As a writer, you should always be careful about grammatical errors and sentence formation because a well-read reader would not be willing to read your article if it is filled with mistakes. Grammatical mistakes also sign bad writing etiquette and should be avoided to mark the writing world and earn readers’ love.
Grammatical mistakes are the sign of a novice writer and should be learned to be avoided as a writer grows. Here I am highlighting some of the most common grammatical errors that writers end up making
1. Comma splices
A comma splice or comma fault is the use of a comma to join two separate clauses. There are three methods for repairing a comma splice. You may add conjunction, convert the comma to a semicolon, or separate each independent clause into its sentence.
Incorrect: She took the boy’s cookies away, that was mean.
Correct: She took the boy’s cookies away. That was mean.
Incorrect: I think he’s in love, he acts so weirdly now.
Correct: I think he’s in love. He acts so weirdly now
2. ‘Me’ as the first word in a sentence
‘Me’ at the beginning of a sentence is grammatically incorrect. In the main clause, pronouns in the subject position are usually in the nominative case. The nominative case will be used when a noun or pronoun is the subject of a verb.
Examples:
Mom hugged me.
Mom bought a snack for me.
3. Affect vs Effect
This is a simple error that many people make because they do not understand the difference between ‘affect’ and ‘effect’ their meaning. Most of the time, affect is a verb, whereas ‘effect’ is usually a noun.
Example: Communities within forty miles of Chittagong were affected by the tornado.
Affect means to have an impact on or make a difference in someone’s life.
Example: The tornado had a disastrous effect.
Effect means a change that is the result or consequence of an action or other cause.
4. Your or You’re
“Your” and “You’re” are two completely different words with different meanings. People tend to use “your” in the place of “you’re” and vice versa. Your means possession or to have something in your control. Whereas you’re is short for you are.
Examples:
You’re good at sports.
Did you complete your homework?
5. Irregardless
Irregardless a word that is labelled as non-standard in the majority of English dictionaries in the world. In its place, “regardless” is to be used, which has the same meaning and is considered the standard.
6. Run-on sentences
A run-on sentence happens whenever two or more separate clauses are incorrectly connected.
Examples:
I love to run. I would go on runs every day if I had the time
I enjoy writing articles. I would do so every day if I had the opportunity.
7. Subject and pronoun agreement issues
The subject and verb in a sentence must agree, whether they are singular or plural. If the sentence’s subject is singular, the verb should be singular as well; if the subject is plural, then the verb should also be plural.
Incorrect: The two best things about the party was the food and the music.
Correct: The two best things about the party were the food and the music
8. Use of the wrong word in a sentence
A malapropism happens whenever someone chooses an incorrect word in favor of a similar-looking word. Using the wrong word in a sentence changes the meaning of a sentence.
Example:
I’m literally dying of laughter.
Use of literally in a sentence when we mean to be figurative is a common mistake.
9. I or Me
“I” and “me” both are personal pronouns that are used to refer to oneself.
I is the subject pronoun in the first person singular sentence. It relates to an individual who performs a verb’s action.
In the first-person singular object, the pronoun is me. It relates to an individual to whom a verb’s action is directed.
Example:
- I will need you to give me the book.
Here, “I” is the subject.
- Sam bought me a cake.
Here, “Me” is the object.
10. Preposition in the ending
The use of a preposition at the end of a sentence is a standard grammatical error. A preposition, by definition, means that another word will come after it. This sort of mistake isn’t a massive deal in casual conversations, but you should avoid it in print.
Incorrect: What reason did he come here for?
Correct: He came here for what reason?
I have only mentioned ten grammatical mistakes here. However, there are tons more out there. Which of the mentioned mistakes have you found yourself making?
