Common Grammar Errors

Common grammar errors – undermine your credibility, and this can prevent your
readers from accepting your message.

A List of Common Grammar Errors

Common grammar errors include mistakes with:

(1) Contrac ons

 This is engineering at it's best.

 Your welcome.

(2) Homonyms or near homonyms

 This idea will bare fruit.

 Implemen ng the new system does not effect the budget.

(3) Possessive apostrophes

 Here is a scan of the boys' heart.

 I would like to display the womens' range.

(4) Subject-verb agreement

 A box of tools were needed.

 Neither the CEO nor the MD are available.

Mistakes That Will Damage Your Credibility
Confusing any of the following: Example:

 you're and your

 its and it's

 they're, their and there

 too and to

 allot, a lot, and alot

 then and than

 who's and whose

Wri ng any of the following:

 a double superla ve or compara ve

 Jack is more be er.

 Jack is be er.

 an apostrophe in a plural

 There were two shark's.

 There were two sharks.

 could of, would of, or should of

 I should of known.

 I should've known.

 her's, our's, or their's

 Their's is be er than our's.

 Theirs is be er than ours.

Mistakes That Will Make You Look Careless

Confusing any of the following: example :

 affect and effect

 adverse and averse

 bare and bear

 being or been

 fewer and less

  imply and infer

 loose and lose

very / vary
 past or passed

 principal and principle

 role and roll

 sta onary and sta onery

 weather, whether and wether

 cite, sight and site

 decent, descent and dissent

 allude and elude

 e.g. and i.e.

Doing any of the following:

 Mixing up colons and semicolons


 Cannibals don't eat clowns: they taste funny.

 Cannibals don't eat clowns; they taste funny.

 Pu ng a capital le er on a common noun


 Elves are make-believe, just like Vampires and Eskimos.

 Elves are make-believe, just like vampires and Eskimos.

 Using a misplaced modifier


 Smelly and heavy, Janet encouraged the walrus to leave.

 Smelly and heavy, the walrus le a er Janet's encouragement.

 Misplacing a possessive apostrophe

cats = cats' cat = cat's


 The cat scratched the dogs' nose.

 The cat scratched the dog's nose.

 Failing with subject-verb agreement

 The box of tapes were found under the stairs.

 The box of tapes was found under the stairs.

Mistakes For Which You'll Be Forgiven
Confusing any of the following:

 who and whom

 already or all ready

 breathe and breath

 climac c and clima c

 complement and compliment

 definite and defini ve

 dependant and dependent

 discreet and discrete

 disinterested and uninterested

 lay and lie

 lead and led

 licence or license

 loath and loathe

 prac ce or prac se

 appraise and apprise

Doing any of the following:

 Failing to use hyphens in compound adjec ves

 The Mustang was a single seat, single engine fighter aircra .

 The Mustang was a single-seat, single-engine fighter aircra .

 Using "my wife and I" when you mean "me and my wife"

 It is a present from my wife and I.

 It is a present from my wife and me.

 Star ng a sentence with "however"

 I think it is true, however, I am not confident.

 I think it is true. However, I am not confident. (best)

 I think it is true; however, I am not confident. (acceptable)

 Failing to use a comma a er a conjunc ve adverb (e.g., however, consequently)

 He has arrived. Consequently I should leave.

 He has arrived. Consequently, I should leave.

  Using a comma before "which" or "who" at the wrong me

 I know the man, who rang the bell.

 I know the man who rang the bell.

 Failing to use comma before "which" or "who" when required

 My eldest brother who lives in New York won the lo ery.

 My eldest brother, who lives in New York, won the lo ery.

 Using "the la er" with a list of more than two

 I caught a perch, a bass, and a pike. The la er was the biggest.

 I caught a perch, a bass, and a pike. The pike was the biggest.

Mistakes Most People Won't No ce

Confusing any of the following:

 enquiry and inquiry

 amount, quan ty, and number

 compose and comprise

 economic and economical

 historic and historical

 if and whether

 altogether and all together

 amoral and immoral

Doing any of the following:

 Joining an adverb and an adjec ve with a hyphen


 He is an extremely-talented actor.

 He is an extremely talented actor.

 Failing to use an apostrophe in a temporal expression


 The printer comes with 3 years insurance.

 The printer comes with 3 years' insurance.

 Using a capital le er for a season

 Tornadoes are most common in the Spring and least common in Winter.

 Tornadoes are most common in the spring and least common in winter.

 Failing to use a comma to show direct address


 Can I introduce you to my sister John?

 Can I introduce you to my sister, John?

 Illogically placing punctua on inside or outside a quota on


 Did she say "I love you?"

 Did she say "I love you"?

"Mistakes" That Might Annoy
These are not mistakes, but lots of people think they are.

Confusing any of the following:

 can and may

 alright or all right

Doing any of the following:

 Ending a sentence in a preposi on


 This is the type of situa on I get angry about.

 Using a split infini ve


 I want you to really try.
 Star ng a sentence with "and" or "but"


 I won three teddy bears on the shoo ng stall. And I didn't have my glasses.

 Using a comma a er an awkward subject


 Those who know, know.
  Trea ng "none" as a plural word

 None of us know the answer.

The Nine Types of Pronoun

There are nine types of pronoun:

 Personal pronouns (e.g., he, they, we)

 Demonstra ve pronouns (e.g., this, that, these)
 Interroga ve pronouns (e.g., which, who, whose)
 Indefinite pronouns (e.g., none, several, any)
 Possessive pronouns (e.g., his, yours, ours)
 Reciprocal pronouns (e.g., each other, one another)
 Rela ve pronouns (e.g., which, who, that)
 Reflexive pronouns (e.g., itself, himself, ourselves)
 Intensive pronouns (e.g., itself, himself, ourselves)
Homework:

Explain in your own words the differences between these confusing words:

Example: Affect – to impact on

Effect – The results

1. who and whom

2. already or all ready
3. breathe and breath
4. climac c and clima c
5. complement and compliment
6. definite and defini ve
7. dependant and dependent
8. discreet and discrete
9. disinterested and uninterested
10. lay and lie
11. lead and led
12. licence or license
13. loath and loathe
14. prac ce or prac se
15. appraise and apprise
16. who and whom
17. already or all ready
18. breathe and breath
19. climac c and clima c
20. complement and compliment
21. definite and defini ve
22. dependant and dependent
23. discreet and discrete
24. disinterested and uninterested
25. lay and lie
26. lead and led
27. licence or license
28. loath and loathe
29. prac ce or prac se
30. appraise and apprise