Can you spot the common mistakes in these sentences? (Answers are provided below.)

1.  If you have alot to do next week, we can postpone the project.

2.  Superintendent Jones asked Officer Payne and me to meet with him tomorrow morning.

3.  There’s several messages from reporters who want to talk with you.

4.  The visiting room is busy today, it was unusually quiet yesterday, though.

5.  The staff canteen is expanding its hours of operation.

ANSWERS

X 1. If you have a lot to do next week, we can postpone the project. (A lot is always two words – no exceptions.)

√2.  Superintendent Jones asked Officer Payne and me to meet with him tomorrow morning.  (Think: “asked…me” = “asked Officer Payne and me.” To learn more, click here.)

X 3.  There are several messages from reporters who want to talk with you.  (Think: “several messages are there” = “there are several messages.” To learn more, click here.)

X 4.  The visiting room is busy today. It was unusually quiet yesterday, though. (Any idea that starts with it is a sentence: Use a period and a capital letter.)

√ 5.  The staff canteen is expanding its hours of operation. (The possessive of it has no apostrophe – compare his, another possessive word with no apostrophe. To learn more, click here.)

How did you do?