Common Mistakes in English Grammar

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Mistake 1: Subject-Verb Agreement

One of the most common mistakes in English grammar is not matching the subject and verb in a sentence. For example: "The dog eats bones" is correct, but "The dog eat bones" is incorrect.

Mistake 2: Confusing "Your" and "You're"

Another common mistake is mixing up "your" (possessive) and "you're" (contraction of "you are"). For example: "Your dog is cute" is correct, but "You're dog is cute" is incorrect.

Mistake 3: Misusing Apostrophes

Misusing apostrophes is a prevalent mistake in English grammar. One common error is using apostrophes to make a word plural. For example: "I have two cat's" is incorrect; it should be "I have two cats." Another error is failing to use an apostrophe in contractions. For example: "Cant" instead of "Can't."

Mistake 4: Run-on Sentences

A run-on sentence is when two or more independent clauses are improperly joined together without proper punctuation. For example: "I went to the store I bought some milk" is a run-on sentence. It should be written as "I went to the store, and I bought some milk."

Mistake 5: Using "They're," "Their," and "There" incorrectly

It is common for people to mix up the usage of "they're" (contraction of "they are"), "their" (possessive), and "there" (referring to a place or location). For example: "They're going to their house. It is over there" is the correct usage.

Mistake 6: Confusing "Its" and "It's"

Another common mistake is confusing "its" (possessive) with "it's" (contraction of "it is"). For example: "The dog wagged it's tail" is incorrect; it should be "The dog wagged its tail."

Mistake 7: Double Negatives

Using double negatives in a sentence creates confusion and can change the intended meaning. For example: "I don't know nothing" is a double negative. It should be written as "I don't know anything" or "I know nothing."

Mistake 8: Using "Affect" and "Effect" incorrectly

Confusion between "affect" (verb) and "effect" (noun) is a common error. For example: "The loud noise effected my concentration" is incorrect; it should be "The loud noise affected my concentration."

Mistake 9: Incorrect Word Order in Questions

English grammar follows a specific word order in questions. For example: "Do you know where is the library?" is incorrect; it should be "Do you know where the library is?"

Mistake 10: Confusing "Then" and "Than"

Mixing up "then" (referring to time) and "than" (used in comparisons) is a common error. For example: "I ate lunch and then I went to the store" is correct, but "I like apples than oranges" is incorrect.