(See an Audiovisual Lecture on 22 Common Grammar Errors You Must Avoid: https://youtu.be/MhW_QZP0V50)
To communicate accurately and effectively in any language requires adequate knowledge of the rules that govern the use of that language. English is certainly not an exception. As a matter of fact, anyone who desires to gain proficiency in the use of English ought to learn English grammar. This is because learning English grammar is learning the rules that govern the use of English. Most of the grammatical blunders committed by English speakers can be attributed to ignorance or insufficient knowledge of the rules of English. In this article, we shall be examining some of the common grammar errors that people commit in their attempt to use the language in communicating their thoughts.
- Subject and Verb Agreement, e.g. A. They enjoys home videos (incorrect); They enjoy home videos (correct). B. Mummy and Junior is going to the market (incorrect). Mummy and Junior are going to the market (correct).
- Wrong Use of Tenses, e.g. A. I visit Grandma yesterday (incorrect); I visited Grandma yesterday (correct). B. I will go to the filling station and bought fuel (I will go to the filling station and buy fuel).
- The Omission of the Possessive Apostrophe and -s, e.g. My uncle car is red (incorrect); My uncle’s car is red (correct).
- Using Double Negatives, e.g. A. She doesn’t know nobody in this town (She doesn’t know anybody in this town). B. I don’t want no drink (I don’t want any drink).
- Misuse of Homophones or Words with Similar Sounds, e.g. Their is no one in the house (incorrect); There is no one in the house (correct). Others are. Cite, sight and site, decent, descent and dissent, loose and lose, plain and plane, peace and piece, etc
- Misuse of Subject and Object Pronouns, e.g. This is the man with who I travelled to Asaba last week (incorrect); This is the man with whom I travelled to Asaba yesterday.
- Using Run-on Sentences, e.g. A. Raina is a good girl she obeys her parents (incorrect); Raina is a good girl; she obeys her parents (correct). B. The thief tried to escape the shop owner saw him (incorrect). The thief tried to escape, but the shop owner saw him (correct).
- Comma Splice, e.g. She didn’t have enough money, however she paid half of the rent (incorrect). She didn’t have enough money; however, she paid half of the rent.
- Wrong Use of Capital or Small Letters, e.g. john wasn’t at the seminar (wrong); John wasn’t at the seminar (correct).
- Using Adjective in Place of Noun, e.g. I can’t see the different between the two (incorrect); I can’t see the difference between the two (correct).
- Wrong Use of Compound Adjectives, e.g. She registered for a two years course (incorrect); She registered for a two-year course (correct)
- Misuse of Uncountable Nouns, e.g. Do you have a free time? (incorrect); Do you have some free time? (incorrect).
- Wrong Word Order in Questions, e.g. What you are going to do now? (incorrect); What are you going to do now? (correct).
- Using Double Superlative, e.g. more better, most prettiest, worser than, etc.
- Unnecessary and Wrongly Placed Apostrophe in Possessives, e.g. her’s (the book is hers), our’s (the land is ours), their’s (the house is theirs), your’s (the pen is yours), it’s (the dog had its leg bitten by the snake), the peoples’ mandate (the people’s mandate), childrens’ shoes, etc.
- Wrong Pluralization of Uncountable Nouns, e.g. informations, advices or an advice, furnitures, etc.
- Misplacing Subject and Object Pronouns, e.g. This should be shared equally between you and I (between you and me), It’s me who is to play next (It’s I who am to play next), Dad gave my sister and I some money (Dad gave my sister and me some money), etc.
- Misplaced Modifiers, e.g. At ten, my aunt brought me to Lagos (When I was ten, my aunt brought me to Lagos). B. Sleeping on the veranda, a scorpion bit me (While I was sleeping on the veranda, a scorpion bit me).
- Sentence Fragments, e.g. John didn’t attend the party. Because he was sick. Correct: John didn’t attend the party because he was sick.
- Ambiguous Antecedent, e.g. Grandma found the girl, and she was very happy (Who was happy: Grandma or the girl?) Correct: Grandma was very happy when she found the girl.
- Mixing up Similar Words, e.g. The teacher impacted a lot of knowledge to us (The teacher imparted…). The Coronavirus is having a great impart on the economy (… is having a great impact on the economy). Other words frequently mixed up include: affect and effect, accept and except, etc.
- Split Infinitives, e.g. I tried to quickly rush to the bank before going to work (incorrect). I wanted to rush quickly… (correct).
For a more detailed audiovisual explanation of grammatical rules and how to correct common grammar errors, watch the following video lecture:
For a more detailed audiovisual explanation of prepositional phrases and how to use them correctly, watch the following video lecture: https://youtu.be/Jq-24d9vdBc
EBOOKS FOR YOUR FURTHER STUDIES:
- Good Success in English: A Study Package or Good Success in English: A Study Package for Effective English Learning
- Good Success English Handbook
About the Author
Benjamin Abugu is a university graduate with a flair for content writing. He is an English teacher with over twelve years of experience, a published author of many books (both paperback and eBook editions), a blogger, and a Youtuber.
EBOOKS FOR YOUR FURTHER STUDIES:
- Good Success in English: A Study Package or Good Success in English: A Study Package for Effective English Learning
- Good Success English Handbook
About the Author
Benjamin Abugu is a university graduate with a flair for content writing. He is an English teacher with over twelve years of experience, a published author of many books (both paperback and eBook editions), a blogger, and a Youtuber.
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