There are many common mistakes in English that learners (and even native speakers) make. These can be related to grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, punctuation, or style. Here’s a breakdown of the most frequent ones:
1. Grammar Mistakes
- Subject-verb agreement
- ❌ He go to school every day.
- ✅ He goes to school every day.
- Tense usage
- ❌ I am living in London since 2010.
- ✅ I have been living in London since 2010.
- Incorrect word order in questions
- ❌ You are coming to the party?
- ✅ Are you coming to the party?
- Wrong use of articles (a, an, the)
- ❌ She is a best teacher.
- ✅ She is the best teacher.
- Double negatives
- ❌ I don’t need no help.
- ✅ I don’t need any help.
2. Vocabulary and Word Choice Errors
- Wrong prepositions
- ❌ She is married with a doctor.
- ✅ She is married to a doctor.
- Using the wrong word due to similarity
- ❌ Their going to the park.
- ✅ They’re going to the park.
- Confusing homophones
- ❌ I accept your advise.
- ✅ I accept your advice.
3. Pronunciation Mistakes
- Silent letters
- Saying the “k” in “knight” or “knife”
- Misplacing stress in words
- ❌ PREsent (as a verb) instead of preSENT
- Not distinguishing similar sounds
- “Ship” vs. “Sheep”
4. Punctuation Errors
- Run-on sentences
- ❌ I went to the store I bought some milk.
- ✅ I went to the store. I bought some milk.
- Misusing commas
- ❌ Let’s eat Grandma!
- ✅ Let’s eat, Grandma!
- Apostrophe errors
- ❌ Its raining outside.
- ✅ It’s raining outside.
5. Style and Clarity
- Redundancy
- ❌ He returned back to the office.
- ✅ He returned to the office.
- Wordiness
- ❌ Due to the fact that…
- ✅ Because…
6. Commonly Confused Pairs
| Incorrect | Correct | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Your welcome | You’re welcome | “You’re” = “you are” |
| Could of | Could have | Mishearing “could’ve” |
| There/Their/They’re | Context matters | Often confused |
Would you like help identifying specific mistakes in your own writing or conversation? I can help spot and explain them.
