Mastering verbs is one of the most important aspects of learning English at the A1 level. Many learners make recurring errors with verb forms, tenses, subject-verb agreement, irregular verbs, and verb combinations. This guide provides a detailed analysis of common mistakes, explanations, examples, exercises, and teaching tips.
1. Introduction
Verbs are central to English grammar because they express actions, states, and occurrences. At the A1 level, learners often struggle with:
- Incorrect verb forms (present, past, -ing forms)
- Wrong use of regular vs irregular verbs
- Confusing base form, -s form, and past forms
- Incorrect use of auxiliary verbs (do, does, did)
- Misuse of verb + infinitive vs verb + -ing
Understanding and correcting these mistakes early helps learners communicate clearly and avoid developing bad habits.
2. Subject-Verb Agreement Mistakes
2.1 Singular vs Plural Subjects
Rule:
- He/She/It → verb + -s / -es in present simple
- I/You/We/They → base verb
Common Mistakes:
| Mistake | Correct | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| She go to school every day | She goes to school every day | Add -s for third-person singular |
| He don’t like pizza | He doesn’t like pizza | Use does not for third-person singular |
| The cat play in the garden | The cat plays in the garden | Add -s for singular subject |
Examples:
- ❌ “She like music.” → ✅ “She likes music.”
- ❌ “It rain every day.” → ✅ “It rains every day.”
2.2 Collective Nouns
- Collective nouns (team, family, group) are usually singular in A1 teaching.
- ❌ “The team play well.” → ✅ “The team plays well.”
3. Regular vs Irregular Verb Mistakes
3.1 Regular Verbs
Rule: Add -ed for past tense.
Common Mistakes:
| Mistake | Correct | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| He buyed a book | He bought a book | Irregular verb |
| I goed to school | I went to school | Irregular verb |
| She playd football | She played football | Correct spelling: add -ed |
Tip: Memorize the most common irregular verbs at A1: go/went, have/had, do/did, see/saw, make/made, get/got.
3.2 Irregular Verbs
- A1 learners often apply regular rules to irregular verbs.
Examples:
- ❌ “I eated breakfast.” → ✅ “I ate breakfast.”
- ❌ “He taked the bus.” → ✅ “He took the bus.”
- ❌ “She buyed a dress.” → ✅ “She bought a dress.”
Teaching Tip: Use charts with base, past, past participle forms.
4. Verb Tense Mistakes
4.1 Present Simple
Mistakes:
- Using -ing form instead of base verb:
- ❌ “I am go to school every day.” → ✅ “I go to school every day.”
- Confusing do/does in negatives:
- ❌ “He not like pizza.” → ✅ “He does not like pizza.”
4.2 Past Simple
Mistakes:
- Using present form instead of past:
- ❌ “Yesterday I go to the park.” → ✅ “Yesterday I went to the park.”
- Wrong auxiliary with past simple:
- ❌ “Did she went to school?” → ✅ “Did she go to school?”
4.3 Present Continuous
Mistakes:
- Forgetting be verb (am/is/are) before -ing:
- ❌ “I reading a book.” → ✅ “I am reading a book.”
- Wrong subject-verb agreement:
- ❌ “She are watching TV.” → ✅ “She is watching TV.”
Tip: Teach subject + be + verb-ing formula consistently.
5. Auxiliary Verb Mistakes
5.1 Do/Does in Present Simple
Mistakes:
- ❌ “He not play football.” → ✅ “He does not play football.”
- ❌ “Do she like pizza?” → ✅ “Does she like pizza?”
Tip: Use do/does for negatives and questions in present simple.
5.2 Did in Past Simple
Mistakes:
- ❌ “Did he went to school?” → ✅ “Did he go to school?”
- ❌ “I didn’t went home.” → ✅ “I didn’t go home.”
Tip: After did, always use base verb.
5.3 Be as Auxiliary
- ❌ “He am happy.” → ✅ “He is happy.”
- ❌ “They is playing football.” → ✅ “They are playing football.”
- ❌ “I not going to school.” → ✅ “I am not going to school.”
6. Verb + Infinitive vs Verb + -ing Mistakes
6.1 Common Verbs Followed by Infinitive (to + verb)
- want, need, plan, hope, decide
Mistakes:
| Mistake | Correct | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| I want going to school | I want to go to school | Use to + base verb after want |
| She needs study | She needs to study | Use to + base verb after need |
Tip: Teach lists of verbs that are followed by infinitive.
6.2 Common Verbs Followed by -ing
- like, enjoy, hate, finish, stop
Mistakes:
| Mistake | Correct | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| I enjoy to play football | I enjoy playing football | Use -ing after enjoy |
| He stopped smoke | He stopped smoking | Use -ing after stop |
Tip: Highlight difference between stop + -ing (action ends) and stop + to + verb (pause to do something else).
7. Confusing Regular Verbs and Irregular Forms
7.1 Examples
| Base | Past Simple | Mistake Example | Correct |
|---|---|---|---|
| go | went | I goed to school | I went to school |
| have | had | She have a pen yesterday | She had a pen yesterday |
| make | made | He maked a cake | He made a cake |
| see | saw | I seed a bird | I saw a bird |
| take | took | They taked a bus | They took a bus |
8. Using Verbs in Questions Mistakes
8.1 Present Simple
- ❌ “You like pizza?” → ✅ “Do you like pizza?”
- ❌ “He go to school?” → ✅ “Does he go to school?”
8.2 Past Simple
- ❌ “He went to school?” → ✅ “Did he go to school?”
- ❌ “You ate breakfast?” → ✅ “Did you eat breakfast?”
9. Using Verbs with Names and Pronouns Mistakes
Mistakes:
- ❌ “John play football every day.” → ✅ “John plays football every day.”
- ❌ “Mary not like pizza.” → ✅ “Mary does not like pizza.”
- ❌ “They goes to school.” → ✅ “They go to school.”
Tip: Teach subject-verb agreement rules with pronouns and proper nouns early.
10. Common Mistakes with Modal Verbs
10.1 Can / Could / May / Must
- ❌ “She cans swim.” → ✅ “She can swim.”
- ❌ “I musts go now.” → ✅ “I must go now.”
- ❌ “He mays be late.” → ✅ “He may be late.”
Tip: Modal verbs are always followed by base form of the verb.
11. Using Verbs with Prepositions Mistakes
Common Prepositional Verbs: listen to, look at, depend on, wait for
Mistakes:
| Mistake | Correct | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| I listen music | I listen to music | listen requires “to” |
| She look the picture | She looks at the picture | look requires “at” |
| They depend the teacher | They depend on the teacher | depend requires “on” |
| I wait bus | I wait for the bus | wait requires “for” |
Tip: Teach prepositions together with verbs to avoid mistakes.
12. Common Mistakes with Irregular Verb Spelling
- ❌ “He brang a gift.” → ✅ “He brought a gift.”
- ❌ “She catched the ball.” → ✅ “She caught the ball.”
- ❌ “I writed a letter.” → ✅ “I wrote a letter.”
13. Teaching Tips for A1 Learners
- Teach subject-verb agreement clearly.
- Introduce regular vs irregular verbs early.
- Use charts for verb forms: base, -s, past, -ing.
- Practice affirmative, negative, and question forms.
- Highlight verb + infinitive vs verb + -ing rules.
- Use daily routines and personal examples.
- Correct modal verb errors with base verb.
- Teach prepositional verbs early to avoid mistakes.
- Provide lots of exercises with feedback.
14. Practice Exercises
14.1 Correct the Mistake
- She go to school every day. → ______
- I eated breakfast this morning. → ______
- He don’t like pizza. → ______
- They stops working at 5 pm. → ______
- I enjoy to play football. → ______
Answers:
- She goes to school every day.
- I ate breakfast this morning.
- He doesn’t like pizza.
- They stop working at 5 pm.
- I enjoy playing football.
14.2 Choose the Correct Form
- He (go / goes / went) to school every day.
- I (am / is / are) reading a book.
- She (stop / stops / stopped) to help a friend.
- They (does / do / did) not like ice cream.
- I (watched / watch / watching) TV yesterday.
Answers:
- goes
- am
- stops
- do
- watched
15. Summary Checklist
- Subject-verb agreement (he/she/it + -s)
- Use correct regular and irregular past forms
- Use base verb after do/does/did
- Choose -ing vs to + verb correctly
- Use be verb correctly in continuous forms
- Use modal verbs with base verb
- Use verbs with prepositions correctly
- Avoid spelling mistakes with irregular verbs
Contributor @newtaresh.com
