Common Grammatical Mistakes in English – Learn to Write Correctly
Even experienced English speakers make these mistakes. This comprehensive guide covers the most common grammatical errors — from using unless incorrectly to misplacing myself, from confusing less and fewer to getting question tags wrong. Each point comes with clear incorrect and correct versions so you can immediately see the difference.
A) No Negative Words After "Unless", "Until"
Both unless and until already carry a negative sense, so adding another negative creates a double negative.
✅ Unless you show me your ID card, I will not let you enter.
❌ Unless you don't show me…
B) Conditional Sentence Rules
1) If + Past Indefinite → would + V1
✅ If I had money, I would help the street children.
2) If + Past Perfect → would + have + V3
✅ If he had followed my advice, he would have become fluent.
3) Were + Would
✅ If I were you, I would not let a single moment go in vain.
C) Using Verbs Without Clear Subjects (Dangling Participles)
❌ Walking along the road, a car knocked him down. (meaningless)
✅ While he was walking along the road, a car knocked him down.
❌ Having finished my work, my father told me to go to the market.
✅ After I had finished my work, my father told me to go to the market.
D) "With a View to" + Gerund (-ing)
"With a view to" is a prepositional phrase, so it must be followed by the -ing form of the verb.
❌ We collected money with a view to help the poor farmers.
✅ We collected money with a view to helping the poor farmers.
✅ We collected money to help the poor farmers. (also correct — just "to")
E) Verbs After "Avoid", "Start", etc. → Gerund (-ing)
✅ You should avoid walking alone in this frosty night.
❌ …avoid to walk alone…
✅ Start working right now.
F) No "As" After "Call", "Consider"
✅ Everyone considered him a brave man.
❌ …considered him as a brave man.
✅ Everyone calls him a brave man.
❌ …calls him as a brave man.
G) "Less" vs "Fewer"
Less is for uncountable nouns; fewer is for countable nouns.
❌ …there were less than one thousand workers…
✅ …there were fewer than one thousand workers…
H) Comparing Two Things Correctly
When comparing, make sure you are comparing like with like. Use that of / those of or the possessive form.
❌ The voice of John is sweeter than Jack.
✅ The voice of John is sweeter than that of Jack. (= the voice of Jack)
❌ Jack has a far more expensive car than John.
✅ Jack has a far more expensive car than John's.
I) "Look Forward to" + Gerund
Here to is a preposition, not part of an infinitive. So the verb that follows must be in the -ing form.
❌ He is looking forward to meet you.
✅ He is looking forward to meeting you.
J) "Millions of" vs "Million"
❌ Millions people have gathered.
✅ Millions of people have gathered. / A million people have gathered.
K) "Comprise" → No "of" | "Consist" → Needs "of"
❌ This building comprises of two bedrooms.
✅ This building comprises two bedrooms.
✅ This book consists of twelve chapters.
L) No "Back" with "Return"
❌ He has returned back my book.
✅ He has returned my book.
M) Plural of Compound Nouns
Make the main word (the head noun) plural, not the whole compound.
❌ My sister-in-laws live in the USA.
✅ My sisters-in-law live in the USA.
N) Incorrect Use of "Myself" as Subject
❌ Myself will go there to investigate.
✅ I will go there to investigate. / I myself will go there.
O) No "Still" After "Although"
❌ Although John was a good singer, he still didn't join.
✅ Although John was a good singer, he didn't join.
P) Different Prepositions with "And" / "Or"
If two verbs or adjectives joined by and or or require different prepositions, both prepositions must be mentioned.
❌ George is interested and worried about this plan.
✅ George is interested in and worried about this plan.
Q) No Preposition Before "Today", "Tomorrow", "Yesterday"
❌ We are going to London on tomorrow.
✅ We are going to London tomorrow.
R) "Let you and me" – Not "let you and I"
❌ Let you and I do it.
✅ Let you and me do it.
S) No "A/An" Before Uncountable Nouns Like "News", "Information"
❌ Tom had given me a very bad news.
✅ Tom had given me very bad news. / a piece of very bad news.
T) Question Tags – Agreement Rules
❌ None of the boys told me the truth, did they?
✅ None of the boys told me the truth, did any? (none = singular)
❌ Nancy has given me a story-book, isn't it?
✅ Nancy has given me a story-book, hasn't she?
U) "Expect" + Object + To-infinitive
❌ We expected our friends will tell the truth.
✅ We expected our friends to tell the truth.
✅ We expected that our friends would tell the truth.
V) Position of Adverbs of Frequency ("Often", "Always", etc.)
Adverbs of frequency are usually placed before the main verb.
❌ John and Jack meet each other often.
✅ John and Jack often meet each other.
English is a language just like your mother tongue. Listen, speak, read, write, and practice. Avoiding these common mistakes will instantly make your English sound more polished and professional.
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