Tag: Grammar Rules

5 Common Grammatical Errors in English

Speaking English fluently isn’t the same as knowing perfect grammar. Even if you are a native speaker, you can make grammatical errors!

Grammar is the key to master any language. But there are some errors that can turn your life upside down. We all learn grammar as children, but we do not really focus on it. If you have practicing language at the university level, that is when the actual grammar will kick in, and you will be like “We never learned such things.”

English grammar can be really tricky, especially for students. Even when you think you know all the rules perfectly, you don`t stop asking yourself whether I`m using the right “that” or “which” and where to put a comma. Now you are in safe! These quick and helpful rules are easy to remember. 5 simple and understandable examples will lead you through the most common grammatical errors.

grammar mistakes

Why Grammar is Important

Grammar is generally the first thing to be tested, and the content comes second in any writing. This becomes, especially difficult for those people who love to write and would love to make a career as an online writer, author, a reporter, or anywhere in the academic writing field. Whenever you are doing assignments, you must have seen rules like “no plagiarism” and “no grammatical errors have to be tolerated.”

All your papers are actually tested using sophisticated software where errors can show up. This could lower the mark for students when they actually worked really hard for the project. This does not mean that you are inefficient. Languages are always like this, always full of exceptions and irregularities. Most of the time, you do not know where the mistake is. Therefore, we have got the most common grammar mistakes.

The Most Popular Mistakes to Avoid in the Future

The below mistakes have been found based on internet research. They have been agreed upon by English language majors. As per famous English language enthusiasts, grammar mistakes show that you do not respect the reader and that you are lazy. Additionally, a minor grammatical mistake can change the meaning totally. Now, let us countdown the worst mistakes which are also the most common errors in the English language:

1. Incorrect verb according to the subject

The subject of the sentence (the main person or thing that is doing the actual work) must be appropriately agreed with the verb. Mostly, there are problems with has, have or was, were. Then there are some subjects which always require the verb in either singular or plural form. For example:

  • Incorrect: There were a few people who have bicycles.

There is plural in the subject, therefore, the verb must also be the same (have for plural and has for singular):

  • Correct: There are few people who have bicycles.

2. Misplaced comma

This is one grammatical error which people with Ph.D. might also make. Proper comma usage has never been given so much prominence, but in reality, it does affect the sentence deeply. Also, as kids, we learned punctuations and always try to prevent yourself from punctuation errors, but this one seemed to be the easiest one. You need to put the comma afterwords also like, therefore, and additionally. Sometimes, people make up a big sentence and put commas in between. This makes the sentence hard to understand. Be careful of this guy! Example:

  • Incorrect: He, on the other hand, didn’t even go to meet her.

There should be a comma before “on” and after “hand”:

  •  Correct: He, on the other hand, didn’t even go to meet her.

Another example:

  • Incorrect: He said that he would come to the restaurant, later on, he just canceled by saying that he was busy and finally I understood that he did not want to meet me.

You can see that this sentence is too long and difficult to understand. Plus, there should be a comma after “on.”

3. The/a or no article

This is the mistake, people may commit often. You need to remember some basic rules about countable nouns that require either “the” or “a” and uncountable nouns where plural things do not require any articles. Also, the usage of “a” and “the” depends on whether it is your first time when you mention the object or second, and many other factors. Example:

  • Incorrect: Could you give me paper?
  • Correct: Could you give me a paper?

4. Between and among

“Among” should be used when you have a choice from several things and “between” when you must choose between 2 things. Example:

  • Incorrect: I found it difficult to choose between many styles of dresses.
  • Correct: I found it difficult to choose among many styles of dresses.

5. Confusing homophones

Homophones are similar sounding words but they absolutely different meanings. Sometimes, these confused words can make your hard work go waste. It might be confusing to choose which one to put. It is advisable to know the meanings and use them. If you do not know the meaning, do not use it or it is better to use a different word or try to explain with a different phrase. Example:

  • Incorrect: I excepted the offer at my job.
  • Correct: I accepted the offer at my job.

What can help me stay on good terms with grammar?

Those are the mistakes that students make most of the time while writing their assignments, for example use redundant phrases. It might not be a big deal now, but later on, the mistakes will become the biggest hindrance in your career.

You must be asking how to prevent bad grammar? Some simple ways to avoid bad grammar is to start realizing the mistake every time there is a mistake. Another simple way is to use some application or Google extension that can help you with correcting the mistakes while you write, or use our essay checker and free essay plagiarism checker.

Also, you can try doing some random grammar exercises. They actually prove to be the eye-opener for many people.

 

11 Grammar Rules That Will Turn You Into A Professional Writer

No matter whether you major in English literature, physics, or marketing, one thing is apparent – you are going to write a lot. You might be working on the essay, a scientific paper or a research project but it doesn’t change the crucial importance of knowing and applying English grammar rules.

Even in number-driven scientific fields like math or engineering, your academic and professional success still massively depends on your ability to put words together. Preferably if these words are written the right way. Don’t be overwhelmed by the number of exceptions and memorize-only rules – the punctuation and spelling can be logical. Also, you can try essay checker at Robotdon to prevent yourself from grammar errors.

To make that even easier, we collected 11 basic grammar rules that will boost your writing skills and academic performance. Save and print them, and just apply to practice.

№1 – Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding ‘s

Yes, even after the letter s in the noun. Follow the examples below:

This was written in Francis’s diary.

The last Faith’s hope was taken away that day.

You might have heard that after using a noun that ends with s, we put an apostrophe, with no letters after. Now, however, in most cases of academic writing, this is not the case at all. A letter s at the end of the possessive form simplifies comprehension, and therefore, should be used with no exceptions.

№2 – Do not break one sentence in two

To avoid writing long, complicated sentences, authors often jump to another extreme, starting breaking phrases, tearing up the logical connections. Take a look at the following examples:

The wrong way: PepsiCo also donates art supplies to public schools. The company has endowed a $100,000 annual fund for the Brooklyn Museum to purchase new works.

The right way: PepsiCo also donates art supplies to public schools and has endowed a $100,000 annual fund for the Brooklyn Museum to purchase new works.

If you want to tight two logically connected thoughts, use commas for that. While using periods and making sentences shorter certainly simplifies comprehension, it also breaks the rhythm of the phrase. Therefore, for connected thoughts, use commas.

№3 – To define the number of the verb, identify the number of the subject

This rule is really simple to follow in short sentences – we know how to do it from early years.

The cat runs in the garden. The cats run in the garden. 

However, there are also more complex cases where it’s easier to get lost. A common roadblock is the wrong choice of the verb form in a relative clause ‘one of many.’ Take a look at the example of often-made mistakes, and you’ll see that you made one or two yourself.

Only one of many students understand the task.

You take a look at the plural noun ‘students’ and mistakenly put the plural form of the verb. However, if you first identified the subject of the sentence, you’d know that it’s not the plural noun ‘students’ but ‘one.’ Therefore, the singular form is the right one here.

The example of the right from usage: None of us is perfect. Many of us are wrong.

№4 – The use of a participial phrase with a wrong noun

This principle sounds somewhat complicated, but in truth, it’s straightforward. Consider the sentence:

Walking in the forest, my hat flew away.

In this sentence, the participial phrase concerns a person who walks the forest, not the hat. Judging from the structure of the phrase, however, it’s difficult to make sense of what’s written.

That’s why, for correct understanding, a writer should rebuild a sentence and introduce a subject in a clear way.

Walking in the forest, I saw that my hat flew away.

Let’s practice with other examples:

Doing my homework, the laptop shut down. – When I was doing my homework, the laptop shut down.

Young and happy, the day seemed amazing to me. – Young and happy, I couldn’t help but notice that the day is amazing.

№5 – Prefer active voice to passive forms

Simply put, instead of saying ‘The task is done by me,’ go with a more understandable option: ‘I did the task.’

Even though the passive voice tends to seem more poetic, it is also easy to misinterpret. Active voice, with its concise structure, provides written clarity which stands behind any correct grammar usage.

Example:

Instead of: The research, performed by Harvard professor, isn’t clear,

Do: Harvard professor performed unclear research.

№6 – Avoid using ‘not.’

The example is actually the name of the rule itself. Instead of saying a vague ‘do not use ‘not,’ I preferred the concise and declarative verb ‘Avoid.’ The logic of this rule is easy-to-explain: positive forms with negative meaning convey a much stronger message then a small adverb ‘not.’

You might remember a popular saying that the Universe doesn’t hear the adverb ‘not.’ Well, neither do people. That’s why, whenever writing, mind the following examples:

do not remember – forget

not great – mediocre

not often – rarely

№7 – Do not spell out the dates

How much would you understand from a phrase: ‘In ninety ninety-nine the new album came out’? Instead of just scanning a number, as you would usually do, you had to pay attention and decipher the meaning, hidden by a lot of letters.

Hence, follow the following examples:

June 11, 1790

XXI century

Chapter 20

However, it’s worth noticing that different editorials have various ideas on this account. Some could ask you to spell out statistics and centuries so better find out the specific requirements of your professor, editor, or client.

№8 – Don’t confuse words that sound close or identically

Pay attention to the context to understand which word you need. Also, be aware of phrases or constructions that could be easily confused. Here are just a few most common examples:

alternate – alternative

It’s – its

These – this

№9 – Avoid using the word “very”

The goal of any writing is to transmit a clear message to the reader or listener. The more specific you are in the choice of words, the stronger your writing will be. The word ‘very,’ however, achieves just the opposite effect. The measure of ‘very’ is different for every person and doesn’t get any real emotional response.

№10 – Omit unnecessary words

To do that, revise every text you wrote. In the beginning, all words seem important but during revisions the clarity comes. To make the most out of it, give your mind some time to refocus and move on to another assignment. After at least an hour passed, read what you’ve written again. Don`t forget about redundancy and try to avoid it.

№11 – The simpler, the better

All authors strive to make their writing smart and complex. We want layers of context and emotions so go to synonyms and complicated grammatical structures. The ambition to write intelligently is healthy, and it drives you to the next level, but if you are not sure, it’s okay to go with the simpler option.

How to use these grammar tips?

One advice: write and revise. Save these grammar rules and run by them every new piece. Don’t learn them by heart like poetry or formulas but do edits as you go. Grammar is learned by doing, not by pointless memorizing.

The more you write, revise, and revise again, the better writer you’ll be. Go ahead and start.