Common English Mistakes & How to Avoid Them on Your CELPIP Test

Preparing for the CELPIP Test involves more than just brushing up on your vocabulary and understanding the test format. We have compiled this useful list of common errors that many of our test-takers have made on the speaking and writing components of the test. Regardless of your English skill level, these are easy mistakes to avoid to maximize your score potential.

Preparation Resources for CELPIP

Subject-Verb Agreement

This is one of the most common mistakes our raters observe on the CELPIP Test. Subject-verb agreement requires that the subject and verb in a sentence agree in number.

• Singular subject → singular verb: The dog barks. (Singular)
• Plural subject → plural verb: The dogs bark. (Plural)

How to avoid mistakes:

• Identify the subject of the and determine if it is a single subject or a group.
• Look out for tricky single or plural words.
• Watch for words ending in “s”, as they can sometimes be single and not plural!
• When in doubt, find the subject and ask yourself:
  “Would I say he is or they are?”

Prepositions

These words, which indicate the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another part of the sentence, can pose difficulties for test takers unsure how to use them correctly. Remember that prepositions are used to express time, place, direction, cause, or method.

How to avoid mistakes:

• Memorize common phrases that include a proposition and a noun or verb, such as “taking a break” or “in the morning” or “under the desk”.
• Practice with real examples from your daily life. “I was taking a break at 10:00 this morning” or “I found my notebook under the kitchen table”.
• Be careful when translating from your native language, as preposition use will vary greatly across languages compared to how they are used in English!
• When in doubt, don’t be afraid to use a dictionary or a grammar checker to make sure you are correctly using a preposition.

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Verb Tenses

The final common error our CELPIP Raters see most frequently is confusion about verb tenses, which show when an action happens, either in the past, present, or future.

How to avoid mistakes:

• Look for words that express the time, such as “yesterday” or “tomorrow” or “currently” and follow those to determine the correct tense.
• Mirror the verb tense of the story or article you are reading. If it is taking place in the past, your response can use past tense verbs “they did” or “she was”.
• Verb tenses follow patterns! A helpful practice is to read or listen to English media and identify the verb tense being used.

Time Management

While not a grammatical error, test takers who do not carefully manage their time are unable to complete all of the questions and responses on the CELPIP Test, and their scores suffer as a result. Ensuring you manage your time effectively will allow you to stay calm, stay focused, and maximize your scores!

How to manage your time:

• The CELPIP Practice Tests provide an easy way to experience the test format at home, and include timers which will let you know how much time is allotted for each test component
• Read instructions carefully! The CELPIP Test has specific directions that help you manage your time effectively, so follow these prompts to stay on track.
• Save time for review. For the written part of the test, give yourself a few extra minutes to re-read what you've written, and ensure you've carefully checked for the common errors we've mentioned above.

Learning Tip

Children’s books and television shows are excellent resources for learning prepositions, verb tenses, and more. When you are creating your preparation routine, consider including some of these books or programs to support your learning and boost your confidence in your English skills.

Preparation Resources for CELPIP

Are you looking for more ways to prepare for your CELPIP test? Join a free live webinar hosted by a CELPIP Expert! Discover our upcoming webinars and register for a session today!