Common Grammar Mistakes to Avoid

Grammar mistakes are a natural part of learning English, but some errors are more common than others. By identifying and understanding these frequent mistakes, you can significantly improve your English communication skills and sound more natural and professional.

At Glimmerleaf Institute, we've analyzed thousands of student assignments and conversations to identify the most persistent grammar challenges. This comprehensive guide addresses the top mistakes we encounter and provides clear solutions for each.

1. Article Usage (A, An, The)

Articles are among the most challenging aspects of English grammar for non-native speakers.

Common Mistakes:

• ❌ "I am student at university"
• ✅ "I am a student at the university"

• ❌ "Can you pass salt?"
• ✅ "Can you pass the salt?"

Rules to Remember:

• Use "a" before consonant sounds, "an" before vowel sounds
• Use "the" for specific nouns that both speaker and listener know
• Use "the" with superlatives: "the best," "the most important"
• Don't use articles with general abstract nouns: "Love is important" (not "The love")

2. Subject-Verb Agreement

The verb must agree with the subject in number and person.

Common Mistakes:

• ❌ "The team are playing well" (when referring to the team as a unit)
• ✅ "The team is playing well"

• ❌ "Each of the students have completed their assignment"
• ✅ "Each of the students has completed their assignment"

Key Points:

• Collective nouns (team, family, group) usually take singular verbs
• "Each," "every," and "either" are always singular
• Be careful with "there is/are" constructions

3. Preposition Confusion

Prepositions don't always translate directly between languages, making them particularly challenging.

Time Prepositions:

• ❌ "I will meet you in Monday"
• ✅ "I will meet you on Monday"

• Use "on" for days and dates
• Use "in" for months, years, seasons
• Use "at" for specific times

Place Prepositions:

• ❌ "I am in the bus"
• ✅ "I am on the bus"

• Use "in" for enclosed spaces: in the car, in the room
• Use "on" for surfaces and public transport: on the table, on the train
• Use "at" for specific locations: at school, at home

4. Verb Tense Consistency

Mixing tenses unnecessarily can confuse your message.

Common Mistakes:

• ❌ "Yesterday I go to the store and I bought some milk"
• ✅ "Yesterday I went to the store and I bought some milk"

Guidelines:

• Keep the same tense throughout your narrative unless there's a logical reason to change
• Use present perfect for actions that started in the past and continue: "I have lived here for five years"
• Use simple past for completed actions: "I moved here in 2020"

5. Countable vs. Uncountable Nouns

Understanding which nouns can be counted affects article and quantifier usage.

Common Mistakes:

• ❌ "I need some informations"
• ✅ "I need some information"

• ❌ "I have many money"
• ✅ "I have much money" (or "a lot of money")

Key Rules:

• Use "many" with countable nouns, "much" with uncountable
• Common uncountable nouns: information, advice, furniture, equipment, homework
• Some nouns can be both: "I eat chicken" (uncountable) vs. "I see chickens" (countable)

6. Word Order in Questions

Question formation requires specific word order patterns.

Common Mistakes:

• ❌ "What you are doing?"
• ✅ "What are you doing?"

• ❌ "Where you went yesterday?"
• ✅ "Where did you go yesterday?"

Question Patterns:

• With "be": What + be + subject? ("What are you?")
• With other verbs: What + do/does/did + subject + base verb? ("What do you want?")
• With modal verbs: What + modal + subject + base verb? ("What can you do?")

7. Comparative and Superlative Forms

The rules for forming comparatives and superlatives depend on the adjective length.

Common Mistakes:

• ❌ "This is more better than before"
• ✅ "This is better than before"

• ❌ "She is the most prettiest girl"
• ✅ "She is the prettiest girl"

Formation Rules:

• One syllable: add -er/-est (tall, taller, tallest)
• Two syllables ending in -y: change y to i and add -er/-est (happy, happier, happiest)
• Two or more syllables: use more/most (beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful)
• Irregular forms: good/better/best, bad/worse/worst

8. Gerunds vs. Infinitives

Knowing when to use -ing forms versus "to" + base verb is crucial.

Common Mistakes:

• ❌ "I enjoy to read books"
• ✅ "I enjoy reading books"

• ❌ "I want going home"
• ✅ "I want to go home"

General Rules:

• After prepositions, use gerunds: "I'm interested in learning"
• After certain verbs (enjoy, finish, mind), use gerunds
• After certain verbs (want, decide, hope), use infinitives
• Some verbs can take both with different meanings: "I stopped smoking" vs. "I stopped to smoke"

9. Apostrophe Usage

Apostrophes show possession or contraction, not plurals.

Common Mistakes:

• ❌ "The student's are learning" (plural confusion)
• ✅ "The students are learning"

• ❌ "This book is your's"
• ✅ "This book is yours"

Correct Usage:

• Possession: "John's book," "the students' books"
• Contractions: "don't," "it's" (it is), "they're" (they are)
• Never use apostrophes for possessive pronouns: yours, theirs, its

10. Double Negatives

Standard English uses only one negative per clause.

Common Mistakes:

• ❌ "I don't have no money"
• ✅ "I don't have any money" or "I have no money"

Strategies for Improvement

1. Keep a Grammar Journal

Record mistakes you make frequently and review them regularly. Write the incorrect version, the correct version, and the rule that applies.

2. Practice with Context

Don't just memorize rules—practice using correct grammar in meaningful sentences and conversations.

3. Read Extensively

Reading well-written English exposes you to correct grammar patterns naturally. Pay attention to how professional writers construct their sentences.

4. Use Grammar Checking Tools Wisely

While tools like Grammarly can help, understand why something is wrong rather than just accepting the correction.

5. Practice Speaking

Grammar isn't just for writing—practice using correct grammar in spoken English too.

Building Grammar Confidence

Remember that making grammar mistakes is a normal part of language learning. The key is to learn from these mistakes and gradually improve your accuracy. Focus on one or two problem areas at a time rather than trying to perfect everything simultaneously.

Regular practice, patience, and awareness of these common pitfalls will help you communicate more effectively and confidently in English.