses in your notebook.
1. She couldn’t eat (anything, nothing).
2. I didn’t see (nothing, anything).
3. We (could, couldn’t) hardly see through the fog.
4. She did not have (anything, nothing) to read.
5. I could not see (no, any) way to help.
6. I cannot find my money (anywhere, nowhere).
7. You (can, cannot) scarcely recognize her.
8. The children do not need (no, any) candy.
9. We barely had (any, no) money.
10. William (could, couldn’t) hardly wait.
11. Jim was not carrying (no, any) packages.
12. The tear in his shirt (was, was not) barely noticeable.
13. The lecturer did not say (anything, nothing) interesting.
14. Of all the cars I tried, I did not buy (none, any).
15. The baby (cannot, can) hardly walk yet.

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16. Isn’t there (nothing, anything) you want for Christmas?
17. Haven’t you (any, no) size 10 dresses?
18. We did not meet (nobody, anybody) at Jane’s party.
19. I could not find my purse (nowhere, anywhere).
20. The wind was so strong I (could, couldn’t) hardly stand.
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Passive Voice Worksheet 1
In active voice sentences the subject does the action .The sentence that uses the active voice is stronger, uses fewer words, and clearly shows who performs the action.
Example: Liz played the piano.
In passive voice sentences the subject receives the action. The sentence that uses the passive voice is weaker and less direct. It is, however, not incorrect to use the passive voice.
Example: The piano was played by Liz.
Sometimes the doer of the action is omitted in passive voice sentences.
Example: The piano was played.
Do not write in passive voice. It makes your arguments weak and often confuses your reader. More Examples:
Active voice: He went to school.
Passive voice: He had gone to school.
Active voice: She practiced a lot.
Passive voice: She has had a lot of practice.

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Rewrite the passive voice sentences as active voice sentences.
1. The dog was hit by the car.
2. The house will be built by the construction crew in five months.
Decide whether the following sentences are written in the active or passive voice in your notebook. Then rewrite the passive sentences so in active voice. If the doer is unknown, you will have to make one up that fits in the sentence.
1) Thomas feeds his dog. active / passive
2) The dog is fed by Thomas. active / passive
3) The family went to the beach. active / passive
4) The letter was written by Marshall. active / passive
5) The game had been won by the blue team. active / passive
6) The problem was solved. active / passive
7) The stunt man risked his life. active / passive
8) The fire was extinguished. active / passive
9) The car was being cleaned by its owner. active / passive
10) It gets cold here during the winter. active / passive

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