English / Confusions in English Grammar

8 Common Grammar Mistakes in English
These a due to misspell common words, confuse similarly spelled words / sometimes simply use the wrong form of words.

8 Commonest mistakes
1. Subject / verb agreement
It implies that the (subject, verb) of a sentence must be in agreement in number whether they are singular or plural.
I.e Subject = singular implies verb = singular.
      Subject = plural implies verb = plural.

Example:
1. The person is playing with his ball.
2. The persons are playing with their balls.

2. Past and present tenses mixing
Try to be clear about the present and the past events while addressing about a thing.

3. Apostrophe errors
Apostrophe is used to combine a noun and a verb. It can be used with Not, is, will, have, are and to Show Possessiveness.

Example
Cannot – Can’t
You are - you’re
I grammar people to misuse apostrophes to express plural tense.

Example
Wrong:  “The dog’s should eat dog food”
Correct:  “The dogs should eat dog food”

4. Past tense verb has to be ended properly
Normally past tense verbs end with “ed”.

Example
Stated, walked, picked etc.
5. Misuse of commas
Comma is used to separate any consecutively appearing noun, pronoun, adverb verbs in a sentence. Don’t use Comma in the place of periods if any chance try to use a semi-colon / split in place of it.

6. Form of Words Usage
While using the words be clear of their meaning.

Word Used
Than for comparison
Then To refer to something taking place or happening next.
There As a noun
Their For indication of possession
They’re For Contraction for they are.
It’s For not to follow the rules for possessives as mentioned above
Its When contracting “it is”.
Lose not fastened or not confined while
Loose Mean no longer have, fail to find or fail to win.
Fewer As a determiner, pronoun, & adjective
Less As a determiner & pronoun
Which To referring to something previously mentioned when introducing a clause giving further information.
That To identify a specific person or thing observed or heard by the speaker.
Gone  No longer present; departed.
Went past simple of go
Watch Look at or observe attentively over a period of time.
Look Direct one's gaze in a specified direction.
See Perceive with the eyes; discern visually.
Casual  relaxed and unconcerned
Formal based on conventional forms and rules


7. Misplaced Modifiers
Modifier is a specific word in a phrase or sentence is to change or to alter something. They changes, clarifies, qualifies / limits a particular word in a sentence in order to add emphasis, explanation, or detail. So try to use a proper Modifier in the sentence

Example
Correct: “At 10 years old, I gave my friend a gift”
Wrong: “When I was 10 years old, my friend gave me a gift”

8. Capitalization
It is used when
1. If it is the first letter in a sentence.
2. If it is a pronoun.
3. If I am using a name that someone gave to this thing / person.


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