30 Common Grammar Mistakes to Avoid

by | Aug 6, 2024 | Grammar Rules

Did you know that 58% of hiring managers reject resumes due to poor grammar? Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen to you. Good grammar is crucial for clear and effective communication, whether you’re writing an email, a report, or a social media post.

In this article, we’ll explore 30 common grammar mistakes and provide you with practical tips to avoid them. By understanding and correcting these errors, you’ll be able to communicate more effectively and confidently.

Table of Contents

30 Common Grammar Mistakes to Avoid

Subject-Verb Agreement

  1. Singular vs. Plural Subjects:
    • Rule: Singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs.
    • Common Mistake: “The list of items are on the desk.”
    • Correct Usage: “The list of items is on the desk.”
    • Tip: Identify the main subject of the sentence to ensure the verb agrees with it.
  2. Indefinite Pronouns:
    • Explanation: Pronouns like “everyone,” “nobody,” etc., are singular and take singular verbs.
    • Common Mistake: “Everyone have their own opinion.”
    • Correct Usage: “Everyone has their own opinion.”
    • Tip: Treat indefinite pronouns as singular when choosing the verb.

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

  1. Matching Pronouns to Antecedents:
    • Rule: A pronoun must agree in number and gender with its antecedent.
    • Common Mistake: “Each student must bring their own lunch.”
    • Correct Usage: “Each student must bring his or her own lunch.”
    • Tip: Ensure the pronoun matches the noun it refers to.

Verb Tense Consistency

  1. Maintaining Consistent Tense:
    • Rule: Keep the same tense throughout a sentence or connected sentences.
    • Common Mistake: “She was running to the store and buys some milk.”
    • Correct Usage: “She was running to the store and bought some milk.”
    • Tip: Check the tense of your verbs to ensure they match.
  2. Irregular Verbs:
    • Explanation: Irregular verbs don’t follow regular conjugation rules.
    • Common Mistake: “He runned to the park.”
    • Correct Usage: “He ran to the park.”
    • Tip: Familiarize yourself with common irregular verbs and their forms.

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

  1. Misplaced Modifiers:
    • Definition: A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the word it modifies.
    • Common Mistake: “She almost drove her kids to school every day.”
    • Correct Usage: “She drove her kids to school almost every day.”
    • Tip: Place modifiers close to the word they describe.
  2. Dangling Modifiers:
    • Definition: A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence.
    • Common Mistake: “Walking to the store, the rain started pouring.”
    • Correct Usage: “Walking to the store, I noticed the rain starting to pour.”
    • Tip: Ensure the modifier has a clear subject in the sentence.

5. Commonly Confused Words

  1. Its vs. It’s:
    • Explanation: “Its” is possessive; “it’s” is a contraction for “it is.”
    • Common Mistake: “Its a beautiful day.”
    • Correct Usage: “It’s a beautiful day.”
    • Tip: Replace “it’s” with “it is” to check if it fits.
  2. Their vs. There vs. They’re:
    • Explanation: “Their” is possessive; “there” refers to a place; “they’re” is a contraction for “they are.”
    • Common Mistake: “There going to their house over their.”
    • Correct Usage: “They’re going to their house over there.”
    • Tip: Replace “they’re” with “they are” to check if it fits.
  3. Your vs. You’re:
    • Explanation: “Your” is possessive; “you’re” is a contraction for “you are.”
    • Common Mistake: “Your going to love this movie.”
    • Correct Usage: “You’re going to love this movie.”
    • Tip: Replace “you’re” with “you are” to check if it fits.
  4. Affect vs. Effect:
    • Explanation: “Affect” is a verb; “effect” is a noun.
    • Common Mistake: “The weather will effect our plans.”
    • Correct Usage: “The weather will affect our plans.”
    • Tip: Use “affect” for action and “effect” for the result.
  5. Then vs. Than:
    • Explanation: “Then” refers to time; “than” is used for comparisons.
    • Common Mistake: “She is taller then her brother.”
    • Correct Usage: “She is taller than her brother.”
    • Tip: Remember “then” for sequence and “than” for comparison.

Punctuation Errors

  1. Comma Splices:
    • Explanation: A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined with just a comma.
    • Common Mistake: “I went to the store, I bought milk.”
    • Correct Usage: “I went to the store, and I bought milk.”
    • Tip: Use a conjunction or semicolon to join independent clauses.
  2. Run-On Sentences:
    • Explanation: A run-on sentence contains two or more independent clauses without proper punctuation.
    • Common Mistake: “I love to write it is my favorite hobby.”
    • Correct Usage: “I love to write. It is my favorite hobby.”
    • Tip: Use periods, semicolons, or conjunctions to separate clauses.
  3. Semicolon Misuse:
    • Explanation: Semicolons join closely related independent clauses or separate items in a complex list.
    • Common Mistake: “I have a big test tomorrow; I can’t go out tonight.”
    • Correct Usage: “I have a big test tomorrow; therefore, I can’t go out tonight.”
    • Tip: Ensure both parts can stand alone as sentences.
  4. Apostrophe Misuse:
    • Explanation: Apostrophes show possession or form contractions.
    • Common Mistake: “The cat’s are sleeping.”
    • Correct Usage: “The cats are sleeping.”
    • Tip: Use apostrophes for possession (the cat’s toy) and contractions (it’s raining).
  5. Quotation Marks:
    • Explanation: Quotation marks enclose direct speech, quotes, or titles of short works.
    • Common Mistake: He said, “I will be there soon”.
    • Correct Usage: He said, “I will be there soon.”
    • Tip: Place punctuation inside quotation marks.

Sentence Structure Issues

  1. Fragmented Sentences:
    • Explanation: Sentence fragments are incomplete sentences.
    • Common Mistake: “Because I was tired.”
    • Correct Usage: “I went to bed early because I was tired.”
    • Tip: Ensure every sentence has a subject and a verb.
  2. Parallel Structure:
    • Explanation: Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words for items in a list.
    • Common Mistake: “She likes hiking, to swim, and biking.”
    • Correct Usage: “She likes hiking, swimming, and biking.”
    • Tip: Use the same grammatical form for each item in a list.

Common Spelling Mistakes

  1. Commonly Misspelled Words:
    • Explanation: Some words are frequently misspelled due to their irregular spelling.
    • Examples: Accommodate, definitely, occurrence, separate
    • Tip: Use mnemonic devices or spell-check tools to remember correct spellings.
  2. Homophones:
    • Explanation: Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings.
    • Examples: “To, too, two”; “bare, bear”
    • Tip: Learn the different meanings and contexts of homophones.

Agreement with Collective Nouns

  1. Singular or Plural Collective Nouns:
    • Explanation: Collective nouns can be singular or plural depending on context.
    • Common Mistake: “The team are winning.”
    • Correct Usage: “The team is winning.”
    • Tip: Use singular verbs for the group as a unit; use plural verbs when individuals are acting separately.

Advanced Grammar Mistakes

  1. Subjunctive Mood:
    • Explanation: The subjunctive mood expresses wishes, suggestions, or hypothetical situations.
    • Common Mistake: “If I was you, I would apologize.”
    • Correct Usage: “If I were you, I would apologize.”
    • Tip: Use “were” for hypothetical or contrary-to-fact statements.
  2. Double Negatives:
    • Explanation: Double negatives create a positive meaning.
    • Common Mistake: “I don’t need no help.”
    • Correct Usage: “I don’t need any help.”
    • Tip: Use only one negative word to convey a negative meaning.
  3. Split Infinitives:
    • Explanation: A split infinitive occurs when an adverb is placed between “to” and the verb.
    • Common Mistake: “To quickly run.”
    • Correct Usage: “To run quickly.”
    • Tip: While split infinitives are often acceptable, try to keep the “to” and the verb together.

Common Errors in Academic Writing

  1. Passive Voice:
    • Explanation: Passive voice often makes sentences less clear.
    • Common Mistake: “The experiment was conducted by the students.”
    • Correct Usage: “The students conducted the experiment.”
    • Tip: Use active voice to make your writing more direct and vigorous.
  2. Overuse of Adverbs:
    • Explanation: Too many adverbs can clutter your writing.
    • Common Mistake: “She very quickly ran to the store.”
    • Correct Usage: “She sprinted to the store.”
    • Tip: Use strong verbs instead of relying on adverbs.

Errors in Business Writing

  1. Jargon and Clichés:
    • Explanation: Jargon and clichés can make writing unclear or unoriginal.
    • Common Mistake: “We need to leverage our core competencies.”
    • Correct Usage: “We need to use our strengths.”
    • Tip: Use clear, simple language instead of jargon or clichés.
  2. Tone and Formality:
    • Explanation: Maintaining an appropriate tone and formality is crucial in business writing.
    • Common Mistake: “Hey, could you send me that report ASAP?”
    • Correct Usage: “Please send me the report as soon as possible.”
    • Tip: Match your tone and formality to your audience and purpose.

Additional Resources

Grammar Books and Guides:

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The Difference Between Some and Any vs. A, An, and The
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Compound Adjectives

  • “The Elements of Style” by Strunk and White
  • “Eats, Shoots & Leaves” by Lynne Truss

Online Tools and Apps:

  • Grammarly
  • Hemingway Editor
  • Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab)

Practice Exercises:

  • Websites like English Grammar Online or Khan Academy offer free grammar exercises for further practice.

By understanding and avoiding these common grammar mistakes, you can enhance your writing clarity and effectiveness.

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