Chapter 5 of 518% of exam
Spotting Usage Errors
Error-correction tasks ask you to identify the sentence that follows standard English. This chapter reviews verb patterns, countable-noun quantifiers, word order, and articles.
Verb Patterns and Word Order
Some verbs need a particular structure: you 'explain something to someone', not 'explain someone something'. Adverbs such as 'never' sit between the auxiliary and the main verb ('have never seen'), and the subject comes before the verb.
Quantifiers and Articles
Use 'fewer' with countable nouns ('fewer cars') and 'less' with uncountable ones ('less traffic'). Use 'an' before a vowel sound, 'a' before a consonant sound, and 'the' before superlatives such as 'the best'.