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10 Common English Grammar Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

1. Mixing Up “Your” and “You’re”

❌ Mistake Your amazing at English! / You’re book is on the table.

✅ Correct You’re amazing at English! / Your book is on the table.

Tip: If you can replace the word with "you are", use you’re.

2. Confusing “Its” and “It’s”

❌ Mistake Its a sunny day. / The cat licked it’s paw.

✅ Correct It’s a sunny day. / The cat licked its paw.

Tip: It’s = It is. Its = Belonging to it.

3. Using the Wrong Tense

❌ Mistake I go to the store yesterday.

✅ Correct I went to the store yesterday.

Tip: Use past tense (went, saw, ate) for actions that already happened.

4. Incorrect Subject-Verb Agreement

❌ Mistake He go to school. / The books is on the table.

✅ Correct He goes to school. / The books are on the table.

Tip: Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need plural verbs.

5. Confusing “Then” and “Than”

❌ Mistake I’m taller then my brother.

✅ Correct I’m taller than my brother.

Tip: Than is for comparison. Then is for time or sequence.

6. Using Double Negatives

❌ Mistake I don’t need no help. / She can’t find nothing.

✅ Correct I don’t need any help. / She can’t find anything.

Tip: In English, two negatives cancel each other out. Stick to one per sentence.

7. Misplacing Modifiers

❌ Mistake I almost drove my kids to school every day.

✅ Correct I drove my kids to school almost every day.

Tip: Place descriptive words as close as possible to the word they describe.

8. Confusing “Fewer” and “Less”

❌ Mistake There are less people here today.

✅ Correct There are fewer people here today.

Tip: Fewer is for countable items (people, apples). Less is for bulk (water, time).

9. Incorrect Use of Apostrophes

❌ Mistake The dog’s are playing outside.

✅ Correct The dogs are playing outside.

Tip: Apostrophes show possession (Tom's cat) or contractions (Don't). Never use them for simple plurals.

10. Confusing “Who” and “Whom”

❌ Mistake Whom is calling me?

✅ Correct Who is calling me?

Tip: Who is the subject (like "He"). Whom is the object (like "Him").