It’s no secret that the grammar world is a harsh place. Even the most punctual of writers can find themselves in a trap of their own creation, and while there are many resources on the internet to help correct your mistakes, many writers have fallen victim to the same mistakes time and time again.
It’s enough to make you want to hide under your desk and never come out. And it’s understandable, considering how pervasive grammar mistakes are in our everyday lives.
Everyone makes grammar mistakes. Even the most diligent writers make them because English is an ever-evolving language that changes every day. We may not know it, but we are constantly absorbing new dialects and idioms.
Even the most fluent English speaker will make grammar mistakes from time to time, and once you start paying attention to the ones that creep into your writing the most, you’ll start to notice how many you’re making.
It’s important to know what they are and learn how to correct them because knowing which of your mistakes are most common can help you identify and correct them before they become a habit. Here are 11 common grammar mistakes that every writer should avoid.
1. Comma splices
Like a delicious dessert or a boring meeting, there is nothing worse than commas that don’t do what they are meant to. Comma splices are common when a sentence requires a pause but doesn’t have one, and they can come from a number of sources.
A comma can be used to separate two phrases, but if that sentence then continues without another pause, it is considered a comma splice. There are many other things that can cause a sentence to lack a pause, and some of them are:
- A short, choppy sentence – This is something that you can fix with a restart, a dash, or a colon. If you have something in your sentence that can help it come to a stop, don’t include the missing comma.
- A prepositional phrase that begins the sentence – It’s always a good idea to include a comma here so that the reader knows where the sentence is beginning.
- A direct quote that does not end the sentence – This is a common mistake among writers who are trying to include a quotation within a sentence.
- A strong, emphatic word at the end of a sentence – This can be fixed in two ways: You can either rephrase the sentence or add a period or question mark.
2. Subject-verb agreement
If you’ve ever studied grammar, you’ve probably heard the same advice again and again: “Always use the Oxford comma when including a noun that modifies a subject.” And while this is an important rule, it is far from the only one.
Another one that is often ignored is that of subject-verb agreement, where the subject of a sentence should match the verb of that sentence. This can be especially tricky with compound (CC) words, which are made up of two or more parts that are connected by a conjunction, such as “and,” “but,” or “or.” The problem with CCs is that they can often be connected to the wrong part of the sentence.
For example:
- CCs can often be incorrect when the sentence begins with a pair of words that are not CCs and are not connected by a conjunction. Take this sentence: “The mayor and the council have failed the people.” The word “and” connects the two words that are not connected by “and,” so the mayor and the people are both connected by the mayor.
- Another issue with CCs is that they often get mixed up with other parts of speech. “The mayor is a tyrant and a fool.” Now, who is the subject of the sentence? The mayor is the subject of this sentence because he is the person being described in the verb.
3. Passive voice
Probably the most obvious grammar mistake on this list, the passive voice shouldn’t be used when you instead would prefer to use the active voice.
Passive voice is when a verb is placed in the past, present, or future tense and is not performing the action itself, but is instead receiving it from another person, place, thing, or idea. It is often used when a writer is trying to avoid a subject-verb disagreement, but it can be used in many other situations as well.
Passive voice can often be fixed by rewriting your sentence. Sometimes, passive voice is just a sign that you should reword your sentence in a different way.
For example:
- “The vehicle was stolen by a gang of thieves.” “A gang of thieves stole the vehicle.”
- “The vehicle was stolen from a garage.” “A garage was stolen from.”
- “The vehicle was stolen by a gang of thieves.” “A gang of thieves stole the vehicle.”
- “The vehicle was stolen by a gang of thieves.” “A gang of thieves stole the vehicle.”
- “The vehicle was stolen by a gang of thieves.” “A gang of thieves stole the vehicle.”
- “The vehicle was stolen by a gang of thieves.” “A gang of thieves stole the vehicle.”
4. Overuse of contractions
Another no-brainer, those in the business of writing need to avoid using the words “it” or “they” when they aren’t necessary. “It’s” and “they’re” are often called contractions, words that are shortened versions of other words, and they are often used too often in writing.
They can often be fixed by replacing them and rewriting your sentence, but they can also be avoided completely. When you aren’t sure if you should use “it” or “they,” you should always go with “they.”
For example:
- “It’s time for class.” “Class is over.”
- “It’s not my fault.” “It isn’t my fault.”
- “Oh, it’s my sister.” “Oh, it is my sister.”
- “It’s a great idea!” “It is a great idea!”
- “It’s nice weather.” “It is nice weather.”
- “It’s him.” “It is him.”
5. Excessive use of Oxford commas
Oxford commas are punctuation used to separate phrases that are connected by a conjunction. You may have heard them called Harvard commas, because they were first used by the Harvard University Press.
They should be used when you need to break phrases apart without changing the meaning of the sentence. They should also be used sparingly and only when you need them.
They are often overused, and they can often be fixed by rewriting your sentence. They can also be avoided completely if you decide to take one of the other precautions on this list.
For example:
- “The project was delayed because of an error in the budget.” “A budget error delayed the project.”
- “The meeting was held in a conference room because of a lack of space.” “A lack of space forced the meeting to be held in a conference room.”
- “The decision must be made by February because that is when the annual meeting will be held.” “The annual meeting will be held in February.”
- “The project was delayed because of an error in the budget.” “A budget error delayed the project.”
- “The meeting was held in a conference room because of a lack of space.” “A lack of space forced the meeting to be held in a conference room.”
6. Confusing prepositions to show emphasis
There is nothing worse than an unclear sentence, and prepositions are among the most unclear parts of writing. They are often used to describe spatial relationships between objects and people, but they can also be used to show emphasis.
The problem is that prepositions have a variety of meanings, which can make them very difficult to understand. They can be used to show location (“in,” “on,” “to,” and “with”),
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