Common Grammatical Mistakes Students Make – And How to Fix Them

Grammar is essential for clear and effective communication. Whether you’re writing an essay, sending an email, or speaking in class, correct grammar is important. Even the most careful students make mistakes sometimes, but the good news is that many of these errors can be fixed with some practice.

Here are some common grammatical mistakes and how to fix them:

Misusing Apostrophes

The mistake: Apostrophes can be tricky. Students often confuse possessive forms and contractions. For example, writing “Its a good idea” instead of “It’s a good idea,” or “The cat’s toys are everywhere” when they mean “The cats’ toys.”

How to fix it:

• Its vs. It’s: Its shows possession (e.g., The dog wagged its tail). It’s is a contraction for it is or it has (e.g., It’s raining outside).
• Possessive of plural nouns: For plural possessives, add only an apostrophe after the “s” (e.g., The cats’ toys).

Confusing There, Their, and They’re

The mistake: These words sound the same but have different meanings. Students often mix them up, like writing “Their going to the store” or “They’re house is big.”

How to fix it:

• There: Refers to a place (e.g., The book is over there).
• Their: Shows possession (e.g., Their books are on the table).
• They’re: A contraction of “they are” (e.g., They’re coming to the party).

Run-on Sentences

The mistake: A run-on happens when two complete sentences are joined without proper punctuation. For example: “I went to the store I forgot to buy milk.”

How to fix it:

• Break the sentence into two: I went to the store. I forgot to buy milk.
• Use a conjunction: I went to the store, but I forgot to buy milk.
• Use a semicolon for closely related ideas: I went to the store; I forgot to buy milk.

Subject-Verb Agreement Errors

The mistake: This occurs when the subject and verb don’t match in number. For example: “She go to the park every day” instead of “She goes to the park every day.”

How to fix it:

• Always make sure singular subjects have singular verbs, and plural subjects have plural verbs.
• Example: She runs every morning (singular subject with singular verb).
• They run every morning (plural subject with plural verb).

Misplacing Commas

The mistake: Commas can change the meaning of a sentence. Misplacing or forgetting commas is common. For example: “Let’s eat, Grandma!” vs. “Let’s eat Grandma!”

How to fix it:

• Use commas to separate items in a list (e.g., I bought apples, bananas, and oranges).
• After introductory words or phrases (e.g., After dinner, we went for a walk).
• Around non-essential information (e.g., My brother, who is a great cook, made dinner).

Confusing Adjectives and Adverbs

The mistake: Adjectives modify nouns, while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. For example: “She runs quick” instead of “She runs quickly.”

How to fix it:

• Use adjectives to describe nouns: She is a quick runner.
• Use adverbs to describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs: She runs quickly or She is very quick.

Incorrect Use of Prepositions

The mistake: Prepositions can be confusing. For example, students might say “I’m good in math” instead of “I’m good at math” or “She is interested on science” instead of “She is interested in science.”

How to fix it:

• Learn common prepositions: good at, interested in, different from, afraid of.
• Practice by reading and paying attention to how prepositions are used.

Double Negatives

The mistake: Double negatives, like “I don’t need no help,” can confuse the meaning. In standard English, two negatives make a positive.

How to fix it:

• Avoid using two negative words in the same sentence unless you want to create a positive (e.g., I don’t need any help instead of I don’t need no help).

Incorrect Use of “Me” vs. “I”

The mistake: Many students mix up me and I. For example: “My friend and me went to the movies” instead of “My friend and I went to the movies.”

How to fix it:

• Use I when it’s the subject of the sentence (e.g., I went to the store).
• Use me when it’s the object of the sentence (e.g., She saw me at the store).

Overusing “Very” and “Really”

The mistake: Students often overuse words like very and really to emphasize things, like “This is very good” or “It’s really important.”

How to fix it:

• Instead of overusing words like very or really, try more specific adjectives (e.g., This is excellent instead of This is very good or It’s crucial instead of It’s really important).

Mixing Up “Fewer” vs. “Less”

The mistake: Students often use “less” when they should use “fewer”. For example: “There are less students in the class today” instead of “There are fewer students in the class today.”

How to fix it:

• Use fewer for countable things (e.g., fewer apples, fewer students).
• Use less for uncountable things (e.g., less water, less time).

Incorrect Use of “Since” vs. “For”

The mistake: Students often confuse since and for. For example: “I have been waiting since two hours” instead of “I have been waiting for two hours.”

How to fix it:

• Use since when talking about a specific point in time (e.g., since Monday, since 9 AM).
• Use for when talking about a length of time (e.g., for two hours, for three weeks).

Using “Less” with Countable Nouns

The mistake: “Less” should not be used with countable nouns. For example: “I have less books than you” instead of “I have fewer books than you.”

How to fix it:

• Use fewer with countable nouns (e.g., fewer books, fewer cars).
• Use less for uncountable nouns (e.g., less water, less money).

Confusing “Who” vs. “Whom”

The mistake: Many students struggle with using who and whom. For example, “Who did you talk to?” instead of “Whom did you talk to?”

How to fix it:

• Use who when it’s the subject of the sentence (e.g., Who is coming to the party?).
• Use whom when it’s the object of the sentence (e.g., Whom did you see at the store?).

Misusing “Much” and “Many”

The mistake: Students often mix up much and many. For example, “How many water do you want?” instead of “How much water do you want?”

How to fix it:

• Use many for countable nouns (e.g., many apples, many chairs).
• Use much for uncountable nouns (e.g., much water, much sugar).

Using “That” and “Which” Incorrectly

The mistake: Many students confuse that and which. For example, “The book that is on the table is mine” instead of “The book which is on the table is mine.”

How to fix it:

• Use that for restrictive clauses, meaning the information is essential (e.g., The book that is on the table is mine).
• Use which for non-restrictive clauses, meaning the information is extra (e.g., The book, which is on the table, is mine).

Mixing Up “Who’s” and “Whose”

The mistake: Many students use who’s (which is a contraction for who is or who has) when they mean whose (possessive form). For example: “Who’s book is this?” instead of “Whose book is this?”

How to fix it:

• Use who’s when you mean who is or who has (e.g., Who’s coming to the party?).
• Use whose when showing possession (e.g., Whose book is this?).

Using “Less” When It Should Be “Fewer”

The mistake: Students often use “less” instead of “fewer” with countable nouns. For example, “I have less books than you” instead of “I have fewer books than you.”

How to fix it:

• Use fewer for countable items (e.g., fewer books, fewer cars).
• Use less for uncountable items (e.g., less water, less sugar).

Overuse of Passive Voice

The mistake: While passive voice is not always incorrect, students often overuse it, making sentences sound awkward. For example: “The homework was completed by me” instead of “I completed the homework.”

How to fix it:

• Prefer active voice when possible (e.g., I completed the homework instead of The homework was completed by me).
• Use passive voice when the focus is on the action rather than the person doing the action (e.g., The book was read by many people).

Incorrect Comparisons

The mistake: Students sometimes mix up comparative forms. For example, “Shazia is more better than her sister” instead of “Shazia is better than her sister.”

How to fix it:

• Use the correct form of comparative adjectives (e.g., better instead of more better, worse instead of more worse).
• Use more for adjectives with two or more syllables (e.g., more beautiful, more expensive).

Conclusion:

Grammar is the backbone of clear communication, whether you’re writing, speaking, or texting. By understanding and avoiding common mistakes, you can improve both your writing and speaking skills. From using apostrophes correctly to mastering subject-verb agreement and knowing when to use “fewer” vs. “less,” each rule helps make your message clearer and more effective.

Remember, everyone makes mistakes, but with practice and awareness, you can overcome these challenges. Keep these tips in mind, and with time, you’ll avoid these errors and communicate with confidence.