Häufige Fehler, Common Errors,
Fehlerquellen, Stumbling Blocks, Grammar, Usage
1. Welches Wort passt?
a. We
can't __________ your salary; you're already overpaid.
grow heighten raise rise
b.
If prices
__________, people will buy less.
higher raise rise up
c.
The __________
situation has improved.
economic economical economically economics
d.
Bringing peace
to the
historian historic historical history
e.
The film is only partly based on __________ events.
historian historic historical history
f.
Only 20 per cent of Afghan women are __________.
literal literally literary literate
g. A
__________ translation is the opposite of a free translation.
literal literally literary literate
h. It
__________ broke my heart to see him do such a stupid thing.
literal literally literary literate
i.
Dickens was one of the __________ giants of Victorian
England.
literal literally literary literate
2. "Fahren"
Setzen
Sie eine passende Entsprechung für "fahren" ein.
a. We're
__________ on holiday next week.
b. I'm __________ to
c. Why
don't you __________ by train?
d. More than 4.5 million people
__________ the subway each day in
e. He
was __________ about 90 mph when police
stopped him.
f.
She __________ a nice car, eats at elegant
restaurants, and dresses in beautiful clothes.
g. You
really should __________ more carefully.
h. In
the
i.
The mothers in our group take turns __________ the children to school.
j.
Can you __________ a bike?
k. The
train only __________ on weekdays.
l.
When does the next bus __________?
3. "Machen"
Setzen
Sie eine passende Entsprechung für "machen" ein.
a.
We were all cold and wet, so we __________ a fire to warm
ourselves and dry our clothes.
b. Cornflakes
are __________ from corn, which the British call maize.
c.
We shouldn't __________ the mistake of
underestimating him.
d.
This film has __________ her a star.
e.
What are you __________ this weekend?
f.
Our dog usually __________ his business in
the our garden.
g.
When are you
__________ your A levels?
h. He's
__________ his exams in June.
i.
I __________ a photo of her standing next to the
president.
j.
Let's __________ a break.
k. English
__________ fun.
l.
You're __________ me nervous.
m.
You're __________
me crazy.
4. "Liegen" – "legen"
Den
Unterschied zwischen lie (= lie-gen) und lay (= lay-gen) kann man
sich leicht merken, aber in den folgenden Sätzen kommen auch noch andere Verben
vor – vor allem eine Form von be,
aber auch put, face und rest.
Übersetzen
Sie.
a. Er lag auf seinem Bett und las ein
Buch.
b.
Sie
liegt im Krankenhaus.
c.
Draußen
lag tiefer Schnee.
d. Die Betonung liegt auf der zweiten
Silbe.
e. Das Wohnzimmer liegt nach Süden.
f.
Die
Entscheidung liegt beim Präsidenten.
g. Oxford liegt wie London an der
Thames.
h. Scotland liegt an der Ostküste
Schottlands.
i.
Er
legte sich auf die Couch.
j.
Er
legte das Kind auf die Couch.
k. Sie legte das Buch hin.
l.
Sie
legte die Steaks in die Pfanne.
5.
Singular oder Plural?
a.
Die
Vereinigten Staaten sind ein sehr reiches Land.
b.
In
bestimmten Fällen darf die Polizei Gewalt anwenden.
c.
Wir
haben einen zwölfjährigen Sohn.
d.
Unser
Sohn ist zwölf Jahre alt.
e.
Der
Verein hat 50 Millionen Pfund für neue Spieler ausgegeben.
f.
Diese
Informationen kannst du leicht im Internet finden.
g.
Die
alten Möbel sind noch da.
6. Gebrauch
der Artikel
a.
Die
meisten Leute wissen das nicht.
b.
Charles
Darwin liegt in der Westminster-Abtei begraben.
c.
Diese
Menschen starben für die Freiheit.
d.
Schließlich
verlor er die Hoffnung.
e.
Die
Türkei ist Mitglied der NATO.
f.
Welche
Farbe hat sein Auto?
g.
Was
für einen Unsinn du doch redest!
h.
Seine
Tochter ist Architektin.
i.
Sie
wachte mit Kopfschmerzen auf.
7. Steigerung
der Adjektive
a.
Somalia
ist eines der ärmsten Länder der Welt.
b.
Sie
ist einer der intelligentesten Menschen, die ich kenne.
c.
London
ist viel teurer als Berlin.
d.
Toronto
ist so teuer wie New York.
e.
Je
ruhiger das Hotel ist, desto besser.
f.
Die
Schmerzen wurden immer schlimmer.
8. Mit
oder ohne -ly?
a.
Das
Buch ist wunderbar.
b.
Rebecca
tanzt wunderbar.
c.
Das
Wasser war wunderbar klar.
d.
Er
ist ein wunderbar klarer Denker.
e.
Die
Mannschaft spielt wunderbaren Fußball.
f.
Die
Mannschaft spielt wunderbaren, attraktiven Fußball.
g.
Die
Mannschaft spielt wunderbar attraktiven Fußball.
9. Fragefürwörter
a.
Wer
kennt ihn?
b.
Wen
kennt er?
c.
Wer
von uns kannte ihn?
d.
Wen
von uns kennt er?
e.
Wer,
sagten Sie, sind Sie?
f.
Wer
verliebte sich in wen?
10.
Gebrauch der Zeiten
a.
Sie
ist endlich da.
b.
Sie
ist angekommen.
c.
Sie
ist gerade angekommen.
d.
Wann
ist sie angekommen?
e.
Sie
ist vor einer Minute angekommen.
f.
Sie
ist heute Morgen angekommen.
g.
Sie
ist seit Freitag hier.
h.
Sie
ist seit drei Wochen hier.
11. Kein
Test, aber Fehler, die häufig gemacht werden und die Sie – z. B. in Klausuren –
vermeiden sollten.
Beginning
When of follows, it is at (not: in) the beginning:
At the beginning of the twentieth
century ...
Most typewriters have the letters QWERT at the beginning of the second
row of the keyboard.
In the beginning means at first
and suggests a contrast with a later situation:
In the beginning, my father (=
Khrushchev) didn't want to dictate in the house because of the KGB listening
devices there. Later he said, "The hell with the bugs," and dictated
inside the house.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth
...
Conditional sentences
Make sure you
know how a conditional sentence is constructed.
Wrong: She tells us what would happen
when the whole world would have the same level of consumption as .
Right: She tells us what would happen if
the whole world had the same level of consumption as
Wrong: If Americans would change their
consumption habits, it would be an important message to the world.
Right: If Americans changed their
consumption habits, it would be an important message to the world.
Contracted forms
Contracted forms (he's, I'd, they've, who's, etc.) are
usually avoided in formal writing such as an essay or Klausur, except of course
in quoted direct speech.
Inappropriate: He's convinced that
he's right. Appropriate: He is
convinced that he is right.
However, the contractions don't, doesn't, and didn't are common also in formal
writing.
Direct speech
Note the use of quotation
marks and other punctuation with direct speech:
She said, "I'm waiting for
someone."
"I'm waiting for someone," she said.
"I'm waiting for someone," she said, "and it's not you."
In cases like the following, BE has the full stop outside the quotes while
AE has it inside:
According to the Daily
According to the Daily
Remember to place the quotes at the top of the line:
"_____".
He, she, it, they, etc.
Do not use he, she, it or they, him, them, etc. if it
is not absolutely clear which of the preceding nouns the pronoun refers to.
Do not say Everybody can understand it if it is not clear
what it stands for.
Do not say he if several male persons
have been mentioned before and the reader cannot be sure which of them you
mean.
Headline
A headline (= Schlagzeile) is the title of
a newspaper article set in large type. A normal Überschrift is a heading;
a story has a title.
Incomplete sentences
Never leave a
sentence incomplete.
A yearning for freedom.
is not a complete sentence. Make it complete by saying
something like There was a yearning for
freedom.
Incomplete: If she will come
today?
Complete: I wonder if she'll come today.
Most
Wrong: The most people dream of a
house and a three-car garage.
Right: Most people dream of a house and a
three-car garage.
Own
Wrong: They want to have an own house.
Right: They want to have a house of their
own.
People
Be sure not to use
the definite article (the) with people when it is not appropriate.
The president is elected directly by the
people. =
Der Präsident wird direkt vom Volk gewählt.
The American people have(!)
chosen their president. =
Das amerikanische Volk hat(!) seinen Präsidenten gewählt.
Newspapers are supposed to help people think. = Zeitungen sollen den Menschen beim
Nachdenken helfen.
People don't know much
about him. =
Die Leute wissen nicht viel über ihn.
The people I asked didn't know
much about him. =
Die Leute/Menschen, die ich fragte, wussten nicht viel über ihn.
Wrong: The people don't spend enough time with
their families any more.
Right: People don't spend enough time
with their families any more.
Present tense: -s ending in
third person singular
The student knows
that.
The students know that.
Progressive form
Don't forget to
include a form of be:
Wrong: He working.
Right: He is working.
Wrong: ... because of the illegal
Mexican immigrants who coming in across the border.
Right: ... because of the illegal Mexican
immigrants who are coming in across the border.
Quotation marks
Use quotation marks
only if you are quoting the exact words of a speaker or document. If you do not
know the exact words, use indirect speech.
Remember that, in English, quotation marks must always be placed at the top of
the line, like this: “..........”
Reason or cause?
Make sure you use
these words correctly.
The cause of the crash is still
unknown.
We don't know the exact reason why the plane crashed.
A fire in an engine appears to have been the most likely reason for (not: of!) the crash.
Wrong: describe the reasons of
materialism Right: describe the
causes of materialism
Sentences
Don't put too many
different things into one sentence.
Economically advanced countries like
the
Here, the writer has unintentionally lumped things together (e.g. toxic waste
dumps and foreigners) that should have been dealt with in different sentences.
So, keep your sentences short, each dealing with one idea that is logically
linked with what precedes and follows.
Longwindedness will often get you into trouble:
Completely wrong: There is a large
number of Americans who are concerned about the too materialistic society
especially among young people.
Improved: Many Americans, especially
young people, are concerned about their society being too materialistic.
Tense shifting
In summaries, keep to one tense, i.e. the present
tense. Use the perfect or past tense only when referring to antecedent action:
Lady Bracknell takes one look at
Miss Prism, and requires of her an explanation for the whereabouts of a
baby that she took / had taken from a house in
That
Never place a
comma before that used as a
conjunction:
I could never believe that the
Vietnamese people felt that way.
What cannot be used as a
relative pronoun
Wrong: Most of us have everything what we need.
Right: Most of us have everything we
need.
Wrong: A last problem what keeps
today's immigrants away from the fabled American Dream is their illegality.
Right: A last problem that/which keeps today's
immigrants away from the fabled American Dream is their illegality.
Word division
Never ever divide
words at the end of a line. Dividing words is un-English and an
unnecessary source of error.
Word order
Keep to the order subject-verb also
where German does not observe it:
Wrong: I believe that is it impossible.
Right: I believe that it is impossible.
Wrong: They forget what really
important is. Right: They forget
what is really important.