English grammar: Good communication in English is like a secret code for making friends and getting things done. And guess what? The secret ingredient to cracking this code is proper knowledge of ‘English Grammar’.
Whether you’re just starting out with words or you’re already pretty good at talking, fixing grammar mistakes is a bit like polishing your language skills. Even the pros sometimes goof up on the common mistakes we’re going to talk about.
Common English Grammar Mistakes
In this guide, we’ll check out 73 everyday English grammar mistakes and figure out how to steer clear of them. From putting sentences together to picking the right words, we’ll explore the tricky parts of grammar to help you speak and write confidently.
So, let’s take a trip through the world of language rules and learn how to dodge those common mistakes together. Welcome to “73 Common English Grammatical Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.”
- Subject-Verb Agreement:
- Incorrect: The team are playing well.
- Correct: The team is playing well.
- Misplaced Apostrophes:
- Incorrect: Its a beautiful day.
- Correct: It’s a beautiful day.
- Your vs. You’re:
- Incorrect: Your going to love it.
- Correct: You’re going to love it.
- There, Their, They’re:
- Incorrect: Their going to the store.
- Correct: They’re going to the store.
- Its vs. It’s:
- Incorrect: The cat licked its paws.
- Correct: The cat licked it’s paws.
- Effect vs. Affect:
- Incorrect: The new policy will not have any affect on us.
- Correct: The new policy will not have any effect on us.
- Comma Splices:
- Incorrect: I like ice cream, it’s my favorite dessert.
- Correct: I like ice cream; it’s my favorite dessert.
- Run-On Sentences:
- Incorrect: The sun was shining I decided to go for a walk.
- Correct: The sun was shining, so I decided to go for a walk. [english grammar]
- Double Negatives:
- Incorrect: I can’t hardly wait for the weekend.
- Correct: I can hardly wait for the weekend.
- Who vs. Whom:
- Incorrect: Whom is coming to the party?
- Correct: Who is coming to the party?
- Less vs. Fewer:
- Incorrect: There are less people here today.
- Correct: There are fewer people here today.
- Between vs. Among:
- Incorrect: The secret is between you and I.
- Correct: The secret is between you and me.
- Farther vs. Further:
- Incorrect: We need to investigate further into the matter.
- Correct: We need to investigate farther into the matter.
- Accept vs. Except:
- Incorrect: I’ll take all the books accept that one.
- Correct: I’ll take all the books except that one.
- Lose vs. Loose:
- Incorrect: Don’t loose your keys.
- Correct: Don’t lose your keys.
- Effect vs. Affect:
- Incorrect: The loud noise had a profound affect on my concentration.
- Correct: The loud noise had a profound effect on my concentration.
- Use of “Me” and “I”:
- Incorrect: Me and him will be there.
- Correct: He and I will be there.
- Misusing “Literally”:
- Incorrect: I literally died of laughter.
- Correct: I laughed so hard I figuratively died.
- Irregular Verbs:
- Incorrect: Yesterday, I have eaten sushi for the first time.
- Correct: Yesterday, I ate sushi for the first time.
- Double Comparisons:
- Incorrect: She is more taller than her sister.
- Correct: She is taller than her sister.
- Confusing “Then” and “Than”:
- Incorrect: I would rather walk then take the bus.
- Correct: I would rather walk than take the bus.
- Redundancy:
- Incorrect: I have a free gift for you.
- Correct: I have a gift for you.
- Misuse of “Good” and “Well”:
- Incorrect: She dances good.
- Correct: She dances well.
- Who vs. That:
- Incorrect: The person who gave me this book is my friend.
- Correct: The person that gave me this book is my friend.
- Bringing vs. Taking:
- Incorrect: Can you bring me to the airport?
- Correct: Can you take me to the airport?
- Misuse of “A” and “An”:
- Incorrect: I saw an UFO last night.
- Correct: I saw a UFO last night. [english grammar]
- Dangling Modifiers:
- Incorrect: After eating the pizza, my stomach felt better.
- Correct: After eating the pizza, I felt better.
- Split Infinitives:
- Incorrect: To quickly run is essential.
- Correct: To run quickly is essential.
- Using “Like” instead of “Such As”:
- Incorrect: I enjoy outdoor activities, like hiking and camping.
- Correct: I enjoy outdoor activities, such as hiking and camping.
- Improper Use of Semicolons:
- Incorrect: I love music; it helps me relax.
- Correct: I love music; it helps me relax.
- Incorrect Use of “Literally”:
- Incorrect: My head is literally going to explode.
- Correct: My head feels like it’s going to explode.
- Misuse of “Bring” and “Take”:
- Incorrect: Can you bring me some coffee?
- Correct: Can you take me some coffee?
- Ambiguous Pronoun Reference:
- Incorrect: Mary told Jane that she passed the exam.
- Correct: Mary told Jane that Jane passed the exam.
- Using “Amount” with Countable Nouns:
- Incorrect: There is a large amount of problems in the report.
- Correct: There are a large number of problems in the report.
- Incorrect Use of “Each” and “Every”:
- Incorrect: I go to the gym each day.
- Correct: I go to the gym every day.
- Incorrect Use of “Who” and “Whom” in Questions:
- Incorrect: Whom is at the door?
- Correct: Who is at the door?
- Incorrect Use of “This” and “These”:
- Incorrect: Can I have this apples?
- Correct: Can I have these apples?
- Misuse of “Can” and “May”:
- Incorrect: Can I go to the bathroom?
- Correct: May I go to the bathroom?
- Using “Over” instead of “More than”:
- Incorrect: I have over a hundred dollars.
- Correct: I have more than a hundred dollars.
- Incorrect Use of “The Same as” & “The Same like”:
- Incorrect: Your car is the same like mine.
- Correct: Your car is the same as mine.
- Incorrect Use of “Hopefully”:
- Incorrect: Hopefully, I will finish the project on time.
- Correct: I hope to finish the project on time.
- Confusing “Bring” and “Take”:
- Incorrect: Can you take me my keys?
- Correct: Can you bring me my keys?
- Confusing “Lay” and “Lie”:
- Incorrect: She is going to lay down for a nap.
- Correct: She is going to lie down for a nap.
- Incorrect Use of “Good” and “Well”:
- Incorrect: I’m doing good, thank you.
- Correct: I’m doing well, thank you.
- Using “Due To” Instead of “Because of”:
- Incorrect: The flight was delayed due to bad weather.
- Correct: The flight was delayed because of bad weather.
- Incorrect Use of “Fewer” and “Less”:
- Incorrect: I have less books than you.
- Correct: I have fewer books than you. [english grammar]
- Confusing “Beside” and “Besides”:
- Incorrect: I’ll sit besides you.
- Correct: I’ll sit beside you.
- Using “Nor” without “Neither”:
- Incorrect: She doesn’t like coffee nor tea.
- Correct: She likes neither coffee nor tea.
- Incorrect Use of “That” and “Which”:
- Incorrect: The car which is parked outside is mine.
- Correct: The car that is parked outside is mine.
- Who vs. Whose:
- Incorrect: The person who’s car is blocking the driveway should move it.
- Correct: The person whose car is blocking the driveway should move it.
- Using “So” at the Beginning of a Sentence:
- Incorrect: So, I think we should go to the movies tonight.
- Correct: I think we should go to the movies tonight.
- Misuse of “I” and “Me” in Compounds:
- Incorrect: Give it to John and I.
- Correct: Give it to John and me.
- Incorrect Use of “Good” and “Well” as Adverbs:
- Incorrect: She sings good.
- Correct: She sings well.
- Misplacing Adverbs:
- Incorrect: He almost drove his car into a tree.
- Correct: He drove his car almost into a tree.
- Confusing “Principal” and “Principle”:
- Incorrect: The school’s principle is very strict.
- Correct: The school’s principal is very strict.
- Incorrect Use of “On Accident” Instead of “By Accident”:
- Incorrect: I spilled the coffee on accident.
- Correct: I spilled the coffee by accident.
- Using “A” Instead of “An” Before Words Starting with a Vowel Sound:
- Incorrect: I have a apple.
- Correct: I have an apple.
- Confusing “Cite,” “Site,” and “Sight”:
- Incorrect: The new construction site is a beautiful cite.
- Correct: The new construction site is a beautiful sight.
- Incorrect Use of “Can” and “May” for Permission:
- Incorrect: Can I borrow your pen?
- Correct: May I borrow your pen?
- Misuse of “Been” and “Being”:
- Incorrect: I have been reading that book last week.
- Correct: I was reading that book last week.
- Incorrect Use of “Due To” and “Because of” (Distinction):
- Incorrect: The flight was canceled due to technical issues.
- Correct: The flight was canceled because of technical issues.
- Confusing “Effect” and “Affect” (as Nouns and Verbs):
- Incorrect: The medicine had a positive affect on her health.
- Correct: The medicine had a positive effect on her health.
- Incorrect Use of “Borrow” and “Lend”:
- Incorrect: Can you borrow me your laptop?
- Correct: Can you lend me your laptop?
- Using “Only” in the Wrong Place:
- Incorrect: I only have met him once.
- Correct: I have only met him once. [english grammar]
- Confusing “Who” and “Whom” in Relative Clauses:
- Incorrect: The person whom I admire is coming.
- Correct: The person who I admire is coming.
- Incorrect Use of “Beside” and “Besides” (Distinction):
- Incorrect: Besides the beautiful lake, there’s a small cabin.
- Correct: Beside the beautiful lake, there’s a small cabin.
- Misuse of “Bring” and “Take” in Future Tense:
- Incorrect: Can you bring me to the airport tomorrow?
- Correct: Can you take me to the airport tomorrow?
- Confusing “In” and “Into”:
- Incorrect: She walked in the room.
- Correct: She walked into the room.
- Misuse of “Because” and “Since”:
- Incorrect: I didn’t go to the party, since I was tired.
- Correct: I didn’t go to the party because I was tired.
- Incorrect Use of “Who” and “That” in Restrictive Clauses:
- Incorrect: The woman who is my sister, is a doctor.
- Correct: The woman who is my sister is a doctor.
- Misuse of “Hanged” and “Hung”:
- Incorrect: The picture was hanged on the wall.
- Correct: The picture was hung on the wall.
- Incorrect Use of “Aggravate” and “Irritate”:
- Incorrect: His behavior really irritated me.
- Correct: His behavior really aggravated me.
- Confusing “Me” and “Myself”:
- Incorrect: Send the email to John or myself.
- Correct: Send the email to John or me.
Conclusion:
Remember that language is constantly evolving, and some rules may change over time or vary in different contexts. However, these examples cover common mistakes that can be easily avoided with a bit of attention to detail.
Also Read: 85 Phrases: Weather Vocabulary in English