COMMON GRAMMATICAL ERRORS

1. Lack of Subject/Verb Agreement

When speaking or writing in the present tense, a sentence must have subjects and verbs that agree in
number. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural
as well.
For example:

Incorrect: The recipes is good for beginning chefs.

Correct: The recipes are good for beginning chefs.
(see ANNEX A)

2. Incorrect Determiners

Definite article : the

Indefinite articles : a, an

Demonstratives: this, that, these, those

Pronouns and possessive determiners : my, your, his, her, its, our, their

Quantifiers : a few, a little, much, many, a lot of, most, some, any, enough

Numbers : one, ten, thirty

Distributives : all, both, half, either, neither, each, every

Difference words : other, another

Pre-determiners : such, what, rather, quite

(see ANNEX B)
3. Incorrect Punctuations
(see ANNEX C)

4. Pronoun Errors
RULES

Pronoun errors occur when pronouns do not agree in number with the nouns to which they refer. If the
noun is singular, the pronoun must be singular. If the noun is plural, however, the pronoun must be plural
as well.

For example:

Incorrect: Everybody must bring their own lunch.

Correct: Everybody must bring his or her own lunch.
Many people believe that pronoun errors are the result of writers who are trying to avoid the implication of
sexist language. Although this is an admirable goal, correct grammar is still important.
(SEE ANNEX D)
5. Run-on Sentence or Comma Splice
A run-on sentence is a sentence that joins two independent clauses without punctuation or the
appropriate conjunction. A comma splice is similar to a run-on sentence, but it uses a comma to join two
clauses that have no appropriate conjunction.
RULES
Fixing a run-on sentence or a comma splice can be accomplished in one of five different ways:

Separate the clauses into two sentences.

Replace the comma with a semi-colon.
Replace the comma with a coordinating conjunction--and, but, for, yet, nor, so.
Replace the comma with a subordinating conjunction--after, although, before, unless, as,
because, even though, if, since, until, when, while.
Replace the comma with a semi-colon and transitional word--however, moreover, on the other
hand, nevertheless, instead, also, therefore, consequently, otherwise, as a result.
For example:

Incorrect: Rachel is very smart, she began reading when she was three years old.
Correct: Rachel is very smart. She began reading when she was three years old.
Correct: Rachel is very smart; she began reading when she was three years old.
Correct: Rachel is very smart, and she began reading when she was three years old.
Correct: Because Rachel is very smart, she began reading when she was three years old.
Correct: Rachel is very smart; as a result, she began reading when she was three years old.
6. Misplaced Modifiers
To communicate your ideas clearly, you must place a modifier directly next to the word it is supposed to
modify. The modifier should clearly refer to a specific word in the sentence.
For example:

Incorrect: At eight years old, my father gave me a pony for Christmas.

Correct: When I was eight years old, my father gave me a pony for Christmas.
7. NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
arent I/am I not

The expression arent I is often used in place of am I not, particularly in conversational speech.

Example 1 (incorrect usage): Im going with you on vacation, arent I?

Although the use of this phrase is widespread, it is atrocious English that could be considered equivalent
to you is, a phrase which most educated people abhor (although for some reason, these same people
have no qualms about sayingarent I). The correct form of the sentence in Example 1 is as follows:

Example 2 (correct usage): Im going with you on vacation, am I not?

If you read this sentence aloud, it probably sounds awkward and formal, perhaps even a bit hoity-toity.
However, it is correct English. If the phrase arent I is converted from a question to a statement, I arent, it
becomes obvious that it is indeed grammatically incorrect.

8. Misused Words

a. Your/youre
We covered this one before in our post on homophones, but its such a widespread problem that theres
no harm in covering it again.

RULES:
Your indicates possession something belonging to you.
Youre is short for you are.

How not to do it:

Your beautiful
Do you know when your coming over?
Can I have one of youre biscuits?

b. Its/its

How to do it properly:
Youre beautiful
Do you know when youre coming over?
Can I have one of your biscuits?

We said earlier that apostrophes should be used to indicate possession, but there is one exception to this
rule, and that is the word it. Unsurprisingly, this exception gets lots of people confused.
RULES

Its is only ever used when short for it is.

Its indicates something belonging to something that isnt masculine or feminine (like his and

hers, but used when youre not talking about a person).

If it helps, remember that inanimate objects cant really possess something in the way a human
can.

How not to do it:

Its snowing outside
The sofa looks great with its new cover

How to do it properly:
Its snowing outside
The sofa looks great with its new cover

c. Could/would/should of
This common mistake arises because the contracted form of could have couldve sounds a bit like
could of when you say it out loud. This mistake is made frequently across all three of these words.
RULES

When people write should of, what they really mean is should have.
Written down, the shortened version of should have is shouldve.
Shouldve and Should have are both correct; the latter is more formal.
How not to do it:
We could of gone there today
I would of done it sooner
You should of said

How to do it properly:
We couldve gone there today
I would have done it sooner
You shouldve said

d. There/their/theyre
Weve met this one before, too; its another example of those pesky homophones words that sound the
same but have different meanings.
RULES

Use there to refer to a place that isnt here over there.

We also use there to state something There are no cakes left.
Their indicates possession something belonging to them.
Theyre is short for they are.
How not to do it:
Their going to be here soon

We should contact theyre agent

Can we use there boat?

Their is an argument that says

How to do it properly:
Theyre going to be here soon

We should contact their agent

Can we use their boat?
There is an argument that says

e. Fewer/less
The fact that many people dont know the difference between fewer and less is reflected in the number
of supermarket checkout aisles designated for 10 items or less. The mistake most people make is using
less when they actually mean fewer, rather than the other way round.
RULES

Fewer refers to items you can count individually.

Less refers to a commodity, such as sand or water, that you cant count individually.
How not to do it:
There are less cakes now
Ten items or less

How to do it properly:
There are fewer cakes now
Less sand
Fewer grains of sand

f. Amount/number
These two work in the same way as less and fewer, referring respectively to commodities and
individual items.
RULES

Amount refers to a commodity, which cant be counted (for instance water).

Number refers to individual things that can be counted (for example birds).
How not to do it:
A greater amount of people are eating
more healthily

How to do it properly:
A greater number of people are eating
more healthily

g. To/two/too
Its time to revisit another common grammar mistake that we also covered in our homophones post, as no
article on grammar gripes would be complete without it. Its easy to see why people get this one wrong,
but theres no reason why you should.
RULES

To is used in the infinitive form of a verb to talk.

To is also used to mean towards.
Too means also or as well.

Two refers to the number 2.

How not to do it:
Im to hot
Its time two go
Im going too town
He bought to cakes

How to do it properly:
Im too hot
Its time to go
Im going to town
He bought two cakes

h. Then/than
Confusion between then and than probably arises because the two look and sound similar.
RULES

Than is used in comparisons.

Then is used to indicate something following something else in time, as in step-by-step
instructions, or planning a schedule (well go there then there).

How not to do it:

She was better at it then him
It was more then enough

How to do it properly:
She was better at it than him
It was more than enough
Well go to the baker first, then the
coffee shop

i. Me/myself/I
The matter of how to refer to oneself causes all manner of conundrums, particularly when referring to
another person in the same sentence. Heres how to remember whether to use me, myself or I.
RULES

When referring to yourself and someone else, put their name first in the sentence.
Choose me or I by removing their name and seeing which sounds right.
For example, with the sentence John and I are off to the circus, you wouldnt say me is off to

the circus if it was just you; youd say I am off to the circus. Therefore when talking about going with
someone else, you say John and I.
You only use myself if youve already used I, making you the subject of the sentence.
j. myself (used instead of I)
Myself is a reflexive pronoun, which is a type of pronoun that refers back to another word in a sentence; in
the case of myself, the other word is I. If a sentence uses I, then myself can be used later in the sentence
to refer back to I; otherwise, myself has no place.
Incorrect: Susan, Bob, and myself attended the event together.

In the example sentence above, myself isnt referring to I somewhere else in the sentence, so the use of
the reflexive myself is grammatically incorrect, and I should be used instead of myself.
I reward myself with a dessert after a hard gym workout.
My sister travels overseas frequently, though I myself have never traveled outside the United States. (In
this example, myself is used for emphasis.)

How not to do it:

Me and John are off to the circus
Myself and John are going into town
Give it to John and I to look after

How to do it properly:
John and I are off to the circus
John and I are going into town
Give it to John and me to look after
Ill deal with it myself
I thought to myself

h. Invite/invitation
This mistake is now so common that its almost accepted as an alternative, but if you really want to speak
English properly, you should avoid it.
RULES

Invite is a verb to invite. It refers to asking someone if theyd like to do something or go

somewhere.
Invitation is a noun an invitation. It refers to the actual message asking someone if theyd like
to do something or go somewhere.

How not to do it:

I havent responded to her invite yet.
She sent me an invite.

How to do it properly:
I havent responded to her invitation yet.
She sent me an invitation.
Im going to invite her to join us.

i. Who/whom
Another conundrum arising from confusion over how to refer to people. There are lots in the English
language!
RULES

Who refers to the subject of a sentence; whom refers to the object.

Who and whom work in the same way as he or him. You can work out which you should

use by asking yourself the following:

Who did this? He did so who is correct. Whom should I invite? Invite him so whom is
correct.

That is often used incorrectly in place of who or whom. When referring to a person, you
should not use the word that.

How not to do it:

Who shall I invite?
Whom is responsible?
He was the only person that wanted to

come

How to do it properly:
Whom shall I invite?
Who is responsible?
He was the only person who wanted to
come

j. Affect/effect
Its an easy enough mistake to make given how similar these two words look and sound, but theres a
simple explanation to help you remember the difference.
RULES

Affect is a verb to affect meaning to influence or have an impact on something.

Effect is the noun a positive effect referring to the result of being affected by something.
There is also a verb to effect, meaning to bring something about to effect a change.
However, this is not very commonly used, so weve left it out of the examples below to avoid confusion.

How not to do it:

He waited for the medicine to have an

affect

How to do it properly:
He waited for the medicine to have an
effect

They were directly effected by the

flooding

They were directly affected by the

flooding

k. I.e. and e.g.

These two abbreviations are commonly confused, and many people use them interchangeably. However,
their uses are very different.
RULES

I.e. means that is or in other words. It comes from the Latin words id est.
E.g. means for example. It comes from the Latin words exempli gratia.

Only use i.e. and e.g. when writing informally. In formal documents, such as essays, it is better
to write out the meanings (for example or that is).

How not to do it:

He liked many different cheeses, i.e.

cheddar, camembert and brie.

He objects to the changes e.g. he
wont be accepting them.

How to do it properly:
He liked many different cheeses, e.g.

cheddar, camembert and brie.

He objects to the changes i.e. he
wont be accepting them.

l. They're vs. Their vs. There

One's a contraction for "they are" (they're), one refers to something owned by a group (their), and one
refers to a place (there).
Correct Usage: They're going to love going there -- I heard their food is the best!
m. Peek vs. peak vs. pique
This is another one I often see people mess up even if they know what they mean.

Peek is taking a quick look at something -- like a sneak peek of a new film.

Peak is a sharp point -- like the peak of a mountain.

And pique means to provoke or instigate -- you know, like your interest.

If you're going to use one in your writing, stop and think for a second -- is that the right "peek" you should
be using?
Who vs. That
This is a tricky one. These two words can be used when you're describing someone or something through
a phrase like "Lindsay is a blogger who likes ice cream." When you're describing a person, be sure to use
"who." When you're describing an object, use "that." For example, you should say "Her computer is the
one that overheats all the time." It's pretty simple, but definitely something that gets overlooked frequently.

Which and That

This is one of the most common mistakes out there, and understandably so. That is a restrictive
pronoun. Its vital to the noun to which its referring. e.g., I dont trust fruits and vegetables that arent
organic. Here, Im referring to all non-organic fruits or vegetables. In other words, I only trust fruits and
vegetables that are organic. Which introduces a relative clause. It allows qualifiers that may not be
essential. e.g., I recommend you eat only organic fruits and vegetables, which are available in area
grocery stores. In this case, you dont have to go to a specific grocery store to obtain organic fruits and
vegetables. Which qualifies, that restricts. Which is more ambiguous however, and by virtue of its
meaning is flexible enough to be used in many restrictive clauses. e.g., The house, which is burning, is
mine. e.g., The house that is burning is mine.

"Alot" vs. A lot vs. Allot

Hate to break it to all of you "alot" fans out there ... but "alot" is not a word. If you're trying to say that
someone has a vast number of things, you'd say they have "a lot" of things. And if you're trying to say that
you've set aside a certain amount of money to buy something, you'd say you "allotted" $20 to spend on
gas.
If you're trying to remember to stay away from "alot,"

Into vs. In to
Let's clarify the "into" versus "in to" debate.
They're often confused, but "into" indicates movement (Lindsay walked into the office) while "in to" is used
in lots of situations because the individual words "to" and "in" are frequently used in other parts of a
sentence. For example, "to" is often used with infinitive verbs (e.g. "to drive"). Or "in" can be used as part
of a verb (e.g. "call in to a meeting").
So if you're trying to decide which to use, first figure out if the words "in" or "to" actually modify other
words in the sentence. If they don't, then ask yourself if it's indicating some sort of movement -- if it does,
you're good to use "into."
Lose vs. Loose
When people mix up "lose" and "loose," it's usually just because they're spelled so similarly. They know
their definitions are completely different.
"Lose" is a verb that means "to fail to keep or maintain; fail to win; cease to have," like losing your keys or
losing a football match.
"Loose" is an adjective that means "not tight" or "not closely constrained," like loose clothing or a loose
tooth.
A trick for remembering the difference is to think of the term "loosey-goosey" -- both words that make up
that compound word are spelled with two o's.
Assure vs. Insure vs. Ensure
All of these words have to do with "making an outcome sure," which is why they're so often mixed up.
However, they aren't interchangeable.

"To assure" means to promise or say with confidence. For example, "I assure you that he's good
at his job."

"To ensure" means to make certain. For example, "Ensure you're free when I visit next weekend."

Finally, "to insure" means to protect against risk by regularly paying an insurance company. For
example, "I insure my car because the law requires it."

Compliment vs. Complement

These two words are pronounced exactly the same, making them easy to mix up. But they're actually
quite different.
If something "complements" something else, that means it completes it, enhances it, or makes it perfect.
For example, a wine can complement a meal, and two colors can complement each other.
The word "compliment" though, refers to an expression of praise (as a noun), or to praise or express
admiration for someone (as a verb). You can compliment your friend's new haircut, or pay someone a
compliment on his or her haircut.
Farther vs. Further
People often use "farther" and "further" interchangeably to mean "at a greater distance."

However, in most countries, there are actually subtle differences in meaning between the two: "Farther"
is used more to refer to physical distances, while "further" is used more to refer to figurative and
nonphysical distances. So while Paris is "farther" away than Madrid, a marketing team falls "further" away
from its leads goal. (Note: The word "further" is preferred for all senses of the word in the U.K., Australia,
Canada, and elsewhere in the Commonwealth of Nations.)
The word "further" can also be used as an adjective or as an adverb to mean "additionally." For example,
"I have no further questions."
En Dash vs. Em Dash
Both "" and "" are versions of the dash: "" is the en dash, and "" or "--" are both versions of
theem dash. You can use either the en dash or the em dash to signify a break in a sentence or set off
parenthetical statements.
The en dash can also be used to represent time spans or differentiation, such as, "That will take 510
minutes."
The em dash, on the other hand, can be used to set off quotation sources, such as, "'To be, or not to be,
that is the question.' Shakespeare."
Between vs. Among
Let's clear this one up: The word "between" is used to refer to two (or sometimes more) things that are
clearly separated, and the word "among" is used to refer to things that aren't clearly separated because
they're part of a group or mass of objects.
So you choose between a red shirt and a black shirt, but you choose among all your shirts.
You walkbetween Centre Street and Broad Street, but you walk among your friends.
Lay and Lie
This is the crown jewel of all grammatical errors. Lay is a transitive verb. It requires a direct subject and
one or more objects. Its present tense is lay (e.g., I lay the pencil on the table) and its past tense is laid
(e.g.,Yesterday I laid the pencil on the table). Lie is an intransitive verb. It needs no object. Its present
tense is lie (e.g., The Andes mountains lie between Chile and Argentina) and its past tense is lay
(e.g., The man lay waiting for an ambulance). The most common mistake occurs when the writer uses the
past tense of the transitive lay (e.g., I laid on the bed) when he/she actually means the intransitive past
tense of lie" (e.g., I lay on the bed).
Lie means to recline; lay, on the other hand, means to put or place something.
Lay is a transitive verb, meaning that there is always an object after it. (Lay the book on the shelf. Book is
the object.) The principal parts of lie and lay are listed below.
lie: lie, lay, (have) lain
lay: lay, laid, (have) laid

Moot
Contrary to common misuse, moot doesnt imply something is superfluous. It means a subject is
disputable or open to discussion. e.g., The idea that commercial zoning should be allowed in the
residential neighborhood was a moot point for the council.

Continual and Continuous

Theyre similar, but theres a difference. Continual means something that's always occurring, with
obvious lapses in time. Continuous means something continues without any stops or gaps in between.
e.g., The continual music next door made it the worst night of studying ever. e.g., Her continuous talking
prevented him from concentrating.

Envy and Jealousy

The word envy implies a longing for someone elses good fortunes. Jealousy is far more nefarious. Its
a fear of rivalry, often present in sexual situations. Envy is when you covet your friends good looks.
Jealousy is what happens when your significant other swoons over your good-looking friend.

Nor
Nor expresses a negative condition. It literally means "and not." Youre obligated to use the nor form if
your sentence expresses a negative and follows it with another negative condition. Neither the men nor
the women were drunk is a correct sentence because nor expresses that the women held the same
negative condition as the men. The old rule is that nor typically follows neither, and or follows either.
However, if neither either nor neither is used in a sentence, you should use nor to express a second
negative, as long as the second negative is a verb. If the second negative is a noun, adjective, or adverb,
you would use or, because the initial negative transfers to all conditions. e.g., He wont eat broccoli or
asparagus. The negative condition expressing the first noun (broccoli) is also used for the second
(asparagus).

May and Might

May implies a possibility. Might implies far more uncertainty. You may get drunk if you have two shots
in ten minutes implies a real possibility of drunkenness. You might get a ticket if you operate a tug boat
while drunk implies a possibility that is far more remote. Someone who says I may have more wine
could mean he/she doesn't want more wine right now, or that he/she might not want any at all. Given the
speakers indecision on the matter, might would be correct.

Whether and If

Many writers seem to assume that whether is interchangeable with if." It isnt. Whether expresses a
condition where there are two or more alternatives. If expresses a condition where there are no
alternatives. e.g., I dont know whether Ill get drunk tonight. e.g., I can get drunk tonight if I have money
for booze.

Farther and Further

The word farther implies a measurable distance. Further should be reserved for abstract lengths you
can't always measure. e.g., I threw the ball ten feet farther than Bill. e.g., The financial crisis caused
further implications.

Since and Because

Since refers to time. Because refers to causation. e.g., Since I quit drinking Ive married and had two
children. e.g., Because I quit drinking I no longer wake up in my own vomit.

Disinterested and Uninterested

Contrary to popular usage, these words arent synonymous. A disinterested person is someone whos
impartial. For example, a hedge fund manager might take interest in a headline regarding the
performance of a popular stock, even if he's never invested in it. Hes disinterested, i.e., he doesnt seek
to gain financially from the transaction hes witnessed. Judges and referees are supposed to be
"disinterested." If the sentence youre using implies someone who couldn't care less, chances are youll
want to use uninterested.

Anxious
Unless youre frightened of them, you shouldnt say youre anxious to see your friends. Youre actually
eager, or "excited." To be anxious implies a looming fear, dread or anxiety. It doesnt mean youre
looking forward to something.

Different Than and Different From

This is a tough one. Words like rather and faster are comparative adjectives, and are used to show
comparison with the preposition than, (e.g., greater than, less than, faster than, rather than). The
adjective different is used to draw distinction. So, when different is followed by a preposition, it should
be from, similar to separate from, distinct from, or away from. e.g., My living situation in New York
was different from home. There are rare cases where different than is appropriate, if than operates as
a conjunction. e.g.,Development is different in New York than in Los Angeles. When in doubt, use
different from.

Bring and Take

In order to employ proper usage of bring or take, the writer must know whether the object is being
moved toward or away from the subject. If it is toward, use bring. If it is away, use take. Your spouse
may tell you to take your clothes to the cleaners. The owner of the dry cleaners would say bring your
clothes to the cleaners.

Impactful
It isn't a word. "Impact" can be used as a noun (e.g., The impact of the crash was severe) or a transitive
verb (e.g., The crash impacted my ability to walk or hold a job). "Impactful" is a made-up buzzword,
colligated by the modern marketing industry in their endless attempts to decode the innumerable nuances
of human behavior into a string of mindless metrics. Seriously, stop saying this.

Affect and Effect

Heres a trick to help you remember: Affect is almost always a verb (e.g., Facebook affects peoples
attention spans), and effect is almost always a noun (e.g., Facebook's effects can also be positive).
Affect means to influence or produce an impression to cause hence, an effect. Effect is the thing
produced by the affecting agent; it describes the result or outcome. There are some exceptions. Effect
may be used as a transitive verb, which means to bring about or make happen. e.g., My new computer
effected a much-needed transition from magazines to Web porn. There are similarly rare examples where
affect can be a noun. e.g., His lack of affect made him seem like a shallow person.

Irony and Coincidence

Too many people claim something is the former when they actually mean the latter. For example, its not
ironic that Barbara moved from California to New York, where she ended up meeting and falling in love
with a fellow Californian. The fact that theyre both from California is a "coincidence." "Irony" is the
incongruity in a series of events between the expected results and the actual results. "Coincidence" is a
series of events that appear planned when theyre actually accidental. So, it would be "ironic" if Barbara
moved from California to New York to escape California men, but the first man she ended up meeting and
falling in love with was a fellow Californian.

Nauseous
Undoubtedly the most common mistake I encounter. Contrary to almost ubiquitous misuse, to be
nauseous doesnt mean youve been sickened: it actually means you possess the ability to produce
nausea in others. e.g., That week-old hot dog is nauseous. When you find yourself disgusted or made ill
by a nauseating agent, you are actually nauseated. e.g., I was nauseated after falling into that dumpster
behind the Planned Parenthood. Stop embarrassing yourself.
drug/dragged

Drug is often used as the past tense of drag, as in the following example:
incorrect: I drug myself out of bed this morning.
The past tense of drag is actually dragged, not drug. This error is particularly common in speech. Even
Bill Clinton once made this blunder on national television, returning to bad habits he developed as a youth
growing up in Arkansas.
RULE:
The word drug should never be associated with any kind of pulling action. It should only be used when
referring to some type of medicinal substance.
like/as though/as if
The word like should never be used before a clause.
Example 1 (incorrect usage): It looks like it will rain.
Like should be used before a noun only, as in the following example:
Example 2 (correct usage): The girl looks like her mother.
Take a close look at the two sentences above. Do you see the difference in how they are used? In the first
sentence, like is followed by the clause it will rain. In the second sentence, like is followed by her mother.
Whenever a subject and verb follow, remember to substitute like with either as though or as if, as
illustrated in the final example below.
Example 3 (correct): It looks as if it will rain.