In this post I will discuss several English rules that you might have learned but native speakers don’t always follow. Keep in mind, though, that I will be talking about speakers in the US, and it might be different in other countries. In this post you will learn what kind of mistakes Americans make when […]
Confusing double negatives in English
Ok, let’s talk about double negatives. You have probably heard that double negatives in English are not grammatically correct. A double negative is when you use two negative words in a phrase or a sentence. For example, ✘ “I don’t like nothing” is grammatically incorrect. The correct way to say this sentence in English is […]
Common mistakes some English learners make
Do you ever make mistakes in English that stem from translating from your native language? As a nonnative speaker myself, I know that some minor errors are hard to notice until someone points them out to you. If you make some of the mistakes I’m going to share, don’t get frustrated. I know it takes […]
English modals: must not vs. don’t have to
I recently saw someone saying “teachers don’t have to make mistakes” while he meant “teachers must not make mistakes.” Although I don’t agree with this statement, I’d like to clarify the difference between must not and don’t have to. Must is one of the modals in the English language. The word “modal” comes from the […]
10 mistakes Spanish speakers make in English
The confusing meaning of double negatives
You have probably heard that double negatives in English are not grammatically correct. A double negative is when you use two negative words in a phrase or a sentence. For example, ✘ “I don’t like nothing” is grammatically incorrect. The correct way to say this sentence in English is ✔ “I don’t like anything” or ✔ “I like nothing.” But there is another […]
Common mistakes Slavic speakers make in English
All languages have unique words and phrases that, if translated literally into English, can cause confusion and even sound comical. For example, the literal translation of “thank you upfront” from Polish to English – “thank you from the mountain” 😂 – is a common joke among Polish speakers. Although this is just a joke and […]