What are the most common grammar mistakes students make?

Question

Mitch · Accepted Answer

Hi Anushan

Even advanced English learners make minor grammar mistakes from time to time.

I see the same handful of errors popping up in our community forums every day.

The good news? Once you recognize them, they are very easy to fix.

Here are the most common grammar mistakes and how to avoid them:

1. Mixing up "Your" and "You're"Because these two words sound exactly the same when spoken, people often write the wrong one.

Your: Shows possession (it belongs to you).Example: "I really like your English accent."

You're: Short for "you are."Example: "You're doing a fantastic job learning these rules."

If you can replace the word with "you are" and the sentence still makes sense, use you're.

2. Subject-Verb Agreement Errors

This happens when a singular subject gets paired with a plural verb, or a plural subject gets paired with a singular verb.

Incorrect: "Every student want to speak English fluently."

Correct: "Every student wants to speak English fluently."

Incorrect: "The books is on the table."

Correct: "The books are on the table."

3. Confusing "Its" and "It's"

This is another sound-alike mistake that trips up a lot of writers.

Its: Shows possession (it belongs to an object, animal, or place). Example: "The cat licked its paw."

It's: Short for "it is" or "it has." Example: "It's a beautiful morning today."

4. Wrong Prepositions after Verbs

Prepositions (words like in, on, at, to, for) are notoriously tricky in English because they often don't translate directly from other languages.

Incorrect: "I am married with a teacher."

Correct: "I am married to a teacher."

Incorrect: "It depends of the weather."

Correct: "It depends on the weather."

Incorrect: "I am good in English."

Correct: "I am good at English."

5. Run-on Sentences (Comma Splices)

A run-on sentence happens when you glue two complete thoughts together using only a comma.

Incorrect: "I love studying English, it helps me at work."

Correct: "I love studying English. It helps me at work." (Use a period)

Correct: "I love studying English, and it helps me at work." (Use a conjunction)

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