Not a generic list. These are 181 errors taken from marked homework by Ukrainian speakers, each one repaired and then explained by what Ukrainian actually does differently. The heaviest areas here are articles and determiners, collocation, subject-verb agreement. Nothing on this page is behind a sign-up.
An error you can name the cause of is an error you can stop making.
Ukrainian has no words for a/an or the. Specificity is carried by demonstratives (цей / ця / це / ці 'this'; той / та / те / ті 'that'), by word order (sentence-initial = often definite; post-verbal = often indefinite), and by context. This is the single highest-value English target for a Ukrainian speaker, and it runs in both directions. In this session: under-use with named, pinned-down nouns (the Lombardy region, the south-eastern area of Moscow, the Iberian peninsula) and over-use with generic abstracts and quantifiers (the politics, the most of it). Almost everything on the sheet traces back to that one structural fact; the rest follows from Ukrainian's case morphology and its freer word order.
The takeawayNamed features and of-modified nouns take the; generic abstract nouns and most of take no article at all.
Ukrainian encodes with case morphology many relations English marks with prepositions, so English prepositions come out wrong, doubled or missing. The clearest case here is despite of: the fixed Ukrainian unit незважаючи на (na + accusative) leaves a slot in the English, and a preposition gets reached for to fill it – even though the Ukrainian original contains no 'of' anywhere. The cure is not analysis but storage: keep despite + noun and in spite of + noun as whole shapes, and never let them cross.
The takeawayLearn each English preposition as part of a whole phrase, not as the translation of a case ending.
The dominant pattern in this session: the English frame is correct but the verb-noun pairing is carried straight from Ukrainian. Зробити локдаун (zrobyty lokdaun, 'do/make a lockdown') surfaces as make a lockdown where English wants impose; нагадує ситуацію (nahaduye sytuatsiyu, 'reminds [a] situation', bare accusative) surfaces as reminds a situation where English needs reminds me of or is reminiscent of. These are the most interesting errors on a sheet like this, because the syntax is entirely native and only the word choice betrays the source. The cure is storing the English collocation as a unit rather than translating the light verb.
The takeawayStore the whole English collocation as one item; never build it outward from the light verb your first language would use.
Ukrainian drops the present-tense copula: він студент, literally 'he student', means 'he is a student'. The absence is entirely grammatical in the first language, so under speed the English copula goes missing too – here, there some people in top positions for there are some people in top positions. It is not a knowledge gap; it is a slot that the first language simply does not require to be filled. A quick deliberate check on existential and predicate statements catches it every time.
The takeawayCheck every existential and predicate sentence for its is/are – the first language does not require one, so English speed will drop it.
Ukrainian word order is information-structure-driven: what comes first is what is old or new information, not what the syntax demands. It therefore does not force the un-inversion that English requires inside an indirect question. So 'I don't know what was the case' keeps direct-question order where English wants statement order: what the case was. The same freedom that makes fronting and emphasis feel natural to a Ukrainian speaker is what leaves the embedded question un-repaired. It is worth a deliberate check whenever a question sits inside a larger sentence.
The takeawayWhenever a question is embedded inside another sentence, put the subject back in front of the verb.
Ukrainian word order is information-structure-driven: you can front, invert and reorder to place the emphasis where you want it. That is usually a source of English error – post-verbal subjects drifting in – but for emphatic grammar it is an asset. Fronting, clefts and emphatic inversion are doing in English what the first language already does with order alone, which is why these structures often arrive intact for a Ukrainian speaker while articles are still being fought over. The one caution is the English punctuation split: an exclamation keeps subject-verb order (How old I was!), a question inverts (How old was I?).
The takeawayWhere your first language already moves elements for emphasis, English emphasis grammar is a translation of an instinct you have – but the punctuation still decides the word order.
At C2 the residue is the finest layer: collocation and register. Ukrainian source patterns surface as near-miss English – морський ('of the sea') becomes sea city where English fixes coastal city or port city; a noun-for-noun swap gives the ruling where sustained governance is rule. These are not errors of meaning but of register, and register is precisely what a reader judges. The most dangerous calques are the ones that are flawless in the source and merely slightly off in the target: sea city, the ruling, sadly to say. Meaning survives; register does not. Banking the exact collocation as a fixed unit is how the seam disappears.
The takeawayBank exact collocations as whole units – at this level the gap between correct and native is a word-partner, not a rule.
Ukrainian expresses possession through the genitive case following the noun – кордони НАТО, literally 'borders of-NATO' – so the English of-construction feels like the default frame and gets used everywhere. English keeps of available but strongly prefers the possessive 's for organisations, groups and people in natural register. The borders of NATO is perfectly grammatical, and that is exactly what makes it hard to catch: nothing is wrong, but it carries a faint accent of translation. NATO's borders is what a native drafter writes.
The takeawayFor organisations, groups and people, reach for 's before you reach for of – the of-frame is grammatical but sounds translated.
Ukrainian builds conditionals with the particle би/б plus a past-tense verb, and that single form covers a range of meanings English splits across zero, first, second, third and mixed types. Speakers transfer the form readily – the shape of a conditional is never the problem – but they can mis-select the type for the intended meaning, because the first language never required them to choose. The golden rule to carry across: no would in the if-clause. Where a Ukrainian speaker produces every type correctly and by meaning, the paradigm has genuinely been rebuilt on the English side rather than translated.
The takeawayYour first language gives you one hypothetical; English asks you to choose which one – decide by the time of the unreal event, not by the feel.
Three of this session's items are pure English idiom that no Ukrainian rule predicts: make (not maintain) small talk, money costs (not takes) a fortune, and compliment as against complement. Beyond that, one preposition case is worth noticing precisely because the first language helps rather than hinders – прийти до згоди uses до = 'to', exactly the English preposition in come to an agreement, so coming in agreement is a slip against a partner the speaker already has, not a deep calque. At the top of the scale this is where the marginal gains live: collocation and register precision, stored phrase by phrase rather than derived from anything.
The takeawayAt C2, stop asking what your first language did and start storing the English partner word – most of what is left is not transfer at all.
Ukrainian encodes many relations English marks with prepositions as case morphology. In free construction that produces the familiar mismatches: depend FROM (залежати від, genitive) for DEPEND ON, contact TO for CONTACT WITH. But the same mechanism has a second storey – inside fixed expressions, where the preposition cannot be derived even in principle, because it is simply part of the phrase. Two clean cases: слухати governs the accusative with no preposition at all, which is why listen loses its to; and служити takes the instrumental to mean 'serve as' (служити прикладом), so the English as has no Ukrainian word behind it, only an ending. Where the first language packs relational work into a case ending, English packs it into a small separate word – and nothing in the speaker's grammar prompts them to supply it.
The takeawayLearn idioms as whole units with the preposition welded on – never as a content word to be assembled.
Ukrainian achieves emphasis chiefly through word order and particles rather than through a dedicated cleft construction – the language's flexible word order does the work that English does with it was ... that. The English cleft is therefore an imported frame, and like all imported frames its joiner is fixed: that, regardless of whether the spotlight falls on a time, a place, a person or a thing. So 'it was a radio programme when I caught this phrase' substitutes a logical joiner for the required one – understandable, since the focus is temporal, but the frame does not flex. The cleft is worth mastering rather than avoiding: it lets you front the element a speaker stressed without disturbing the rest of the sentence.
The takeawayAn it-cleft always joins with that – never when, never where, whatever it is spotlighting.
Ukrainian has no a/an or the; definiteness rides on word order, case and demonstratives (той, ці). So English articles are decided by hand, in both directions at once - hence the real life and an accommodation on the over-use side, alongside in Carpathian mountains on the under-use side, in a single sample. This is the single biggest score-limiter in the file, which is why the milestone review traces it across every session: article errors ran x4, x8, x12+, x2, x5, with the dip coming from a short casual sample rather than from any gain. The rule that clears most of it is a four-way sort rather than a word list: proper nouns and generic uncountables take no article; a first-mention countable takes a or an; a specific, identified noun takes the; and a handful of phrases (have a shower, the same) are learned whole.
The takeawayBefore every noun, run the four-way sort: proper noun or abstract, zero; new countable thing, a/an; specific and identified, the.
Ukrainian verbs come in aspectual pairs (imperfective писати, perfective написати) and there is no English-style perfect family. Crucially, Ukrainian often says 'something came into being' with a reflexive verb in -ся: з'явилося відео ('a video appeared', literally 'showed-itself'). To an English ear that reflexive looks like a passive - which is the bridge to a video was appeared, a passive Ukrainian never built. The mirror image sits in the same session: як це називається ('how it calls-itself') has no active 'it calls' in Ukrainian either, and English carries that meaning with a passive - what it is called. So the same -ся ending pushes towards inventing a passive in one place and dropping the required one in another. The work is not more passive or less passive; it is matching the passive to a transitive verb with a real object.
The takeawayAsk whether the verb has an object to promote: if it does not - appear, happen, arrive, occur, exist - there is no passive to build.
Ukrainian word order is information-structure-driven and readily puts the verb before the subject, especially in existential and locative sentences: там жила моя бабуся, literally 'there lived my grandma', with the subject last because it is the new information. Daily exposure to German reinforces the same movement, because German is a verb-second language and keeps the finite verb in second position. Two systems push in one direction, and out comes a sentence like there was living my other grandma. English will not bend that far: its order is fixed subject-verb-object, and its there is a narrow tool - dummy there introduces existence (there was a house on the hill), not a fronted location with an inverted subject. To place a person somewhere, English puts the subject first and lets an adverb (there) or a relative (where) do the locating.
The takeawayWhen a place comes first in your head, resist fronting it with the verb: put the subject first, or reach for a where-clause.
Here the two systems pull in opposite directions, which is unusually useful. Ukrainian word order is free and information-driven, so fronting a phrase for emphasis comes naturally - only after that... arrives without effort. But Ukrainian does not then flip the subject and the verb, so the English inversion does not come automatically, and the sentence stalls at only after that I can. German works the other way: it is verb-second and does invert after a fronted adverbial - nur danach kann ich, 'only then can I'. So for a Ukrainian speaker working in German, the structure English demands is the one German already supplies. The instinct that produces the fronting is the first language; the fix is available from the second.
The takeawayAfter a fronted only, never, rarely or not until, let the auxiliary jump in front of the subject: only after that can I.
The conditional forms transfer well: the second and third came out correctly built in free speech. The difficulty is not the machinery but the choice. Ukrainian uses one main irrealis construction (би plus the past form) for a range of meanings that English splits across separate types - real and likely (zero and first), unreal now (second), unreal in the past (third), and the mixed type where a past cause has a present result. Because one form covers the ground in the first language, a correctly built third conditional can be aimed at a first-conditional meaning without anything sounding wrong from the inside. The test to apply before speaking is semantic, not formal: is this real or likely, or is it unreal - and if unreal, is it now or in the past? Decide the meaning first, and the form follows.
The takeawayChoose the conditional type from the meaning you intend, not from the shape you find easiest to build.
Ukrainian marks person and number richly on the verb, so agreement as a concept is entirely familiar - which makes the English error look stranger than it is. The specific English third-person singular -s (teaches, gives, means, depends) is a small separate ending attached to a system that otherwise carries very little inflection, and it is the first thing to go under speaking pressure. It was the most frequent slip of the session, and it costs real marks in an exam that rewards frequently error-free sentences. Alongside it sits the copula and auxiliary problem from the same source: Ukrainian leaves the present-tense 'be' implied and does not build a continuous with an auxiliary, so English be goes missing too - when you in the right place, I still thinking, we loosing. Both are surface habits rather than gaps in the system.
The takeawayRun a deliberate check on every third-person singular verb, and on every continuous - is the -s there, and is the be there?
Ukrainian encodes with case morphology many of the relations English marks with prepositions. The meaning is carried by an ending on the noun rather than by a separate little word in front of it, so when the sentence is rebuilt in English there is no source preposition to translate - the particle has to be chosen from scratch, and it drifts. This produces contact to for contact with, in a plane for on a plane, spend time for for spend time on, in Instagram for on Instagram, late at work for late for work, and loyalty for for loyalty to. There is no rule underneath these that would generate the right answer, and no amount of reasoning about spatial logic will settle them. They are best stored as whole units - verb plus particle, noun plus particle - in a short personal list, reviewed often, rather than derived at the moment of speaking.
The takeawayLearn the preposition as part of the word it belongs to, not as a separate choice made mid-sentence.
Not every area produces interference, and it is worth recording where the first language simply helps. Ukrainian carries the same modal functions with close equivalents - повинен for 'should' or 'must', може for 'can' or 'may', міг би for 'could' - and it expresses speculation with probability adverbs such as мабуть ('probably'). Because the concepts map so directly onto English, the modal verbs came out correctly chosen and correctly formed: should for a recommendation, can't for a deduction, could for a possibility. Sixteen errors were logged in that session and not one of them was in a modal. The only gap is range - reaching for might and must have as readily as for should and could - and that is a matter of habit and elicitation, not of first-language interference.
The takeawayWhere the first language has a direct equivalent, the structure usually transfers; spend the effort on range, not on repair.
Two small transfers with the same root cause: the first language offers one form where English keeps two. Як це називається? uses як ('how'), so the calque arrives in English as how it's called - but English asks what something is called, and inverts the question: what is it called? The same reflexive verb underlies the S4 slip how it calls. Separately, where Ukrainian uses a single root for both a noun and its verb, English splits them into two distinct words - product is the noun, produce is the verb; safety is the noun, safe is the adjective; finance is the noun, financial the adjective. The habit to build is a check on the slot rather than on the word: what part of speech does this position want, and is the form in it the right one?
The takeawayAsk what the slot wants - noun, verb or adjective - before you fill it, and use what, not how, for the name of something.
Grouped by grammar point, heaviest first. Every line is real.
Articles and determiners 44
I went to university by bus and then I took taxi to the hotel.
I went to university by bus and then I took a taxi to the hotel.
University with no article because it is the institution, not the building; a taxi because it is one countable thing on first mention. The single biggest band-limiter in this candidate's speaking.
I think South Eastern area of Moscow
the south-eastern area of Moscow
An of-phrase pins a noun down, so the noun it modifies takes the definite article.
WhyUkrainian has no articles at all; specificity rides on case, word order and demonstratives (цей / той). The genitive район Москви already marks the noun as specific and pinned down, so the reader needs no extra word – English has no such case ending to lean on and spends the to do the same job.
he claimed Iberian peninsula will turn into a huge burden
the Iberian peninsula will turn into a huge burden
Named geographical features – peninsulas, seas, ranges – take the.
WhyUkrainian has no article system, so a named feature arrives in English bare; definiteness in the first language is carried by case, word order and context.
the Governor of Lombardy region
the Governor of the Lombardy region
A region built as NAME + common noun takes the: the Lombardy region.
WhyГубернатор Ломбардії – the genitive Ломбардії already marks the noun as specific, so Ukrainian needs no extra word where English requires the.
they ran family business
they ran a family business
A first-mention countable noun takes a/an.
WhyUkrainian has no indefinite article, so first-mention countables surface bare.
since the ancient Greece times
since ancient Greek times
Before a noun such as times, use the adjective (ancient Greek), not the country noun – and the generic time phrase takes no article.
he was not in the politics, he was behind the scenes
he was not in politics, he was behind the scenes
An abstract noun used generically takes the zero article: in politics, under pressure, with patience.
WhyUkrainian той / та / те / ті ('that / those') doubles as a definiteness marker in transfer and can be over-deployed, attaching the to generic abstracts that English leaves bare.
they were controlling the most of it
they were controlling most of it
The quantifier most of takes no article before it: most of it, most of the report – never the most of.
we were not hundred percent certain
we were not a hundred percent certain
A hundred takes the indefinite article.
WhyUkrainian has no articles, so English supplies them fresh – and in both directions.
the capital of Andalusia region
the capital of the Andalusia region
A named region built with the common noun region takes the: the Andalusia region, the Tyrol region.
WhyUkrainian has no article system, so the definite article on a named region has to be supplied fresh in English.
flooded by water from Lisbon sea
flooded with water from the Lisbon Sea
A specific, identifiable thing – including a named body of water – takes the.
WhyUkrainian has no a/an or the; specificity is carried by demonstratives (цей, той), word order and context, so the article on a named body of water has to be supplied fresh.
in Ukrainian system it is called
in the Ukrainian system
A specific system already identified by its modifier takes the.
WhyThe first language has no article system, so a specific identifiable noun surfaces bare.
speak in a rather sophisticated language
speak rather sophisticated language / in a rather sophisticated way
Language in the sense of register is uncountable and takes no article; if you want the article, recast to in a sophisticated way.
WhyThe same no-article system produces over-use as well as under-use: with nothing in the first language to mark definiteness, English articles get supplied by feel rather than rule.
it was under Austro-Hungarian empire
it was under the Austro-Hungarian empire
Named empires, unions and organisations take the: the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the European Union, the Habsburg Monarchy. Countries and months take none.
WhyUkrainian has no article system, so both directions of error are predicted; empires and unions are the the-taking exceptions that have to be held alongside the zero-article rule for countries.
the company hoped for the breakthrough in the market
the company hoped for a breakthrough
A borrowed common noun on first mention takes a, not the. (The strategy in general takes the zero article: breakthrough failed as a doctrine.)
WhyUkrainian has no words equivalent to a/an or the; specificity is carried by demonstratives (цей/ця/це/ці 'this'; той/та/те/ті 'that'), by word order and by context, so the article is supplied fresh in English – and over-use on generics is the dominant direction.
a city in Lombardy region
a city in the Lombardy region
Region, oblast and province names built as NAME + common noun take the: the Lombardy region, the Piedmont oblast, the Basque Country.
WhyWith no article system in the first language, a named region arrives in English bare – the case ending that did the work in Ukrainian has no English equivalent.
it's the second largest city in Lombardy region
the second-largest city in the Lombardy region
The same NAME + common noun rule, and note the hyphen: second-largest.
WhyThe no-article first language leaves the definite article to be supplied fresh every time; twice in one session makes this a fixed unit worth hard-wiring.
they agreed to live by the international law
agreed to abide by international law
The body of law in general is an uncountable generic: zero article. The returns only for a specified instrument – the law of the sea.
WhyOver-use is the dominant direction for a no-article first language: the definite article attaches to abstract and uncountable nouns used generically (the luck, the poverty, the money).
it was a clear violation of the international law
a clear violation of international law
Same pattern, same fix: a generic body of law wears no article.
WhyThe first language marks no definiteness at all, so a generic abstract noun attracts an English the by feel rather than by rule.
to maintain high degree of accuracy
to maintain a high degree of accuracy
A high degree of is a first-mention, singular countable frame – it needs a.
WhyUkrainian has no a/the, so both directions of article error come from the same root: under-use on first-mention countables, over-use on generic uncountables.
they are sharing their impressions on the social media
sharing their impressions on social media
Social media, used generically, is an uncountable mass noun and takes no article.
Whyтой / та / те / ті ('that / those') doubles as a definiteness marker in transfer and nudges the onto nouns English leaves bare – the same over-attachment that produces the Ukraine and the November.
you might come across it in business environment
you might come across it in a business environment
A singular countable noun needs a determiner.
WhyThe first language has no article system, so the determiner has to be supplied consciously.
the exam in the July
the exam in July
English uses no article with the names of months.
WhyUkrainian has no article system to map from, so a or the is added and dropped almost at random until the English rules settle; the over-use direction dominates.
if the Germany hadn't
if Germany hadn't
Country names take no article in modern English.
WhyUkrainian marks definiteness through word order, case and demonstratives rather than articles, so the English article is supplied by hand and attaches to proper nouns that want nothing at all.
we have one month of the holidays
one month of holidays
General plural and uncountable nouns take no article.
I would give younger generation more opportunities
give the younger generation more opportunities
A specific, identified noun takes the.
WhyWith no article system in the first language, errors run in both directions at once: the same sample over-uses the on proper nouns and under-uses it on a specified group.
the Ukraine
Ukraine
Country names take no article in modern English; the Ukraine is an outdated form.
WhyUkrainian has no articles to copy, so under exam speed the English article appears reflexively where the first language offers nothing to translate.
from the November 2025 to the April 2026
from November 2025 to April 2026
Months are proper nouns and take no article.
apart from effort, the luck is a very important point
luck is a very important point
Abstract and uncountable nouns used in general - luck, poverty, money - take no article.
WhyWith definiteness carried by context rather than by a determiner in the first language, abstract nouns attract an English the that adds nothing.
they doesn't earn the money
they don't earn money
Money used in the general sense takes no article, and a plural subject takes don't.
not everyone has the equal opportunities to succeed
equal opportunities
A general plural noun phrase takes no article.
in the most cases
in most cases
In most cases takes no article.
it's the same in the whole Europe
it's the same in the whole of Europe
Continents take no article; to quantify one with whole, English needs the of-frame - the whole of Europe, or all over Europe.
WhyUkrainian у цілій Європі has no article to insert, and the locative case ending already does the grammatical work - there is nothing for the to attach to.
not in the real life
not in real life
An abstract idea used generally takes no article.
WhyUkrainian has no a/an or the; definiteness rides on word order, case and demonstratives (той, ці), so every English article is decided by hand, in both directions.
go to the restaurants
go to restaurants
A general plural takes no article.
in Carpathian mountains
in the Carpathian Mountains
Named mountain ranges take the - and a capital M.
WhyThe same article-less first language produces under-use as readily as over-use: the definite article that belongs on a named range is simply not there to be copied.
I go to shower
I have a shower
Some article patterns are fixed phrases and are learned whole: have a shower.
I would use airplane to get there
I would use a plane to get there
A singular countable noun on first mention needs a or an.
WhyUkrainian supplies no article of any kind, so the under-use direction is as live as the over-use one: proper nouns and abstracts attract a stray the while new countables lose their a.
it depends on person
it depends on the person
A specific, understood noun takes the.
WhyWith no articles in the first language, the same session can run both ways - a stray the on a country and a missing the on a specified noun.
I prefer to study afternoon
I prefer to study in the afternoon
Parts of the day take a fixed phrase: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening - but at night.
that younger generation
the younger generation
A specified group takes the.
cafes are kind of same
cafes are kind of the same
The same is a fixed phrase and always carries the.
I don't have car
I don't have a car
A first-mention singular countable noun takes a or an.
WhyUkrainian has no a/an/the, so every English article is supplied by hand; the under-use direction shows up on exactly these new countable nouns.
I have Ukrainian driving licence
I have a Ukrainian driving licence
An adjective in front of the noun does not remove the need for the article.
Collocation 32
the night before yesterday's night
the night before last
English compresses the whole time expression into one fixed phrase – the night before last, the day before yesterday – with no doubling of the noun.
WhyUkrainian позавчора вночі packs 'the-day-before-yesterday' and 'at night' into one tidy phrase; carried across word for word it doubles the noun in English.
there was a sad history, according to the old regime
there was a grim history under the old regime (or: during its rule)
'Under X' marks a period of rule; 'according to X' marks a source. The two are not interchangeable.
Whyза + a ruler's name in the genitive is read temporally in Ukrainian ('under / in the time of'), never as 'according to'. Source-attribution takes a different phrase entirely – за словами режиму ('by the old regime's words'). The first language keeps the two senses apart; the calque collapsed them.
it reminds a situation of the last century
it is reminiscent of a situation in the last century
English remind will not take a bare object idea: it needs reminds me of, or the adjective phrase is reminiscent of.
Whyнагадує ситуацію (nahaduye sytuatsiyu) = 'reminds [a]-situation' – verb + bare accusative object, no me, no of. Ukrainian нагадувати normally takes a dative experiencer too (нагадує мені, 'reminds me'), so even the source prefers a me; English simply makes it obligatory and adds of.
they are planning to make a full lock down
to impose (or enforce) a full lockdown
The do/make light verb is too light for this noun: English imposes or enforces a lockdown. (And lockdown is one word as a noun.)
Whyзробити локдаун (zrobyty lokdaun) = 'to do/make [a] lockdown' – the light verb зробити carries the action. Ukrainian also reaches for heavier verbs here – запровадити ('introduce/impose') – so the light зробити is the casual choice the source itself upgrades in formal register.
the pipeline which is giving the gas for the city
the pipeline which supplies the gas for the city
Where a system provides a commodity, English selects supply or provide, not the light verb give.
WhyA Slavic light-verb collocation carried whole: the syntax is native English but the verb-and-noun pairing comes straight from the source.
a cracking unit
a single point of failure / the linchpin / the weak link
Where the source renders a structural-weakness idea literally, English already has a fixed metaphor – pick the register the text wants.
WhyA literal rendering of вузол (vuzol, 'node/knot') or слабка ланка (slabka lanka, 'weak link'). Ukrainian has its own fixed metaphor – слабка ланка – so the source would not say cracking unit either; the calque is an on-the-fly coinage, not a real source idiom.
the mid of July
the middle of July / mid-July
Use the middle of July or the compound mid-July – but never the mid of, which mixes the two.
if they put cars on fire
if they set cars on fire
The fixed collocation is SET something ON FIRE, not put.
it's a sea city
it's a coastal city (a port city)
English fixes this as coastal city, port city or seaside town – sea city is not an available compound.
Whyморське місто / місто біля моря – морський is the natural Ukrainian adjective 'of the sea', so the word-for-word map is sea + city. Ukrainian would balk at nothing: морське місто is perfectly idiomatic, which is why the calque is invisible from inside the first language.
it was under the Polish ruling
it was under Polish rule
A ruling is a single decision (a court's ruling); sustained governance is rule – under Polish rule, under Habsburg rule. And the phrase takes no article.
Whyпід польським пануванням / правлінням – one Ukrainian noun covers 'rule', and the first language does not distinguish a single decision from sustained governance.
sadly to say
sad to say (or: sadly, / regrettably,)
The set phrase is adjective + to say – sad to say – or the bare sentence adverb sadly, / regrettably,.
Whyна жаль, мушу сказати / сумно казати – the adverbial 'sadly' maps straight onto the sentence, dragging -ly into a slot English keeps for the adjective. Ukrainian would balk at nothing; the adverb is the natural choice in the source and English simply fixes the idiom differently.
this is why it was called this way
this is why it was given that name / why it's called that
English names things that, not this way – this way means manner, not designation.
WhyA calque of називається так, where the Ukrainian manner adverb covers the designation sense English splits off.
coming in agreement
coming to an agreement (or reaching an agreement)
English fixes this as come to / reach an agreement – store it as one lexical chunk rather than building it from the verb outward.
WhyHere the first language actually helps: прийти до згоди uses до = 'to', exactly the English preposition – so this is a slip against a partner already available, not a deep calque.
how to maintain a small talk
how to make small talk
The verb is fixed – you make small talk – and the noun is uncountable, so no a.
it would take you a fortune
it would cost you a fortune
Time takes but money costs – a visit costs a fortune.
it may serve a litmus test of improve police performance
it may serve as a litmus test of improved police performance
The frame is serve AS a litmus test OF something – both small words are compulsory. And after of, an adjective or noun, not a bare verb.
WhyUkrainian служити takes the instrumental case to mean 'serve as' (служити прикладом, 'serve as an example') – the case ending is the as, so English needs a word where Ukrainian needs only an ending.
he was taking an interview from
he was interviewing / he was conducting an interview with
English splits the event by role: the journalist conducts an interview with someone (or simply interviews them); the person who answers gives an interview to the outlet.
WhyUkrainian брати інтерв'ю у is literally 'to take an interview from', and it calques whole – a complete, natural phrase in the source that arrives as a complete, unnatural one in English.
she's a lawyer by her background
she's a lawyer by background
The expression is fixed and takes no possessive: by + bare noun – by background, by training, by profession.
WhyUkrainian за освітою ('by education') behaves the same way, with no possessor – so this is the English fixed frame being over-filled rather than a first-language calque.
a lot of amount of money
a lot of money
A lot of already carries the quantity; adding amount of doubles it.
I'm the opinion that
I'm of the opinion that
The fixed phrase is to be of the opinion that.
things he's interesting to
things he's interested in
You are interested in something; the thing itself is interesting.
someone was borned with silver spoon in mouth
born with a silver spoon in his mouth
Idioms are fixed: the articles and the possessive inside them are part of the phrase.
it's case by case basis
it's a case-by-case basis
The idiom is on a case-by-case basis - hyphenated, and with the article.
I didn't make any thoughts about my future
give any thought to
English says give thought to something, not make thoughts about it.
a good successor
a high achiever / a success story
A successor is the next person in a role; for someone who has done well, English says a high achiever or a success story.
to concentrate the whole ten hours
to concentrate for ten hours
A duration takes for.
there's no air condition system
air-conditioning
Air-conditioning is the fixed term.
go for a running outside
go for a run outside
Either go for a run (run as a countable noun) or go running (bare gerund) - never both patterns at once.
traffic was so long
traffic was so bad
Traffic is heavy or bad; a queue or a delay is long.
make a bigger pressure
put more pressure
English puts pressure on someone; it does not make it.
WhyThe verb-specific collocations English builds with put and do cannot be assembled from a general 'make' verb, so they have to be stored as fixed pairings.
to make a masters degree
to do a master's degree
You do a degree, not make one - and master's takes an apostrophe.
a more quantitative bachelor degree
a bachelor's degree
The qualification takes the genitive -'s: a bachelor's degree, a master's degree.
Subject-verb agreement 16
comparing with the scale of attack the number of casualties were..
Compared with the scale of the attack, the number of casualties was...
The number of + plural noun takes a singular verb (the number was); contrast a number of... were.
our lectures is
our lectures are
A plural subject takes a plural verb.
something that cost much more than it should be
something that costs more than it should
Third-person singular present takes -s, and should stands alone without a stray be.
results is the top one things to be rewarded
results are the top thing to be rewarded
A plural subject takes are, and the top thing is singular.
hard work is not always leads to success
hard work does not always lead to success
One verb per idea: use the auxiliary does with the base form, not is plus a finite verb.
one exam, in the end of the semester which evaluate the whole grade for the courses
at the end of the semester, which evaluates
Third-person singular present takes -s, and the fixed phrase is at the end.
it depend on the situation
it depends on the situation
Third-person singular present takes -s.
WhyUkrainian marks person and number richly on the verb, so agreement itself is second nature - but the specific English -s is a separate small ending that drops under speaking pressure.
when you in the right place at the right time
when you're in the right place
The present-tense copula cannot be dropped in English.
WhySlavic leaves the present-tense 'be' implied, so English feels redundant - but it is obligatory. A breath before a comparison or an opinion catches most of these.
he do a lot of cringe stuff
he does a lot of cringe stuff
Third-person singular present takes -s: he does, she makes, it works.
the prices in the Alps is high
the prices in the Alps are high
The verb agrees with the head of the subject - prices - not with the nearest noun.
WhyUkrainian marks person and number on the verb stem, so the extra English auxiliary agreement is one more layer to hold under speed.
a course that teach children about money
a course that teaches children
A singular subject takes the -s form of the verb.
WhyUkrainian marks person and number richly on the verb, so agreement is second nature - but the specific English third-person -s is a separate small ending, and it is the first thing to drop under speaking pressure.
it also give them really important life skills
it also gives them skills
Third-person singular present takes -s.
that mean I will work two years minimum
that means I will work
That as a singular subject takes means.
some of them is not adults
some of them are not adults
Some of them is plural, so the verb is are.
younger generation don't
the younger generation doesn't
Generation is a singular collective noun and takes a singular verb.
social media make us
social media makes us
In the 'social media' sense, media is treated as an uncountable singular and takes a singular verb - and it never takes a plural -s.
Countability 16
there seems to be a major progress in
there seems to be major progress in
Progress is uncountable – no a, no plural. Quantify it with much / little / some / significant / major (bare), or a great deal of progress.
WhyUkrainian прогрес is countable, which is where the stray article comes from.
choosing another tactics
choosing a different tactic (or different tactics)
Another needs a singular noun; for a plural, drop it and use different.
I had few information
I had little information
Information is uncountable, so the quantifier is little, not few – few is for countables (few details).
WhySeveral English uncountables have countable Ukrainian counterparts, so a plural or a count quantifier slips in.
passenger transportations
passenger transport
Transport is uncountable: no plural. If you need to count, use a unit noun – a means of transport.
WhyThe Ukrainian counterpart is countable, so the English plural -s attaches where English allows none. The set to hold as uncountable: information, transport, advice, research, news.
huge money were being invested
a huge amount of money was being invested
Money is uncountable and singular, so it needs a quantifier frame (a huge amount of / huge sums of) and singular agreement.
if you are a retired elderly people
if you are a retired elderly person
People is plural and cannot follow a; the singular is person.
we don't have a really good contact
really good contact
Uncountable nouns such as contact and accommodation take no a.
If I had more money, I would invest them
If I had more money, I would invest it
Money is uncountable, so the pronoun is it, not them.
it's one of the popular drink here
one of the popular drinks here
One of the is always followed by a plural - you pick one from many.
they could make a really nice jokes about everything
they could make really nice jokes about everything
The indefinite article cannot sit in front of a plural: either drop the a or make the noun singular.
especially because of the social medias
especially because of social media
Social media is an uncountable mass noun: no plural, no article.
WhyUkrainian counts and pluralises some of these freely - соціальні мережі is a plural - which is where the stray English endings come from.
I found an accommodation
I found accommodation
Accommodation is uncountable: no an, no plural.
he has own plans about this whole situations
he has his own plans about this whole situation
Own needs a determiner in front of it (his own), and this agrees with a singular noun.
one of the famous place
one of the most famous places
One of the takes a plural - and the superlative takes most.
mens
men
Man has an irregular plural: men, never mens.
you could take two specialisation in different fields
two specialisations
A countable noun after two must be plural.
Prepositions 14
despite of the island's territory
despite the island's territory / in spite of the island's territory
Despite already means 'in spite of' – it never takes of. Store two clean shapes and never cross them: despite + noun; in spite of + noun.
WhyThe Ukrainian unit is незважаючи на + accusative – a fixed pair with no з ('of / from') anywhere inside it, so even a Ukrainian ear would reject a stray 'of'. The English error invents a preposition the source never contained.
they speculate on those news
speculate about that news
The verb is speculate about, not on – and news is uncountable, so that news, never those news.
WhyUkrainian folds relations into case endings, so the English preposition and the verb's complement pattern have to be chosen anew each time. Store the high-frequency pairs as fixed units.
they were prohibited to use those tools on the Russian territory
prohibited from using those tools in Russian territory
Prohibited takes from + -ing, never to + infinitive.
WhyUkrainian encodes the relation in a case ending, so the English preposition and complement pattern are chosen fresh – and often wrongly.
on the night from Saturday to Sunday
overnight from Saturday into Sunday / on Saturday night / in the early hours of Sunday
English news register prefers overnight, or names the single night – the frame 'on the night from X to Y' does not exist.
WhyA direct calque of в ніч з суботи на неділю: the з...на case frame is Ukrainian time logic wearing English prepositions.
we operate by the headquarters
we operate from / out of the headquarters (or: we are based at the headquarters)
By the headquarters means only physical adjacency in English; operating out of a place takes from or out of.
WhyUkrainian при штабі ('at/by the headquarters') surfaces as by – the preposition is a case relation translated word for word.
we have this debate of trade agreement
this debate about / over the trade agreement
Debate takes about or over its topic; of never introduces the subject of a debate.
WhyUkrainian folds the relation into a case ending, so the English preposition has to be chosen anew and the of-genitive is the default reach.
I listen English radio
I listen to English radio
Listen always takes TO.
WhyIn Ukrainian слухати governs the accusative directly (слухати радіо, no preposition at all), so there is nothing in the first language to prompt the English to.
they are playing jokes at each other
they are playing jokes on each other
Three English frames worth separating: play a joke ON someone (a prank), make a joke ABOUT something (a remark), joke WITH someone (banter).
WhyUkrainian жартувати pairs with з or над, neither of which maps to English on.
good contact to our professors
contact with
The noun contact takes with, not to.
WhySlavic prepositions map unpredictably onto English ones, so the English particle drifts; these are best stored as fixed pairs rather than derived.
I was in a plane
on a plane
English uses on for travel on a plane, a train or a bus.
WhyUkrainian encodes with case morphology many relations English marks with prepositions, so the English particle is guessed rather than recalled.
to spend time for their own things
spend time on
You spend time on something.
to block someone in Instagram
to block someone on Instagram
Platforms take on: on Instagram, on the app.
WhyUkrainian encodes such relations with case rather than a fixed preposition, so the English particle drifts; store these as whole units.
late at work
late for work
You are late for work or for a meeting.
WhyCase-driven prepositions transfer unevenly from Ukrainian, so high-frequency collocations are better stored as fixed units than derived from a rule.
loyalty for your close friends
loyalty to your close friends
The collocation is loyalty to.
WhyCase-driven prepositions transfer imperfectly from Ukrainian; store the high-frequency pairs as fixed units.
Word order 10
was so much boasting about this
kept boasting about this / was boasting about this endlessly
English fixes degree adverbs after the lexical verb and its object, or – for repeated, insistent action – recasts with kept (on) + -ing.
WhyUkrainian word order is information-driven rather than fixed by a subject–verb–object frame, and it places adverbs freely, so a degree adverb sits comfortably in front of the verb.
I don't know what was the case
I don't know what the case was
A direct question inverts (What was the case?); an embedded one does not – it keeps statement order, subject before verb.
WhyUkrainian word order is information-structure-driven and does not force the un-inversion English requires inside an indirect question, so the direct-question order survives into the embedded clause.
it's a central north city
it's a north-central city
English orders compound directions with the primary axis last: north-central, south-eastern.
I can find there everything I need
I can find everything I need there
The object goes before the adverb: the verb keeps its object, and the place adverb follows.
WhyUkrainian word order is information-driven rather than a fixed subject-verb-object frame, so adverbs slide forward into positions English will not allow.
I was the whole time at home
I was at home the whole time
English keeps the verb near its complement and pushes the time phrase to the end - place before time.
WhyTwo systems push the other way. Ukrainian's free, information-driven order lets the time phrase slide forward, and daily exposure to German reinforces it, because German places the time adverbial directly after the finite verb and before the place: Ich war die ganze Zeit zu Hause ('I was the-whole-time at-home').
you can spend there a really good time
you can have a really good time there
Verb and object stay together, and the place adverbial goes to the end. (The collocation is have a good time, not spend one.)
WhyUkrainian word order is flexible, and time in a German-speaking environment reinforces mid-sentence placement, so adverbials land where the other two systems allow but English does not.
the prices now there
the prices there now
Place before time.
I did with him a lot of exercises
I did a lot of exercises with him
The object stays with its verb; the prepositional phrase follows.
a lot of people use here bicycles
a lot of people use bicycles here
The adverb cannot come between the verb and its object.
there was living my other grandma
my other grandma lived there
English word order is rigidly subject-verb, and dummy there introduces existence (there was a house), not a fronted location with an inverted subject.
WhyUkrainian sets word order by what is known and what is new, and happily fronts the place with the verb before the subject: там жила моя бабуся ('there lived my grandma'). A German-speaking environment pushes the same way, because German is verb-second. Two forces, one direction.
verb forms 8
he sitted by me
he sat by me
Sit is irregular: the past is sat, never sitted.
it was nice to knowing the whole Italian stuff
nice to know
The base form follows to in an infinitive.
borned in the rich family
born into a rich family
Born is the participle of bear - never borned - and English says born into a family.
bringed
brought
Bring is irregular: the past and participle are brought.
they was born
they were born
A plural subject takes were.
many of them don't left
many of them didn't leave
A past negative is didn't plus the base form - the auxiliary carries the tense, so the main verb does not.
we loosing our traditions
we are losing our traditions
The continuous needs the auxiliary be - and the spelling is losing, one o; loosing comes from loose.
WhyUkrainian drops the present-tense copula and does not build a continuous with an auxiliary at all, so English be goes missing under speed.
I would have gotten a better grade
would have got
In British English the past participle of get is got; gotten is the American form and reads as inconsistent in a UK-targeted register.
word form 6
humans history
human history
A noun used attributively before another noun stays singular.
a prestige degree
a prestigious degree
The slot before a noun wants the adjective, not the noun: prestigious, not prestige.
a really safety place to work
a really safe place to work
The slot before a noun wants the adjective: safe, not the noun safety.
to product the software
to produce the software
Product is the noun; the verb is produce.
WhyWhere Ukrainian uses one root for both the noun and the verb, English splits them into two words.
I am interesting in fields like corporate finance
I am interested in corporate finance
The -ed participle describes how you feel; the -ing participle describes the thing causing the feeling.
it's high demanded
it's highly demanded
To modify a participle you need the adverb - highly demanded - or the cleaner idiom, in high demand.
Comparatives 5
more smarter
smarter
Comparison is marked once: either -er or more, never both.
it's usually working less effective as the normal one
working less effectively than the normal one
Compare with than, not as - and modify a verb with the adverb (effectively).
people in Ukraine more open than in Germany
people in Ukraine are more open than in Germany
A comparison of adjectives needs the copula: people are more open than...
WhySlavic languages can leave the present-tense verb 'be' implied, so the English copula feels redundant and drops out under speed - but in English it is obligatory.
considered to be more healthier
considered to be healthier
Comparison is marked once: healthy becomes healthier, so more is one marker too many.
worser than that is the queues
worse than that is the queues
Worse is already the comparative of bad; worser doubles a comparative that is already there.
The passive 4
a video was appeared
a video appeared
Appear is intransitive - it has no object to promote, so it has no passive. The test: is there an object to promote? No object, no passive.
WhyUkrainian often says 'something came into being' with a reflexive verb in -ся: з'явилося відео ('a video showed-itself'). To an English ear that reflexive looks like a passive, which is the bridge to was appeared - but Ukrainian never built a бути ('be') plus participle passive there at all.
I'm not sure how it calls
I'm not sure what it's called
To name something, English uses the passive: what it is called.
WhyUkrainian як це називається ('how this calls-itself') carries the same reflexive -ся ending. Note the mirror: the same -ся wants no passive with a verb of appearance, and requires one here.
how it's called?
what is it called?
English asks what something is called, and inverts the question: what is it called?
WhyЯк це називається? uses як ('how'), which calques straight into English as how it's called; English requires what, plus subject-auxiliary inversion.
how does it called?
what is it called?
There is no do-support in the passive: the question is built with be - and it takes what, not how, for a name.
WhyThe Ukrainian reflexive називається ('calls-itself') offers no passive to copy, and як ('how') supplies the wrong question word.
Relative clauses 4
the guy that didn't even go to the university got the job
The guy who didn't even go to university got the job
Use who for people, and go to university takes no article when it means attend as a student.
scenes which was filmed
scenes which were filmed
Inside a relative clause the verb still agrees with its antecedent - scenes is plural, so which were.
so nice culture
such a nice culture
So attaches to an adjective or adverb alone (so nice, so quickly); such attaches to a noun phrase, with a or an where the noun is singular countable.
so nice universities
such nice universities
Such, not so, before an adjective plus noun - and both then drive a that-clause of result.
Tense 4
the accident is very unexpected
the accident was very unexpected
A finished past event takes the past simple.
when we was there we usually go skiing every day
when we were there we usually went skiing every day
Keep a past narrative in the past throughout, and a plural subject takes were.
I was being late
I was late
Late is a state, so it takes no continuous.
WhySlavic has no continuous form for states, so the English progressive is over-applied where the simple form is required.
how our world is working
how our world works
A general truth takes the simple present, not the continuous.
word formation 4
some Europe architectural design
some European architectural design
Europe is the place; the adjective is European.
WhySlavic derivational morphology does not map one-to-one onto English, so a place name stands in for its adjective.
Swedish or Dane
Swedish or Danish
Nationality words split into noun (a person) and adjective: a Dane / a Swede are people; the adjectives are Danish / Swedish. Keep the pair parallel.
WhySlavic derivational morphology does not keep the English noun/adjective split, so a nationality noun stands in for its adjective.
an Japan manufactured camera
a Japanese-manufactured camera
For origin, use the adjective, hyphenated in the compound: an Iranian-manufactured drone, a Chinese-made component.
statespersons
statespeople (or statesmen and stateswomen)
Statesperson exists, but the natural plural is statespeople; statespersons reads as a coinage.
Inversion 2
Oh, how old I was?
How old I was! (exclamation) / How old was I? (question)
An exclamation keeps subject-verb order and ends in !; a question inverts and ends in ?. Choose the punctuation and the order together.
only after that I can get my driving licence
only after that can I get my driving licence
When a restrictive or negative adverbial is fronted - only after that, only then, not until, never, rarely, no sooner - the auxiliary jumps in front of the subject.
WhyUkrainian word order is free and information-driven, so fronting for emphasis comes naturally - but Ukrainian does not then flip subject and verb, so the English inversion does not follow automatically. German, by contrast, is verb-second and does invert after a fronted adverbial (nur danach kann ich), so a German-speaking environment is an ally on exactly this point.
Pronunciation 2
mosaic – stress pulled onto the first syllable
mosaic /məʊˈzeɪɪk/ – three syllables, stress on the second: mo-ZAY-ik
The -aic cluster pulls the stress onto the second syllable, and the ending is /ɪk/, not /eɪk/. Anchor it against archaic /ɑːˈkeɪɪk/ and prosaic /prəʊˈzeɪɪk/ – same shape, same stress.
mattresses (for matrices)
matrices – MAY-triss-eez (mattresses = MAT-riss-iz)
The two words differ by stress placement and the unstressed middle vowel. Say them as a minimal pair.
verb patterns 2
they are interested not to tell about it
they have an interest in not mentioning it (or: they're reluctant to talk about it)
Tell needs a person as its object; a negative intention reads better as an interest in not doing something.
the key association it gives to me
the key association it gives me
With GIVE, English prefers the double object when the recipient is a pronoun – gives me, tell me, show me.
WhyUkrainian would use the dative case for the recipient, and that dative surfaces as an over-explicit English to.
cleft 1
it was a radio program when I caught this phrase
it was on a radio programme that I caught this phrase
An it-cleft always joins with that, whatever it is spotlighting – it was on the radio that I heard it. When feels natural because the focus is a moment, but the cleft frame does not bend. (British English spells it programme; program is reserved for software.)
WhyUkrainian achieves emphasis chiefly through word order and particles rather than a dedicated cleft construction, so the English cleft is an imported frame – and like all imported frames its joiner is fixed.
The copula 1
there some people on top positions
there are some people in top positions
English requires the copula in existential and predicate statements: there are, he is.
WhyUkrainian drops the present-tense copula (він студент, 'he student' = 'he is a student'), which surfaces as a missing is/are under speed.
dangling modifier 1
comparing with the scale of attack...
Compared with the scale of the attack...
The fixed comparative frame is the past participle – compared with/to. Comparing with makes the following subject do the comparing, which is a dangling participle.
Possessives 1
the borders of NATO expanded
NATO's borders expanded
Organisations take the possessive 's in natural register; of stays available but reads as a shade of translationese.
WhyUkrainian expresses possession through the genitive case following the noun (кордони НАТО, literally 'borders of-NATO'), so the English of-construction feels like the default frame.
Perfect tenses 1
I wasn't in Spain
I haven't been to Spain
For life experience - 'not in my life so far' - English uses the present perfect; the simple past sounds like one finished occasion.
WhyUkrainian's aspect system makes the simple past feel sufficient for experience, because aspect rather than tense carries the completed-versus-continuing distinction there.
Quantifiers 1
a dozen of regions now
a dozen regions now
A dozen takes the noun directly – a dozen regions, no of.
WhyThe stray of is a calque from the partitive genitive, which is what Ukrainian uses after a quantifier.
verb form 1
they are the most difficult to shot down
the most difficult to shoot down
After to, the base form of the verb: to shoot, not the past shot.
vocabulary 1
complementing people's dressing for example
complimenting people's clothing / what they were wearing
Complement (to complete, to go well with) and compliment (to praise) are homophones – praising someone's outfit is a compliment. And dressing is the act, or a sauce or a bandage; the things people wear are clothing, clothes or an outfit.
WhyUkrainian одяг collapses the English clothing/dressing distinction into one noun.
These are the Ukrainian corrections only. The full archive holds every language side by side, filterable by grammar point and level: the marking archive. Other languages: Polish, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Turkish.
A rule earns its place by being produced correctly and unprompted, not by being explained once.
The article three-way – regions, generics and instruments
A region with a common-noun head takes THE (the Lombardy region). A generic body of law takes NOTHING (a violation of international law). A named instrument takes THE (the trade agreement). Six article errors in one session fell under exactly these three rules.
CautionThe definite article on the instrument does not license one on the generic: it is the trade agreement but plain international law, and the two can appear in the same sentence.
The four-way article sort
Sort every noun before you speak it: proper nouns and generic uncountables take no article; a first-mention countable takes a or an; a specific, identified noun takes the.
CautionThe sort runs in both directions. Over-correcting by simply deleting articles produces the opposite error - the missing a on a car and the missing the on the younger generation cost exactly as much as a stray the on a country.
The proper-noun rule
Country names and month names take no article in modern English; the Ukraine is an outdated form and Germany never took one.
CautionNamed ranges and some plural or compound names go the other way and do take the - the Carpathian Mountains, the Alps, the European Union - so the rule is about simple proper nouns, not about every capitalised word.
No object, no passive
A passive is built by promoting an object to subject position, so a verb with no object cannot be passivised at all - the test is simply whether there is an object to promote.
CautionThe opposite failure sits right next to it: avoiding the passive where English requires it. To name something, English needs the passive - what it is called, not how it calls.
The fronted-adverbial inversion trigger
When a restrictive or negative adverbial is fronted for emphasis - only after that, only then, not until, never, rarely, no sooner - the auxiliary must jump in front of the subject.
CautionThe trigger is the fronted restrictive or negative phrase, not emphasis in general - a fronted ordinary adverbial (Last year we...) takes no inversion at all.
Mark the comparison once
A comparison carries exactly one marker: either the -er ending or more, never both - and an irregular comparative already contains its marker.
CautionThe partner rule is the comparison word itself: compare with than, not as - less effectively than the normal one.
So versus such in a result clause
So attaches to an adjective or adverb alone; such attaches to a noun phrase, taking a or an where the noun is singular countable. Both then drive a that-clause of result.
CautionThe clause frame itself is usually not the problem - it is the selector in front of it, so check whether a noun follows before choosing between so and such.
One of the plus a plural
One of the is always followed by a plural noun, because you are picking one item out of many.
CautionThe related trap is the reverse: a singular article cannot sit in front of a plural at all - really nice jokes, or a really nice joke, but never a really nice jokes.
Verb and object together, place before time
English keeps a verb next to its object and sends adverbials to the end of the clause, with place before time.
CautionGerman pushes the opposite way, placing the time adverbial directly after the finite verb and before the place, so a German-speaking environment reinforces the very order English rejects.
-ed for the feeler, -ing for the cause
The -ed participle describes how a person feels; the -ing participle describes the thing that produces the feeling.
CautionTo modify a participle you need an adverb, not an adjective: highly demanded, not high demanded - or use the cleaner idiom, in high demand.
Collectives and mass nouns take a singular verb
A collective noun such as generation takes a singular verb, and media in the 'social media' sense is treated as an uncountable singular with no plural -s.
CautionStrictly, media is the plural of medium - but in the social-media sense everyday English takes it as an uncountable singular, and never as medias.
The specified-versus-bare contrast
A noun made specific by a following relative clause takes the definite article, where the same noun in its bare general sense takes none.
CautionThe contrast is created by the modifier, not by the noun: adding the to the general sense (forgetting the English) is the over-correction it invites.
Bare country or city name takes zero: Spain, Italy, Lisbon, Moscow – no the.
Named feature or peninsula takes the: the Iberian peninsula, the Black Sea, the Tyrol.
An of-phrase pins the noun down, so the noun takes the: the south-eastern area of Moscow.
Abstract noun, used generically, takes zero: in politics, under pressure, with patience – not the politics.
Progress is uncountable: major progress, much progress – never a progress. Same for advice, information, research.
Despite never takes of. Despite the delay = in spite of the delay. Pick one shape; don't blend.
Must be = near-certain. Can't be = impossible. Might, could, may be = possible. The modal carries the certainty.
Past deduction wears have: he must have left already; they can't have known; it might have rained overnight.
Reminiscent of, or reminds me of – never reminds a situation with a bare object.
Prohibited from + -ing, never prohibited to use.
Under X rule, not the X ruling. A ruling is one decision; sustained governance is rule.
THE on a named empire or union – the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the EU – but zero on countries and months.
Inversion after negatives: Never has...; Only after... did... And the it-cleft: It was X that...
Region with a common-noun head takes THE. The Lombardy region. Every time.
International law in general wears no article. A named instrument wears THE.
The number of... WAS. A number of... WERE.
Money is singular. Sums are plural. Choose your frame before you speak.
English names things THAT, not this way.
NATO's borders, the mission's mandate – organisations own things with 's.
Come TO an agreement – reach or come to an agreement, never come in.
You MAKE small talk, and the noun takes no article.
It COSTS a fortune. Money costs; only time and effort take.
Compliment = praise; complement = complete or pair with. And people wear clothing, not dressing.
Say it once: cohesion means refer back – the latter, this, such, one, do so.
Learn the phrase with its preposition attached – they are one word.
Serve AS a litmus test OF. Two small words, both compulsory.
Listen TO. In Ukrainian the case does it; in English I must say it.
Conduct an interview WITH; give an interview TO.
It was on the radio THAT I heard it. A cleft always joins with THAT.
No object, no passive. Appear, happen, arrive, occur, exist and remain never passivise: a risk appeared, not was appeared.
The passive needs a real object: they built the model becomes the model was built. The active object becomes the passive subject.
Article triage: unique, the; first-mention countable, a; general, uncountable or abstract, zero.
Mark the comparison once: healthier, worse - never more healthier or worser.
Place before time: the prices there now, not the prices now there.
Fronted only, never or not until: invert. Only then did I; never have we.
Dummy there is for existence only: there was a house - not a fronted place with the verb in front of the subject.
Late is a state: I was late, not I was being late - and late for work, not at work.
Past perfect is the earlier past: I had imagined it before I came; we had closed the books before the auditors arrived.
A general truth takes the simple present: how the world works, not how the world is working.
Real or likely, zero or first. Unreal now, second. Unreal past, third. Match the type to the meaning, and the form follows.
What is it called? The passive names things - there is no do-support in it, and no how.
The continuous needs BE: we are losing, not we losing.
German V2 is an ally for inversion: nur danach kann ich becomes only then can I.
A report that only lists faults teaches you nothing about what to keep.
was being invested
CreditedCredit where due: the past continuous passive itself is perfectly built. The structure lands and only the packaging around it slips – which is exactly the profile of an advanced speaker whose remaining errors are about small words, not machinery.
If I had known then what I know now, I would have done many things differently...
CreditedA fully formed third conditional in free writing, not in a gapped exercise - the structure is consolidated rather than emergent.
If I had known more about different careers..., I might have chosen a more quantitative degree...
CreditedThe real C1 marker: the modal in the result clause is varied - could have, might have - so it marks degree of possibility rather than repeating would have mechanically.
German words come to my mind first
CreditedThe one live test of verb-second interference in the sample, and it was fixed unprompted - under daily pressure from a verb-second language, the English subject-verb-object order held.
how our world works
CreditedA general truth in the simple present with no continuous-for-general-truth slip - the aspect distinction the first language does not mark this way.
forgetting the English I learned at school
CreditedThe subtle reading taken correctly: the relative clause specifies the noun, so the definite article is right here where it would be wrong in the bare general sense (forgetting English).
If I had more money, I would invest it
CreditedA clean second conditional built correctly in free speech - if plus past, would plus base - which is what turned a provisional call into a confirmed one.
I had imagined it was a really safe place to work before I came
CreditedThe past-perfect sequence is exactly right - had imagined for the earlier event, came for the later one - and it earns the verdict on its own, independently of the word-form slip inside the same sentence.
it's considered to be healthier
CreditedA correctly built simple passive produced spontaneously - which is why the verdict on the passive is partial rather than absent: production is not the problem, avoidance elsewhere is.
I would use a plane to get there
CreditedA clean purpose clause - the infinitive of purpose used naturally in speech, and enough on its own to book the purpose target as absorbed at form.
the traffic was so bad that I was late
CreditedThe so... that result frame is correctly assembled; only the so/such selector slipped elsewhere, so the clause structure itself is credited.
only after that ...
CreditedThe fronting instinct is right: the restrictive adverbial was pushed to the front for emphasis exactly as intended, which localises the fault to the single missing inversion that has to follow.
the guy that didn't even go to university got the job
CreditedUsed to support a point about luck versus effort - a claim, an example, then a qualification. Argument structure of this kind is band-7 fluency and is credited independently of grammatical accuracy.
This is the marking talking to itself. It is here because it is the honest evidence that the rest of the page came from somewhere.
No single grammar point was set, so the session's dominant pattern stood in its place. Seven of fourteen slips were article choices, and they fell cleanly into two opposite directions: omission with named, pinned-down nouns (South Eastern area of Moscow, Governor of Lombardy region, Iberian peninsula) and over-use with generic abstracts and quantifiers (in the politics, the most of it).
Half the error load sitting in one count is a dominant cluster, not a stray slip, so ABSORBED is unavailable. But the errors are not random either – they resolve into two named sub-rules that can be handed straight to the student (named features and of-modified nouns take the; generic abstract nouns and most of take zero), and the direction splits evenly, which is a sub-type split rather than a failure of the system. PARTIALLY ABSORBED is the only shape that records both facts at once. This is the persistent Slavic-L1 article ceiling at C2 – the last stubborn millimetre, not a sign of slipping.
Across a conversation built entirely on inference – what the evidence suggests, what can't be the case, what might have happened – not one of the fourteen logged errors is a deduction modal.
An absent target can mean either mastery or avoidance, so the call has to be argued rather than assumed. Here the material was saturated with inference and the student has C2 control, which makes silence read as the structure working rather than as the structure going untested. It is graded provisional because there are no itemised productions to point at, and the homework consolidates and extends the family (must be / can't be / might be for the present; must have been / can't have been / might have been for the past) so the verdict can be confirmed rather than assumed.
No misjudged deduction surfaced anywhere in eleven logged specimens, and the one modal actually reached for – it could be flooded – is exactly right for a hedged possibility.
At C2 an absent target plus one correct spontaneous production reads as control, not as a gap: there is a positive production to point at, which is what separates this from a bare untested silence. The first language even supplies a near-equivalent (має бути 'must be', мабуть 'probably'), so the meaning was available and simply came out right. It stays provisional because a single production is thin evidence, and the homework moves the work to register range rather than to the forms themselves.
Knowing the pattern your first language produces is most of the work. Knowing which of them you are still making takes someone reading your writing.
Every lesson comes with a written report: the marking line by line, the criteria, and one priority for next time. A worked example shows exactly what comes back. Lessons are £20 for fifty minutes, one to one, in proper British English; the first step is a discounted trial lesson.