Common errors Bangladeshi candidates make

Articles: a, an, the or nothing?

Bangla has no articles, so this is the most frequent error type for Bangladeshi writers. In essays, four rules cover almost every case.

Rule 1: general statements → plural or uncountable noun with NO article

• ✓ Children need routine. ✓ Education is a basic right. ✓ Technology changes quickly.
• ✗ The education is a basic right. ✗ The technology changes quickly. (Use the only if you mean one specific technology already mentioned.)

Rule 2: a singular countable noun can never stand alone

It needs a / an, the, or another determiner (my, this, every, each).

• ✗ Government should act. → ✓ The government should act. (one specific government) / ✓ Governments should act. (governments in general)
• ✗ Student who works hard will succeed. → ✓ A student who works hard… / ✓ Students who work hard…

Rule 3: the when the reader knows which one

• Unique or shared things: the environment, the internet, the economy, the world, the media, the public, and the government of a particular country.
• Things already mentioned or defined: the policy described above, the cost of living, the education of girls (the of-phrase makes it specific).

Rule 4: a or an depends on SOUND, not spelling

• a university, a European country, a one-year course (these begin with a /j/ or /w/ sound)
• an hour, an honest politician, an MBA, an SSC certificate (these begin with a vowel sound: an ess-ess-see)

Usually no article in general statements: society, nature, people, health, life, work, mankind. ✗ the society, ✗ the nature, ✗ the people are busy (when you mean people in general). Also go to university and go to school when you mean study there.

Verbs that take NO preposition

discuss a topic (not about) · emphasise a point (not on) · enter a room (not into) · reach a decision (not to) · mention a fact (not about) · request help (not for; but the noun is a request for) · lack skills (the verb has no of; the noun is a lack of skills) · comprise three parts (or consist of three parts, never comprise of) · attend a class (attend to means deal with)

Words that need a specific preposition

• depend on (✗ depend of)
• interested in (✗ interested about / on)
• married to (✗ married with)
• responsible for (✗ responsible of)
• contribute to (✗ contribute in)
• focus on (✗ focus in)
• good at a skill (✗ good in maths)
• the reason for (✗ the reason of)
• an effect / an impact on (✗ an impact to)
• a solution to a problem (✗ solution of)
• access to (✗ access of)
• capable of doing (✗ capable to do)
• prevent someone from doing (✗ prevent someone to do)
• result in (cause → effect) · result from (effect ← cause)

Phrasal verb and redundancy traps

• cope up with → cope with. Cope up does not exist; it is a blend of cope with and keep up with.
• return back, revert back, repeat again, reply back → return, revert, repeat, reply. The back or again is already inside the verb.
• pass time → spend time. Pass the time exists, but it means doing something to stop feeling bored while you wait.
• I am agree → I agree. Agree is a verb, not an adjective. Compare: I am sure (adjective) / I agree (verb).
• more better, more easier, most best → better, easier, best. Use much / far to intensify: much better.
• In my point of view → From my point of view / In my view / In my opinion. According to me is not used in this way either.

Subject–verb agreement traps

Tense consistency

Task 2 is mostly written in the present simple (general truths), with the present perfect for recent trends, will for predictions and would for hypothetical proposals. Do not drift into the past tense unless you are describing a past example.

• ✓ Online shopping has grown rapidly in recent years. It offers convenience, but it is harming small shops.
• ✗ Online shopping grew rapidly. It offered convenience, but it will harm small shops. (no reason for the past tense, then a random switch)
• ✗ I am living in Dhaka since 2015. → ✓ I have lived / have been living in Dhaka since 2015. (since + a point in time needs the present perfect)

The overuse of would

Many South Asian writers use would as a polite or ‘formal’ version of will or the present simple. In English, would signals that something is hypothetical or conditional.

• ✗ Exercise would improve mental health. (It does. This is a fact.) → ✓ Exercise improves mental health.
• ✗ In this essay, I would discuss both views. → ✓ This essay will discuss both views.
• ✓ A tax on sugary drinks would reduce obesity. (Correct: a proposal that does not exist yet.)
• ✓ If governments raised fuel prices, people would drive less. (Second conditional.)

Quick test: Is it a fact? → present simple. A prediction? → will. An imagined proposal or condition? → would.