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🎙Mistake Break Podcast - Episode 6

 The link to the videocast & podcast channel on telegram: https://t.me/englishwithmo7ammad


Hello and welcome to Mistake Break, where we fix mistakes in less than two minutes.

Let's dive right into today's commonly confused one. Imagine a friend says to you, "I'd like to find why nobody likes me."awkward, huh? 

That’s because the correct, natural way to say this is: "I'd like to find out why nobody likes me."

So, what's the real difference? very simple

You should use find when you are trying to find or look for and locate a physical thing, a person, or a place. Take these examples

  • "I can't find my wallet." (so I can’t physically locate it and am looking for it).

  • "We need to find a petrol station soon." (because are looking for a place).

Use find out when you are trying to get information about something or discover a fact. We’re not looking for a thing, we are looking for an answer or a piece of knowledge.

  • "Did you find out what time the meeting starts?" (so you are looking for information about the starting time).

  • "I wanna find out who won the game last night." (You are looking for a fact).

So, the simple rule is:

  • Find = a thing, place, or person

  • Find out = information or a fact

My final piece of advice? You can use your phone to find a good restaurant, but you need to call them to find out if they have a free table.

And that’s our Mistake Break! Now that you've found out the difference, join us next time to find out more!

The core distinction highlighted in the text is between "find" (to locate a physical thing, person, or place) and "find out" (to discover information or a fact). Based on this, here are three appropriate intermediate-level solo exercises:

Exercises: 

1. Spot the Difference

    a. I need to find out my keys before I leave.

    b. Can you find what time the train arrives?

    c. She was trying to find a solution to the problem.

    d. We should find out a new park for our picnic.

    e. He wants to find out how to fix his computer.



2. Guided Practice: Sentence Surgeon

    Complete each sentence by filling in the blank with either "find" or "find out."

    a. I wonder if we can __________ a good coffee shop nearby.

    b. Did you ever __________ who left the mysterious package?

    c. We need to __________ more about ancient Roman history for our project.

    d. She hopes to __________ her lost dog soon.

    e. I'll __________ the concert details online.

TIP: Think about what you are trying to locate or discover. Is it a physical object or a piece of information?"


3. Podcast Script Lexical Gaps

Read the segment from the podcast below. Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate word (e.g., preposition, article, or part of a collocation) based on the context.


"Hello and welcome ____ Mistake Break, where we fix mistakes ____ less than two minutes. Let's dive right ____ today's commonly confused one. Imagine a friend says ____ you, 'I'd like to find why nobody likes me.' That’s because the correct, natural way ____ say this is: 'I'd like to find out why nobody likes me.' So, what's the real difference? very simple You should use find when you are trying ____ find or look ____ and locate a physical thing, a person, or a place. Take these examples 'I can't find my wallet.' (so I can’t physically locate it and am looking ____ it). 'We need to find a petrol station soon.' (because are looking ____ a place)."


Answer Key:

1. Spot the Difference

a. I need to find my keys before I leave. (Correction: find) b. Can you find out what time the train arrives? (Correction: find out) c. She was trying to find a solution to the problem. (Correct) d. We should find a new park for our picnic. (Correction: find) e. He wants to find out how to fix his computer. (Correct)

2. Guided Practice: "Sentence Surgeon"

a. I wonder if we can find a good coffee shop nearby. b. Did you ever find out who left the mysterious package? c. We need to find out more about ancient Roman history for our project. d. She hopes to find her lost dog soon. e. I'll find out the concert details online.

3. Podcast Script Lexical Gaps

"Hello and welcome to Mistake Break, where we fix mistakes in less than two minutes. Let's dive right into today's commonly confused one. Imagine a friend says to you, 'I'd like to find why nobody likes me.' That’s because the correct, natural way to say this is: 'I'd like to find out why nobody likes me.' So, what's the real difference? very simple You should use find when you are trying to find or look for and locate a physical thing, a person, or a place. Take these examples 'I can't find my wallet.' (so I can’t physically locate it and am looking for it). 'We need to find a petrol station soon.' (because are looking for a place)."

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