Common English Grammar Mistakes

Grammar plays a vital role in communication, helping us express ideas clearly and accurately. However, it’s easy to make mistakes, especially while learning or using a language daily. Whether you’re writing an email, a report, or even speaking, a few common grammar errors can make a big difference in how your message is received. Let us take a look at some of the most frequent mistakes people make and how to correct them. Avoid Common English Grammar Mistakes with our helpful tips. Improve your writing and communication skills by learning how to fix frequent grammar errors.

 

Subject-Verb Agreement Errors

Subject-verb agreement means the subject of the sentence and the verb must match in number. We need to remember when the subject is singular, use a singular verb, and when the subject is plural, then a plural verb needs to be used. 

Common Mistake:

• Incorrect: The books is on the table.
• Correct: The books are on the table.

Explanation: In the first sentence, “books” is plural, but the verb “is” is singular. The correct verb form “are” should match the plural subject.

Quick Fix: Always check if your subject is singular or plural and ensure the verb aligns with it. This rule is easy to overlook, especially in longer sentences.

 

Confusing Homophones

Homophones are words that sound alike but their spellings and meanings are entirely different.  These words often trip people up in both writing and speaking.

Common Mistakes:

• Your vs. You’re
  • Incorrect: Your going to love this book.
  • Correct: You’re going to love this book.
• Their vs. There vs. They’re
  • Incorrect: Their going to the store.
  • Correct: They’re going to the store.

Explanation:

• “Your” shows possession (your book), while “you’re” is a contraction for “you are.”
• “Their” shows possession (their house), “there” refers to a place (over there), and “they’re” is a contraction for “they are.”

Tip: Take a moment to think about the meaning of the sentence before choosing which homophone to use.

 

Misplacing Apostrophes

Apostrophes are used to show possession or form contractions, but they are often misplaced.

Common Mistakes: 

• Incorrect: The company’s policy was unclear.
• Correct: The company’s policy was unclear.
• Incorrect: Its a nice day.
• Correct: It’s a nice day.

Explanation:

• Apostrophes show possession. For example, “company’s” indicates something that belongs to the company.
• “It’s” is a contraction of “it is,” while “its” is the possessive form (belonging to it).

Tip: If you’re unsure, try replacing the word with “it is” or “they are.” If it works, then you need the apostrophe.

 

Incorrect Use of Commas

Commas can change the meaning of a sentence, and using them incorrectly is one of the most common grammar mistakes.

Common Mistake:

• Incorrect: Let’s eat grandma!
• Correct: Let’s eat, grandma!

Explanation: In the first sentence, it sounds like we’re suggesting eating grandma, which isn’t the intended message. Inserting the comma clarifies that we’re asking Grandma to eat with us.

Tip: Use commas to separate items in a list, after introductory elements, or to separate two independent clauses when they’re joined by conjunctions (like “and,” “but,” or “or”). If in doubt, read the sentence out loud—if you naturally pause, a comma might be needed.

 

Using the Wrong Tense

Tense mistakes happen when we mix up past, present, and future forms in our writing or speech.

Common Mistakes:

• Incorrect: I eat breakfast yesterday.
• Correct: I ate breakfast yesterday.
• Incorrect: She is going to the store yesterday.
• Correct: She went to the store yesterday.

Explanation: The verb “eat” is in the present tense, but “yesterday” indicates a past action. Therefore, the verb should be “ate” to match the time frame.

Tip: Always ensure your verbs match the time frame you’re referring to—past, present, or future.

 

Double Negatives

A double negative happens when two negative words are put in a single sentence. This can make the sentence confusing and grammatically incorrect.

Common Mistake:

• Incorrect: I don’t need any help.
• Correct: I don’t need any help.

Explanation: “Don’t” and “no” are both negative, so using them together cancels each other out, making the sentence confusing. Instead, replace “no” with “any.”

Tip: Stick to one negative word in a sentence to avoid confusion.

 

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Misusing Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjectives are the words that are used to describe nouns, while adverbs are used to describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. It’s easy to confuse these two, especially in speech.

Common Mistake:

• Incorrect: She runs quick.
• Correct: She runs quickly.

Explanation: “Quick” is an adjective, and “quickly” is an adverb. Since we’re describing how she runs (a verb), we need to use the adverb “quickly.”

Tip: If you’re describing a noun, use an adjective (quick car). If you’re describing how something is done (run), use an adverb (quickly).

 

Preposition Mistakes

Prepositions are small words (like “in,” “on,” “at,” “with”) that show relationships between other words. However, they are often misused.

Common Mistake:

• Incorrect: She is good in tennis.
• Correct: She is good at tennis.

Explanation: We use “good at” when talking about skills or abilities, not “good in.”

Tip: Prepositions can be tricky because different languages use them differently. It’s a good idea to memorize common preposition phrases or use grammar checkers to spot these errors.

 

Incomplete Comparisons

When making comparisons, it’s important to compare things that are alike and finish the comparison.

Common Mistake:

• Incorrect: My brother is smarter.
• Correct: My brother is smarter than I am.

Explanation: The first sentence doesn’t finish the comparison, leaving the reader wondering, “Smarter than what?” Always complete the comparison for clarity.

Tip: Make sure to use “than” to compare two things and finish the comparison properly.

 

Sentence Fragments

Sentence fragments are incomplete sentences that don’t express a full idea.

Common Mistake:

• Incorrect: Because I was late.
• Correct: I missed the meeting because I was late.

Explanation: The first sentence is a fragment because it doesn’t express a complete thought. Adding the subject (“I”) and verb (“missed”) makes it a complete sentence.

Tip: Every sentence should have at least one subject and one verb to form a complete thought.

 

Grammar mistakes are common, but with a little attention to detail, they can easily be avoided. By focusing on the above-mentioned frequent errors, you can significantly improve your writing and communication skills also it will help you to be well on your way to mastering grammar and communicating with clarity and confidence.

 

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Author:-

Ami Nandani

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