It is common for students to encounter grammatical mistakes very frequently while writing. Such errors in writing compromise the quality and greatly impact your reputation as a good writer.
A research study found that many students make three common grammatical errors or silly grammar mistakes when writing: subject-verb agreement, pronoun misuse, and incorrect word choice.
The data analysis shows that these errors occur most frequently, with percentages of 75.6%, 36.6%, and 18.6%, respectively.
The challenges are also some common grammatical errors in writing that students need to avoid. Here’s the list.
| Challenge (Usual Grammatical Mistakes) | Possible Solution |
| Lack of Grammar Awareness | Taking Grammar Lessons Consistently |
| Ineffective Proofreading | Make Use of Advanced Yet Free tools for Proofreading Practices. |
| Limited Vocabulary | Get in the Habit of Reading Daily. |
| Confusing Grammar Rules | Look for Simplified Guidelines. |
Being good at grammar is not always possible for all students. I remember my time as a college student struggling with getting the subject-verb agreement right which is one of the silly grammar mistakes.
Somehow, I would manage a blunder while writing an essay or other writing task. Not only would it make me lose some important marks but also would compromise my reputation as a student with good writing abilities.
So I decided to work hard and overcome my shortcomings. For that, I would practice my grammar skills throughout the day. Reading more and more books so my mind can get trained in formation of proper sentence structures.
I made it my habit to go through some important grammatical principles on a daily basis. All these efforts and dedication helped me overcome my grammatical errors and hence I was able to push a big hindrance in my way of becoming a good writer.
Grammar errors can be very frustrating at times for both native and non-native English writers. Let’s understand these 7 common grammatical errors in writing or some usual grammatical mistakes that will help us understand what are grammar mistakes and how we can avoid them.
It’s a grammar writing rule that a verb must agree to the subject in a sentence. When a writer fails to match up the subject and verb, he’s making a subject-verb agreement mistake.
The best and simplest practice is to write an introduction paragraph about yourself and work on the personal self essay, and try to avoid this one grammatical error as much as you can.
After that, you will have a smoothness in your sentences no matter what write-up comes on your way. Here is a table that will help you understand this well:
| Subject | Incorrect Verb | Correct Verb |
| The Dog | Were Barking | Was Barking |
| The Dogs | Was Barking | Were Barking |
| She | Have a Purse | Has a Purse |
| They | Was Sad | Were Sad |
This is another common mistake in academic writing. Most of the time, students aren’t able to match the pronoun with the subject it is referring to. Take a look at this table to understand one of these typical grammar errors:
| Incorrect | Correct |
| Each player did their net practice. | Each player did his or her net practice. |
| The cricket team won because they played well. | The cricket team won because it played well. |
| Harry and Brooks are brothers, he is very intelligent. | Harry and Brooks are brothers, they are very intelligent. |
If you join two independent clauses without the right punctuation, that’s a run-on sentence. And if a comma joins them, that’s known as a comma splice. This is one of the common grammar mistakes to avoid. Here’s a table to improve your understanding and then move on to read about other grammatical mistakes:
| Incorrect | Correct |
| I went to the mart and bought some soft drinks. | I went to the mart, and I bought some soft drinks. |
| He wanted to play for the national team he couldn’t. | He wanted to play for the national team, but he couldn’t. |
Incorrect or excessive use of dangling modifiers is also one of the very common grammatical mistakes. A modifier must be close to the word it describes. When a writer puts them in the wrong spot, sentences are hard to understand. Here’s a table to improve your understanding of misplaced and dangling modifiers:
| Incorrect | Correct |
| After eating the burger, the box was thrown away. | After eating the burger, I threw the box away. |
| Running late, the interview was missed. | Running late, I missed the interview. |
In English writing, when you use two negatives in a sentence, it implies a positive. One of the very typical grammar errors! So, to avoid confusion in your writing, ensure to steer clear of double negatives.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| I don’t want no holiday. | I don’t want any holiday. |
| He didn’t eat nothing. | He didn’t eat anything. |
The articles you use have to match up with gender and the number of nouns they describe. Let’s check out the correct and incorrect forms which will sum up our understanding of one of the typical grammatical mistakes students should avoid.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| And dogs are cute. | Some dogs are cute. |
| The movies is thrilling. | The movie is thrilling. |
When you are crafting comparisons and lists, all items must be in the same Grammatical Form. Here’s a table:
| Incorrect | Correct |
| He loves to read, go running, and writing. | He loves to read, run, and write. |
| She is not only beautiful but she is also intelligent. | She is not only beautiful but also intelligent. |
To confirm, you do well with your academic writing skills, here are some best practices with examples:
It is always best to double-check your writing before handling an assignment.
Original Sentence
He exercise every morning.
After Proofreading
He exercises every evening.
Stay alert to the errors the spellcheck and grammar check features catch when writing in word processors like MS Word or Google Documents.
Furthermore, Spell checker free tool can catch errors like “recieve” (receive).
Be very careful when using words that sound the same but have different meanings.
Incorrect
Their playing football in the park.
Correct
They’re playing football in the park.
Ensure you get a good grip on verb tenses and know how to conjugate them correctly.
Incorrect
He eated lunch.
Correct
He ate lunch.
The subject and verb must agree in terms of whether they’re singular or plural.
Incorrect
The cats is sleeping.
Correct
The cats are sleeping.
One of the writing mechanics or grammar rules is that pronouns you use should match the gender and number of person or thing they are referring to.
Incorrect
Every player must check their kit.
Correct
Every player must check his or her kit.
Your sentences must be complete. They can’t be just a bunch of pieces.
Fragment
Because I was tired.
Complete Sentence
I went to bed because I was tired.
Try to understand where the flow in a sentence breaks. That’s where you have to use a comma. Plus, don’t forget to add commas when a sentence consists of a series of things.
Incorrect
I like apples oranges and bananas.
Correct
I like apples, oranges, and bananas.
To avoid making such a mistake, use correct punctuation that will separate independent clauses. Being mindful of this can also make you avoid making other grammatical mistakes.
Incorrect
I woke up late I missed the bus.
Correct
I woke up late, so I missed the bus.
You know how confusing it could be to use a double negative in a sentence. Hence, get in the habit of using a single negative to convey a negative meaning.
Incorrect
I don’t want no dessert.
Correct
I don’t want any dessert.
Make sure the modifiers you use are close to the words they explain to avoid any misunderstandings and making grammatical mistakes in your writing.
Incorrect
He almost completed all of the assignments with no grammatical mistakes.
Correct
He completed almost all of the assignments.
Things in your lists and comparisons must follow the same grammatical pattern. As, clarity and precision carries great importance of grammar in writing, so let’s analyze how to implement this in sentences.
Incorrect
She likes to read, running, and swimming.
Correct
She likes to read, run, and swim.
The purpose of apostrophes is to indicate a possession or contradiction.
Incorrect
The dogs’ are playing.
Correct
The dogs are playing.
Make sure the articles you use match the number of nouns they’re referring to.
Incorrect
A cats are friendly.
Correct
Cats are friendly animals.
Don’t hesitate to get your work looked at by a teacher or an expert. They will certainly pick out the mistakes and hence improve your writing. Most students even hire a professional college paper writing service to proofread their final piece for contextual or grammatical mistakes.
Remember that while these are common grammatical errors, the context of a sentence can affect whether they are mistakes or not. It’s important to understand the rules but also know when it’s appropriate to bend them slightly for stylistic reasons.
Hopefully, you now have a good idea of what grammar mistakes are and how to avoid them during writing. By adhering to these best practices, you can surely avoid making grammatical mistakes and improve your academic writing.
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