...

1. Common Mistakes
in English

2. Who x Whom
To, Too, Two
Affect x Effect
May x Might
Get, got, gotten
Sex x gender
Lay x lie
today’s topics:

3. who x whom
The matter is whether the word is the subject or
object of the sentence.
When you’re working with the subject, use WHO.
If the word in question is the object of the
sentence, use WHOM.

4. Who has left
the fridge
door open
again?

5. Whom should I
ask to the prom?
MEMORY TIP:
Subject pronoun = WHO
Object pronoun =WHOM

6. Everyone uses these words correctly in speech because they
sound the same.
The preposition TO is used to indicate that one is moving
“for the purpose of” or “in the direction of.
TOO means “in excess” or “also.”
TWO is the number.
To, too, two

7. We are going to
buy some popcorn. I ate too many
cookies and he did,
too.
They have two kids:
a boy and a girl.

8. affect x effect
Of all the word pairs separated by a single vowel,
this pair is the worst native speakers and
language learners.
AFFECT is a verb that means ‘to influence’.
EFFECT is a noun that means ‘impact’.

9. The beautiful
lighting effects
at the party
affected the
people greatly.

10. MAY is used for things that
really could happen;
MIGHT is for things that are
hypothetical.
If it’s probable, use may. If it’s
unlikely or only vaguely possible,
use might.
may
x
might

11. I may sit down to have dinner.
I might have climbed the Everest
in my pajamas.

12. To receive
To become
to be allowed
To have the opportunity
To arrive
possession
undersTanding
Obligation*
This word and its variants are
incredibly common and useful,
and rather easily misused.
It has different meanings,
such as:
*when paired with ‘have’
Get, got, gotten

13. GET
simple
present
We have gotten
to watch them
live.
GOTTEN
standard past
participle
(American
English)
You get paid
every month.
I have got to buy
these books for my
French classes.
GOT
past participle
(used in a sense
of urgency, like
‘must’)

14. We are becoming increasingly
familiar with individuals who
identify as a gender that doesn’t
align with the sex that they were
assigned at birth.
So, let’s be clear:
SEX is exclusively about biology;
GENDER is about social roles and
identity.
seX
x
gender

15. They had a party to reveal the sex
of the baby.
Gender equality is necessary to achieve
social, political and economic development
goals.

16. Lay x lie
What you need to know is that one is done with
your body and the other is done to an object.
LAY is a transitive verb, so it needs some kind of
object;
LIE is an intransitive verb.

17. She needs to
lie down.

18. But first, she should lay
her purse on the chair.