Embarrassment is universal, and everyone makes mistakes when learning a new language. Often, when you’re learning a new language, embarrassment occurs as the result of a spoken\u00a0or written error.<\/p>\n
But you need to make mistakes to learn better.\u00a0In this post, we’ll go over the 26 most common mistakes in English grammar, speaking and writing.<\/p>\n
[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n
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Example Mistake:<\/strong> The spider spun it\u2019s<\/strong> web. Its<\/strong> a very beautiful web.<\/p>\n “Its” (without an apostrophe) is the possessive version of a pronoun. It also happens to be one of the most commonly misused words in English.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the above example, we should use the possessive “its” to talk about the spider’s web because the web belongs to the spider.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s” (with an apostrophe) is a contraction of\u00a0“it is”<\/strong> or “it has.”<\/strong><\/p>\n When talking about the beauty of the web, we’re saying that\u00a0it is\u00a0<\/strong>a very beautiful web. Therefore, we should use the contraction “it’s” instead of “its.”<\/p>\n So, if you\u2019re not sure which spelling to use\u2014”it’s” or “its”\u2014try adding “it is” or “it has”\u00a0<\/strong>to the sentence.\u00a0If neither of those phrases works, then its<\/strong> is the word you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n Correction: <\/strong>The spider spun its<\/strong> web. It’s<\/strong> a very\u00a0beautiful web.<\/p>\n Example Mistake:<\/strong>\u00a0The list of items are <\/strong>on the desk.<\/p>\n In the above sentence, the list of items is one<\/strong> singular list, so it’s incorrect to use “are.” We should use “is.”<\/p>\n Correction:\u00a0<\/strong>The list of items is <\/strong>on the desk.<\/p>\n Example Mistake:<\/strong>\u00a0She had already went<\/strong> to the bathroom before they got in the car.<\/p>\n If you aren’t sure whether to use “gone” or “went,” remember that “gone” always needs an auxiliary verb before it.<\/strong><\/p>\n Auxiliary verbs include: has, have, had, is, am, are, was, were, be<\/strong>.<\/p>\n “Went” can’t have\u00a0an auxiliary verb before it.<\/p>\n In the sentence above, we used “went” even though the auxiliary verb “had” is also present. Since the word “had” is there, we should use “gone” instead of “went.”<\/p>\n Correction:<\/strong> She had already gone<\/strong> to the bathroom before they got in the car.<\/p>\n Example Mistake:<\/strong>\u00a0Stop\u00a0watching\u00a0<\/strong>my\u00a0private journal. \/ I look <\/strong>at the snow falling. \/ I don’t play tennis, but I look <\/strong>at them playing every day.<\/p>\n “See,” “look” and “watch” are often confusing because their meanings are similar. Here’s the difference between the three verbs:<\/p>\n So, we can “see” something even if we don\u2019t want to, but we can only “look” at something on purpose.<\/p>\n Correction:<\/strong> Stop looking<\/strong> at\u00a0my private journal. \/ I watch<\/strong> the snow falling. \/ I don’t play tennis, but I see<\/strong> them\u00a0<\/em>playing\u00a0<\/strong>every day.<\/i><\/p>\n Example Mistake:<\/strong>\u00a0Take a deep breath through your nose and hold it.<\/strong><\/p>\n The pronoun (it) in the sentence should replace nouns, but here it’s unclear which noun it’s standing in for.<\/p>\n The singular noun closest to the word “it” is “nose,” so it seems that “hold it” means to hold your nose. But we want someone to hold their breath\u2014not their nose.<\/p>\n When we use pronouns properly, it should be easy to understand which single noun the pronoun stands for. Make sure to be very clear. If it’s unclear, don’t use the pronoun or change the sentence!<\/p>\n Correction:<\/strong> Take a breath through your nose and hold your breath.<\/strong><\/p>\n Example Mistake:<\/strong> He may<\/strong> have eaten the last piece of cake.<\/p>\n Deciding when to use \u201cmay\u201d rather than \u201cmight\u201d can be tricky because the difference between these two verbs is quite small. \u00a0They both indicate that something is possible, but \u201cmight\u201d suggests slightly more uncertainty than “may.”<\/p>\n \u201cI\u00a0might\u00a0<\/strong>take a trip to India next year\u201d means that maybe you will go to India, but maybe you won\u2019t.\u00a0\u201cI\u00a0may<\/strong>\u00a0have a slice of cake after dinner\u201d expresses slightly more certainty that you\u2019re going to eat that cake.<\/p>\n The rule that \u201cmay\u201d becomes \u201cmight\u201d in the past tense is even more confusing. So, in the present tense, you would say \u201che may\u00a0<\/strong>eat the last piece of cake,\u201d but in the past tense, this sentence becomes “he might<\/strong> have eaten the last piece of cake.”<\/p>\n Correction:<\/strong> He might<\/strong> have eaten the last piece of cake.<\/p>\n Example Mistake:<\/strong> I wish you would turn off the lights, so we could use fewer <\/strong>electricity.<\/p>\n This mistake is difficult for English learners and native English speakers. Both \u201cfewer\u201d and \u201cless\u201d describe the opposite of “more,” but you need to look at the noun to decide which word to use.<\/p>\n \u201cFewer\u201d is used for countable nouns, like books, cars, people or cups.<\/strong> Basically, if a number can come before the noun, like 2 books, 10 cars, 100 people or 5 cups, then the noun is countable.<\/p>\n “Less” is used for uncountable nouns, like love, water, electricity or science.<\/strong> If you can\u2019t make the noun plural, then it\u2019s an uncountable noun.<\/p>\n For example, you would say \u201cThis parking lot is too crowded. I wish there were fewer\u00a0<\/strong>cars,\u201d but “I wish you would turn off the lights, so we could use less\u00a0<\/strong>electricity.”<\/p>\n Correction:<\/strong> I wish you would turn off the lights, so we could use less\u00a0<\/strong>electricity.<\/p>\n Example Mistake:<\/strong> That shirt looks great on you. I think you would<\/strong> buy it.<\/p>\n \u201cShould\u201d is used to give advice:<\/p>\n That shirt looks great on you. I think you should<\/strong> buy it.<\/p>\n \u201cWould\u201d is used to describe unlikely or unreal situations:<\/p>\n I would\u00a0<\/strong>love to go to Italy, but I don\u2019t have enough money.<\/p>\n “Could” can be used in three ways:<\/p>\n Correction:<\/strong> That shirt looks great on you. I think you should<\/strong> buy it.<\/p>\n Example Mistake:<\/strong> Please take<\/strong> me a snack.<\/p>\n \u201cBring\u201d suggests movement toward<\/em>\u00a0the speaker, making it similar to \u201ccome.” You ask people to bring things to the place where you already are.<\/p>\n “Take” suggests movement away<\/em> from the speaker, making it similar to “go.” You take things to the place where you are going. You could say \u201cDon\u2019t forget to take<\/strong> your book to school\u201d or \u201cPlease take<\/strong> me home.”<\/p>\n Correction:<\/strong> Please bring<\/strong> me a snack.<\/p>\n Example Mistake:<\/strong> I need to do<\/strong> dinner.<\/p>\n \u201cMake\u201d usually means to create or produce something, as in \u201cI need to make\u00a0<\/strong>dinner\u201d or \u201cWe made<\/strong> a strawberry cake yesterday.”<\/p>\n “Do” often requires an action or an activity, as in \u201cdo<\/strong>\u00a0some exercise\u201d or \u201cdo<\/strong> business.”<\/p>\n However, there are no clear-cut (clear) rules for these two verbs, and there are many exceptions as well as collocations you will need to learn by heart.<\/p>\n Here’s a helpful video from FluentU\u2019s English YouTube channel<\/a> you can watch to learn more about these two words:<\/p>\n Correction:\u00a0<\/strong>I need to make<\/strong> dinner.<\/p>\n Example Mistake:<\/strong> It’s a red big<\/strong> car.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re using more than one adjective to describe a noun, they need to go in a specific order in the sentence. This is why \u201cit\u2019s a big red car\u201d is correct, but \u201cit\u2019s a red big car\u201d sounds wrong.<\/p>\n The normal adjective order is:<\/p>\n 1) quantity or number Of course, using more than three adjectives to describe one noun is unusual, so you\u2019ll rarely need to use all of these at once.<\/p>\n Correction:<\/strong> It’s a big red<\/strong> car.<\/p>\n Example Mistake:<\/strong> I cleaned the entire house by me.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cMe\u201d is an object pronoun, so it refers to the person who receives the verb’s action.<\/p>\n For example, you could say:<\/p>\n My parents want me<\/strong> to help with the chores more.<\/p>\n Please call\u00a0me<\/strong> if you have any questions.<\/p>\n “Myself” is a reflexive pronoun\u2014like himself, itself or themselves. For example, you could say:<\/p>\n I gave myself\u00a0<\/strong>a break from studying today.<\/p>\n Correction:<\/strong> I cleaned the entire house by myself.<\/strong><\/p>\n Example Mistake:<\/strong>\u00a0Their<\/strong> are five cafes on this street.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u201d is used to specify a place, as in this sentence:<\/p>\n The book is over there\u00a0<\/strong>on the table.<\/p>\n It can also be used with the verb \u201cto be\u201d to indicate the existence of something.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir\u201d is a possessive adjective\u2014like my, your, or his. For example:<\/p>\n That\u2019s their\u00a0<\/strong>house.<\/p>\n Lastly, \u201cthey\u2019re\u201d is a contraction of \u201cthey are,\u201d so it is the subject \u201cthey\u201d plus the verb \u201care.\u201d For example, you could say:<\/p>\n T<\/strong>hey\u2019re<\/strong> going to play soccer with us tonight.<\/p>\n Correction:<\/strong>\u00a0There<\/strong> are five cafes on this street.<\/p>\n Example Mistake:<\/strong> A<\/strong> movie was very interesting.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re talking about something in a general way, use the indefinite article “a.”<\/p>\n But if you\u2019re talking about something specific that everyone in the conversation is familiar with, then use “the.”<\/p>\n For example, if I say \u201cLet\u2019s watch a<\/strong> movie,” I\u2019m suggesting that we watch any<\/strong> movie.<\/p>\n However, if I say \u201cLet\u2019s watch the<\/strong> movie,” I\u2019m referring to a specific movie that you and I have already talked about watching together.<\/p>\n Correction:<\/strong> The<\/strong> movie was very interesting.<\/p>\n Example Mistake:\u00a0<\/strong>I will be<\/strong> going to the dance party yesterday.<\/strong><\/p>\n The future tense is being used to talk about the wrong time in the sentence above, since it’s talking about something that happened in the past.<\/p>\n You should only use the future tense when something has not happened yet but will happen in the future.<\/p>\n Correction: <\/strong>I will be<\/strong> going\u00a0to the dance party tomorrow.<\/strong><\/p>\n Example Mistake: <\/strong>I’m literally<\/strong> melting because it’s so hot. \/ Figuratively<\/strong> speaking, it’s 100 degrees out here.<\/p>\n This is a mistake because “literally” means “actually,” while “figuratively” means not real.<\/p>\n “Figuratively” is used to exaggerate or enlarge the meaning of something.<\/p>\n Correction: Figuratively<\/strong> speaking, I’m\u00a0<\/strong>melting because it’s so hot. \/ It’s literally<\/strong> 100 degrees out here.<\/p>\n Example Mistake:<\/strong> Can you borrow<\/strong> me that book? You can loan<\/strong> me my notes.<\/p>\n The listener may be confused, since “loan” means “to give” and “borrow” means “to take.” You simply have to memorize these to get the correct meaning.<\/p>\n For example, “borrow me that book” means “take me that book” in the above example.<\/p>\n Where do you want the listener to take the book? That isn’t what you meant to say!<\/p>\n Instead, you’d like to use<\/em> the book, so you want someone to give it to you.<\/p>\n Correction:<\/strong> Can you loan<\/strong> me that book? You can borrow\u00a0<\/strong>my notes.<\/p>\n Example Mistake:<\/strong> (At a job interview) \u201cHey, what\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n Know your audience!<\/p>\n2. Subject-verb Agreement<\/h3>\n
3. Gone or Went<\/h3>\n
4. Watch, Look, See<\/h3>\n
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5. Pronoun Misplacement<\/h3>\n
6. May vs. Might<\/h3>\n
7. Fewer vs. Less<\/h3>\n
8. Could, Should or Would<\/h3>\n
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9. Bring vs. Take<\/h3>\n
10. Make vs. Do<\/h3>\n
11. Adjective Order<\/h3>\n
\n2) quality or opinion
\n3) size
\n4) shape
\n5) age
\n6) colour
\n7) nationality
\n8) material<\/p>\n12. Me vs. Myself<\/h3>\n
13. There, Their or They\u2019re<\/h3>\n
14. A vs. The<\/h3>\n
Speaking and Writing Mistakes<\/h2>\n
15. Future Tense<\/h3>\n
16. Literally or Figuratively<\/h3>\n
17. Loan or Borrow<\/h3>\n
18. Casual or Formal<\/h3>\n