A Common English Mistake.
After correcting over 300 pieces of writing in English, the most glaring common error that irks me the most is the wrong spelling of the word, "cannot". It is not "can not". Even some native speakers fail to recognize this very common error. Hopefully this note will now alert those learning English to be more aware of this common mistake.
Although I use slang to communicate whenever the situation warrants, let us remember why we are here in the first place - to learn how to speak and write proper English. To some I am just a stickler for details and being a perfectionist. To them I say, "Guilty as charged."
Search from various English teachers...
Corrections · 16
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@Trully: I like to play a cat and mouse game :)
@Kevin: I am a purist :) and stickler to details, like in the differences of every day & everyday; practise & practice, advise & advice, offence & offense, defence & defense even though the US English does not threw away all such rules.
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I use can not when I really want to emphasize the not part. As in 'I can not accept your essay.' Proper English is always evolving. Online, on-line or on line? Ice cream or ice-cream? My laptop didn't correct any of them.
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Haha, students would like this game. It is interesting. We must read more careful and keep alert when we are reading. I think it is a very useful method to help us learning English. It let us keep alert and think independently. Sometimes we are used to not suspecting what teachers and those authorities say, then our brains become more and mor obtuse, it is not good. I suddenly realize suspicion is a good quality in studying.^ ^ " a game of catching the teacher in error", I think it shoud be "" a game of catching the teacher 's error",right?
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@Trully: You are absolutely correct. My mistake. It's six feet under. I have this nasty habit of leaving subtle errors here and there and try to catch who are attentive or not! At the same time, it is my psychological way of giving students the confidence to correct the mistakes of the teacher so that it becomes a game of catching the teacher in error. I believe this will spur them to improve their knowledge. A trick I learnt from my teacher to distinguish which are going to be better students.
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Jeff，you said "we all have to learn sometime somewhere and continue to do so till the day we are finally six foot under." in commentary above. Does foot should changed to feet? Is "be six foot under" a phrase？Do you mean we must learn ceaselessly till we become proficients? Thank you! :D
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