Common Grammar Errors

Mistakes That Will Damage Your Credibility

Confusing any of the following:

• 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

Writing any of the following:

• a double superlative or comparative
• Jack is more better.
• Jack is better.
• 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 better than our's.
• Theirs is better than ours.

Mistakes That Will Make You Look Careless

Confusing any of the following:

• affect and effect
• adverse and averse
• bare and bear
• being or been
• fewer and less
• imply and infer
• loose and lose
• past or passed
• principal and principle
• role and roll
• stationary and stationery
• 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.
• Putting a capital letter 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 left after Janet's encouragement.
• Misplacing a possessive apostrophe
• 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
• climactic and climatic
• complement and compliment
• definite and definitive
• dependant and dependent
• discreet and discrete
• disinterested and uninterested
• lay and lie
• lead and led
• licence or license
• loath and loathe
• practice or practise
• appraise and apprise

Doing any of the following:

• Failing to use hyphens in compound adjectives
• The Mustang was a single seat, single engine fighter aircraft.
• The Mustang was a single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft.
• 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.
• Starting 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 after a conjunctive 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 time
• 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 lottery.
• My eldest brother, who lives in New York, won the lottery.

Mistakes Most People Won't Notice

Confusing any of the following:

• enquiry and inquiry
• amount, quantity, 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 adjective 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 letter 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 punctuation inside or outside a quotation
• Did she say "I love you?"
• Did she say "I love you"?

"Mistakes" That Might Annoy

Confusing any of the following:

• can and may
• alright or all right

Doing any of the following:

• Ending a sentence in a preposition
• This is the type of situation I get angry about.
• Using a split infinitive
• I want you to really try.
• Starting a sentence with "and" or "but"
• I won three teddy bears on the shooting stall. And I didn't have my glasses.
• Using a comma after an awkward subject
• Those who know, know.
• Treating "none" as a plural word
• None of us know the answer.