ERROR CORRECTION: NSC EXAMINATION (CAPSTA is the key word!)
The errors normally include the following:
Concord
Apostrophe
Singular
Plural
Is, am
Are
was
were
Has
Have
Never use apostrophe for
plural,
except for plural of a letter,
number or abbreviation
Example
Both of them is present: Are
No-one were available: Was
The man, with his wife, have arrived: Has
The bananas are ripe; The potatoes are green;
The photos are here;
 The grade 11’s will be back soon.
 Your s’s look like fives.
 Many PhD’s were awarded at the
graduation ceremony.


Apostrophe is used for
 Ommission/contraction

Preposition

Possession

Time
When access is granted: To
Media: In or on
Printed media: in
Digital/television: on
Performance: In/at
Good: at
Does well: in
Spelling


I was born in ’86.
Don’t; I’m; Wasn’t; wouldn’t (in the
place of the left out letter)
A mother’s love; The officer’s vehicle;
The princess’s castle.
The mothers’ time were wasted at the
meeting.
Two o’ clock; It is an hour’s work.
Common errors: it’s and its
It’s my turn! (it is)
The dog eats its bone. (non human thing)
“This is the key to my room.” (correct)
“This is the key of my room.” (incorrect)


I read it in the paper;
I saw it on television.
He is good at maths.
She does well in all her subjects.
Diary and dairy
I record my feelings in a diary.
I visit the dairy for some milk.
Practice: Noun
Practise: Verb
I am going to the rugby practice.
I will practise my kicks.
Whole: Together
Hole: Gap
The whole class joined in the clapping.
There is a hole in my pocket.
Tense


Article
A/An
Use past tense form (2nd
part) of the verb if
sentence is in the past
tense.
Use the 3rd part of the
verb after has/have/had
Yesterday he fell off his bike.
He has done a good job of it.
She had not been there at the time.
She brushes her teeth every day. They
brush…
She looks just like her mother. Their children
look like them.

In the present tense, a
singular subject takes an
“s”.

“An” is used when the
noun that follows starts
with a vowel sound. (a,
e, i, o u)
An ant, egg, umbrella.
Also: An hour (the “h” is silent)
Also: A one-room apartment;
A once-off deal
(although “one” and “once” start with a
vowel, it is
not a vowel sound.)

“An” is also used for
abbreviations and
acronyms.
He wrote an NSC examination.
He drives an SUV.