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Mistakes often creep in unknowingly in the works of even the most established writers which make one’s writing look unprofessional. Here are the top ten grammatical mistakes that are often missed:
#1. The Subject-Verb agreement
Incorrect: The dogs is barking.
Correct: The dogs are barking.
As a rule it is important to remember that if the subject ("dogs" in the above examples) is plural, the verb should follow accordingly. It is common to forget this rule in a complex sentence. For example the sentence: “The windows of the adjacent house is always shut.” is incorrect as the subject of the sentence is "windows" and it is in the plural form. “The windows of the adjacent house are always shut.” is the correct sentence.
#2. A little vs little
"A little" denotes a glimpse of optimism while "little" hints at a more negative connotation.
For example:
1) I have a little hope of passing my exams.
2) I have little chance of passing my exams.
The first sentence highlights that there is still a chance of clearing the exams. The latter sentence, however, expresses a dismal chance of passing the examination and has a more pessimistic tone.
#3. Dangling Modifiers
Incorrect: The girl was walking her dog in the skirt.
Correct: The girl in the skirt was walking her dog.
A modifier, simply put, adds some extra information about its subject. In the above examples, the phrase "in the skirt" provides additional information about the girl walking the dog. The modifier should be placed close to the subject it modifies. The first sentence signifies that it was the dog that wore a skirt and hence is incorrect.
#4. Parallelism
Incorrect: I love reading, cooking and to travel.
Correct: I love reading, cooking and travelling.
In the first example “to travel” is incorrect as the other words end with “ing”,” travel” should follow the rule and also be “travelling”. The other alternative is to change the sentence to: I love to read, to cook and to travel.
#5. Beside vs Besides
"Beside" literally means something is placed next to or adjacent to something else. For example: The book was beside the lamp. "Besides" on the other hand is used to add some extra information. For example: I don't think I will go for a walk today. Besides, it is raining heavily.
#6. Prepositions
It is technically incorrect to end sentences with prepositions but this is commonly and almost unconsciously accepted in informal and sometimes formal conversations and writings.
Incorrect: You are the person I must talk to.
Correct: You are the person to whom I must talk.
#7. I vs. Me
There is a lot of confusion about when to use "l" and when "me" should be used. This can be easily tested by omitting the subjects other than "I" or "me" and by checking if the sentence is grammatically correct. For example, “Joey and I went to the market.” If the subject "Joey" is removed from the sentence, "I went to the market" is grammatically correct. Hence the sentence is correct. Similarly, “The work was completed by Joey and me.” Again if "Joey" is ignored, the sentence "The work was completed by me" is correct. It can easily be tested that the sentence: “Joey and me went to the market” is incorrect because when "Joey" is ignored as a subject, "me went to the market" is incorrect.
#8. In to vs Into
Incorrect: I turned my project into my professor
Correct: I turned my project in to my professor.
Into in the first example "into" denotes that the project was magically metamorphosed into a professor and hence is incorrect.
#9. Homophones
Homophones or words with a similar sound are often used incorrectly.
Incorrect: She is very quite today.
Correct: She is very quiet today.
The words "quiet" and "quite" are homophones and this is a prime example of errors that result from the confusion that homophones create.
#10. Your's or Yours truly?
The word "your's" is an incorrect word and is mistakenly used to denote possession as the general use of an apostrophe signifies the same. However, "yours" can never have an apostrophe and is the only grammatically correct spelling.
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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in February, 2012. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.
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—About our writer:
Ritika Singh is a graduate in English Literature and is pursuing her M.A. from Delhi. She has been scribbling couplets since she was twelve and is also a voracious reader. As a freelance writer, she aspires to follow her passion for writing professionally. She is also a mobile technology buff and loves to stay updated with the latest developments. A blank canvas and a blank sheet of paper are her favourite mediums of self-expression.
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