Hello! Welcome to our journey through English grammar. I’m excited to share with you some common English Grammar mistakes that many people make. Don’t worry if you’ve made these mistakes before – we’re here to learn together in a fun and relatable way. So, grab a snack and let’s get started!
Common English Grammar Mistakes
Take a paper and pen, note down these recurring errors and take a vow never to commit these again! It will boost your English skills to another level. Let’s start:
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Mixing up “your” and “you’re”:
One big mistake is mixing up “your” and “you’re.” “Your” shows something belongs to you, like “Is this your toy?” “You’re” is short for “you are,” like “You’re my friend.” Remember, if you can say “you are,” then “you’re” is correct.
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Confusing “there,” “their,” and “they’re”:
Another one of the common English Grammar mistakes is mixing up “there,” “their,” and “they’re.” “There” shows a place, like “Let’s go there.” “Their” shows something belongs to them, like “It’s their house.” “They’re” is short for “they are,” like “They’re coming.” Remember, “they’re” is always short for “they are.”
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Misusing “its” and “it’s”:
“Its” shows something belongs to it, like “The dog wagged its tail.” “It’s” is short for “it is” or “it has,” like “It’s raining” or “It’s been a long day.” Just remember, if you can say “it is” or “it has,” then “it’s” is correct.
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Overusing passive voice:
Many people use passive voice too much. Passive voice is when the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence. It can make sentences sound boring. For example, “The ball was kicked by John” is passive. “John kicked the ball” is active. Try to use active voice more often.
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Incorrect subject-verb agreement:
Subject-verb agreement is important. The verb must match the subject in number. For example, “He walks” is correct because “walks” matches the singular “he.” “They walks” is wrong because “walks” doesn’t match the plural “they.” Make sure your subjects and verbs match.
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Using “affect” instead of “effect”:
“Affect” is a verb that means to influence. “Effect” is a noun that means result. For example, “The music affected my mood” and “The medicine had a positive effect.” Remember, “affect” is an action, and “effect” is a result.
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Misplacing apostrophes in contractions:
Apostrophes are often used wrong in contractions. For example, “it’s” is a contraction of “it is” or “it has.” “Its” shows something belongs to it. “You’re” is short for “you are,” while “your” shows something belongs to you. Make sure your contractions are correct.
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Using double negatives:
Double negatives are incorrect in English. Using two negatives in the same sentence makes a positive. For example, “I don’t want no dessert” means “I want dessert.” Use only one negative in a sentence, like “I don’t want any dessert.”
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Confusing “than” and “then”:
“Than” is used to make comparisons, as in “She is taller than him.” “Then” is used to indicate time or sequence, as in “First, we will eat, then we will go shopping.” Mixing up these words can change the meaning of a sentence.
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Using “loose” instead of “lose”:
“Loose” means not tight, as in “These pants are too loose.” “Lose” means to misplace or fail to win, as in “Don’t lose your keys.” Using “loose” instead of “lose” is a common mistake.
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Confusing “its” and “it’s”:
This is a common mistake we discussed earlier, but it’s worth mentioning again. “Its” is a possessive pronoun, as in “The cat licked its paw.” “It’s” is a contraction of “it is” or “it has,” as in “It’s raining” or “It’s been a long day.”
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Using “me” instead of “I” or vice versa:
This common English grammar mistake often occurs in sentences like “Me and him went to the store.” The correct form is “He and I went to the store.” Use “I” when you are the subject of the sentence and “me” when you are the object.
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Misplacing modifiers:
Modifiers should be placed next to the word they are modifying to avoid confusion. For example, “I only ate cake” could mean that the speaker exclusively ate cake, or it could mean that eating cake was the only thing the speaker did. To clarify, you could say “I ate only cake” or “I ate cake only.”
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Using “less” instead of “fewer”:
“Less” is used for uncountable nouns, while “fewer” is used for countable nouns. For example, “There is less sugar in my coffee” (sugar is uncountable) versus “There are fewer cookies in the jar” (cookies are countable).
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Confusing “affect” and “effect”:
While we discussed this earlier, it’s worth emphasizing. “Affect” is a verb meaning to influence, while “effect” is usually a noun meaning result or consequence. For example, “The weather affects my mood” and “The new law will have many effects.”
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Using “who” instead of “whom”:
“Who” is used as the subject of a sentence, while “whom” is used as the object. For example, “Who is coming to the party?” (Who is the subject) versus “To whom should I address this letter?” (Whom is the object).
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Misusing apostrophes in possessives:
Apostrophes are used to show possession, but they are not used to make a noun plural. For example, “The cat’s toy” (correct) versus “The cat’s are playing” (incorrect).
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Using double comparatives or superlatives:
Words like “more,” “most,” “less,” and “least” are already comparative or superlative forms, so using them with another comparative or superlative adjective is redundant. For example, “more better” should be “better” and “most tallest” should be “tallest.”
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Using “then” instead of “than”:
“Then” is used to indicate time or sequence, while “than” is used for comparisons. For example, “I will go to the store, then I will go home” versus “She is taller than her brother.”
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Misusing “good” and “well”:
“Good” is an adjective that describes nouns, while “well” is an adverb that describes verbs. For example, “The food is good” (describing the food) versus “She sings well” (describing how she sings).
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Confusing “lay” and “lie”:
“Lay” is a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object. It is used to place or put something down. For example, “Please lay the book on the table.” “Lie” is an intransitive verb, meaning it does not require a direct object. It is used to recline or be in a horizontal position. For example, “I am going to lie down for a nap.”
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Using “their” when it should be “there” or “they’re”:
“Their” is a possessive pronoun, indicating ownership by a group of people. “There” indicates a place or position, and “they’re” is a contraction of “they are.” For example, “Their car is parked over there, and they’re going to pick it up later.”
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Using “alot” instead of “a lot”:
“Alot” is not a word. The correct term is “a lot,” which means a large amount or to a great extent. For example, “I have a lot of work to do.”
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Misusing “into” and “in to”:
“Into” indicates movement or transformation, while “in to” is used when “in” is part of a verb phrase. For example, “She walked into the room” versus “She tuned in to the radio station.”
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Confusing “complement” and “compliment”:
“Complement” refers to something that completes or goes well with something else, while “compliment” is a polite expression of praise or admiration. For example, “The red wine complements the meal perfectly,” versus “She received a compliment on her new haircut.”
These are just a few examples of common English grammar mistakes. Remember, the key to improving your grammar is practice and awareness. Keep an eye out for these errors in your writing and speech, and you’ll be well on your way to mastering English grammar!
Learning English grammar can be tricky, but don’t be afraid to make mistakes. We all learn by practicing. So, the next time you write, remember these common English Grammar mistakes and try to avoid them. Keep practicing, and you’ll improve over time. Happy learning!