One of the most common problems English learners face is making grammatical mistakes without realizing it. A minor grammar mistake can alter the context of what you’re trying to say. Even native speakers and seasoned writers can make such mistakes, so it is no shame for beginners to face such hurdles.
Being such a widely spoken language, it is important to learn English as it is used in both the personal and professional life. In this article, we have identified the most common grammar mistakes beginners make and how you can fix them. Learning about these common mistakes can help you develop your grammar, vocabulary, and speaking skills.
1. The Wrong Use of Tenses
Tenses in English grammar can be a little tricky, and not many people pay attention to the correct use of tenses. For Example:
- I will meet my mother in half an hour.
This is an incorrect statement because “I will” is not something you use to talk about plans. If you want to meet your mother, it is a plan that you both made together, and using that changes the context. This sentence can be corrected by using the correct tense.
To fix this mistake, you can use the present continuous to talk about the future. The correct sentence using this tense would be:
- I am meeting my mother in half an hour.
Now, this sentence indicates that it is a plan that you both have made together and it will be implemented in the future. If the situation reverses to the past and you have already met your mother, then the correct sentence would be:
- I met my mother half an hour ago.
Therefore, learning more about the correct use of tenses per the context can help you avoid making common grammar mistakes like that and help you learn better English.
2. Uncountable Nouns and Articles
Countable and uncountable nouns are commonly used in the English language. As the name indicates, countable nouns are the nouns that can be counted. They are easy to understand, and the chances of making grammatical mistakes are low. You can use singular articles like “a” and “an” for singular countable nouns. You can use plural forms such as adding “s” to the word when there is more than one noun as it becomes plural.
Uncountable nouns are a bit more complicated as they usually don’t have a plural form, and you can’t use a singular article with them. One way to talk about the uncountable nouns is by using quantifiers to explain how much of the noun there is.
The contrast between the use of countable and uncountable nouns in English is very evident as they are completely different. Let’s just compare a countable noun “orange” and an uncountable noun “advice” to understand the concept better. We can use the words in sentences as follows:
- I have an orange for you.
- I have a piece of advice for you.
- How many oranges do you have?
- How much advice can you give me?
- I have a few oranges for you.
- I have a little advice for you.
From these sentences, you can tell that the noun is not the only important part of the sentence, but it is the type of noun used that affects other words in the sentence. So, using the wrong words with an uncountable noun in a sentence is one of the most common grammar mistakes anyone can make that changes the whole meaning of the sentence.
Most of the time, these mistakes are made when you don’t realize that perhaps the noun is uncountable.
3. Incorrect Use of Irregular Verbs
The incorrect use of irregular verbs is also one of the most common grammar mistakes in English. They are difficult to understand because there are no set rules on how you can logically explain why one verb is regular and the other one is not. There are fewer irregular verbs than regular verbs, but they are still hard to memorize. Many irregular verbs are very commonly used in sentences, and you can’t escape them, so you need to learn them to avoid making silly mistakes.
Some common irregular verbs in English include be, do, see, have, go, make, come, take, and get. Unfortunately, these verbs are also some of the most commonly used words in English and these will change in unexpected ways in different tenses than regular verbs. . You must be skilled enough to use these words in English sentences automatically without having to jog your memory while trying to use them.
An example of irregular verbs:
- Infinitive: Forget
- Past simple: Forgot
- Past participle: Forgotten
Using this correctly in English sentences would be like:
- I need to forget about the incident from last week.
- I forgot to call her last night.
- I have forgotten what we talked about last night.
This is an example of an irregular verb being used in a present simple, past simple, and present perfect tense.
4. When there is no Subject-Verb Agreement in a Sentence
Within a sentence, the subject and verb must be in agreement, which means that they must match for the sentence to be correct. Why is this among the most common grammar mistakes in English? Even the most advanced English speakers can make such mistakes, so what is the reason for this? Here are some examples of sentences with grammar mistakes to correct, most notably incorrect subject-verb agreement:
- That car look expensive.
- Those cars looks expensive.
- Paul are looking out the window.
- Harry and John is looking out the window.
- Do those kids likes to eat chocolates?
- Does this kid likes to eat chocolates?
Most of the time, people don’t even realize that they are making these mistakes because they have become a habit and are considered normal. When speaking, it might not matter as much for interactions, but when it comes to writing or speaking professionally, it can make you sound bad. The sentences with proper matching of subject and verb are as follows:
- That car looks expensive.
- Those cars look expensive.
- Paul is looking out the window.
- Harry and John are looking out the window.
- Do those kids like to eat chocolates?
- Does this kid like to eat chocolates?
These mistakes are very easy to fix, and habitual errors can be fixed once you start identifying them and using the correct words.
5. The Incorrect Use of the Auxiliary Verb
The three main verbs that (can) function as auxiliary in English are do, be, and have. They are very important, and learning more about them will enhance your English speaking and writing skills to a great extent. Learning the correct use of auxiliary verbs improves your grammar because the relationship between an auxiliary verb and the main verb in an English sentence is very clear and simple. These auxiliary verbs appear in the following tenses:
- Do: simple tenses
- Be: continuous tenses
- All: the passive tenses
- Have: perfect tenses
For example, “They have played the game yesterday”. This is an example of the incorrect use of an auxiliary verb in a sentence. The word “have” should not be used with yesterday. The correct sentence would be: They played the game yesterday.
This is among those parts of English that remain consistent, and if you are making the incorrect use of auxiliary verbs, then it is easy to fix. This is especially important after completing an English examination like IELTS or checking an email before sending, and these simple reminders need to be in your mind.
The three main auxiliary verbs can also be used as main verbs such as:
- He didn’t do it.
- He is being irritating.
- I have had three glasses of water.
When you are using English verbs, whether the sentence contains only the main verb or an auxiliary verb, they must agree with the subject. For the English sentence to be correct, you must match the verb with the subject. For example, in these sentences, the subject and verb match:
- He is leaving.
- They are leaving.
- I am leaving.
Not matching the subject and verb are the cause of major grammatical errors and can make you seem unprofessional. You can learn more about the right use of auxiliary verbs as it is a topic with a copious amount of content.
6. The Incorrect Use of Articles
The main articles in English are the, a, and an. Now, you must be wondering which one you should use, when, and why. Finding the answer to these questions will help solve the puzzle and improve your English. Articles are often difficult for beginners as the use of these words can be confusing in some sentences.
There are distinctions between the two articles. The word “the” is a definite article, whereas the words “a”, and “an” are indefinite articles. The definite and indefinite articles can be differentiated by the difference between a specific noun and a general noun. For example, there are three pens of three different colors: red, blue, and green. If I ask:
- Can you pass me a pen?
This indicates that I would be okay with any of the three colors as there is no specific noun mentioned, hence the use of an indefinite article. However, if I ask:
- Can you pass me the green pen?
Then this indicates that I only want the green pen as it is specifically stated, hence the use of a definite article. But sometimes, you don’t need to use an article at all, so it is not surprising that it is among the most common grammar mistakes in English.
7. The Overuse of Adverbs
The overuse of adverbs can make sentences look unorganized and make you seem like you don’t know the language properly. This can be embarrassing, especially in professional situations. Therefore, it is important to use the right number of words in sentences, not to make it seem like you are just stuffing words in there to sound more like a pro.
Adverbs can be used to express many different things and situations, but the overuse of adverbs is never preferred. They work as modifiers for verbs, adjectives, or even other adverbs. For example:
- The door opened quickly, and Emma walked slowly into the room.
There are too many adverbs in this sentence, which makes it sound bad, and it can be simplified by removing one of the adverbs, such as:
- The door opened in a rush, and Emma walked slowly into the room.
Sometimes, a common grammatical error occurs when too much emphasis is placed on manner adverbs.
8. Using the Wrong Word Order in Questions
The word order in questions is very important because this determines if a sentence is a question or an answer even without seeing if there is a question mark. As a rule of thumb the verb precedes the subject in questions, while it’s the other way round in answers.
Some examples of using the wrong word order specifically in questions are as follows:
- We can go to Lisa’s house this afternoon?
- What we are eating for dinner?
The correct forms of these sentences by using the correct word order are as follows:
- Can we go to Lisa’s house this afternoon?
- What are we eating for dinner?
Using the wrong word order in English is among the most common types of grammar mistakes. There are various types of sentences in English, and each one of them uses a different intonation. So, you need to get both the structure and the intonation of the sentence right. This will make you sound more fluent in English and create a good image for you in your professional life.
With the wrong word order, your question might seem more like you are telling them or commanding and not asking. Therefore, you must be more careful. Here is an order that will help you in this matter:
- Question words
- Auxiliary verb
- Subject
- Main verb
If you remember this order and apply it while speaking or writing, then your questions will always be correct.
9. Wrong Use of Homophones
Many commonly used words in English sound similar but have different meanings. This confuses people, especially people who are still at the beginning stage of learning English. The words that sound similar but vary in meaning are known as homophones. You cannot use such words interchangeably; therefore, you must learn the differences in their meanings. Learning this will help you improve your vocabulary and improve your English speaking and writing skills.
Some examples of homophones are as follows:
- Accept and except
- Flower and flour
- Beat and beet
Now, using them in a sentence incorrectly vs correctly would be as follows:
Incorrect: She excepted food from a stranger.
Correct: She accepted food from a stranger.
Hundreds of homophones sound the same but have completely different meanings and can change the whole meaning of the sentence or context of the situation.
10. The Unnecessary Use of Passive Voice
The unnecessary or excessive use of passive voice instead of active voice is a common mistake even experienced writers make. Some people feel this makes the writing better, but the reality is that this is not the case. The passive voice is when the subject of a sentence receives the action of the verb rather than performing the action – usually hen the object is placed at the beginning of a sentence, rather than at the end of it.
Here is an example:
Passive: The toy was held by Charlie.
Active: Charlie held the toy.
As you can see, the active sentence sounds more correct and fluent. Both sentences seem correct, but the active voice is grammatically preferred and is used more commonly for better understanding and flow in both written and spoken English.
Conclusion
There are many other grammar mistakes to correct, but the ones listed above will already help you improve your English language . You can check out various other sources and read some books to learn more details. The correct use of grammar and punctuation in English can also improve your confidence in professional and academic settings. You should practice correcting these mistakes daily, as practice makes perfect.