Sometimes we make mistakes but aren’t even aware of them. When it comes to English grammar mistakes, we even underrate them. But the truth is that poor grammar can result in many more problems than we think. Below, you will find the list of the most common grammar mistakes in English we usually make. Read the list through and let’s hope you can learn from some of these mistakes.
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“They’re” vs. “Their” vs. “There”
“They’re” is a contraction of “they are”, “Their” is a possessive pronoun, while “There” refers to a place. Now you know the difference among the three. Next time just remember to use them wisely.
Correct usage: They’re still living there, aren’t they?- No. Their house was sold last year.
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Your vs. You’re
“Your” is a possessive pronoun, while “You’re” is a contraction of “you are”.
Correct usage: You’re beautiful in your own way.
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“It’s” vs. “Its”
This one tends to confuse even the best of writers. Lots of people get tripped up because “it’s” has an ‘s after it, which normally means something is possessive, as in, “I stayed in Linda’s house last night.” But in this case, it’s actually a contraction of “it is.”
In other words, we use “its” as the possessive pronoun and “it’s” for the shortened version of “it is”.
Correct usage 1: It’s raining.
Correct usage 2: The dog chewed on its bone.
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“Then” vs. “Than”
“Than” is a conjunction used mainly to make comparisions. “Then” is mainly an adverb used to situate actions in time.
Correct usage 1: I play soccer better than he does.
Correct usage 2: We made dinner, and then we ate it.
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“Of” vs. “Have”
It is true that many of us often say “ shoulda” which sound quite like a shortened version of “should of”. But sadly, “should of” doesn’t exist in proper English. The correct one is “should have”.
Correct usage: I should have done my homework on Sunday (or I should’ve done my homework on Sunday).
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“Affect” vs. “Effect”
“Affect” is a verb which is used when you are talking about the act of changing. If you are talking about the change itself, you need to use “effect”.
Correct usage 1: That movie had a great effect on me.
Correct usage 2: That movie affected me greatly.
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“Two” vs. “Too” vs. “To”
“Two” is a number.
“Too” is a synonym for “also”.
“To” is a preposition. It’s used to express motion, although often not literally, toward a person, place, or thing.
Correct usage 1: I sent the mail to my teacher.
Correct usage 2: She, too, is vegan.
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“Who” vs. “Whom”
“Who” refers to the subject of a sentence and “whom” refers to the object of the verb or preposition.
Correct usage 1: Who ate my sandwich?
Correct usage 2: Whom should I ask?
Those English grammar mistakes are made in our daily conversation or even in our writing. From now on, whenever you’re in doubt about a rule, just take a brief moment to look it up. You’ll save yourself some embarrassment, and you’ll show your readers that you respect the language.
