If you want to write clear, correct English, you certainly need to pay attention to the grammar rules. While writing or speaking we often overlook the small grammar errors, without realising that they make our English wrong. So here are some common grammar mistakes that you must avoid!
10 Grammar Errors You must Avoid
Check out the most common errors made by us and how to avoid them.
Error 1: Using Whom as a Subject
INCORRECT: Fire personnel radioed deputies to stop the driver, whom, according to reports, appeared to have been under the influence of intoxicants.
CORRECT: Fire personnel radioed deputies to stop the driver, who, according to reports, appeared to have been under the influence of intoxicants.
EXPLANATION: In this sentence, the pronoun is the subject of the verb that appeared and therefore requires the subject form who.
The misuse of whom as a subject frequently occurs when a phrase intervenes between the pronoun and its subject. Be especially careful with such expressions as “according to so-and-so,” “in my opinion,” “one suspects,” etc.
Error 2: Unnecessary Would in a Wish about the Past
INCORRECT: Ten Things I Wish I Would Have Known When I Was Twenty
CORRECT: Ten Things I Wish I Had Known When I Was Twenty
EXPLANATION: The opportunity for knowing the ten things that existed in the past, but exists no longer. The tense required, therefore, in the past perfect (had + past participle).
Error 3: Dangling Modifier
INCORRECT: At the age of four, Sam’s family moved from Florida, Missouri, to Hannibal.
CORRECT: At the age of four, Sam moved with his family from Florida, Missouri, to Hannibal.
EXPLANATION: Modifiers should be positioned as closely as possible to the element they modify. The modifying phrase “At the age of four” modifies “Sam,” not “Sam’s family.”
Also Read: Telephone Conversation in English: Formal Phone Conversation Examples for Better Understanding
Error 4: Subject-Verb Disagreement with the Delayed Subject
INCORRECT: There goes Sally and Greg on their way to the movies.
CORRECT: There go Sally and Greg on their way to the movies.
EXPLANATION: Subjects and verbs must agree in number. When a sentence begins with here or there, the true subject of the sentence follows the verb. “Sally and Greg” is a plural subject, so the verb go must also be plural: “Sally and Greg go.”
Error 5: Incorrect Use of Object Pronouns
INCORRECT: Me and my brothers all have college degrees in business.
CORRECT: My brothers and I all have college degrees in business.
EXPLANATION: Several English pronouns retain different forms that indicate their function in a sentence. “Me” is an object form. In the example, it is incorrectly used as the subject of the verb “have”. Other object forms often used incorrectly are him, her, us, them, and whom.
Error 6: Incorrect Use of Subject Pronouns
INCORRECT: The owner was most kind to my wife and me as we toured the grounds.
CORRECT: The owner was most kind to my wife and me as we toured the grounds.
EXPLANATION: I is a subject pronoun form. It is correctly used as the subject of a verb. Its object form is me, which is used as the object of a verb or, as in this example, the object of a preposition (to). Not all English pronouns retain an object form. The pronouns that do have a subject and object forms are he/him, she/her, we/us, they/them, and who/whom.
Error 7: Inappropriate Use of Reflexive Pronoun Forms
INCORRECT: Jack and myself built the company from scratch.
CORRECT: Jack and I built the company from scratch.
EXPLANATION: A pronoun that ends in -self or -selves is called a reflexive pronoun. This type of pronoun refers to a noun or personal pronoun that occurs elsewhere in the sentence. For example, “He cut himself shaving.” In this example, “himself” refers to the same person as the one meant by He.
Error 8: Overuse of Adverbs
INCORRECT: The boy ran really fast to catch the runaway ball.
CORRECT: The boy sprinted to catch the runaway ball.
EXPLANATION: Adverbs—those words that often end in -ly—modify verbs. They’re okay once in a while, but in excess, they’re an indicator of weak verb choices. In our example, the adverb “really fast” modifies the verb “ran.” But does “really fast” paint a more vivid word picture for the reader? Use a juicier verb like “sprinted” instead.
Error 9: Too Many Prepositional Phrases
INCORRECT: The caravan came over the top of the hill.
CORRECT: The caravan crested the hill.
EXPLANATION: Prepositions are those words that often come before nouns and pronouns to show direction, location, or time. In the first sentence, we have two prepositional phrases—“over the top” and “of the hill.” Excessive prepositional phrases render your writing wordy. Whenever possible, simplify.
Error 10: Run-on Sentences
INCORRECT: Lila enjoyed the bouquet of tulips John gave her on prom night however she prefers roses.
CORRECT: Lila enjoyed the bouquet of tulips John gave her on prom night; however, she prefers roses.
EXPLANATION: Run-on sentences, also known as fused sentences, occur when two complete sentences are squashed together without using a coordinating conjunction or proper punctuation, such as a period or a semicolon. Run-on sentences can be short or long. A long sentence isn’t necessarily a run-on sentence.
To avoid run-on sentences, see if there is more than one idea communicated by two or more independent clauses. In our examples, there are two complete sentences:
# Lily enjoyed the bouquet of tulips John gave her on prom night.
# She prefers roses.
Both sentences are complete ideas by themselves; therefore, use a semicolon or a period to indicate that they are separate independent clauses.
Also Read : The Formula of Present Perfect Continuous Tense: Facts and Rules to Know
How to Improve Your English Grammar?
Grammar is the structure of a language, and each language has its unique set of rules. But grammar is more about conventions than rules, and it covers things like spelling, interpreting words for different reasons, and the style words are combined to form sentences. While it’s vital to remember that languages are living creatures that evolve all the time, accurate grammar is still required for effective communication. People who desire to improve their grammar might benefit from a variety of tools and style guides.
Understand the Different Parts of Speech
Nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, and occasionally articles are the kinds of words that build up the language. To effectively construct sentences, you must first understand the components of speech and how they work in sentences.
Recognize Different Points of View
English has 3 viewpoints in terms of a logical person, each of which can be singular or plural.
# Singular or plural first-person
# Singular or plural second-person
# Singular or plural third-person
Use the Correct Word Order
The subject-verb–object sequence is used in English sentences (for example, “Amanda ran to the door,” not “Run to the door Amanda”). Articles are usually placed before adjectives, while adjectives are placed before the nouns they modify. Modifiers should be put as close as feasible to their nouns.
Correctly Punctuate Sentences
Because it indicates beginnings, stops, pauses, and connections, punctuation is a fundamental aspect of language. Every sentence’s opening letter, as well as the first letter of all proper nouns, should be capitalised.
Take Note of How Other People Speak
Pay attention to how other people form sentences, where words go in sentences, how they utter common phrases and the terminology they employ. There are numerous rules and exceptions in English, so don’t be scared to ask if you have any.
Also Read : What Are Homophones and Homographs And Why You Should Know Them
Play Games with Words and Grammar
There are a variety of online applications and games that you can download to your phone or computer to put your grammar abilities to the test in a fun way.
Because these games are instructive, they will frequently include explanations for incorrect responses so that you can learn from them.
Daily Writing Practise
Strengthen your grammar by writing down any new rules or words you’ve learnt and practising them.
Keep a diary, write short stories, or simply communicate with friends and family via email. Concentrate on addressing any issue areas or mistakes that you make frequently.
Use Active Voice
The subject of an active structure is the entity that performs an action, whereas the subject of a passive structure is the thing that is operated upon by an outside source. While the passive voice has no inherent flaws, it is less strong and can lead to ambiguity in statements. As a result, you must use the active voice more frequently, although it’s fine to use the passive voice occasionally, especially to stress a point.
Make Proper Use of Reflexive Pronouns
Myself, himself/herself/itself, yourself, yourselves, ourselves, and themselves are reflexive pronouns. These pronouns could be used in both reflexive and intense contexts. When the object of a sentence is the same for the subject, reflexive pronouns are only employed as the object. Intensive pronouns are employed to emphasise a statement and to confirm that the activity was performed by the subject.
Look for Resources on the Internet
In addition to library materials, the Internet has a wealth of grammatical games, courses, exercises, quizzes, and suggestions. Many colleges will also include resources on grammar, punctuation, syntax, and typical grammatical mistakes.
Conclusion
Grammatical correctness not only makes your English look and sound better but also provides the much-needed structure. It is important that you make sure that when you write or speak in English, you present a grammatically correct version. After all, nothing creates a better impression than error-free English!
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Also Read : Daily Use of English Sentences in Conversations: Spoken English Sentences for Everyday
