{"id":40189,"date":"2019-03-27T15:53:33","date_gmt":"2019-03-27T14:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/?p=40189"},"modified":"2019-07-12T16:05:41","modified_gmt":"2019-07-12T14:05:41","slug":"stop-making-these-7-grammar-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/stop-making-these-7-grammar-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Making These 7 Grammar Mistakes"},"content":{"rendered":"

No matter how long you’ve been learning a language, you’re likely to make a mistake every once in a while. The big ones that cause a breakdown in communication soon get corrected. But what about the little mistakes that slip through the net<\/strong><\/em><\/span> and go unnoticed?<\/p>\n

Small mistakes make you sound less fluent and might hurt you during job interviews or in professional or academic settings – so it’s a good idea to understand the most commons ones.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s our selection of common grammar mistakes that even advanced learners of English sometimes struggle with!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. The<\/del> invisible articles<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Articles are small words that come before nouns (e.g. a, an, the<\/em>). In some languages, like Spanish, articles are used nearly all the time. In other languages, like Russian, they don\u2019t exist at all!<\/p>\n

In English, there are certain circumstances in which the article can be omitted. This is sometimes called the \u2018zero article\u2019. Here are some examples to remember:<\/p>\n

Plural Nouns (with general meaning)<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Spain the<\/del> children start school at 3 years of age.<\/em><\/p>\n

Uncountable Nouns<\/strong><\/p>\n

The<\/del> Education should be free for everyone.<\/em><\/p>\n

Proper Nouns<\/strong><\/p>\n

Paris is the capital of the<\/del> France.<\/em><\/p>\n

Percentages<\/strong><\/p>\n

The<\/del> 30% of methane on Earth is produced by cows.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. Countable or uncountable?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it, English nouns are pretty easy! They only change according to number (e.g. one horse, two horses<\/em>) and possession (horse\u2019s<\/em>). However, there is one other important distinction: countability<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Countable nouns<\/strong> are nouns that can, well, be counted! You know…three cakes, five bottles, a smile. Uncountable nouns<\/strong>, on the other hand, cannot…food, wine and happiness.<\/p>\n

 
\n\"Countable
\n <\/p>\n

All clear so far, but the problem is that not all languages categorise words in the same way. Here are some key differences between Spanish and English.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Countable
\n <\/p>\n

3. When \u2018what\u2019 is better than \u2018which\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

There are times when \u2018what\u2019 and \u2018which\u2019 can be used interchangeably. For example:<\/p>\n