Use of the infinitive
Mistakes are frequently made by using the infinitive without to after the following verbs, which do not require it.
1.Can + infinitive without to.
Don't say: My mother can to swim very well.
Say: My mother can swim very well.
Note: Always write the negative form cannot as one word Alternatively, the
short form can't can be used informally.
2. Could + infinitive without to.
Don't say: I could not to see you yesterday.
Say: I could not/couldn't see you yesterday.
3. May + infinitive without to.
Don't say: May I to visit you next weekend?
Say: May I visit you next weekend?
4. Might + infinitive without to.
Don't say: He might to come in the morning.
Say: He might come in the morning.
5. Must + infinitive without to.
Don't say: I must to see her at her office.
Say: I must see her at her office.
6. Let + infinitive without to.
Don't say:Tom's father would not let him to go out.
Say: Tom's father would not let him go out.
7. Make (to force) + infinitive without to.
Don't say: You can't make Emma to understand.
Say: You can't make Emma understand.
8. See + infinitive without to.
Don't say ; They saw him to leave the house.
Say: They saw him leave the house.
Note: They saw him leaving the house is also correct.
9. Watch + infinitive without to.
Don't say: I watched the girls to play hockey.
Say: I watched the girls play hockey.
Note. I watched (he girls playing hockey is also correct.
10 Hear + infinitive without to.
Don't say: We heard him to speak in English.
Say: We heard him speak in English.
Note We heard him speaking in English is also correct.
11. Feel + infinitive without to.
Don't say: I could feel her heart to beat,
Say: I could feel her heart beat.Or: I could feel her heart beating.
Note if the verbs make, see, watch, hear, feel, are used in the passive,to must be used He was seen to leave the house . He was heard to speak in English.
12. Wrong repetition of subject.
Don't say: My little brother he is at school,
Say: My little brother is at school.
13. Wrong repetition of subject in a compound sentence.
Don't say: I went to the market and I bought fruit.
Say: I went to the market and bought fruit.
In a compound sentence, express the same subject once only and don't repeat it before each verb, unless the sentence is long and complicated.
14. Wrong repetition of subject after an adjectival clause,
Don't say: David, who is a careless pupil, he lost his book,
Say: David, who is a careless pupil, lost his book.
15. Wrong repetition of subject after a non-definitive phrase.
Don't say: Karen and Tom, having signed the register,they left the church.
Say: Karen And Tom, having signed the register, left the church.
16. Wrong use of personal pronoun in a relative clause.
Don't say;The book which I lost it was new.
Say: The book which I lost was new.
Don't use a personal pronoun as well as a relative in the relative clause if they both refer to the same noun In the first sentence both which and it refers to book.
17. Wrong repetition of object.
Don't say: The doctor I know him very well.
Say: I know the doctor very well.
In the sentence given, the wise doctor and him denote one and the same object Therefore, use either doctor or him, but not both in the same sentence.In general we don't put the object before the verb so the word order in The doctor I know him very well is also wrong.
18. Wrong repetition of object with infinitive.
Don't say: I bought an English book to read it.
Say: I bought an English book to read.
Don't repeat an object with an infinitive of purpose if the verb takes an object.
19. Wrong use of that in direct speech.
Don't say: She said that, 'I'm sure to pass.'
Say: She said, 'I'm sure to pass.'
We can't use that in direct speech, i.e when we repeat the words that some other person has spoken without any change
Note, in indirect speech we say: He said that he was sure to pass.
20. Using a double comparative.
Don't say: He's more stronger than John.
Say: He's stronger than John.
Double comparatives are incorrect more stronger ought to be only stronger.
However , we can say much stronger.
21. Misuse of adjectives that can't be compared.
Don't say: My work is more perfect than his.
Say: My work is superior to his.Or: My work is better than his.
Certain adjectives can't be compared perfect, unique, preferable,supreme, right, correct, etc.
22. Return back used instead of return.
Don't say: She has returned back to school.
Say: She has returned to school
Don't use the word back with return, because return means to come back.
23. Begin from used instead of begin.
Don't say; Exams begin from Thursday.
Say: Exams begin on Thursday.
24. Consider as used instead of consider.
Don't say: Robert considers me as his best friend.
Say: Robert considers me his best friend.
Don't say:5 after the word consider we say He regards me as his best friend to Robert considers me to be his best friend.
25. For to used instead of to.
Don't say; 1 came here for to learn English.
Say: I came here to learn English.
26. From where used instead of where.
Don't say: From where can I buy a good watch?
Say: Where can I buy a good watch?
Where means at what place, while from where denotes the point of origin from where do tourists come?
27. And etc used instead of etc.
Don't say: I, you, we, and etc. are pronouns.
Say: I, you, we, etc., are pronouns.
Etc. is the short form of et cetera, a Latin phrase meaning and other things The combination and etc. is wrong because it would mean and and other things
Note However, students are advised to avord using etc. in an essay and to use phrases such as and other things, and so on instead.
28. So ... so that instead of so ... that.
Don't say: I'm so tired so that I can't go.
Say: I'm so tired that I can't go.
When so or such is completed by a clause of result, introduce the clause by that and not by so that.
29. From now and on used instead of from now on.
Don't say: From now and on I'll study hard.
Say: From now on I'll study hard.
The phrase from now and on is incorrect Say, from now on.
30 Although/Though ... yet used instead of although/though.
Don't say: Although it's raining, yet he'll go.
Say: Although it's raining, he'll go.
Although (though) is the conjunction introducing the subordinate clause, and a second one (yet or still) isn't required.
31. Go to home used instead of go home.
Don't say: When school is over I go to home.
Say: When school is over I go home.
The expression ( go to home is wrong )Say I go home.
32.Using far with a phrase of definite distance.
Don't say: Mary lives two miles far from here.
Say: Mary lives two miles from here.
