How the task looks
You get five sentences. Some of them contain one unnecessary word: if you delete it, the sentence becomes correct. You must choose all sentences that have an extra word — usually two, three or four.
Choose the sentences with an odd word.
1. Although the road was icy, but we drove to the village. — extra: but ✓ (choose it)
2. Having finished his homework, Tom went out to play football. — correct, nothing extra (do not choose)
Remember: here you choose the wrong sentences. A correct sentence must stay unchosen, even if it is long or sounds unusual.
Step-by-step method
- Read the sentence slowly, word by word. Do not read it quickly as a whole — the brain “fixes” small mistakes automatically.
- Look at the danger points listed below: articles, prepositions after verbs, particles, to, be / do, linking words, pronouns after who / which, comparatives.
- When you find a suspect word, name its job: what does it do in this sentence? Does another word already do the same job?
- Delete only that word and read the sentence again. It must become fully correct without any other change.
- If the sentence was correct already, or needs a different change (a missing word, a wrong form), it is not an extra-word sentence.
1. An extra article
| ✗ With an extra word | Delete | Why |
|---|---|---|
| My sister has a curly red hair. | a | hair (on the head) is uncountable |
| He gave me a good advice. | a | advice is uncountable |
| We climbed the Mount Aragats. | the | single mountains have no article |
| She speaks the English well. | the | languages have no article |
| They play the football every day. | the | sports have no article |
| We had the breakfast at eight. | the | meals usually have no article |
| He goes to the school by bus. | the | school as learning, not a building |
| A people were waiting outside. | A | people is plural |
2. An extra preposition
Some verbs take a direct object, with no preposition:
| ✗ With an extra word | Delete |
|---|---|
| We reached to the station at six. | to |
| Let’s discuss about the plan. | about |
| She entered into the room quietly. | into |
| He married with a doctor. | with |
| They attended at the meeting. | at |
| He resembles to his father. | to |
| Please answer to the question. | to |
Other typical extra prepositions:
- despite of the rain → despite the rain (but in spite of is correct)
- without of eating → without eating
- He left on the day before. → He left the day before. (also last week, next year, this morning, yesterday — no preposition)
- I went to home. → I went home. (also go abroad, go downstairs, go there)
3. An extra particle in a phrasal verb
A verb gets a particle (up, out, off, on) that is not part of the expression or changes the meaning:
| ✗ With an extra word | Delete | Why |
|---|---|---|
| She was in such a hurry up that she forgot her keys. | up | in a hurry is a noun phrase; hurry up is a verb |
| The teacher explained out the rules to us. | out | explain has no particle |
| Drinking out plenty of water is good for you. | out | drink has no particle here |
| I will return back tomorrow. | back | return already means “come back” |
4. An extra “to”
After these words use V1 without to:
| Rule | ✗ With an extra word | ✓ Correct |
|---|---|---|
| modal verbs (can, must, should, will, might…) | You must to try it. | You must try it. |
| make / let + object (active) | Don’t make me to laugh. | Don’t make me laugh. |
| see / hear / watch / feel + object | We watched the children to play. | We watched the children play / playing. |
| had better, would rather | You had better to go. | You had better go. |
| did / does / do + not | He did not to answer. | He did not answer. |
| why not | Why not to ask her? | Why not ask her? |
Careful: in the passive the to returns, and this is correct: She was made to wait. He was seen to leave. Help takes both forms: help me (to) carry.
5. An extra auxiliary, be or do
| ✗ With an extra word | Delete | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I am agree with you. | am | agree is a verb, not an adjective |
| What was happened here? | was | happen cannot be passive |
| The film is depends on the book. | is | Present Simple has no be |
| It was rained all night. | was | rain has no passive: it rained |
| They were arrived late. | were | arrive has no passive |
6. Two linking words for one link
One link between two clauses is enough:
| ✗ With an extra word | Delete |
|---|---|
| Although it was late, but we kept working. | but |
| Though the hotel was cheap, but it was very clean. | but |
| Because it rained, so we stayed home. | so |
| Although she was tired, and she kept running. | and |
| As soon as he arrived, then he called me. | then |
7. A repeated subject or object
After who, which, that the relative word is the subject or the object. Do not add another one:
| ✗ With an extra word | Delete |
|---|---|
| The woman who she lives here is a doctor. | she |
| This is the book which I read it last week. | it |
| My brother he works in a bank. | he |
| The man whom I met him was friendly. | him |
8. Double comparison and double negative
| ✗ With an extra word | Delete |
|---|---|
| This road is more shorter. | more |
| She is the most cleverest girl. | most |
| It was much more better than before. | more |
| I don’t know nothing about it. | don’t (→ I know nothing about it) |
Be careful with negatives: an extra-word sentence becomes correct by deleting one word only. I don’t know nothing → delete don’t → I know nothing ✓. He hardly never smiles cannot be fixed by deleting one word, so it is a different kind of mistake.
9. Not every unusual sentence has an extra word
These sentences are correct — do not choose them:
| Correct sentence | Why it is correct |
|---|---|
| I think that that idea is good. | two different that: conjunction + determiner |
| He had had lunch before we came. | Past Perfect of have lunch |
| The thief was seen to climb over the fence. | passive of see somebody climb |
| Not only did she win, but she also broke the record. | inversion after not only |
| It is not uncommon to see snow here in May. | not uncommon = quite common |
| I do like your new haircut! | emphatic do |
| I did it myself. | reflexive for emphasis |
| If I were you, I wouldn’t go. | were in type 2 conditionals |
| But for your help, we would have failed. | but for = if not for |
| She told me she had posted the letter the day before. | the day before without on |
The most common extra words — summary
| Danger point | Typical extra word |
|---|---|
| uncountable or proper noun | a / an / the |
| reach, discuss, enter, marry, attend, answer | to / about / into / with / at |
| despite, without, go home, the day before | of / to / on |
| phrasal-looking expressions | up / out / down / back |
| modal, make / let, see / hear, had better | to |
| agree, happen, Present Simple | am / is / was |
| although, because, as soon as | but / so / and / then |
| who / which / that | he / she / it / him |
| comparatives | more / most |
Worked example
- The children were made to tidy up their room. — correct: passive of make takes to. Do not choose.
- We discussed about the problem for an hour. — extra about. Choose.
- The man who he sold me the car was very polite. — extra he. Choose.
- Although the tickets were expensive, but we bought them. — extra but. Choose.
- She has lived in this town since she was a child. — correct. Do not choose.
Answer: 2, 3, 4.
Final checklist
- Have I read every word slowly?
- Have I checked the danger points: articles, prepositions after verbs, particles, to, be / do, double linkers, repeated pronouns, double comparatives?
- Can I name the job of the suspect word and the word that already does that job?
- Does deleting only that word make the sentence fully correct?
- Have I left unchosen the sentences that are correct, even if they look unusual?