Studying vocabulary is not only studying what words mean. As the Advanced Dictionary Skills program teaches you, to use vocabulary correctly you need to know about collocation, connotation, and how to use words in phrases and sentences; i.e. how a word fits into a sentence grammatically. Vocabulary also involves choosing the correct word to express your meaning from a number of similar words.
Many errors in English are a result of interference from the speaker/writer's own language, or because they are, for example, unsure of the ending of the word. The following exercise focuses on a variety of common vocabulary and grammar-based errors made by Hong Kong students. It will help you to solve individual problems and generally improve your proofreading and checking skills. The feedback gives some hints and rules.
Question 1:
ALTHOUGH/BUT/DESPITE: are all linking words expressing contrast or contradiction but they
are used differently within a sentence. Choose the correct sentence(s).
Question 2:
WORK/JOB, GOOD/WELL Choose the correct sentence(s).
Question 3:
ABROAD/ABOARD, BROUGHT/BOUGHT Choose the correct sentence(s).
Question 4:
HARD/HARDLY: Choose the correct sentence(s).
Question 5:
Countable and Uncountable nouns. Which sentences are correct?.
Question 6:
Common Errors: Which sentences are correct?.
Question 7:
Common Errors: Which sentences are correct?
Question 8:
Active and Passive Verbs. Which sentences are correct?
Question 9:
Verb forms. Which sentences are correct?
Question 10:
Noun or adjective: Which sentences are correct?
Feedback for Question 1, Choice 'a': "Although it was
raining but we still went hiking."
No, incorrect. Both ALTHOUGH and BUT are conjunctions indicating a contrast of ideas
within a sentence: we only use one. ALTHOUGH introduces the subordinate clause, BUT
suggests a contrast or contradiction with what has gone before.
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Feedback for Question 1, Choice 'b': "It was raining but
we still went hiking."
Good: BUT suggests a contrast or contradiction with what has gone before.
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Feedback for Question 1, Choice 'c': "Although it was
raining, we still went hiking."
Good: ALTHOUGH indicates a contrast and it introduces the subordinate clause. N.B
punctuation (comma after subordinate clause).
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Feedback for Question 1, Choice 'd': "We still went
hiking although it was raining."
Good: ALTHOUGH indicates a contrast and it introduces the subordinate clause, but that
clause can come before or after the main one. N.B punctuation (NO comma after the
subordinate clause when it follows the main one.)
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Feedback for Question 1, Choice 'e': "Despite it was
raining, we still went hiking."
No, incorrect: DESPITE is a preposition used to suggest a contrast or contradiction with
what has gone before, but it takes a noun subject. This sentence correctly reads:
"Despite the rain, we still went hiking."
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Feedback for Question 2, Choice 'a': "We'll need extra
time for this project, it's a hard work."
No, sorry: WORK is an uncountable noun (or a verb) so it doesn't take an article (a/an,
the).
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Feedback for Question 2, Choice 'b': "We'll need extra
time for this project, it's a hard job."
Good: JOB is a countable noun so needs an article (a/an, the).
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Feedback for Question 2, Choice 'c': "She works very well
in her new job."
Good: WORK is a verb here and WELL is an adverb.
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Feedback for Question 2, Choice 'd': "The food is very
well at the Mandarin Hotel."
No, incorrect: GOOD is an adjective, WELL is an adverb. This suggests that the food is
still alive and healthy!
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Feedback for Question 2, Choice 'e': "I don't feel too
good."
No, incorrect: FEEL is a verb so strictly speaking the correct sentence reads "I
don't feel too well". But some native speakers, especially Americans, will say
"I don't feel too good".
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Feedback for Question 3, Choice 'a': She brought some lovely
carpets in Turkey, while she was abroad.
No: ABROAD means 'overseas', so this is correct but the verb isn't. The correct sentence
reads 'She BOUGHT some lovely carpets in Turkey, while she was abroad.'
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Feedback for Question 3, Choice 'b': "Cynthia brought her
cassette player and music to the party."
Good. BROUGHT is often used with 'to' as it suggests moving something from A to B.
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Feedback for Question 3, Choice 'c': "When my uncle went
abroad, he brought me back some lovely souvenirs. "
Good, both words are correctly used here. BROUGHT often collocates with 'back'.
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Feedback for Question 3, Choice 'd': "The Captain asked
us abroad to see the ship."
No, incorrect: this implies you left the country at the Captain's expense!
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Feedback for Question 3, Choice 'e': "When the fleet came
in, the officers' wives and families were invited aboard."
Good: ABOARD means onto a ship ( the verb is to BOARD a ship).
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Feedback for Question 4, Choice 'a': "We'll need extra
time on this project; it's really hard work."
Good, HARD is an adjective collocating with WORK to mean tiring, exhausting.
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Feedback for Question 4, Choice 'b': "We'll need extra
time on this project although we're working hardly on it."
No, incorrect: the adverb is the same as the adjective, i.e HARD. The adverb HARDLY means
'only just' or 'not quite/much'
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Feedback for Question 4, Choice 'c': "'Nearly New' shops
sell clothes which are second hand but hard worn."
No, incorrect: the meaning here is 'not worn much at all', so the correct sentence reads
"Nearly New shops sell clothes which are second hand but HARDLY worn."
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Feedback for Question 4, Choice 'd': ""I can't ask
him out; I hardly know him!""
Good: this is correct usage for the adverb HARDLY.
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Feedback for Question 4, Choice 'e': "It's hard to
remember a time when the Internet didn't exist."
Good: the adjective HARD also means difficult.
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Feedback for Question 5, Choice 'a': "He uses a lot of
slangs and swear words"
No, incorrect. SLANG is uncountable.
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Feedback for Question 5, Choice 'b': "I'll email you all
the necessary information."
Good: INFORMATION is uncountable.
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Feedback for Question 5, Choice 'c': "The news are nearly
always bad these days."
No, incorrect. NEWS is uncountable.
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Feedback for Question 5, Choice 'd': "The police are
doing their best to minimise crime."
Good: POLICE = plural, although you can say 'a policeman/woman is...' or 'the policeforce
is...'
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Feedback for Question 5, Choice 'e': "Her advices are
always good."
No, incorrect: ADVICE is uncountable.
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Feedback for Question 6, Choice 'a': "I am agree with Mr.
Chan"
No, incorrect: AGREE is a verb not an adjective. The correct sentence reads 'I agree with
Mr. Chan
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Feedback for Question 6, Choice 'b': "Many and many
people go to China for the New Year."
No, incorrect: you can say 'more and more' or 'lots and lots' but not 'many and many'.
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Feedback for Question 6, Choice 'c': "The MTR doesn't
spend long from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui."
No, incorrect: the correct verb is TAKE for a journey, although you can spend time WITH
someone or ON something e.g a project.
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Feedback for Question 6, Choice 'd': "Hong Kong is
politically stable."
Good: STABLE is the noun and STABILITY the adjective.
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Feedback for Question 6, Choice 'e': "Hong Kong is also
regaining its prosperous."
No, incorrect: PROSPERITY is the noun, PROSPEROUS is the adjective.
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Feedback for Question 7, Choice 'a': "Hong Kong is one of
the most developed cities in Asia."
Yes, we say 'CITIES', i.e plural, because Hong Kong (singular)is being compared with other
cities (plural.)
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Feedback for Question 7, Choice 'b': "Students can lend
books from the PolyU library for up to a month."
No, incorrect: the library lends (gives) you books but you BORROW (temporarily receive)
them.
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Feedback for Question 7, Choice 'c': "I am quite
difficult to get to Mai Po bird sanctuary".
No, incorrect: the correct sentence reads 'IT IS quite difficult to get to Mai Po bird
sanctuary'. The difficulty refers to the getting there, not to a person.
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Feedback for Question 7, Choice 'd': "This is an exercise
about vocabularies".
No, incorrect: VOCABULARY is uncountable.
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Feedback for Question 7, Choice 'e': "According to my
opinion, the Science museum is the most interesting place to spend a rainy
afternoon."
No, incorrect: we say 'IN MY opinion' (self) or ACCORDING TO X (another person).
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Feedback for Question 8, Choice 'a': "The PolyU is
situated in Hung Hom."
Yes, TO BE SITUATED is used in the passive when referring to buildings, sites etc. 'The
PolyU situates...' is WRONG!
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Feedback for Question 8, Choice 'b': "Charlie borned in
Kowloon."
No. The correct sentence reads 'Charlie WAS BORN in Kowloon'. Remember, the active person
involved was the mother, not the child.
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Feedback for Question 8, Choice 'c': "The film's name is
called 'The King and I' "
No, sorry; the tense (passive) is correct but we say EITHER 'The film's name is ...' OR
'The film is called...", not both.
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Feedback for Question 8, Choice 'd': "Videos can be
borrowed by leaving an I.D card and a deposit of $50."
Good; the person borrows, the object IS BORROWED.
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Feedback for Question 8, Choice 'e': "He heavily involves
in politics."
No, the correct sentence reads 'He IS HEAVILY INVOLVED in politics'. (N.B word order).
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Feedback for Question 9, Choice 'a': "I'm always happy TO
SEE him."
Yes, adjectives are generally followed by an infinitive.
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Feedback for Question 9, Choice 'b': "Last Sunday I went
TO SHOP with my cousin. "
No, sorry: if you're describing an activity, the gerund/'ing' form is generally used. The
correct sentence reads 'Last Sunday I went SHOPPING with my cousin.
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Feedback for Question 9, Choice 'c': "A funny thing
HAPPENED to me on my way to the ferry last night."
Good, with HAPPEN, the situation is the subject and the person the object so the verb is
active.
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Feedback for Question 9, Choice 'd': "It is worth PAYING
a little more for good quality."
Good, the ING form follows the phrase 'It is worth'.
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Feedback for Question 9, Choice 'e': "You NEEDN'T TO
WORRY; her pet boa constrictor is completely harmless!"
No, sorry; most modal verbs are not followed by 'TO': the correct sentence reads You
NEEDN'T WORRY.
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Feedback for Question 10, Choice 'a': "I'm anxious to
know my exam results as soon as possible."
Yes, ANXIOUS is an adjective, ANXIETY is the noun.
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Feedback for Question 10, Choice 'b': "The China
government is imposing tight controls on the Falun Gong movement."
No, China is the name of the country, CHINESE is the adjective referring to people,
language or other nouns.
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Feedback for Question 10, Choice 'c': "Oscar Wilde wrote
the play "The Importance of Being Earnest"."
Yes, IMPORTANCE is the noun, IMPORTANT the adjective.
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Feedback for Question 10, Choice 'd': "The Industrial
Revolution caused major changes in Britain."
Yes, INDUSTRIAL is the adjective, INDUSTRY the noun.
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Feedback for Question 10, Choice 'e': "The hovercraft is
more convenience for crossing the harbour than the bus during rush hours."
No, CONVENIENT is the adjective, CONVENIENCE the noun. Other noun/adjective pairs have
similar endings; 'ient' for adjectives, 'ience' for nouns e.g patient/patience,
ambient/ambience etc.
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