Top 05 common grammar mistakes | Duolingo English Test Part 1

There are so many grammar points in English, some of them are easy, and others are complicated to use correctly. Besides, English has some exceptions that make people misuse grammar. 

When it comes to English proficiency tests such as the Duolingo English Test, grammar points are way more important because DET evaluates your skills based on Grammatical accuracy. So, let’s look at our top 10 common grammar mistakes that most test-takers are using inappropriately.

1. Who, Which and That

They are all relative pronouns; we use “Who” when we are referring to people and “Which” when we are talking about things or animals. However, you can use “That” for people, animals or things in general. 

• Correct: The groups and students that finish their homework before Monday will get a reward.
• Correct: The groups which finish their homework before Monday will get a reward.
• Wrong: The groups who finish their homework before Monday will get a reward. 

2. There, Their, and They’re

Three different written forms, but they sound alike, so for writing purposes, you need to pay close attention to each one of them.

“There” shows a location somewhere else. “They’re” is a contraction of “they are”. And “their” is a possessive, which means ownership by more than one person. 

• Correct: They’re going to their house over there.
• Wrong: There going to they’re house over their.

3. Your and You’re

It’s similar to the previous common mistake; these two have the same pronunciation but different written forms. Therefore, be sure when you put them in your essay or non-verbal assignments. 

“Your” is a possessive, which means ownership by one person – you, while “You’re” is a contraction, used to mean “you are”. 

• Correct: You’re my angel baby!
• Wrong: Your my angel baby!

4. Everyday and Every Day

“Everyday” is an adjective used only before noun to show something happens every day. 

“Every day” means each day in life, and you can use it anywhere in your sentences. 

• Correct: I will practice on the DET Practice Platform every day.
• Correct: I will practice on the DET Practice Platform in my everyday life. 
• Wrong: I will practice on the DET Practice Platform everyday. 

5. Affect and Effect

Lots of English learners and test-takers make this mistake as they use “Effect” as a verb to make a change in somebody or something. Indeed, “Effect” is both a noun and a verb, but its verb form means to make something happen. 

While “Affect” is only a verb used to produce a change in somebody or something. 

• Correct: The doctor hoped to effect his patient’s recovery.
• Correct: The doctor’s expertise affected a huge positive impact on his patient’s recovery.
• Wrong: The doctor’s expertise effected a huge positive impact on his patient’s recovery.

The above grammar points are simple, but they are also common mistakes that most test-takers commit to when they take the Duolingo English Test. Therefore, understanding all of them will lower your mistake probability. 

The best way is to practice frequently and take notice of all common mistakes. We have thousands of practice questions for your study. On top of that, we offer automatically instant feedback, which evaluates your English proficiency based on several aspects, including Grammatical accuracy, Lexical sophistication, Lexical diversity, Fluency, and Acoustic features. 

Feel free to check our sample instant feedback!

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