6 Common Word Patterns That Confuse Advanced Learners

At B2–C1 level, grammar mistakes are usually not about tenses — they’re about small words.

Especially prepositions. Some words sometimes need a preposition and sometimes don’t. That’s where even strong learners hesitate. 

Let’s look at some common problem cases.

---

1️⃣ Except / Except for / Except that

✔ except + noun

• Everyone passed except Tom.

• I eat everything except seafood.

✔ except for

+ noun more formal

• Everyone passed except for Tom.

+ noun phrase

• The essay was excellent except for a few spelling mistakes.

At the beginning

• Except for John, everyone was ready.

✔ except that + clause

• Everything was fine, except that we were late.

---

2️⃣ Like / Alike

These look similar — but the structure changes.

✔ like + noun / pronoun

• She looks like her mother.

• This tastes like chicken.

✔ alike (no object)

• The two sisters look alike.

• They think alike.

❌ They look alike each other.
✔ They look alike.
✔ They look like each other.

---

3️⃣ Near / Nearly

Very common C1 confusion.

✔ near + noun

• We live near the station.

• Don’t go near the edge.

✔ nearly + adjective/number

• I’m nearly ready.

• There were nearly 200 people.

---

4️⃣ Home (no preposition!)

English removes the preposition with home.

✔ go home

• She arrived home late.

But:

• I’m going to work.

• I’m going to school.

5️⃣ Enter / Enter into

This is a great C1-level distinction.

✔ enter + place (no preposition)

• She entered the room.

❌ She entered into the room. ✔ She went into the room.

✔ enter into + some words like: negotiations/contract

• They entered into negotiations.

• The company entered into a contract.

6️⃣ Discuss (no preposition!)

Many languages require “about.”

✔ discuss + noun

• We discussed the problem.

• They discussed politics.

❌ We discussed about the problem. ✔ We talked about the problem.

Thanks for reading!