Can YOU Pass This English Grammar Test?

Hello, my smart students.

Did you know that native speakers  make grammar mistakes just like you?

Well, today I have a very advanced test for you,  

because you're going to identify the  grammar mistake in these common sentences.

And these are sentences that native speakers say.

That's right.

You're going to correct the grammar  mistakes that native speakers commonly make.

I know you can do it.

And if you can complete this test,  then you're definitely fluent.

Welcome back to JForrest English.

Of course.

I'm Jennifer.

Now let's get started.

Sentence one between you and I.

The project needs more attention.

Now remember, in each  sentence there is one mistake.

Do you know what the mistake is?

The mistake is between you and I.

I is the mistake because it  should say between you and me.

And yes, this is a real mistake  that native speakers commonly make.

Between is a preposition and you  need an object pronoun you, me,  

him, her, not a subject pronoun I, you, ** *** it.

Let's see a sentence that uses a subject  pronoun I and an object pronoun me.

I want to tell you something,  the subject doing the action.

I want to tell you something, but  please keep it between you and me.

You can also say keep it between  us because you plus me equals us.

Keep it between you and me.

Now this sounds like I want  to share a secret with you.

We have an expression in English.

I won't spill the beans, which means I  won't share your secret with other people.

I won't reveal your secret,  so keep it between you and me.

And you can say I won't spill the  beans, so put that in the comments.

I won't spill the beans.

So the correct sentence, of  course, is between you and me.

The project needs more attention.

Sentence two.

If I was you, I'd quit.

What is the mistake?

Can you see it?

The mistake is was.

It should be were.

This is because the sentence  is in the second conditional,  

which we use for hypothetical unreal situations.

If I were you, this is unreal because I am not you  

and it's impossible for me to become  you, so it's hypothetical unreal.

Now in this structure, the 2nd conditional all  

subjects use were if I were you,  if he were you, if we were you.

Keep in mind that native speakers  commonly don't follow this rule.

Say if I was you, but if you're taking  your IELTS, or if you're in any formal  

English situation, the grammar rule is were  for all subjects in the second conditional.

So the correct sentence is If I were you I'd quit.

Now this structure is  commonly used to give advice.

So if your friend says, oh, I really need  to improve my English, what should I do?

You can say if I were you I'd I would  I'd subscribe to Jay Forest English.

What about you?

Do you agree with that advice?

If you do put me too, me too.

I would also subscribe to Jay  Forest English put me too.

Me too.

Put that in the comments and of course  subscribe if you haven't already.

How are you doing so far?

Our next sentence.

I'm not sure whom I should speak with.

There is one mistake.

What is it?

Do you know?

The mistake is with whom.

It should be who.

Whom is used as the object and  who is used as the subject.

Did you know that many native  speakers mistakenly think that whom  

is the formal version of who, and they use it to  sound more professional, to sound more formal.

But this is incorrect.

There are specific times grammatically when you  

need to use who as the subject and  you need to use whom as the object.

Just think about this.

If the question didn't include,  I'm not sure it would be.

Who should I speak with?

This sentence begins with the  subject, our next sentence.

Each of the candidates have pros and cons.

What's the mistake?

The mistake is have.

It should be has.

This subject in this sentence  is each which is singular.

This subject is not candidates, which is plural.

You could say the candidates, which is they.

The candidates have pros and cons.

That's correct.

But when you start with each of each of  the candidates, it represents the subject.

He or she has pros and cons.

What about this one?

The candidates each have or has pros and cons.

What do you think?

What do you need have or has  you need have The candidates?

They each have pros and cons.

So remember, each of plus plural is the subject,  

he or she, but plural plus  each, the subject is they.

Our next sentence.

A mistake I always made when I was a kid.

Me and Vanessa are going to the concert.

What's the mistake?

The mistake is with me.

It should be I.

You need a subject pronoun I, not an object  pronoun which we discussed before me.

You need a subject pronoun to start the  sentence and notice with the subject I  

it's not I and Vanessa, which I  also commonly hear students say.

A native speaker would not say  that, but students commonly do.

I and Vanessa.

No, it's always Vanessa and I,  My mom, my dad, my sister, and I.

No matter who your subjects are, I comes last.

The correct sentence, of course, is  Vanessa and I are going to the concert.

Sentence six.

I see this one all the time.

You better meet the deadline.

What's the mistake?

You better, You had better.

The structure is subject plus  had plus better plus bass verb.

And this is used to provide  advice and recommendations.

Native speakers make this mistake  because in spoken English, a native  

speaker always uses the contraction  you had you'd you'd you'd better.

But the D is so soft that native  speakers we forget it's there.

So when we write, we write what we say, and it  

sounds like you better because  the contraction is so soft.

You'd better so when spoken English,  you don't hear it, but it's required.

Grammatically.

Without the contraction, you  had better meet the deadline.

With the contraction, you'd  better meet the deadline.

Our next sentence, another very common  mistake that native speakers make.

You should have called What's the mistake of?

Should be have.

This structure is subject plus should  plus have plus past participle,  

and this is used to provide advice  in the past, but it's unrealized  

advice because it's impossible for you to  take the advice because it's in the past.

Again, native speakers commonly make this mistake  because in spoken English we take should have  

and we combine them together and it sounds  like shoulda you shoulda you shoulda called.

And we forget that the ah is have.

It's not of because aw sounds  closer to of but it's not of.

It's have you shoulda called?

You should have called.

So if your friend is upset and says,  oh I got a low score on my IELTS,  

you can say to your friend  you should have subscribed.

You should have subscribed to Jay Forest English.

Of course this isn't very helpful advice because  your friend can't do anything about it now.

It's in the past, but maybe they  can take that advice for the future.

So if you agree with that put  That's right, That's right.

Subscribe.

And the next time you take your  ielts you'll get a high score.

But that's right in the comments.

How are you doing so far?

Remember, native speakers make all these  mistakes, so you're learning a lot.

Our next sentence, the team,  

including the coach and star players,  we're ready for the championship match.

What's the mistake here?

The mistake is were were should be, was.

Do you know why?

It's because the subject is the team, which  is a collective noun, is conjugated as it.

This subject is not the noun closest to  the verb, which is the player's plural.

They remember that information between  2 commas is additional information.

It doesn't affect the grammar of  the sentence outside of the commas.

And as I said, team is a collective  noun is conjugated as it.

So of course the correct sentence is  the team, including the coach and star  

players, was the team was ready  for the championship match.

Now if the subject was the team, the coach  and the star players, then of course that  

would be were because the subject is they  they were ready for the championship match.

Sentence 9.

This is a good one.

She's always coming to work late.

What's the mistake here?

Native speakers commonly say this.

The mistake is she's coming.

This is the present continuous.

It should be.

She comes because we have always, which is a  

keyword for the present simple because  it's a routine action for some reason.

I don't know why native speakers commonly use the  

present continuous specifically with  unwanted behaviors that are routine.

For example, he's always criticizing me.

So to criticize, that's an unwanted  behavior, It's a negative behavior.

Perhaps it sounds more dramatic to say he's always  criticizing me instead of he always criticizes me.

Now, even though native speakers do  this, it does break the grammar rule.

So for your ILS or any formal situations,  

you should use the present simple with adverbs  of frequency, like always your last sentence.

Are you ready for it?

The report doesn't address  the timeline nor the budget.

What's the mistake?

I hear this one a lot from native speakers.

What's the mistake?

Nor should be or.

Remember, when a negative introduces the  first point, use or for the second point.

The report doesn't address a negative introduces.

The first point doesn't address  the timeline or the budget.

When the first point is neither plus positive,  then you use nor for the second point.

The report neither addresses.

Here addresses is positive.

The report neither addresses  the timeline nor the budget.

Native speakers commonly assume  that NOR is used for all negatives,  

but that's not the grammar rule.

And I've heard from some native  speakers that they think nor is  

the formal, more professional version of OR.

But that's not true.

You did it, you made it through the lesson  and you corrected all of these mistakes.

Well, maybe you didn't correct all of them.

So share your score in the comments.

And even if you got a low score, think  of everything that you learned and now  

you are going to correct these common  mistakes that native speakers did.

You like this lesson?

Do you want me to make more  lessons where I quiz you?

If you do put let's go, let's go cuz you're  ready to go put let's go in the comments.

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