7 Most Common English Grammar Mistakes and How to Fix Them

English grammar can be tricky, even for native speakers. Understanding and applying the rules of grammar correctly is essential for clear communication, whether in writing or speaking. Here, we’ll break down the 7 most common English grammar mistakes and provide practical tips on how to fix them. By avoiding these errors, your writing will become clearer, more professional, and more effective.

1. Confusing “Your” and “You’re”

One of the most frequent mistakes in English grammar is the misuse of “your” and “you’re.” The difference is straightforward, but many people still confuse the two.

• “Your” is a possessive adjective. It shows that something belongs to someone. Example: Your car is parked outside.
• “You’re” is a contraction of “you are.” Example: You’re going to the store later.

How to fix it: To avoid this mistake, try expanding “you’re” into “you are” when proofreading. If it doesn’t make sense, then you probably meant to use “your.” For instance, You are car is parked outside doesn’t work, so “your” is the correct word.

2. Misplacing Apostrophes

Apostrophes are often misused, especially when forming plurals and possessives. The key rules to remember are:

• Use an apostrophe to show possession. Example: This is John’s book.
• Do not use an apostrophe for plurals. Example: The cars (not car’s) are parked outside.
• Apostrophes are also used in contractions. Example: Can’t is short for “cannot.”

How to fix it: Always ask yourself if the apostrophe is indicating possession or a contraction. If it isn’t, you likely don’t need it. Avoid using apostrophes for simple plurals like dogs, cars, or books.

3. Mixing Up “Its” and “It’s”

This mistake is very similar to the “your” and “you’re” confusion. “Its” is a possessive adjective, while “it’s” is a contraction of “it is” or “it has.”

• “Its”: The dog wagged its tail.
• “It’s”: It’s going to rain later.

How to fix it: As with “you’re”, try expanding “it’s” to “it is” or “it has.” If the sentence doesn’t make sense, use “its” instead.

4. Subject-Verb Agreement Errors

Subject-verb agreement means that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number. This can be confusing when the subject and verb are separated by other words or when the subject is a collective noun.

• Incorrect: The team of players are practicing.
• Correct: The team of players is practicing.

How to fix it: To avoid this mistake, identify the true subject of the sentence and ensure the verb agrees with it. In the example above, “team” is a singular noun, so the verb should be “is” instead of “are.” Even though “players” is plural, it’s not the subject.

5. Misusing Commas

Commas can make or break the clarity of a sentence. The two most common comma mistakes are comma splices and misplacing commas in compound sentences.

• Comma Splice: Using a comma to join two independent clauses without a conjunction.
  • Incorrect: I went to the store, I bought milk.
  • Correct: I went to the store, and I bought milk. (Or: I went to the store; I bought milk.)
• Misplacing Commas in Compound Sentences: In compound sentences, place a comma before the conjunction (and, but, or) that joins two independent clauses.
  • Incorrect: I want to go to the park but it’s raining.
  • Correct: I want to go to the park, but it’s raining.

How to fix it: Familiarize yourself with the basic rules for using commas. When joining two independent clauses, use a comma followed by a conjunction, or separate the clauses with a semicolon.

6. Incorrect Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Pronouns must agree in number with their antecedents (the nouns they refer to). This is especially tricky with collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, and singular nouns that refer to groups.

• Incorrect: Everybody must bring their books.
• Correct: Everybody must bring his or her book.

In the incorrect sentence, “everybody” is singular, but the pronoun “their” is plural. It’s important to match singular nouns with singular pronouns and plural nouns with plural pronouns.

How to fix it: Take time to identify whether your antecedent is singular or plural, and ensure that the pronoun matches. For collective or indefinite nouns like “everyone” or “nobody,” use singular pronouns like “his or her” instead of plural ones like “their.”

7. Dangling Modifiers

A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that describes something but is not clearly attached to the correct word in the sentence. This can make the sentence confusing or even humorous.

• Incorrect: Walking to school, the weather was cold.
• Correct: Walking to school, I felt cold in the weather.

In the incorrect sentence, the modifier “walking to school” seems to describe “the weather,” which doesn’t make sense. The correct sentence makes it clear that “I” was the one walking to school.

How to fix it: To avoid dangling modifiers, make sure the modifier is clearly connected to the word it’s supposed to describe. If the sentence is unclear or funny, check if a dangling modifier is the problem.

Conclusion

Mastering these seven common grammar mistakes can significantly improve your writing. By paying attention to details like apostrophes, subject-verb agreement, and pronoun usage, you’ll create clearer, more professional sentences. Each error we’ve covered is simple to fix once you’re aware of it, and with regular practice, you can easily avoid these pitfalls.